This document discusses the design of a magazine called "Rock and Roll" and how it uses conventions from real music magazines. It begins by explaining how the designer studied magazines like Rolling Stone and NME to inform the layout and style. Key design elements discussed include using a black and white close-up image on the cover, a red masthead in the top right, and inclusion of articles, reviews, and a gig listing. Color schemes and fonts were chosen to represent the target audience and genre of soft rock music. Overall the document analyzes how the magazine design adheres to typical magazine conventions to create a realistic product.

1. ROCK AND ROLL
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What
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How
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QUESTION ONE
DEVELOPING AND USING
CONVENTIONS
What kind of institution
m igh t di st r i bu t e you r
media product and why?
preliminary task,
what have learnt in the
progression from it to
the full product?
Q2
represent
social groups
QUESTION 4
TARGET AUDIENCE
MAGAZINE
EVALUATION’S
GRACE ARNELL
What I’ve learnt so far...

2. Q1. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
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ROCK AND ROLL
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tH LErSrS
L E
Ki OSt
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on my artists face as well as can
relate to the magazine of Rolling
By GRACE ARELL
Stone due to the use of a close up
of a single artist. wWhen choosing
hen beginning to design
the picture I felt that facial expresELLiE G
my magazine I felt that I needed
sion was important as I felt that
iN
GOULDROVE
D
“FAME AD”
to consider other previous music
the audience needed to be able to
M
ME
magazines that have been created
relate to the audience and have
LIVE
fASHiON
and relate to my genre. This would a relationship the second they
GIG LIST
rOCKS
INSIDE
TOPMAN MEETS
aid me in making my magazine
picked the magazine up. I was able SOFT ROCK
as realistic as possible as well as
to create this by the artist looking
MOST POPULAR
COLD
ALBUMS
a basis for my ideas to then be
directly into the camera as well as P L A Y
UtiLMAtE
A
T
E
further developed. With the use
having a stern look to portray the BN TCEKRSV IAEGW
I
rEVEiwS
Of tHE YEAr
THE INVENTION OF
of a standard soft rock magazine
genre of the magazine. This atstyle and the typical conventions
tracts my audiences as it highlights
of magazines in general I would
that the magazine is serious about
“ YOU CANT PLEASE EVERYONE SO WHY TRY ”
be able to make a professional as
music as well as formal meaning
tic pictures used.
well as realistic magazine that can it is perfect for my audience of
be deemed apmainstreamer’s
scheme I
I think that the and individuali- The colourpart of thefelt was an
propriate for my
important
housing
chosen audience.
ties in the social
HOUSING Style is classes of A B C1. style and creation of my magazine
The magazines I
to relate to the target
studied when first
very important The magazine of as it needed well as the secondaudience as
putting my ideas
Rolling Stone I felt ary target audience. This is due
forward were Rolling Stone, NME used these techniques successfully
to the magazine relying on these
and Q. These magazines would
and so was imperative that I used
readers to be successful and easily
be best in aiding me to make my
this convention of serious, close
recognisable due to the consistent
magazine due to the target auup images to enable my magacolours and layout; housing style.
dience age and gender of 16 - 25
zine to be successful. To make my The colours I chose to use were
males were the same. I used these
image stand out as well as make
red and gold with white, black and
as templates as I felt that these
the magazine look slightly classic
grey to give the magazine depth
were the most well known as sucI chose to use a black and white
and intriguing features when becessful magazines within the genre image with high
ing red. I chose these
of rock and were most relevant to
contrast to stand COLOUR SCHEMES colours as I felt that
the soft rock magazine I wanted
out compared to
AND CHOSEN they represented the
to create. The magazines are well
magazines such
genre I have picked
presented as well as consistent
as q which typiIMAGES
extremely well due to
with formal articles and housing
cally use a close p
red having connotastyle about the music rather than
image in colour. I felt this made
tions of passion for the music as
gossip.
the magazine seem more individwell as anger and danger which
ual and therefore relating to my
can easily link to the music genre
The image I chose to use for the
audience. This allows my artist to
of rock. Moreover, the colours
front cover is a close up shot of
be portrayed as serious about her
are also successful at portraying
the artist that will feature in my
music and fans as well as making
my target audience being males
main article. The images I have
the social group that reads the
between the ages of 16 and 25
taken is a close up that focuses
magazine clear due to the authen- as well as secondary audience of
2013
ISSUE:21434
LEAH LOVE
£3.00
1/01/2014
www.rockandroll.com
females of the same age range due
to the colours not being gender
specific as well as bright and bold.
The colour of gold I felt was also
a colour that was practical due
to presenting the audience back
grounds and interesting having
connotations of money and power
therefore representing their classes
of A B C1.
The masthead of my magazine
uses these colours as I felt it was
an important factor in order to
make sure my magazine was easily
recognised. I used the name RR
which is an acronym for the name magazine for the first time. I used
Rock and Roll. I felt that the name the codes and conventions of
any typical magazine and placed
was simplistic yet effective which
the magazines masthead in the
can be seen as mature due to the
top right hand corner due to this
use of an acronym compared to
the initial
top of the pops
Typical Layout for being where readplace
which not capa front cover ers will look for
italised and a
the name. I also
simple phrase. I
music magazine felt that with the
decide to use a
use of this mastred box logo as
head it would allow me to use any
I felt it aided me with the use of
image on the front cover due to
the colour scheme and allowed
me to use a formal font compared the magazine name not having to
be all shown as the magazine will
to my original design which used
be so recognisable it will not need
a childish font and no red box
the masthead in full view.
logo. I felt that the red box aided
my magazine to be easily recogWhen designing my contents
nised to the regular readers as
page I felt that the idea of a gig
well as ones that would buy the
list an important convention of a
rock magazine and so felt it was
imperative that I created a list of
my own for my magazine. When
making my gig list I decided to
use a red heading to make the list
stand out yet also place the text
in a black Arial font to make sure
that it was simplistic and didn’t
take the audiences away from the
images and overcomplicate the
page. I placed the listing on the
right had side of the page underneath the title making sure that it
was easy to find and separate from
the other pieces of information
such as the articles themselves or
the subscription details. This is
complimentary and fits with the
theme of my contents page as the
colours are consistent yet placing
the information in a box out text
with a grey background separates
it from the information breaking
the page down to make it simple
to navigate around the page.
The band index I created I felt was
unique to the magazine due to the
fact that unlike Q it was a range of
artists having a wide spectrum of
soft rock and older pop artists that
the readers will be able to relate to
and enjoy reading about. It further
uses the uses and gratifications
theory and allows the audience
to be informed about the bands

