The document discusses how the student followed conventions of real media in their magazine product and ancillary texts. It describes using a recognizable masthead, central photo, competition advertisement, and color scheme on the magazine cover. It also discusses including the company address, social media accounts, website, and related photos on the contents page. The student notes how the magazine name and website are consistently featured to associate the main product with the ancillary texts. Feedback from peers suggested making the images more vibrant and representative of the local area to engage different age groups.

1. Billy Ingram

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

3. I used the convention of having a large recognisable
masthead. The masthead if bold and the white stands
out on the sky blue background and contrasts to the
rest of the cover. The contrasting colour will make it
more easily spotted and easier to identify; the font I
used was Trajan Pro which uses all uppercase creating
an effect of exclamation and is more of a traditional font
which will appeal to my target audience.
The photo I used was chosen
because the main focus of the
image is central so it would allow
me to place text round the sides
so the focus isn't disrupted in
anyway which is usually the way
published magazine set out their
front covers. I have also followed
the convention of using a
landmark or a place in the local
area.
The advertising of a competition on the front cover is
another way I followed the conventions of a regional
magazine. The incentive will grab the target audience’s
attention and make them more likely to buy the product
because there is a chance to win a prize.
I followed the convention of colour schemes; the use of
a white font with an accent colour, which complements
the colours of the main image, that is continuous
throughout the whole cover. I decided to use a gold
accent because it matches well with the oranges and
yellows of the leaves.

4. I followed the convention of having the address of the
company/store which you can find the product. This will
appeal to the target audience because it is useful
information and gives them a resource to know where
the shop is and links with the uses and gratifications
theory of surveillance because the audience can gain
information from the address.
A convention I followed for my advert is that of the image
being brightly lit; the high key lighting on the watch face
evokes the focus of this part of the product, which
advertises the watch effectively, and means the producer
is more likely to receive a preferred reading.
I also followed the convention of having a bold logo. The
contrasting red logo on the black background makes it
stand out against the rest of the advert. The company
name below the logo gives the audience information
about the product and allows them to research into other
products which the company make.

5. I followed the convention of using a sans serif font which is easy
to read and will appeal to my target audience. The black font with
pale blue headings for the articles clearly separates the
information for easier navigation, this is also done by the use of a
larger font in upper case for the subheadings for the different
groups of articles so the audience can look at what they are
interested in and find it all in the same place on the contents.
I used the convention of advertising the
magazine’s social media accounts. This
will appeal to a younger sector of my
target audience who will instantly
recognise the logo and the brand.
I included the convention of using
pictures related to the articles. This helps
the target audience to get a more specific
idea of what the articles are about and
also helps the contents page to look more
aesthetically pleasing.
I also followed the convention of having
the magazine’s website at the top of the
page along side the name of the
magazine which is where the audience is
most likely to look.
I decided to do a double page
contents which isn’t necessarily a
common convention but it is used
often, especially in the magazines I
researched like Kent Life.

6. I followed the convention of having a
large recognisable logo which is easy
to read. It’s a bold logo and the black
font stands out on the grey
background making it easier for the
target audience to identify the
magazine
I used the convention of having a slogan
which tells the audience exactly what the
product is, this links with the uses and
gratifications theory of surveillance
because the audience can gain
information about the product
I added the magazine’s website because this convention will appeal
to the younger sector within my target audience because they would
be more up to date with modern technology and will be willing to use
it. This links with the uses and gratifications theory of surveillance
because the audience can gain information about the magazine and
its website.
I followed the convention of using
images of the product on my
billboard in different media forms;
this shows the audience that the
magazine is available online as a
digital copy as well as being able to
pick up a physical copy
I developed the convention of the slogan by adding
a bit of extra text saying ‘Available Now!’ which tells
the audience they are able to buy the most recent
issue of the magazine at the closest retailer or they
can download, and pay for, a copy online
I wanted to add a colourful, vivid photo of the
local area to grab the attention of my target
audience

7. I followed the convention of having an advert on my website,
the advert will appeal to my target audience because it is very
simplistic and also has the address of the company, it is also
useful information and gives them a resource to know where the
shop is and links with the uses and gratifications theory of
surveillance because the audience can gain information from the
address.
I included the convention of having the masthead
at the top of the webpage. This enables greater
brand recognition for the target audience.
I also followed the convention of having a main section
which features some images from he latest issue. It is
placed at the top of the webpage which is the first place
the target audience will look, the ease of access will
mean more dominant readings.
I added the convention of advertising the magazine’s
social media accounts. The links to the social media
pages will appeal to the younger sector of my target
audience because they will be more willing to click on
links and ‘Like’ or ‘Follow’ the pages to receive updates
and news. Reception theory can be applied because a
large proportion of my target audience will have at
least one social media account which means they will
respond positively and will appeal to them.
I also followed the convention of having articles on the home
page of my website, this will appeal to my target audience
because they can read up on what has happened/happening in
the local area and certain times. It will be one of the first things
that is seen on the website so it will link with the uses and
gratifications theory of surveillance because the audience can
gain information from these articles

