2. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MAGAZINE DESIGN USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF A REAL MAGAZINE?
On my front cover, I used traditional magazine conventions by placing my masthead across the top. I also
used conventions by adding puffs, as my research has shown me that a large amount of music magazines
use this convention in particular. However, I developed conventions by including a skyline below the title,
instead of the conventional placing at the top of the page. Where most magazines use an image showing the
front, usually top-half, of their cover artist, I have challenged conventions by showing the back of mine as he
walks away from the camera. This is effective as, although the main cover line gives away the name of the
artists, the image radiates mystery, causing the reader to read the article to find out more. I made one of the
letters blue and I feel this developed conventions of a solid colour cover line and has added flare to my cover
page. I made the top bar match the odd coloured letter to keep it matching and aesthetically pleasing,
therefore attracting readers. Now my main cover line stands out, it will be easier to notice when reading the
front cover and is large enough to be seen without overshadowing the other cover lines.
I used a bold text for the masthead and positioned it on separate lines, which challenged the
conventions of an ordinary magazine. I used the V from my magazine name to add some
detail behind the masthead, which develops conventions as I have rarely seen this technique
used. I used conventions by adding images, however I feel I developed them further by
placing them in a film roll style and by not including any images of my main cover artists,
which most magazines normally do. I feel this is effective as the mystery of my cover artists is
still maintained, meaning the reader must continue reading my magazine to find the main
article. I decided to develop a magazine convention by changing my 'normal' one-sided
contents page to a double page. This was to enable my contents page to have more pages,
making it look a lot more realistic and to use conventions. I added a puff to my contents page,
which is not often used in contents pages of other magazines, so therefore demonstrates me
developing a convention.
3. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MAGAZINE DESIGN USE, DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF A REAL MAGAZINE?(cont.)
In my double-page spread, I have used, developed and challenged magazine
conventions. I have used conventions by including the photographer at the bottom of
the article. Article-style interviews are common, so I have therefore used conventions
by using that same style to write my article. However, I have developed conventions
slightly by including the smaller subtitles. I have used conventions by having a large
masthead and a quote, although developed conventions by including the coloured
panels behind the quote to make it stand out. I have challenged conventions by using
an image behind my text instead of a plain background. I did originally design my
double-page spread with a plain background, however I felt the image behind the text
was much more effective. I have used conventions by making my artist change his
clothing between shots, as this makes his outfits differ between the front cover and the
double-page spread, which is common in most magazines.
On the left, I have shown my original magazine, where I used conventions by
inserting an image in the corner and using a plain background. Next to it, I
have placed my final design that has challenged conventions by using an
image behind the article.
I have developed conventions again on this page by using the same font
and colour as the main coverline. The one letter being a different colour is
not common of magazines, however I feel it adds flare and makes my
magazine stand out.
4. HOW DOES YOUR MAGAZINE REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL
GROUPS?
I feel my magazine would attract readers from several occupational groups. I have used very casual and easy to understand language and
mode of address throughout, meaning that it would be likely to attract those who fall under Group E. These include students, the unemployed
and those who are less likely to want to read articles with complicated language. Those under Group D usually read newspapers such as The
Sun, which include articles of a very similar style to mine. Therefore, I feel my magazine could also attract those in Group D. My magazine
contains a lot of music entertainment articles, which could attract those in Group C. This is because they are described as people who often
watch shows such as The X Factor, which is similar level of entertainment to the type of articles I have included in my magazine. As I have
included competitions and chances to win prizes, I feel this would attract people from Group D and E. This is due to them usually being either
on a tight budget, or unemployed, so will be more likely to enter competitions to win prizes than those in Group A or B, who could just afford to
buy the prizes on offer. Group E would be attracted to my magazine as my magazine is very media-based. One example of this is including an
Instagram name in my contents page. This would attract Group E mainly, as they stereotypically spend the most time on media. The mise en
scène on my magazine is quite young and casual, which would attract those in Group C, D and E who prefer the less-serious styles of
magazine, especially Group E who are often students and so can relate more to my young cover artist. Group A and B consist of people who
have higher knowlege of issues such as health and lifestyle, so would prefer reading more serious newspapers and magazines, such as
Forbes and Good Housekeeping.
5. WHAT MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MAGAZINE
AND WHY?
