- The document discusses the process of creating a magazine called "Shifty Rap" for a school assignment. It summarizes the key conventions and influences that were considered in designing the magazine's layout, covers, and features. - Real magazines like XXL were analyzed to understand conventions and provide inspiration. Challenges were made too, like using unusual gray tones on the cover. - Technologies like Paint.net, Publisher, and Blogger were used to construct the magazine and document the process. Planning and drafting designs for photos, layouts, and features was essential before creation. - The full product showed progression from preliminary work, with conventions now understood and applied more deliberately based on influences and the target teenage

1. By Jae Plummer

2.  In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?

3.  Front cover
In the creation process of making my magazine I used a variation of typical codes and
conventions. I knew what these were from becoming familiar with them from doing the generic
codes task:
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/i-used-pun-from-kings-of-leons-hit-
song.html
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-typography-choose-matched-
zombie.html
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-typography-choose-was-
revolved.html
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/i-choose-this-name-for-group-as-i-
think.html
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/i-used-white-font-as-it-stand-it-
on.html
I then looked at existing products to familiarises myself with these features:
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/magazine-analysis-of-xxl.html

4.  Front cover
From these exercises I was able to have a clear understanding of the layout of
magazines as shown in the example. The convention rules that I followed are circled
below, the masthead follows the ‘left-third’ and the
Main cover line stands out a lot more compared to
The cover lines. The bar code and price also are
Placed typically in the bottom right hand corner.

5.  Challenges and developments
To give my magazine its own identity and interpretation of these conventions I
included challenges and developments to them. The main image shown in the
example below is in grey which is not something you will
Often see on a magazine. Also the masthead is quite big
I did this in order for it to stand out and show a sense of
Authority on the front cover to show its importance.

6.  Influences
I took most of my influence from similar products in
particular ‘XXL magazine’. This made sense to do as it
shares the same genre as my magazine, which is rap.
I took inspiration for my layout as shown in the XXL edition
of ‘the game’ as this does I put the main cover line in front
of the cover star. I also was inspired by the photography
that was used quite frequently for XXL of the medium close
ups of cover stars, I also did this however decided not to use
a white background as I felt this made it look to plain and empty.

7. My contents page fits with my front cover as it follows suit of
colours, I was influenced
for this mainly by Q magazine even though it doesn’t have
the same genre as I do therefore I changed fonts and the
style. Using the borders I was able to still keep the focus on
the cover star as well as making the
Contents clear on the page due to the contrast between the
black background and white writing.

8.  Double page spread
When creating a double page spread I firstly had to look at other existing double
page spread and I chose to look at one from ‘XXL magazine’ this being my inspiring
magazine.
- http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/double-page-spread-from-
inspired.html
I analysed the double page spread
So that I then knew the conventions
of a double page spread. From this
I incorporated a large image that is
Set as the background and I feel
this makes the cover star the main
Focus as it should be.

9.  How does your media product represent
particular social groups?

10.  My magazine is aimed at teenagers, mainly boys who enjoy the music genre rap. I
used XXL magazine to help me understand how to fit my magazine with its genre
and also how to target it at my audience, who is teenage boys.
Cover star
The cover star ‘J Indigo’ emulates a cool laid back teenage boy,
who is shown as being independent through the camerawork
showing him in a lone light but yet still stands out.

11.  The other photos used also expressed the same as my cover stars as being
inquisitive as well as having depth within their personality that readers of the
magazine want to be revealed. They persisted with the theme of being laid back
yet shady. Boys dominate the magazine typically teenage boys this gives my target
audience something to relate to as they will be mostly teenage boys themselves.

12.  What kind of media institute might distribute
your product and why?

13.  The genre of shiftyrap is similar to XXL and vibe, these magazines are from major
distribution companies. Shifty rap could work well for a major distributor as it will
feature a lot of upcoming and established artists and will include fresh ideas and
styles hence making it likely to be a top selling magazine.

14.  I researched on several magazines and the distributor that I think should
distribute my magazine is IPC media : http://www.ipcmedia.com/
 The reason for this is it is a British major distributor that not yet publishes a rap
magazine and I feel that this is a spot that my magazine can fill. They also
advertise on many platforms such as websites, printing and modern technology
like tablets and mobiles, which would be most beneficial for my magazine.

15.  Who would be the audience for your media
product?

16.  My magazine will be aimed at teenagers mainly boys aged between 15-21. The
link below will show an analysis of the questionnaire answers from people in that
age group so that I knew what they wanted in the magazine as this would help the
magazine to be more suited to them and I would be able to develop the magazine
around their answers.
 http://jaeplummerasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/questionnaire-analysis.html
‘XXL’ also has a similar target audience to me as they
Target people who enjoy urban music for example rap
and hip-hop that mainly aims itself at males however
at a more mature age.