8. I followed the convention of having a ‘Log in’
and ‘Sign Up’ button on my website because
then subscribers can look at their subscriptions
and see when the next issue is available as well
as receiving e-mail updates about the site.
I also included the convention of having a menu bar
at the top of the webpage, this will appeal to the
audience because it means easier navigation
around the website.
I added a digital archive as well because I found it a
common convention on the websites I looked at it
will appeal to the target audience because they can
go back and review previous issues if they have
missed one. This links with the uses and
gratifications theory of surveillance because the
audience are gaining information from the previous
issues.
I developed the convention of the digital archive
by adding in an option to download a Thanet Life
app which subscribers are able to view on their
mobiles or tablets, this will appeal to the younger
sector of my target audience because they will
find the ease in this feature by being able to look
at an issue of the magazine at any time wherever
they are.
I followed the convention of having a search bar on
my website because this will mean easier navigation
for my target audience, this will appeal to them
because it means they don’t have to search through
the whole website in order to find what they are
looking for.
Another common convention I came across was the
banners at the top and bottom of the webpage, the
banner offers a deal for an annual subscription which
will interest new subscribers.

9. How effective is the combination
of your main product and
ancillary texts?

10.  The website address is featured on the front
cover, contents and billboard. This establishes
a clear association between all the products
because they are all part of ‘Thanet Life’.

11.  The masthead appears on the front cover,
contents, website and billboard. This
helps the audience to establish the name
of the magazine which also helps to
establish a brand image for the products.

12.  My ancillary tasks advertise my main task; on the
‘Magazines’ page on my website and on the right
hand side of my billboard which makes it easy to
visually link all three production pieces.

13. What have you learned from your
audience feedback?

14. The feedback which I received was constructively
critical of the first draft of my production, so I
made changes according to the feedback that I
received. These were my drafts of my production:

15. ‘The shots are very sophisticated which would
catch the eye of the older age group and very
beautiful I might add. Colours are quite neutral;
brighter colours would make it more vibrant,
other than this very well laid out and is easy to
read. The front cover looks great and the
contents is very well constructed, the advert is
minimalistic which is good because it is just
promoting the product without too much text
getting in the way’ - Zara
All good images, maybe lose the picture of the
school and add more of the harbour etc. to show
the heritage of Ramsgate and the Thanet area.
Also would be good to see the promotion of a
local business to show what the area has to offer.
Overall it looks very professional and the
contents is definitely the strong point; it is put
together very well and looks great, the billboard
looks good although comes across as
monochrome and dull’ - Gid
‘I think the layout is spot on personally and it is very
nicely presented. There could be a few more prints of
the surrounding area as it’s titled ‘Thanet Life’ and also
could have featured a bit of local history, like the
tunnels. All the information is there and is very easy to
read, I like the subtle sky blue theme running on the
front cover and contents, the use of the sky blue text on
the contents is really clever and ties the two pages
together’ - Marc
‘The layout of everything is very nice, there is
plenty of colour on the front cover to draw
peoples attention to appeal to them and make
them more inclined to buy the magazine. The
contents looks great and I like the way you’ve set
it out in categories so readers can go straight to
the page they have their interest in, the font and
different sizes of texts separates the information
so is easier to read’ - Vicki
‘I like the placement of the images and the text on the
front cover; the font is nice but a little too hard to see
the smaller text against the lighter parts of the
background, but overall in itself the text is good. The
contents has an easy to follow layout; articles of interest
are clear, nice use of fonts and social media. I like the
simplicity of the advert but cant help being drawn to the
light spot on the watch. Overall there is a nice layout
throughout and the amount of times the name of the
magazine Is clearly visible establishes the brand image’
-Natalie
‘Front cover image is great, it really grabs your attention
as it looks somewhere exotic and interesting. The use of
colour is good, white and gold work well together
however some of the background image is white so the
text is slightly lost in places. There’s lots of content
which is well varied and should appeal to a lot of people,
you have included gardens which is always good for any
publication in Kent. The image of the watch isn’t as
good as it could be but only because of the reflection.
The website is good – clean, crisp and to the point, I like
the use of the image slideshow. The white text needs to
be bolder against the images that you have picked on
your contents but overall it is very good’ - Carrie

