The document summarizes how the author's magazine product represents and conforms to conventions of real music magazines while also trying to challenge some conventions. The summary uses conventions like mastheads, covers, layouts, and content from magazines like NME and Kerrang as references. It also discusses representing various social groups like gender and ages to appeal to different audiences. Overall, the author aims to create a magazine that feels unique but is still recognizable to their target audience of 16-21 year olds interested in indie music.

1. Front Cover

2. Contents Page

3. Double Page Spread

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

5. In order to reach my target audience I understand that certain aspects of my
publication need to be of a similar format to other successful magazines reaching
this section of public yet trying to make it both unique and stand out from its rivals. I
am aware that using these already established elements are popular with this
audience. For comparison, I looked at the front cover of NME issues looking at the
style and format these magazines followed. I wanted to follow these conventions so
that my magazine looked as trendy, appealing and professional but I also wanted to
challenge the forms by making the magazine feel more
inviting, personal, standalone and independent Furthermore, I wanted to promote
new bands in the my magazine rather than focusing on the well-known artists.

6. What magazine conventions have I used?
• Masthead displayed across the width of the page
• Banner ‘Exclusive Interview…’
• Headline
• Date Line
• Barcode
• Buzz Words
• Consistent House Style
• Main Image
• Music Related Articles
• Price
• Website

7. Conventions I used from real media products
Masthead
Without doubt the masthead of the front cover needed to be both unique and prominent therefore, I employed
a combination of the font ‘Copperplate Gothic Bold’ with a mixture of black and white I did this to catch the eye
and this fitted the minimalist layout I was looking for. I felt this simplified text was straightforward without being
predictable. In addition to this, I manipulated the writing so that the ‘magazine’ font is stretched out over the
width of the page and the black writing outlines the white writing behind. I used this same style on the contents
page as well as it makes the masthead stand out more as it outlines the text. The masthead conforms to the
audience’s expectations as it is positioned at the top of the page and by doing this it is able to be seen clearly.
This is a crucial effect especially for a new magazine. The masthead also dominates a large amount of the page
which again allows for identification.
Front Cover
Contents Page
Double Page Spread

8. When creating my masthead I researched other magazine companies like NME and Kerrang! I found that normally the
masthead was written in black or white so that it was eye catching. I also noticed that they used capital letters to
catch the readers attention and to make it more memorable.
For my magazine, I decided that using bold capital letters was a good technique, so chose to include this in my
magazine.
House Style
House Style for Kerrang! – Black, White and Yellow
House Style for NME – Black, White and Red
The colours I decided to use for my magazine was black, red and white which are similar to NME’s. I tried to keep this
consistent throughout the magazine. From my feedback “Red and Black text in article-nice touch-reminiscent of work
done on front cover” I could see that by including the colours on the pages it made it look more professional.

9. Price
The price of my magazine is £3.50 as although it is
higher than its competitors, the majority of responses
to my questionnaire stated that they believed this to
be a reasonable price for the type of magazine I am
producing. Also, by charging a higher price it will
create a profit so that I can interview and attract
more well known indie celebrities to appear in the
magazine.
The price for NME is £2.30
The price for Kerrang is £2.20
This conforms against typical magazine prices as you
can see from the data but I think that this will enable
me to be able to market my magazine and make a
bigger profit.

10. Font/Styles
Front Cover:
I noticed that existing music magazines
front covers were bold, distinct and
always had bright eye catching colours
used for their titles. This makes the
magazine more memorable and seen as
a brand therefore; I decided to use this
convention in my own magazine.
When researching different poses, I
came across using a different
background colours for different
images so that it made them stand out
more and appear unique.
The titles were written in white to
highlight them and catch the reader’s
attention. This conforms to what a lot
of other magazines do and so makes
the magazines authentic.
Double Page Spread:
As a unique selling point I decided to use a photo booth style which
I think challenges forms of a magazine as most of them only have
one large photo on the page rather than 16 different little ones. I
acquired my inspiration from looking at Andy Warhol’s ideas which I
researched when looking at different poses.
The title font and style of my magazine is uncomplicated and clear cut. There is no predictable fashionable and curved text often
associated with mainstream music magazines. Yet it still conforms to the conventions of a magazine due to the bold, capital letters used
in the font ‘Copperplate Gothic Bold’. I think that it is important that the magazine does this because it creates a straightforward and
comfortable aurora.
Contents Page: On my contents page, I have used an “ombre” style colour which I think worked really well. I
think that this conforms against usual magazine contents pages and is unique in that I have never seen it done
before.
I outlined the white text at the top of the page with a shadow effect to catch the reader’s attention. The titles
were written in white to highlight them and catch the reader’s attention and this conforms to what a lot of
other magazines do and I feel will appeal to my target audience

