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1. CONTENTS
In what ways does my product use, develop or challenge the
codes/conventions used in other media products?
Columns
My product develops on the use of columns on the contents page as it
is not an essential convention of music magazines. This is evident as
magazines, such as NME often use different layouts to present their
contents page (as shown). I decided to use columns as I had a lot of
information that I wanted to put in and also think that it allows the audience
to see and navigate themselves around the magazine a lot easier. I feel that
using a separate layout would have not worked as effectively for my
magazine.
Fonts
On my contents page I have used different sized fonts to separate up the subheadings
and also the brief description of the articles underneath them. I have done this to
establish the importance of the sub headings and also to add shape to the page so that
the text is not just one size and is easier to read. I have done this as it is a common
stereotype of a music magazine as it allows clarity of the text so it’s clear. I have also
developed this further to use opposite colours for numbers around the bulk so it stands
out well. This allows me to keep colour matching with my colour scheme also.
This example, taken from Billboard shows how the use of separation of colour and
font can make the text easier to read. This can also be seen in the image above from
my product.
Page Numbers
This feature is key to any product of this genre as it helps the audience to know which
page to turn to if they want to see something in specific. I have followed this convention
as it is important to include. From my research I noticed that many of the magazines
analysed included page numbers.

2. CONTENTS
Title
I have chosen to repeat the name of my magazine on the contents page as it
re-iterates the name to the audience. This repetition allows for the name to be
constantly seen so that the reader remembers it. This technique is often used in other
music magazines so I used the convention on my product to allow the contents page to
link to the title page again. However I have developed this on my product, in
comparison to others as I have used a different font instead of the very same on the
front.
Blockbackground colour…
One code to mention of a music magazine is to use a block coloured background on
the contents page, which is a feature which I have also used. I have done this as it
allows for the text to stand out clearly as if it was a busy background it would take
attraction away from the text and make it harder to read also. Many music magazines,
like ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ or even ‘MOJO’ use a plain background and build up around this.
I have also began to develop this as I have added a column of darker grey at the side of
the page, allowing a neater effect and also a contrast of colour here too, allowing the
colour scheme to work here. This is a development as not all of the music magazines
that I have researched use more than one coloured background to add shape.
Lack of images
One feature which I may have challenged with my product is the use of images on the
contents page. This is because in the case of some music magazines, I found that a lot of
images are used and less information. However this is not the case for all magazines. I
decided to only use 2 images as I think that any more would make the page look too
cramped and squash the text, ruining the columns and making it harder to read. I
think that if I used a different layout, such as square blocks then more images
would have been able to be fitted. For example…

3. CONTENTS
Lack of advertisements…
In myproduct I have challengedthe feature of advertisementsonthe contentspage.Ihave done
thisby onlybrieflyforwardingcertainproducts/events,suchasLeedsFest.Ihave done thisthrough
my imagesasthey linksintostoriesinthe magazine itself.Ithinkthatchallengingthisisimportantas
I didnot wantadvertisementsonmycontentspage asit leaveslessroomforthe actual information.
I thinkthat use of advertisementscanbe placedinwiththe storiesthemselves,ie advertsforJustin
BiebersCDon a story abouthim. I have done this,incomparisontootherproductsso that I can
ensure evenadvertisingthroughout.