4. Similarities analysis
Within my Front cover, I have used many similarities. I used one medium close
shot image, just like the VIBE magazine. I placed my masthead at the top left of
my magazine so that it catches the audiences’ attention, also I made it a blue
colour. I used a continuous colour scheme which was blue, red, white and black.
I used the blue colour with the red colour because they contrast well with
eachother, also these types of colours are used in R&B magazines. Usually,
neutral colours are used for this genre. VIBE also does this, with the main colours
yellow and black. My magazine has included a tagline at the top of the magazine,
and VIBE has one at the bottom. The purpose of this was to make my magazine
look realistic, as other magazines have taglines. I made sure to include
information that will be shown in my magazine, on the tagline, e.g. ‘Tour dates,
album releases’. I used a rule of thirds on my front cover which is an effective
magazine technique as the model is standing right in the centre, also my model
is making eye contact with the camera, just like Drake in VIBE which creates a
feeling of intimacy.
5. DIFFERENCES analysis
Looking at my magazine and the VIBE magazine, I can see that I have included
the Date whereas the other magazine does not. I have used the Date because
my magazine is the first issue, also it is the codes and conventions of a music
magazine. It makes my magazine look more professional, also it gets rid of
any ‘white space’ on my magazine. I included a flashy star shape because I felt
as though it would make the text inside, stand out. Because it says ‘Free
posters inside’, I thought that adding a shape would be effective, as it informs
the reader what can be found inside. As well as this, it gave me room to
change the colour of the shape, so that I could add a blue colour, which
reinforces my ethos and house style. On my front cover, you can see that I
have added an additional list of small coverlines on the side. Whereas the
VIBE magazine does not have this. The reason why I have this is because after
looking at other R&B magazines, I have noticed that they have done
something similar. It just means that I can include more coverlines and make
use of some ‘white space’.
8. When comparing my contents page, I can see that we both have a masthead. My masthead is located in the top
right corner, and VIBE’s magazine has their masthead in the same place. This is to make the magazine look
recognisable and professional, e.g. it would mean that the audience would be able to know which magazine it
belongs to, by looking at the contents page. Another similarity would be the main image, both magazines have
one large main image in the middle of the page, they are both very large and bold. I have done this because I
want my magazine look like other R&B magazines. Moreover, the website has been shown on both websites, to
let the audience know where to find additional information about WAVE. The last similarity is the layout of the
text for the articles that are featured. Looking at my magazine, you can see that I have a larger title saying
features with the articles below it and a page number by the side. The VIBE magazine also has this, which shows
how the magazine contents pages are slightly similar.
Similarities analysis
9. When comparing the two magazines, I can see that I have used direct address on my contents page, whereas
the other magazine does not have this. Although I have already got this feature on my front cover, I decided to
add this onto my contents page because I feel as though it creates a feeling of intimacy, also it captures the
readers attention. Another difference I found was that the VIBE contents page shows the location of where the
magazine was produced, whereas mine did not. I did not want to include this because I found that other
magazines did not have this feature. Lastly, I found that my magazine had multiple images on the contents
page, however the VIBE magazine did not, instead, it had 1 main image of Chris Brown. The reason why I did
this is because I wanted some images to anchor the text on the page. I believe that this made my magazine
look more realistic and professional.
DIFFERENCES analysis
12. When comparing both double page spreads, I can see that alot of similar features are used.
Firstly, both magazines have the standard features, for example one large image, drop cap,
headline, byline, standfirst, page number and caption. I made sure to look at my drawn draft, as
well as a real magazine, so that I could compare features. This is why my magazine is similar to
the Kerrang one. I felt as though these features were necessary because it made my magazine
look real and professional. The overall layout of it follows the codes and conventions as it has the
main features of an actual magazine. I made sure to compare my magazine with another Q&A
magazine, because I wanted to see whether my layout was similar to that one, as you can see, it
is. This is important because it means that my magazine does follow the layout of other
magazines.
Similarities analysis
13. When comparing both pages, I can see that there aren't that many differences. Firstly, my
magazine has a pull quote. Although this feature is optional, I thought it was a good idea to add it
because I found I thought that it would stand out, and my magazine would look appealing. As well
as this, it allows me to create a wrap around the image, so that I can show off my inDesign skills.
Another difference that I noticed was that I kept the date at the bottom of the page. I did this
because I wanted to have a constant footer that would be used on all of the pages in my
magazine. I kept it next to the page number because I thought it looked more aesthetically
pleasing, also I had lots of room at the bottom of my page. Therefore, it made sense for me to do
this. As well as this, I have a small area below my stand first, giving credit to the author and the
photographer. However looking at the other magazine, I can see that it does not have this. What
I’ve noticed is that some magazines have this, and some don’t.
DIFFERENCES analysis
14. Conclusion
Overall, I believe that my product follows the codes and conventions of real media products. This
is because I have a lot of the similarities and not many differences. I decided to create my
magazine this way, so that it would look like a normal R&B magazine you would pick up in a shop.
Also I wanted to make my magazine look professional so that it would make sense to the reader,
and so that it looks appealing.