11. Mise-en-scene
Throughout my magazine I have tried to use complete contrasts between
the images I have used. The mise-en-scene of the images is simple but
effective. I decided that the picture looked better zoomed in so that it
was a medium close up which is similar to roles which other magazines
have adopted. Looking at my front cover, the lighting used is positioned
directly on the models face which makes it appear that the focus should
be on her solely. I have spoken about why I chose to use a different
colour background here. However, to challenge the rule often followed
by music magazines the model is not pouting or posing provocatively
which is often the case with female artists. In complete contrast the
model is displaying a neutral face and I feel this shows that the model
is proving that her music is important rather than her beauty being the
selling point. I further believe this definitely confronts the usual
conventions.
Again, I am looking at the mise-en-scene of the images of my double page
spread and am keeping it simple using black and white images taken in a
natural light. The model is looking completely normal and individual,
her poses show she is having fun and not afraid to be herself, again this
challenges to the normal conventions of music magazines where
models are mostly photo shopped.
When looking at an NME front cover I saw that they used different colours
to make the main image stand out i.e.. The Rhianna front cover. I
realised that by doing this it makes the magazine still look consistent
and it is still recognisable. This is why I decided to use a different colour
background on my image because I knew that my magazine would still
be recognisable yet it would make the image stand out more.

12. Costumes and Props
All the costumes and props used throughout the magazine are conventional. Both are an important feature because they
explain the images more clearly. Looking at the contents page I have used simple photos that represent what people
would wear and show images of people enjoying their music rather than studio shots. I have done this deliberately so
that my audience can connect with the individuals. My audience will be able to relate to this because it is something
they would enjoy doing. The main image I used was of a featured artist wearing plain black clothes so that she would
stand out and appear more obscure. For her make up, I used a gothic purple lipstick and gave her props like a hat and
dark sunglasses which gives off a cool message associated with this type of music. I thought that it was important to
include this image because this followed the genre used in similar publications and indicate immediately who and
what this publication is for. I wanted the feel to be “a do it yourself” approach often connected with this style of music
and audience. Although not intended females seem to be the highly dominate my publication however, I believe this
is a positive as it is normally male acts that are the main focus of these magazines and so this will not only attract a
greater female audience but will encourage a wide range of people see this as something new and interesting.
At the top of the front page I mentions a male artist interview. This allows the target audience to feel this publication is
relevant to them. However, to conform against stereotype I have used a model of a young girl. This follows the
standard used with most other magazines aimed at this genre.
I gave my model props like a hat and dark sunglasses
which gives off a cool message associated with this
genre of music. I also recognised that other well
known indie celebrities wore these so I tried to look
at their fashion and include it in my magazine.
Harry Styles
Liam Gallagher Nina Nesbitt
Pixie Geldof
YouTuber Zoella
wearing the
same top as the
model