One institution that might distribute my magazine is Frontline Distribution. It started up in 1986, meaning they
have a lot of experience in the business. It is the UK’s leading magazine sales, marketing and distribution
company, representing 42% of the magazine category. They are responisble for distributing some of the most
popular magazines such as Take a Break, Closer and Heat. I would trust them with my magazine and feel they
could distribute my magazine to a large number of stores.
Another company that could distribute my magazine is Market Force. It is owned by Time inc and they are able to
distribute magazines abroad, due to having international links. This would benefit my magazine as it would be
seen by a much larger audience and so sales would increase. They provide services for magazines that have a
very similar style to mine, such as Hello, MSM Magazine and Panini magazines. They boast of incredible
customer service skills and I feel this is key to be able to have strong communication links with your distributer in
order to ensure the best possible chance for your magazine.
Another option is Smiths News. They have over 43 distribution centers across the country, so will be able to
distribute my magazine to a large number of stores across England. They don’t, however, have international links
like Market Force do. This means my magazine would not have the oppurtunity to be sent to different countries,
therefore making me less likely to choose this company. However, they also have a high standard of customer
service, meaning I would recieve good levels of communication if I chose to work with them.
6. WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MAGAZINE?
I feel my magazine would attract a younger audience. This is due to my articles being mainly about artists that are listened to by younger
people. My cover artist is also young, so therefore will attract younger audiences. My audience would mainly consist of people from Group E
occupation, as mentioned earlier in my evaluation. These include students, the unemployed and those who are more likely to read the short
articles that my magazine consists of. I also have a lot of images in my magazine, which will attract those in Group E as they are less likely to
want to read long articles, which is different to Group A, who prefer longer articles. The mise en scène on my magazine is quite young and
casual, which would attract a younger audience.
HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?
I attracted my audience by including eye-catching images throughout my magazine. I used a large, bold title to make my magazine stand out
from the shelf and I used different coloured shapes on my front cover to make the coverlines stand out. I believe that using conventions, such
as a large masthead at the top and including a barcode on the front cover, and also challenging coventions, such as the use of an image
behind my double-page spread article and the film-strip style images on my contents page has helped to attract my audience. In my double-
page spread article, I used a very casual mode of address and I feel this helps to attract my audience as it creates a relationship between
them and the article and therefore they can relate to it more.
7. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES WHILE
CONSTRUCTING YOUR MAGAZINE?
During my magazine constructing, I learnt a lot about the different technologies involved. I learnt about some
physical technologies, which is all the equipment required to physically construct a magazine. One physical
technology I used was my camera, which I used to photograph images for my magazine. I used a Nikon D3100
and despite having used it for a number of years, I further developed my camera skills by changing the lighting,
colour, etc during the shoot. I also developed my knowledge of digital technology, which I used to edit and
construct my magazine. Computers fit into this catogary and I edited my entire magazine on an apple mac. This
is due to the fast software and the larger range of softwares compared to a windows computer. I used softwares
to construct my magazine, such as Photoshop. I hadn’t had much practice with photoshop previously and was
confused at first, however now I can use most of the features confidently. However, to improve I could have
used applications other than Photoshop, as I feel there could be other softwares that could have helped me in
the construction process. Another type of technology used in magazine production is the printing process,
however as my magazine is digital it did not require any printing.
8. LOOKING AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT
IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?
Since completing my preliminary task, I
feel I have learnt how to use more of the
features of photoshop, which has enabled
me to develop my cover page and create
cleaner text, images and shapes. I have
used the same colour theme
unintellentionally, however I feel it links
my tasks together nicely. Since
completing my preliminary task, I have
further researched music magazines and
so I was able to construct my music
magazine a lot more realistically.
With my contents page, I have developed from my preliminary
by using a double-page. I have also improved the placing of
my image and used a much more challenging placing of my
masthead to give my magazine an added flair. I’ve further
improved by adding puffs and extra pages. Using different
colours has helped to break up the contents page and I feel
my music magazine looks much more professional compared
to my preliminary school magazine. I feel my music magazine
has a much clearer target audience compared to my school
magazine, however they are both generally target at younger
people. To improve, I would have included more music-related
images in my contents page, as my school magazine has
school images which ties in the whole theme of the magazine.
