Replay magazine replicates conventions from magazines like Vibe and Billboard through elements like its bold masthead and cover lines. The creator aimed to attract audiences through simplicity and familiar conventions. For the front cover, contents page, and double page spread, conventions like large images, fonts, and layouts were repeated from Vibe. Some differences included an editorial in the contents page. Test photos were taken and edited to conform to the hip hop genre and target audience's preferences identified through research. The final magazine effectively used conventions and the creator's skills with Photoshop to construct a media product that addressed its intended audience.

2. In what ways does your Media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Replay magazine across the 4 pages ‘repeats’ (Steve
Neale) codes and conventions from magazines such as
‘VIBE’ and ‘Billboard’ magazine as I got the inspiration
from the boldness of the VIBE masthead and repeated
this across to Replay magazine as I believe that the
simplicity and one colour of the masthead attracts the
audience straight away and it makes the magazine easy
to remember which means more people will be
influenced to buy it. Like-wise I ‘repeated’ the bold cover
lines similar to the magazine with Ciara on it, so that the
audience will be able to establish what the magazine is
about due to the different artists going to be interviewed
in the magazine.
For my front cover I made sure that it included all the
main conventions of a magazine such as the
• Barcodes.
• Date and prices.
• Main image
• Cover lines
• Masthead
• Strapline
For my contents page I also tried to create the same
vibe as the magazine VIBE, with the ‘contents’ being
very large and formation of the separation of the co –
nten – ts. Also I ‘repeated’ the image being on the left
hand side of the page and the font used for ‘features’
and ‘fashion’. However some ‘differences’ of VIBE
magazine to the magazine I created is the fact that I
included an editorial which introduced the audience to
Replay magazine, and explained what the magazine is
about and the exclusive interviews etc.
I was very indecisive about my double page
spread as I didn’t know where I wanted the text
to go, similarly I wasn’t too sure about the
differentiation of the colour choices pink and
black, for the story. Never the less I stuck to the
colour choice as it was conventional due to the
fact it was clear to which was the questions and
what was the answers.
Like-wise I had a main image which stood out
due to the fact that it was very big, and I also
made sure the text was shaped around the
image so that it looked really neat and well
presented to the audience reading the
magazine.
On the other hand there are examples of
‘difference’ in my double page spread in
comparison to my magazine of inspiration
‘VIBE’, with their double page spread would
include a V in the background to represent the
magazine, however I chose not to replicate that
idea.

3. Before and after cover page.
This was the original idea for Replay magazine
however mid way during the course I decided to
change the look of the whole lay out and pictures
because of the fact, that I wanted my magazine to
conform to the more professional concept and the
images I used before of the two boys wasn’t up to
the standard I wanted therefore I decided to
‘replicate’ a close up image of the girl instead. Like-
wise the background colour of the first magazine
idea was too much of a Matte grey and it didn’t look
up to a professional standard at all.
This was my final product of my
magazine, I was very happy with
this as I made sure the image
conformed to images you would
find on my magazine of inspiration
which was Vibe magazine. I made
sure the image was a close up
because of the fact that this I
‘Repeated’ throughout many
different Hip Hop magazines. I
made sure all the cover lines had
different fonts which is a
‘difference’ because of the fact I
wanted my magazine to have a lot
of variety and to have a more fun
and quirky feel to it.
Overall I was very pleased in the
decision I made in changing my
idea with the first magazine,
because of the fact that my final
product replicated the Hip Hop
vibe I wanted it to give off.