16. Zara said that my images would catch the eye of the
older age group and that it is easy to read which is
exactly what I was intending although she said that
there could be more colour to add vibrancy, I decided
to change a few images to more colourful photos. She
gave me feedback saying ‘the contents is very well
constructed’ and that ‘the front cover looks great’ so
the appearance of the magazine does appeal to her and
she also commends my advert for being ‘minimalistic’.
Gid says that I should lose the image of the school on
my website and add more of what Thanet has to offer
and also that it would be a good idea to feature a local
business in the magazine/website, although on the
other hand he said that it looks professional, which is
always a good thing, and that my contents is the
strength of the production. He also said that my
billboard comes across as ‘monochrome’ because of
the grey and white background with black text so I
decided to use a colourful photo I had taken as the
background to attract the eye of the audience.
Marc has said that the layout of the magazine appeals
to him and that it is nicely presented which means I
have done what I intended to. He also says that there
could be a few more images of the surrounding area,
because I mainly stuck to Ramsgate rather than using
the other towns in Thanet. He mentioned that I could
have included some local history, this would have been
a good idea but since it is a monthly magazine this
wasn’t my intention; my intention was to create a
monthly magazine that rounds up what has happened
in the previous month and events going on in the
following month.
Vicki says she likes the layout of the whole production
which means I have done well to appeal to my target
audience. She said that the colours on my front cover
could be more vibrant, and she likes the use of
different sizes of text on my contents page and how
the information is separated so she can find what she
wants easily and go straight to that page of the
magazine because of easy navigation.
Natalie compliments the entire layout of my production
and says she likes the text and font although she
sometimes finds it hard to read. She likes how easy the
layout of the contents is to follow and how the articles
are those that will generally interest people and she
also comments on my use of social media links. The
glare on the watch face proved to overpower the rest of
the image but the simplicity is appealing to her. She
added that the continuous use of the magazine name
was a success in trying to establish a brand image.
Carrie compliments the front cover by saying ‘it really grabs
your attention’ which links with the uses and gratifications
theory of surveillance, she also likes the colour combination
of the white and gold but does say that the text does get
lost. She notices the mass of content in the magazine which
she says herself will appeal to my target audience and also
says how the use of the word ‘gardens’ will fit into any Kent
based publication. Carrie also states how the image of the
watch for my contents isn’t up to standard with the rest of
my production but commends my website because of its
simplicity.

17. This is how my final production looks after
feedback:
More colourful/vibrant
photos
No longer monochrome
Images of the surrounding area
Clearer layout
Smaller glare

18. How did you use media
technologies in the construction
and research, planning and
evaluation stages?

19. I used a camera and my mobile phone to take all the photos
that were used in my production. The camera I used was a Sony
DSC-H200, the 20.1 megapixel lens and the 26x optical zoom
allowed me to take photos in good quality and proved to be an
effective piece of equipment that I used, my phone is a Huawei
P9 which has 12-megapixel Leica dual camera including 2 light
sensors; one RGB and one monochrome. Transferring my
images to the computer, so I am able to use them, was very
simple and easy with the use of an SD card reader. Without the
use of a digital camera like my own I would have used a camera
which uses film, so I would have had to go through a long
process of printing the photographs and scanning them in
order to use them on the computer.

20. I used google for my research; to find images, websites,
etc. using google meant that I was able to find the
information that I needed quickly and easily. Without
google the research process would have taken a lot
longer and I would have needed to buy a lot of magazines
and cut things out.
I also used Facebook to contact my focus group and gain
feedback in order to progress with my production and
make it appeal to my target audience as best as I could.
Without the use of Facebook I would have either had to
ask my focus group to meet up and go and see them
individually which would take too much time.

21. I used Blogger to publish all my research, planning and
production easily and quickly at any time I wanted
because of their app. Using Blogger meant that my work
was arranged in chronological order which meant easy
navigation. Without Blogger I probably would have had to
print off all my work and archive it in the correct order, by
using Blogger it saved a lot of time and hassle.
When making my website I used Wix. Wix is a website
builder where you can chose a template and customise it
easily. Because of the templates I was able to just add the
text and images I wanted and could play around with the
layout if I wished to.

22. I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 whilst making my
production; this software allowed me to insert a
background image and add text and other images.
Because I used the same software for my foundation
portfolio I already had the gist of how to use it; I used
photoshop to alter and enhance the photos I had taken
with my camera to make them look like they should
belong in a magazine. Using photoshop meant that the
production process wasn’t as long as most people would
have anticipated.

23. The use of YouTube came in very handy, when I was in
the middle of my production phase and didn’t know how
to alter an image on photoshop I would use YouTube to
watch a tutorial on how to do the desired action. Without
YouTube I would have had to ask either my peers and/or
teachers for help when trying to make a change to an
image and they may not have known the answer; this
would have made the production period longer and
created problems for myself.