2. Q1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
3. MAIN COVER
I made sure I had a
really subtle
background in
order to direct all of
the attention to the
information on the
cover such as the
masthead, cover
lines, cover image
and headline.
4. WAYS IN WHICH MY COVER IS CONVENTIONAL
The cover image relates to the headline – the headline is about
an artist called Ty, and the cover image is Ty. The main purpose
of a headline is to draw an audience in with information they
want to know about – and this is supported with a cover image.
Eye contact – Ty is looking straight at the camera. This is a
generic convention and the reason I followed this convention was
because the use of eye contact on a front cover is a straight
connection with the reader, the page is looking at the audience
and drawing them in.
5. COMPARING WITH EXISTING MAGAZINES
Here are two already existing
music magazines from a
similar genre, and like my
magazine they both use
medium close up portrait shots
with eye contact to portray the
cover star. I used this with my
magazine because it’s a close
enough shot to recognize the
artist from a distance to draw
people in, but at the same time
enables the reader to get a hint
or possibly be inspire by the
clothes being worn by the
artist.
6. MASTHEAD
I made sure the masthead covered the whole width of the page like a lot of magazines in this
genre have done. I have done this because it draws the reader in and the brand name is
easily noticeable and recognizable as it’s so apparent. I thought this was especially essential
in my breakthrough magazine as I need to get a brand name out there and he only ay to do
that is promotion, and a big band name on the cover is a great way to self promote.
I have used a different font for the masthead to differentiate it from the rest so it’s really
distinguishable so it almost acts as a logo – this is because whenever the reader sees that
font they then know it’s the brand, which effectively acts as a logo. I also made sure it filled
up a noticeable portion of the page – this makes both the cover image and the brand the two
focuses of the front cover. I think this is crucial in a magazine as the cover draws the
attention from people who want to know about what’s happened to the cover star, and the
masthead or brand name is then remembered and could therefore attract regular customers.
7. COVER LINES
• My cover lines follow conventional
magazines in the aspect that they are
situated to both the left and right of
the page. I followed this convention
because it means the most attention
is focused on the cover image and you
can see all of him instead of cover
lines being in the way.
• They are aligned with margins so they
look like they have a purpose and
looks better presentable.
• Big artists names are made to stand
our more to pull audiences in and
catch people’s eye.
8. HEADLINE
• The headline displays the artist’s name, which is linked to the cover image. I have kept
this conventional because it’s a tease for the audience – the headline is a cliffhanger and
so it makes the reader want to read more, which is what the purpose of a cover is for.
• It’s the second largest writing on the cover as it’s supposed to really grab the attention of
the reader – however the brand name and logo is more important as it signifies what the
magazine is.
• For my headline I felt the font was essential to get right in order to project the right image,
which for my genre, was urban but a very aesthetic look. The font is called “Urban Jungle”
and the bottom of the letters are rooftop buildings, which is something you see in big
cities, which is also where the rap scene takes place.
• The sub headline below the headline I have kept conventional as it half explains the
headline but entices you to read more. An example of an already existing magazine with a
headline and sub headline is the “Q” magazine above.
9. SELLING LINE
• The selling line is conventionally next to the masthead and I have kept this convention
because it’s tells you what sort of magazine you’re looking at. I have tried to be as concise
but informative as possible with my selling line as it’s what a potential customer will see at
a quick glance on a shelf, which is especially vital for my magazine as it’s a new magazine
on the market and not a worldwide famous one with an established fan base.
• I have made it smaller than the masthead to prevent diverting attention away from the
brand name, but kept it next to it so it’s clear to see.
10. CONTENTS
• The contents is the home page of a
magazine – for this reason I tried to
make my contents page as
stereotypical as Hip-Hop and R&B can
be.
• I have used a Supreme store in London
for the background as the urban
location sets the scene for the focal
point of my magazine.
11. BACKGROUND
• Supreme is an iconic clothing brand name
for the hip-hop music industry – worn by
the biggest names such as Chris brown,
Kanye West and A$AP Mob (listed in the
contents and pictured). I took the photo
while I was in London. I made supreme
the focal point of the contents as it
symbolizes the hip-hop genre, therefore
for someone reading this magazine knows
it’s conventional.
• Hip-hop is also stereotyped to be in the
streets or street music, and so the
collaboration of Supreme in an urban area
really combines the two aspects together.
12. • My inspiration for a single column contents was from Mix-mag magazine which
shares similar genres to mine. I chose only 1 column as I knew I was using a
photo as background – this enabled the background to be more visible as
there wouldn’t be as much obstruction from text.
• Something else I took from Mix-mag was the concept of a very brief summary
of what is on a particular page. I used a smaller font so it’s easy to distinguish
from other pages, and highlighted parts which would really catch a reader’s
eye – such as “Alexander Wang”; a well known fashion designer who is
popular with this genre of music, A$AP Rocky is known to rap about Wang in
his music.
