Media coursework , music magazine

1. MAGAZINE
CONVENTIONS
DARCIE NAYLOR

2. MASTHEAD
• Conventional and vital for every magazine, as it tells the audience
what magazine brand they are reading.
• Conventionally positioned within the top third of the cover page.
• The design and size of the masthead should not change too
regularly, as it is vital that your audience can recognise your brand
so they buy it again.
• Must be noticeable-cannot blend in with the background, if your
masthead is a similar colour to your background you may run the
risk of having an magazine that looks unprofessional and messy.
• Use a colour that is complementary to the background so that is
ecstatically pleasing for the audience to look at.
Positioned
within the
top third.
Catching the
readers eye
almost
instantly- bold-
colour contrast
with
background
making it
noticeable.

3. COVER LINE
• Tells the audience what the main feature within the magazine will be.
• Informs the reader on what to expect from the magazine
• Can be much smaller than the masthead, though this does not always have to be
applied however the Cover Line must always be smaller in size compared to the
Masthead.
• Piques the audiences interest.
• Should be a different colour to the Masthead.
• Can use multiple cover lines in order to demonstrate to the audience how much is
in the magazine that might interest them.

4. FOCAL IMAGE
• On all magazines, there is one main focal image. This image will more
often than not be the element that attracts the audience the most.
Making it a very important element when wanting to sell a larger
quantity of your product.
• Media institutions create products that feature celebrity stars to
generate the audiences interest. For example if there is a particular
musician that is doing well or is becoming increasing well-known, they
will take advantage of that and put them on the cover of their magazine
in order to boost sales.
• This theory is exemplified through the magazine cover to the right. An
image of Rihanna has taken up a large percentage of the page, even
covering parts of the Masthead, this is called superimposition ,therefore
demonstrating the impact Rihanna alone has on the audience , as
Rollingstone believe that her presence alone will sell their magazine.
Assumes that the audience will also recognize the masthead anyway.
• Richard dyers star theory suggests that “ Stars are manufactured by the
music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of audience, who
respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records
and becoming fans. “

5. Puffs: Gives
information on what is
in the magazine –
often in a bubble of
striking shape.
Price/date/bar
code : can change
within every
addition of the
product.
Sell lines: Writing
that tells the reader
about other articles
within the
magazine- often
found down the
sides of the cover
page.
Anchorage text: Links directly to
the main focal image – informing
the audience on what the
image/article will be about

6. CONTENTS PAGE
• Will often have the same model on the contents page as
on the Cover page.
• Can also consist of smaller images of other people which
may come up within the magazine- this informing that
audience on what is to come.
• Pages will always be numbered, therefore on the
coverpage it will tell the abidance which number coincides
with which article - short sentences telling the audience
what will be on each individual page
• Large writing, acting as a masthead will be present, often
saying something along the lines of “contents”.

7. • Article is set out into columns- this makes
it easier for the audience to follow and
understand. It also makes the magazine
look more professional and neat.
• The font colour must be of a readable size
and colour. If the audience is unable to
read what is on the page they will not be
inclined to buy the magazine again.
• The company logo is also often found on
the page towards one of the corners.
• Drop capitals are also used within
double page spreads. They are seen to
symbolise an important paragraph or
sentence.
• The focal image on the page will always
be the main feature within the article.
• Should include Pull quotes in order to
break up the text- this devise is good for
a younger target audience.
• The articles are often based on an
interview , an album or tour review.

8. REPRESENTATION OF GENDER
• When is comes to Media products such a magazines and House music, it is
known that the Variety is limited. Institutions often stick towards the genres of
pop, rock and R&B as they have been extremely popular genres of music for
decades therefore they are seen as genres that will bring in the most sales.
However when we do see media products related to house music, the “stars” are
often dominantly male based or the females are considered to act in a masculine
way. I want my magazine to present an image of empowered woman, In order to
demonstrate that woman can equally be successful within a stereotypically male
style.