13. Layout
I have used a conventional layout for this magazine; it is simple and easy to read. The layout is organised and relevant
for this type of publication. Similar to the music produced independently I wanted my publication to appear not
to be owned by a large mainstream publisher. Obviously it is a necessity to make this magazine profitable yet at
the same time I wanted to make it feel independent. Therefore, I needed to use different elements, so I have
arranged the conventions by placing the masthead at the top of each page and using headlines and sub headlines.
My subheadings tell the audience what to expect in the magazine without having to flick through the magazine.
This will help increase the audience range because I included information that would appeal to more people. This
conforms to the conventions of other similar magazines. Pages are numbered on the contents page so that the
reader can quickly go to the section that interests them. The appropriate image of a feature in the article used
corresponds well with the headlines and sub headlines. The barcode is placed conventionally at the bottom of the
front page. The magazine is also dated so that the reader knows what edition they are reading. The layout of the
magazine is an important feature because this is what first attracts the reader. The magazine needed to have a
good eye-flow so that it is interesting and attracting for the audience to read.
I think I have made my magazine unique by including Polaroid photo’s on it to make it look more relevant thus
letting the reader feel that this is not a high budget marketing tactic . Also, on the dps, a exclusive aspect is the use
of the photo booth as I believe this is a distinctive idea.
I have conformed to the conventions on the contents page by splitting the page into three columns, making the centre
column enlarged so it emphasises the picture. I think that by setting it out this way it makes the it more clear and
organised and highlights the most important feature of the magazine. I believe this will draw the audience to want
to read further.
This is NME
contents
page; I
adapted the
same
technique
they used
with the
different
subheadings.
The masthead is positioned across the width of
the page like Kerang! Following its conventions.
Contents page layout

14. I researched media conventions using my mood board which contained a mixture of images of artists and eye
catching headlines which made use of different buzz words.
Written Content
The written content in my magazine is essentially conforming to an article in magazines as it uses standard
writing techniques to create a piece of text to sound professional by using columns and an interview. I thought that
by incorporating an interview into the article this would attract audiences who wanted to know more about the
artist. By using columns which are a standard technique in magazines this would allow the audience to be able to
read the article easily. I used a font size of 11 in the same font (copperplate gothic bold) to show contingency
throughout the whole magazine.

15. Music Genre and How Your Magazine Suggests it?
My music magazine conforms to the way in which the music genre is suggested, this is done by
featuring well know indie artists as well as those who are not so well established. Featuring both
appeal to this type of audience. It is about underground and non mainstream music. The suggestion
of the genre of music is also offered by the mention of music festivals and the style of clothes worn in
the photographs. As with the music this trend follows its own individual style. I have looked at other
successful independent magazines such as The NME and Q Magazine.
NME talking about music festivals
I think through props and costumes I have
tried to show the different music genres.
Liam Gallagher, part an
indie band Oasis, seen
wearing a hat like my
models. The hats are well
known for being indie.

16. I’m using the two images above for comparison. First, let’s consider the posture of the two images within the photographs, as you can see they are both
similar. They are both medium close ups and postured standing upright with their body positioned towards the camera to address the audience.
However, the NME page is slightly closer up so it is more in an eye-line shot.
In both pictures both models have similar facial expressions displaying a serious expression to reflect their serious tones.
In the NME image, the artist is doing a gesture with her hands up whereas, in the picture I have taken the model is not doing a gesture. I wanted to do this
because I thought that if she was doing this pose it would take away the focus from her face.
The lighting is similar in the photos as they are both taken against a white screen and they have lighting displayed on their face which highlights it. It
suggests that these photos are intended to attract the audience to focus directly on the face.
The costumes in the images are quite different as in my image the model is more covered up with sunglasses and a hat whereas in the NME image the
model has a low cut top on displaying her tattoos. The hair looks very different on each model as the image on the left is shown to be quite messy and it is
in a ‘beehive’ style which could show that she is not high maintenance. In my image, the hair is left textured and given a messy side covered by a hat.
Common Stereotypes
•Rap music is for urban younger people
•Rock music is for rebellious and violent people
•Metal music is for Satan Worshippers
•Pop music is for teenage girls
•Country music is for hillbillies
•Classical is for upper class middle aged people
•Alternative music is for moody untidy teenagers who want to stay away from mainstream
My magazine tries to conform against stereotypes as I think that stereotypes are unfair judgements of characters and people’s views should not follow
them.
A real front cover VS. my front cover

