2. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real media
products?
3. These are a few examples of conventional magazines which I have used as research
and inspiration for my own music magazine.The similarities I have created between
“Top of the Pops” and “Candy” are: Similar colour themes and house styles, the
same amount of cover stories and pictures, a main cover line and the same
positioning of the masthead.The slight differences are:The bar code, issue number
and price are in a different place, compared to “Top of the Pops” as it is at the
bottom of the page.The masthead is regularly large and bold to endorse the music
magazine itself, that is why I chose to make “Candy” in capitals and also in bold.
Finally there is always a main cover line on the middle right of the page, this notifies
the audience what the double page spread includes and also the main headline.
5. Main image
The model has a direct gaze, so she has eye
contact with reader. Also the model is a young
teenage girl which represents to my target
audience, making the cover more relatable
Price of magazine
Issue number
Bar code
Masthead
Follows the house style:
Pink, white, and yellow
This shows consistency
throughout my cover page.Also
these colours are relevant to my
target audience, as they are
girly and age appropriate.
Cover lines
The font used is Berlin Sans FB
Demi, which stand out
compared to the headlines and
pull quotes underneath.
Logo
Cover picture
These pictures are similar to the
age of the target audience and are
all female, the reinforces my girly
theme and also relates to “Top of
The Pops”
Headlines/Pull Quotes
The font used is Cooper BlkltHd
BT this differs from the cover
lines above slightly, also the
colours vary to create contrast
in the different subjects and
headings.
Main cover line
This is the main double page spread
story of my magazine, it involves a pull
quote “Why I love music”. It also has drop
shadow effect on the circle which makes
it stand out from the background.The
font used isABC Font and the quote is in
Andre Light SF.
Cover picture and additional cover line
This is the same font as the cover lines
(Berlin Sans FB), I did this to keep the
consistency of the magazine. I added
a red outline to connote the word
“Hot” this is onomatopoeia as this
word is
6. FRONT COVER INSPRIATION
This is the “Top of the Pops” magazine I was mostly trying to
remake, I thought this would be most effective as it includes
many headings and pictures, also I thought the circular main
cover line was really eye catching for the audience. I originally
chose the “Top of the Pops” because of how girly and colourful
the features were, which I thought was perfect for my target
audience (girls aged from 11-15) as it displays pre-teen femininity.
I mainly liked the mature feel of the cover and how popular it
currently is with young girls. I would say my magazine itself
doesn’t necessarily challenge any conventional media products,
as I believe it mirrors most aspects in any pre-teen oriented front
cover. Due to its celebrity gossip and also boy involved posters
and interviews etc. My main inspiration was from my own
personal fondness of these magazines when I was younger, as I
enjoyed the maturity and depth of the reading.
RESEARCH MAGAZINES
“TOP OFTHE POPS”
7. CONTENTS PAGE AND ADVERTISEMENT
This is my contents page, I decided to carry on with my top of
the pops theme as I have continued to use examples of contents
pages and advertisements from their magazines. Regarding my
contents page I have used similar aspects and features from top
of the pops, for example the “on the cover” sector, where arrows
are used to inform the reader what page each story is on. Also I
have used an informal chatty editorial note to the reader (Hey
girls!..), this gives my magazine a personal touch also an
informality.The columns of page numbers are also alike to top of
the pops, as they are simple and correspond with my overall
design. Finally the colour scheme used throughout Candy is
carried on through the contents as well, as the light pink and the
pale yellow are used, this keeps the pages to the same house
style. My magazine advertisement is copied from a similar event
from top of the pops magazine, I chose to do this ad as it relates
to my target audience massively.The bright colours draw
attention to the page which make it look more attractive and
eye catching, finally the age range for the competition is the
same as my target age group of readers. Overall I am using and
following normal British music magazine conventions.
8. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
This is my double page spread for my magazine, as you can
see I have used the inspiration from top of the pops once
again. I have decided to do this as I like the style and the
layout, also I wanted to keep my magazine constant and
professional. I have used the similar spotlight affect on my
own magazine by using Photoshop, I wanted to do this as it
corresponds with top of the pops double page and also the
use of my title, “in the spotlight!”. I have stuck to the similar
amount of circular cover lines and also the similar interview
questions and style. I have used black this time as a
background rather than white as it highlights the spotlight
more effectively, however the pink and yellow theme is still
in place, (the pink headline and cover lines, and the yellow
banner across the pages).Throughout this process my
magazine has defiantly stuck to conventional styles of
magazines, as it doesn’t massively challenge the ordinary
conventions of popular music magazines, as I have used top
of the pops as a huge inspiration to help me get towards the
look and feel I was striving for.
RESEARCH MAGAZINES
“TOP OFTHE POPS”