3. they like as well as entertained
have used
through the images and stories
as well as
that have been linked to them over the main
the past month. I felt to make sure feature
my magazine would stick to the
within this
typical codes and conventions of a article this
music magazine the main feature
month. I
sell line would be placed at the
felt that it
bottom of the page in a large font
was also
that would highlight and gave inimportant
formation about the image I have
to place the
used as well as the main feature
headline
within this article this month. I
in a large,
felt that it was also important to
easy to read
place the headline in a large, easy
front which
a music magazine. This is because
to read front which was bold and
was bold and stood out against
the article uses three columns
stood out against the black backthe black background. I chose to
when giving the information, this
ground. I chose to use the colours use the colours of white and gold
is because it fits the magazine style
of white and gold
making sure I stayed better having it easier to read as
making sure I stayed USING THE CODES within my colour
well as broken down when against
within my colour
the images in the article.
AND CONVENTIONS scheme to make
scheme to make
sure the magazine
sure the magazine was consistent
was consistent yet also that this
I chose to place the artist name
yet also that this part of the magpart of the magazine was unique.
in the centre at the bottom with
azine was unique. I felt to make
the caption introducing her on
sure my magazine would stick to
In general I have followed the
top in a smaller font in gold with
the typical codes and conventions typical conventions of magazine
also another smaller phrase after
of a music magazine the main
due to the layout
further explaining
USES AND
feature sell line would be placed at being the same with
the artists reasoning
the bottom of the page in a large
the masthead at the GRATIFICATIONS for the article and
font that would highlight and gave top of the magazine
what they would
THEORY
information about the image I
as well as the bar
be reading about. I
code at the bottom of the
placed this piece of information
front page. Furthermore
here due to there being the space
I have included magazine
to make sure the sell line was seen
sell lines on the front cover as extremely important as well as
which is also a convention.
aim towards the target audience
This enhances the fact that
due to the simplistic, capitalised
my magazine is a typical
fonts.
magazine which reaches
In conclusion, I believe that the
its pur5tpiose to be entermagazine I have created uses the
taining as well as informaconventions of a music magazine
tive. A factor which allows
well and clearly to enhance the
music magazines to stand
magazines genre of soft rock as
unique against other maga- well as making the information
zines such as fashion is the
given eye catching as well easy
number of columns used
to read, with the pull quotes and
within the articles. A typical images breaking down the intermagazine would use two
viewed styled.
columns having the information spread out, where
as my magazine follows
the typical convention for