17. 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In order to represent a wide variety of my target audience I tried to make my magazine represent
different social backgrounds, abilities, race and age groups. In order to maintain this target audience the
publication needs to speak to everyone equally who like the genre of music as this way more people
would be interested in reading the magazine.
Equality
Although it is not intentional, females dominate my magazine which could in turn attract a greater
female readership. While I tried to balance up the ratio of male and female (by advertising a male
interviewee on the front page), I don't foresee this gender gap being a problem as people associated with
this subculture are known to tend to be fairly liberal in their views. I thought that this would be effective
as it would help the reader form a better opinion and more people would be interested to hear the views
from a variety of people.
Price
I incorporated the price on the barcode so that it is easy for people to see and it is a conventional feature
of a magazine. I have decided to price my product at £3.50 as the majority of responses to my
questionnaire stated that they believed that to be a reasonable price for the type of magazine I am
producing. My magazine is reasonably priced which makes the magazine inclusive and will attract more
people to read it.
I think that my magazine represents similar social groups to magazines like NME as the content is fairly
similar for example on the contents page it has different subheadings like ‘News’, ‘Reviews’, ‘Live!’ and
‘New Acts’.

18. Models Clothing
The model is dressed all in black to make it appear like
she is not in a costume. I feel by doing this it relates to
the target audience because she looks down to earth
and casual.
Ray ban Sunglasses – worn by younger celebrities
reflecting a young social group.
Younger celebrities at Festivals
Using pictures from festivals shows
that I am targeting a younger audience
because this normally attracts a
younger group.

19. The social groups that are represented in my media product are people aged between 16-
21 year old. This target audience is normally well known for being ‘heavy spenders’ e.g.
Buying the latest technology on the market and high branded clothes. This generation is
also well known for being online (1 in 4 people have facebook) so this is why I thought it
would effective to display a website on the contents page.
Music is a massive part of most young peoples lives, as often the songs recount situations
they have been in and so it would appeal to them to read more about the artists because it
something they can relate too. The people who are interested in the type of music that the
magazine deals in tend to be very passionate about it, and willing to spend a lot of money
on it.
I tried to use a variety of images that this target audience would be able to communicate
with. My magazine tries to appeal to all ethnicities and genders as I didn’t want to limit my
target market.

20. 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media
product and why?
The major publishing company that I would be interested in my magazine would be IPC media because they
print magazines like NME.
IPC Media “With more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across
print, online, mobile, tablets and events. We engage with 26 million UK adults - almost two thirds of UK
women and over 40% of UK men. Our award winning portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million global
users every month.”
IPC media has partnerships with leading supermarkets which could widen my target audience and make the
magazine more accessible for my target audience. I feel that this would be a great platform for my magazine
as the company is already well known for its popularity amongst iconic media brands. It engages with 26
million people and its website reached over 25 million global users every month which would be a great
starting place.
My magazine can bring originality and uniqueness to the publishing company because there is not a
magazine like mine already on the market. My magazine is similar to NME whom IPC Media already publish
but as unlike NME, my magazine will look at new artists as well as the well-known artists which I believe is
the unique selling point.

21. 4) Who would be the audience for
your media product?
My target audience is 16-21 year old males and females who are passionate about indie and
alternative music. My research showed me that many people of this age, who enjoy this music also
follow indie fashion, enjoy watching the bands live, attend festivals and usually can play an
instrument. Although it is not intentional, females dominate my magazine which could attract more
females as they pay a bigger role in the magazine.
The type of people who would buy my magazine would be in E NRS Social Grade because the
majority of people aged 16-21 are unemployed students or casual workers. This suggests that
the magazine may be bought for them. The majority of people aged 16-21 are students or do
not have other commitments (families to support, mortgages,etc) and so have more disposable
income to spend on (on products such as my magazine)
My target audience would probably fall into both the explorer and the aspirer category in the
psychographics labels. This is because the target readership tend to research music beyond
that which they're immediately presented with by mainstream radio stations, and often aspire
to present this music to others as a superior alternative. It is also highly likely that the people
reading my magazine enjoy exploring music that they may not otherwise have heard of.

