The document discusses conventions used in the Raygun magazine that were aimed to be followed in the student's magazine to achieve a similar edgy indie genre effect. Key conventions discussed include the title needing to stand out on the cover to draw readers in, atypical page layouts using overlapping text and slanted writing, consistent font usage but with changes in size and opacity, obscure imagery and layout to portray the indie genre, portrayal of artists as non-glamorous through stance and glare rather than clothes, and a color scheme of black, red, and beige to avoid pop or R&B genres. The student incorporated these conventions in their magazine cover design.

1. Evaluation Question One

2. RAYGUN I CHOSE TO USE THE MAGAZINE AS MY STYLE MODEL FOR MY MAGAZINE BECAUSE OF IT CLEAR EDGINESS AND BECAUSE IT FITS THE GENRE OF INDIE VERY CLOSELY . BELOW ARE KEY CONVENTIONS OF THE MAGAZINE THAT I AIMED TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE SAME EFFECT ON MY MAGAZINE. TITLE: BECAUSE THE GENRE OF THE MAGAZINE I CHOSE TO DO, THE TITLE CHOSEN IS VERY IMPORTANT AS IT HAS TO BE EDGY AND DIFFERENT. ON THE COVER, IT HAS TO BE ENSURED TO STAND OUT TO BE THE MAIN PART OF THE MAGAZINE ALONGSIDE THE IMAGE AS THIS IS WHAT DRAWS THE READER TO THE MAGAZINE IN THE FIRST PLACE. GRAPHOLOGY/PAGE LAYOUT: RAYGUN MAGAZINES DO NOT FOLLOW USUAL CONVENTIONS OF MAGAZINES. IT AIMS TO PORTRAY A QUIRKY LOOK TO HIGHLIGHT THE GENRE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE IMAGE IS DEAD CENTRAL BUT WITH SEVERAL PICES OF TEXT OVERLAPPING. VARIOUS PIECES OF WRITING ON THE PAGE ARE SLANTED ALSO WHICH GIVES AN ‘IMPERFECT’ LOOK BUT WORKS WELL FOR THE GENRE. A KEY ASPECT OF A MAGAZINE IS THAT FONTS FOLLOW THROUGHOUT A PAGE AND THE MAGAZINE. THE SAME FONT IS USED CONTINUOUSLY ON THIS FRONT COVER BUT SIZE AND OPACITY HAS BEEN CHANGED TO GIVE OFF DIFFERENT EFFECTS. THE MAIN TITLE IS DONE IS THE DARKEST BOLDEST LARGEST FONT SO THAT IT DOMINATES THE PAGE AND THE OTHER TEXT ON THE PAGE. THE OTHER TEXT IS DONE IN A LIGHTER OPACITY SO THAT IT TAKES SECOND PRIORITY TO THE TITLE. GENRE: FROM A FRONT COVER, THE READER MUST BE ABLE TO INTERPRET WHAT GENRE OF MUSIC THE MAGAZINE IS. THIS MAGAZINE USES OBSCURE IMAGERY, DIFFERENT LAYOUT CONVENTIONS, ODD USE OF COLOUR, DIFFERENT PORTRAYAL OF OTHER TEXT ON THE PAGE TO ENSURE THAT THE GENRE OF INDIE IS PORTRAYED. ARTIST PORTRAYAL: THE ARTIST IS DEFINATLY NOT PORTRAYED AS GLAMOROUS, AND HIS STANCE AND GLARE GIVES OFF THE IMPRESSION OF THE GENRE OF THE MUSIC THE ARTIST IS APART OF. A MIDSHOT IS USED FOR THIS MAGAZINE WHICH IS COMMON AS A FRONT COVER IMAGE ALONGSIDE A LONG SHOT. THE IMAGE IS SET DEAD CENTRAL AND THE LIGHTING HIGHLIGHTS ONE SIDE OF HIS FACE GIVING MORE EFFECT ON THE MAGAZINE GENRE. COLOUR SCHEME: THREE DEFINATE COLOURS ARE USED. BLACK, RED AND A KIND OF BEIGE COLOUR. THESE COLOURS ARE IN A SENSE DULL BUT ELIMINATE ANY CHANCE OF ‘GLAMOUR’ AND KEEPS IS EDGY AND DIFFERENT AND AWAY FROM GENRES SUCH POP AND R’N’B. COSTUME/PROPS ETC: THE MAN IN THE PICTURE IS WEARING A SIMPLE BLACK JACKET WITH NO EXTRA PROPS, BUT THIS WORKS EFFECTIVELY AS IT TAKES AWAY THE USUAL GLAMOUR FOUND ON A FRONT COVER IMAGE, AND BY DOING THIS REFERS BACK TO THE GENRE WITH THE STANCE AND GLARE OF THE PERSON RATHER THAN THE CLOTHES.

3. AFTER CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE UNUSUAL CONVENTIONS OF RAYGUN MAGAZINE, THIS WAS MY FINISHING RESULT. MY FRONT COVER (FAR LEFT) ENCORPORATES THE USE OF OPACITY CHANGES IN THE FONTS , AND THE USE OF SLANTING THE TEXT AND OVERLAPPING. THE TITLE IS THE MAIN DOMINANCE OF THE PAGE WITH THE IMAGE AS PORTRAYED IN RAYGUN MAGAZINE. I CHOSE TO FRAME THE IMAGE DEAD CENTRAL ON THE PAGE AS ON THE RAYGUN COVER AND TO CREATE DOMINANCE ON THE PAGE. I ALSO USED A SIMLAR COLOUR SCHEME TO RAYGUN; BLACK RED AND A BEIGE COLOUR. I THOUGHT THESE COLOURS WORKED WELL TOGETHER TO CREATE A NON-GLAMOROUS BUT UNIQUELY STYLISH EFFECT.

4. Evaluation Question Two

6. Red Lips

7. Feminine Features

8. Messy Hair

9. Pale skin

10. Hair accessories

11. Eyes defined

12. Diana Vickers more glamorous

13. Katie Sutton eyes closed

14. Katie less posing

15. Hair up

16. Not smiling

17. More makeupKatie should reflect a social group of individuality and less of the glamorous look often found within recent female artists. I had some inspiration from the style that Diana Vickers portrays as she gives off a very strong unique style and personality. However, for my front cover I wanted a more serious look rather than glamorous.