4. Before and after contents
My thoughts towards my original contents page
was very similar to my thoughts towards my
original front cover, although comparing both
contents pages I did like the way I ‘repeated’ the
size of the R to represent replay magazine to how
vibe’s contents page would have a massive V in
the background to represent Vibe, Never the less
I did change this idea because of the fact that in
my new contents page the font wasn’t the same
therefore it didn’t look as good, so I had to make
changes that would suit my new idea better.
When coming up with ideas for my
contents page, I relied heavily on my
magazine of inspiration for ideas, for
example in Vibe magazine it included
‘Features’ and ‘Fashion’, it also
replicated the layout of ‘contents’ so
that it was split up similarly to how it is
portrayed in Vibe magazine. A
‘Difference’ however would be the fact
that I included an editorial, which isn’t
included on the contents page of Vibe
magazine, in the editorial I introduced
my magazine and mentioned some of
the features that would be in it. The
image on my final magazine conforms
to the representation of a Hip Hop
genre as it is another image of who
would be the main story, similarly the
Image is big and captivating which is
exactly what a Hip Hop magazine
should be like.

5. Double Page
This was my first idea which was very similar to
my final double page spread, however I was
very unsure to where I wanted the text to be as
I didn’t want it to look like a news paper.
Using the pen tool, I was able to
create a text box which went
around the image so that the
text could be shaped around the
image which made it look more
neat and professional.
I was very pleased however with my final
double page spread as the article was very
clearly laid out as you could see the
differentiation between the question and the
answer. Like-Wise the image was very
conventional as it was set up to the left of the
page, which most images tend to be on in
magazines such a Vibe. Also it was very big
which therefore would captivate the audience
straight away, leading them to read the
interview.

6. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The denotation of representation in my magazine are independent woman. The
magazine, across the 4-pages, helps to represent this through the fact that it goes
against the idea that ‘men act, woman appear’ (John Burger) because even
though men are represented to be the dominant sex, my magazine shows an very
well established, independent, hard working and successful woman such as Alicia
Keys who got herself to where she is through her hard work and dedication.
Therefore through this elevated position she is found to be in, she can then be a
good role model, for young woman who aspire to be like her.
For example, on page 33 when asking Alicia what advice she has for aspiring
music artists, she

7. What kind of media institution (Publisher) might distribute your
media product and why?
“Bauer Media is a multi- Platform UK- based media group consisting of
many companies collected around two main divisions- Magazine and
Radio widely recognized and rewarded as being industry innovators. Our
business is built on influential media brands with millions of personal
relationships with engaged readers and listeners. Our strategy is to
connect audience with excellent content through our broad multi- touch
point brand platforms, where and whenever and however they want. Our
wide portfolio of influential brands gives us advantage over pure play
magazine or radio competitors”
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/about
When looking at Bauer media group, I’ve established that they may publish a magazine
like ‘Replay’ because of the fact that they are amazing at creating ‘personal
relationships’ (Katz) with their readers and I also think that my magazine does this well
especially through my editorial. Similarly across the four pages of my magazine, it
includes a lot of synergy and cross media convergence which allow readers to access the
magazine through different ways for example social networking sites or through the
replay website.

8. Who would be the audience for your media product and why?
The target audience for Vibe magazine can be denoted as 18-34 year old males
and females (Hartley). Similarly, according to Katz, the audience could be
identified as ‘inform and educate’ consumers as they wish to learn more about
their favorite rap artist and entertainer such as Kevin Hart, as well as things like
what songs are at the top of the charts so that people are filled in with new
songs, anything new being released by different rap or hip hop artists etc.
Vibes primary target audience can also be recognized as ‘Explorers’ and ‘Social
Climbers’ (Maslow) due to fans being inspired by their favorite rap artists and the
lyrics in their music and to aspire to be just like them.

9. How did you attract/address your audience?
In order to attract the intended target audience of Replay magazine I decided to
include a lot of unique selling points that are easy to recognize straight away.
From the results of my questionnaire I made sure I included different aspects
they wanted such as the big bold masthead which would grab their attention
straight away, likewise a ‘good looking’ girl to also attract the attention of the
male gender.
Similarly using language such as ‘Exclusive’ would also attract the audience
since these are words that are very direct in nature which would therefore make
the readers believe that they are getting something of value for just being a
customer of ‘Replay’ magazine.
Also the inclusion of codes and conventions such as having an editorial in the
contents page, helped to appeal to my specific target audience because I
addressed them in a direct manner using pronouns such as ‘you’ so that I would
make the reader feel part of something and they may develop a personal
relationship (Katz) with the editor because of the fact that the writing is very
personal. This would then push the reader into buying the next issues because
it would make them feel as if they are part of a community.

10. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
The software used to construct the media product entitled ‘Replay’ was Adobe Photoshop
CS4. I used this because it had a lot of tools which allowed me to alter the colour, saturation
and contrast of my images. Also it gave me the ability to use fonts of my choice and to place
them in different ways to suit my preference. Before starting the project I had a little bit of
knowledge in how to use Photoshop because of a previous projects I did for my GCSE’s.
Photoshop was really helpful because using the eyedropper tool I could
create the same colours used in my magazine again and ‘repeat’ it in
other areas of my magazine to make it look more professional.
To make my product original I decided to use dafont.com and download
a range of fonts to use in my media product because of the fact that I
think a variety of fonts makes the whole magazine a bit more
interesting for the reader.
In order for this product to look fit for purpose and appeal to the target
audience, I decided to make sure all the colours conformed to what
they wanted in the previous questionnaire I did in my log book. I then
‘repeated’ (Steve Neal) this type of colour scheme across the pages of
my magazine. Also to make sure the pictures looked perfect I used the
rubber tool to cover any ‘imperfections’ such as spots and cuts.
In conclusion I have learnt to effectively alter images so that they are
conventional as well as the art of making the text fit around the images
while at the same time being clear.

11. Photography Planning – Front Cover
In order to have a successful magazine, I had to carefully plan
who I wanted to be the model for the magazine, likewise I had
to make sure the location was set so we could meet up and take
sometime out of college to get the pictures done.
By texting my friend Rhiya I asked her when she would be
available and if she could assist me and luckily she was very co-
operative and an amazing model. Similarly she also fit in to
what I wanted my magazine to portray such as a very pretty girl
to create the Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey), and someone who
could pull of the Hip Hop vibe at the same time.
Taking into consideration the answers I got from my
questionnaire, I requested that she could wear a bomber
jacket, as I would be mostly focusing on the top half of her
body, and people said this is what they expect from a Hip Hop
magazine.
I Purposely made sure I took the pictures against a white/ cream wall in my house as I knew when I
took the pictures the background colour would come out a greyish colour which I wanted for my
magazine. I similarly did the same thing for my contents and double page spread as it meant I didn’t
have to edit the picture to a high extent and I didn’t have to use the quick selection tool on
Photoshop to go around the image.

12. Photography Planning – Front Cover
This is another image I planned to use for my
font cover however I thought the background
was very dark, and I wanted the Bomber jacket
to show the inside of the pink colour, to
represent a feminine touch.
This was the final image I chose for my font
cover, however I made it bigger so that it could
replicate what a stereotypical large image on
Vibe magazine would look like similarly it
would catch the audience attention straight
away.

13. Photography Planning – Contents Page
This is a similar image to what I used for the
contents page, however for the image I used I
made sure it was lighter so that it would
‘repeat’ the same colour I used in my front
cover.
For the final image, I just
cropped the other half of
her body out so that the
images didn’t look too
similar on each pages, and
it could create a difference
between the pages.

14. Photography Planning – Double Page
These are some of the
photos which were
my original idea to use
for my double page
spread, however I
decided to go for a
more serious look.
This is the image I decided to use for the double page
spread, because it connotes the idea that she may be
pretty but when it comes down to the amount of work
she puts into her music she is very serious, and that not
only men can make it in the music career, but as a
woman she can represent all the other woman that
shouldn’t give up on their dream.

15. Analysing my Front Cover
Masthead
Cover Lines
Date
Main Image
Barcode
Price and
institution logos
Main Story

16. Analysing my Contents Page
Main Image
Editorial
Page Numbers
Stories included
in the magazine

17. Analysing my Double Page spread.
Main
Story
Main image
Introduction
Differentiation
between the
question and
the answer
Quote