• However to highlight and emphasise key parts in the magazine that will catch
people’s eye I have used different sized fonts and colours. For example
“Supreme” has been enlarged and coloured in as it’s the background of the
contents and also “Ty” has been coloured and enlarged as he’s the main focal
point o the magazine.
COLUMNS
13. PAGE TITLES
• The style of my contents page was simple; I
wanted the brand logo to be there, and I
wanted it to be concise and straight to the
point. This was effective as the the “Supreme”
in the background wasn’t covered and it filled
the gap between the side columns and the
contents columns.
• I felt it was essential to keep the brand name
Bassic the same font as I said previously it
advertises the brand logo.
14. SIDE COLUMN
• The right side is another column but it’s an information column
rather than a contents column telling the reader where to look
for different stories.
• The introduction to the artist NO1 Drugs is the promotion of a
breakthrough artist in R&B. I included this as it’s an insight to
new and different artists in the genre, and music is a very muhc
exposure necessary industry to ‘get big’ and so the promotion of
a smaller artist would motivate other artists who read Bassic to
pursue what they’re doing.
• Below I have included the 2 main stories which are on the front
cover, which are also in the contents column but I have included
photos to give a further incite to the page.
16. MAIN IMAGE[S] [BROKEN CONVENTION]
• Conventionally the main image in the article is the artist on the cover, like
I have done with Ty.
• Ty is the photo on the page because the article is all about him, but the
Bape shark full zip hoodie is done all the way up covering his face as
that’s a style in the rap scene such as Ian Connor [pictured below], but
also to insinuate he is a dark horse in the industry – He’s earned enough
respect to wear a brand such as Bape (massive in the hip-hop genre) but
not expected to do as well as he has done.
• I have made sure he is dressed in stereotypical hip-hop clothing to keep
the street feel to the page as there aren’t any more photos on the article
page.
• However, a stereotypical music magazine article shows the celebrity's
face, and so in the midst of the article I included another medium sized
image of the artist to show his face.
• My reasoning for this is on the next slide but a big factor is that I felt as
though the faceless photo on my article page is a very aesthetically
pleasing graphic, and so it’s eye catchy and interesting to a reader.
Furthermore, this slight break in convention gives my magazine
individuality, which is essential to do well in an oligopolistic market such
as the magazine market.
17. BROKEN CONVENTIONS
• The only main convention that’s been severely broken is the hiding of the face
of the artist on the article page. This is because the hoodie (Bape shark
hoodie) is iconic in the genre and has frequently been seen in music videos
and photo shoots with the biggest artists in the genre such as Chris brown and
A$AP Mob. By breaking this convention I have created a better feel for the hip-
hop genre within the magazine.
18. QUOTES AND FEATURES
• In the top left is interview written in a box so people flicking through the pages of my
magazine know what they’re flicking past by a quick indicator.
• I embedded a quote of Ty’s within the article mass as it breaks the text up, making it more
appealing to read, but also it is a signifier of what to come, almost like a second headline as
people see the quote and thinking ‘I need to read on’.
• At the bottom of the double page spread are page numbers as this is conventional in every
type of media piece whether it be a magazine, newspaper or brochure. And in the top corners
say ‘interview’ and ‘exclusive’ so people quickly flicking through can see what’s on the page.
• I also included a web address because this leads to more information and makes the readers
feel more involved.
19. TITLES
• I kept the house style the same for the headline of the article, however I made
the text much larger and bolder so it stands out from the rest.
• The headline for the article has to really stand out to really pull someone in to
read it, “Ty blasts Drake” as definitely enticing in my opinion as when there’s
commotion people want to know about it, and it’s been really emphasized in
my title.
20. THE ARTICLE
• The writing on the left page is an introduction to
Ty as he’s a new artist and so not everyone may
know him. I split it into 3 columns so it’s easy to
read and adds further individuality to my
magazine, showing my brand goes the extra mile
to find out ‘not to well known’ facts about artists
they love.
• The article I made separate as I felt as though
the introduction was about Ty himself and the
article was more a discussion about something
that’d happened. I made the main article into 3
columns so its easier to read as it breaks up the
text.
21. FORMS
• The house style on the cover was purple, black white and red, this was because the Bape
jacket was purple with hints of red for the shark and so keeping the house style consistent
meant purple and red. I understand that these two colours don’t always contrast the best
so I kept the red to a minimum on the cover and used white and black. However inside the
magazine I kept with red, black and white as these colours are associated with the hip-
hop genre.
• All of the images used were taken myself, the photo of A$AP Rocky performing live was
when I went to see hi min Birmingham. No animations or videos were included as
magazines are printed so they wouldn’t be suitable.
• I have also taken the fonts into consideration so that they are suitable