22. 5. How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract my audience, I first tried to understand what they would like in the magazine. I did this by taking a
survey which enabled me to get a clearer idea on their views. When I analysed these results, it allowed me to
cater to my audiences needs more. For example, when asking my audience 'How much would you be willing to
pay for a magazine?' The majority were willing to pay £3.00-£4.99 this allowed me to decide an appropriate
price for my magazine. The survey also helped me to decide what content to put inside the magazine. I asked
'What were people's favourite things to see in magazines?'. The result from this question was interviews, then
new bands followed by event information (gigs), and freebies and exclusives which again gave me a clear
insight and helped me understand the audiences needs. The link to this page is here.
Another way to try to attract my audience was by getting feedback from family and friends at every stage of
the creation process. I asked for positive and negative feedback so that I could make improvements to suit the
audience. I thought this would be effective because at every stage of the process it is consistently trying to suit
the target audience.
Positive
Looks professional-tag line of the magazine draws people in (especially the red ‘New’)
Right to make the actual picture darker-greater contrast makes it more eye-catching
White and red writing easy to read. The black less so.
Negative
Could perhaps have more on it? More of what else is in the magazine to draw people in “Exclusive interview
with Alex Turner” bit seems just randomly placed-need more there Maybe some effect on the singers name to
make it stand out?

23. Front Cover
When making my front cover, I tried to keep the writing to a minimum because I
wanted it to appear catchy and I thought by doing this it would grab the readers
attention as it would make it easier to read. I kept the text simple by making it
outlined and bold to contrast it against the brightly coloured background. I then
used buzz words to try to address the audience and to draw them in.
Contents Page
On my contents page, I have tried to include articles that would appeal to my
audience like including exclusive interviews with well liked artists like Jake Bugg
and Arctic Monkeys. Another way I tried to attract my audience was by using
different subheadings similar to NME as I thought this was a good technique to
use.
DPS
The double page spread tries to attract the audience by using a variety of pictures
to make it more eye-catching. I have included an image of the writer with the
artist to make the article seem more personal and keep up that DIY vibe that I'm
striving for

24. 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
• Throughout the process of constructing the product I learnt a great deal about the technology and
how vastly they have helped the media institutions. I have learnt many different things like
·Using a Nikon l810 I learnt how to take photos correctly by looking at different camera angles and
considering how the setting and lighting would affect the picture.
Computer Programmers' I used
• Adobe Photoshop: I have acquired new skills throughout the process of Photoshop and I now feel
much more confident with using the programme. Before doing this task I didn’t understand how to
use Photoshop but by watching online tutorials I knew how to move different pictures around the
screen, overlapping different pictures, making backgrounds, retouching pictures, getting rid of red-
eye and how to organise the different layers efficiently. I also learnt about how to use different
lighting and colour saturation to make the picture look different.
• Scanner to scan in paper drafts
• Microsoft PowerPoint and Word to record down or present my ideas
• Internet Explorer - allowed me to access online sites (Blogger and Slide share)
• Creating a blogger account to record the different steps that was involved in creating my magazine
e.g. first draft, mood board
• I used slide share to display my presentation on my blog

25. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full
product?Preliminary Task
Final Task

26. When comparing my preliminary task and final task I feel the full product now looks
more professional both visually and within the content; you can clearly see a vast
improvement between the two. This learning process has helped me develop a deeper
understanding of what is required to achieve a better and more popular publication.
These new skills include what is required to attract my specific target audience. This
new knowledge has shown me that different social groups have different interests and
so magazines aimed at one target audience will not necessarily appeal to another. It
has shown me how important it is to reach the market you are trying to attract. I
further understand why and how to attract the audience for my music magazine in
order to reach its maximum potential. In the case of my Music Magazine I needed to
show the reader that this magazine was speaking to them and understood there desire
to stay away from mainstream music. The importance of my Market Research was
paramount to the success of this publication. By listening to feedback taken from my
questionnaire I learnt what was important to my audience e.g. many wanted to see
pictures of their favourite artists playing live and read live reviews. I have forged ahead
with my completed media product with a better understanding of programs such as
photoshop. I have a clear understanding of how to update my blog on a regular basis
and how to upload versions to slide share.