17.  How did you attract/address your audience?

18.  Masthead
My masthead ‘shiftyrap’ is in a bright red colour which makes it stand out as a
masthead should as should, the font of the masthead is also different giving it a
unique look this is something that people will remember and be attracted to as it
gives them visual interest.
colours
The colour scheme of black and red contrast well together, the colour red has
connotations for energy which relates to my target audience of youth and
teenagers. The black gives the magazine a dark and mysterious edge. Red is also
used in similar products such as ‘XXL’ so it is clear that this is colour is successful
in attracting an audience.

19.  Images
The images in the magazine use direct address to engage with the audience, the
direct address is particularly strong on the main image (front cover). The images
of the cover star show the dress code of most teenagers today for example the
cap and hoodie, presenting this as being magazine including young artists that my
audience can relate to.
Pug
The pug attracts the audience as it offers a free item inside the magazine creating a
want from the costumers for the item and is an incentive for the audience to want
to open the magazine. It is in the middle of a circle making it stand out on the
page.

20.  What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing the product?

21. Paint.net Page plus Microsoft publisher
Easy to use and
understand.
Easy to use and
understand.
Able to save the
document as a JPG or
image format.
Able to add text and
add shapes.
Able to crop and edit
images easily with the
‘cut-out studio’.
Able to add text and
images to document.
Able to edit images
with effects and tools.
Able to move images
and text around
freely.
Flexible with
changing font, sizes
and colours.
The use of layers
makes it easier to
edit, change or delete
each layer.
Here are the strengths of each of the programmes that I used in the process of
constructing my magazine:

22. Paint.net Page Plus Microsoft Publisher
Unable to edit text
after unselecting layer.
Inexperienced users of
the programme could
find it complex to use.
To simple to create
the magazine on as it
will not give off a
professional final look.
Effects do not appear
as a good quality.
The wide choice of
effects could lead to
overuse of them.
Limit to its use as it is
unable to do the
things that the more
complex programmes
can.
Limited choice when
selecting shapes and
brush effects.
Here are the weaknesses of each of the programmes used in the process of
constructing my magazine:

23.  Drafting and planning
In the process of making my magazine, I had to draft and plan many features of the
magazine such as the layout, how the photos would be taken and inspiration
taken from existing artists and magazines. It was crucial that I drafted and
planned before even starting to create the front cover, contents page or double
page spread as I needed to first sort a layout, colour scheme and also the pictures
I was going to choose to feature in my magazine.

24.  Blogger
The use of blogger was the way in which the process of my magazine was shown. I
uploaded my work to this blog on a weekly basis and I found it to be better than
having my work in a folder. This is because blogger is easily accessible and I could
upload post whenever I needed as it had a phone app, which I often used. The use
of a blog meant that my work was already organised and the option to edit or
delete a post made the blog flexible to use as I could add to my work or make
changes to any mistakes in a post making it more efficient in comparison to
written work, where I would have to re-write the work.

25.  Photographic choices
Before I started to take pictures I first had to think about what I needed for my
photographs to be of a good quality and also how they would fit in with my
magazine genre. This was very important as without this the magazine simply
wouldn't work. Drafting and planning of photographs made it a lot easier when it
came to choices of which I would use for the magazine. The photographs also
helped in fitting with the layout of the magazine as I needed to include pictures
that were also going to work well and look as one with the cover lines and
contents for example.

26.  Looking back to your preliminary task, what
do you feel you have learnt in the progression
to the full product?

27. Preliminary front cover Main task front cover
As you can see the main task layout is a lot better as the cover lines
surround the cover well and also the fonts and colours tie in well showing
the more careful approach taken to planning and experimenting with them,
which makes everything on the cover link together, where as this seems the
exact opposite on the preliminary task.

28. Main task contents
page
Preliminary task
contents page
The preliminary task contents page barely has any typical features of a contents
page of a magazine where as the main task contents page does showing that the
research and tasks done surrounding magazines has helped me to execute the
features and typical layouts of a contents page.

29.  How successful do you feel your end product
is in fulfilling the task? how well does it fit the
brief?

30.  Overall all I feel that the final product I have produced has been successful and
have fit the brief well in making a music magazine. The research and task I done
helped me in the process of this task as it helped me to become familiar with the
conventions of a magazine and also the ways I will attract my target audience,
which in my case was teenagers. I feel that the 3 parts of a magazine that I tackled
(front cover, contents page and double page spread) fitted together creating a
flow throughout the magazine. I made a rap music magazine and I feel that my
strongest part of the task was the front cover as I feel that the features and layout
of the magazine were executed well, as well as linking in with my target audience
through the features such as the photography and colour scheme.