The media product uses and develops some conventions of real magazines while also challenging others. It uses conventional elements like a masthead, cover lines, and issue date, but challenges conventions with elements like a gradient background, non-text masthead incorporation, and large overlapping subtitles. Overall, it aims to target an indie audience with its mixture of conventional and unconventional design choices.

1. Leanne Westbury

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Barcode conventionally found in
the corner of the cover
Main image is a mid-shot with the
subject showing direct address to
draw the audience in and create
reader intimacy. Shots on covers
conventionally vary widely
therefore this shot could be
considered conventional
Conventional list of bands to attract
the appropriate audience- shows
the genre of the magazine and the
type of music the magazine focus’
on
Conventional puff offers something
free to attract the audience.
Header is sometimes used for this
I have used an AutoShape to create
a strip of colour to background
some cover lines and applied a
smudge tool to the end to soften
the edge and create an interesting
shape. This develops conventions
as it is a design element which is
not convention

3. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
I have applied a gradient to the
background in order to add depth
and prevent the background from
being block white. The gradient on
the example magazine is applied
from the bottom of whereas it
comes from the right hand corner
on my magazine
Cover lines are bold and designed
to catch the attention of the
audience by addressing subjects
they would be particularly
interested in (e.g. festivals and
bands)
Date and price is conventionally
found above or below the
masthead in a small font with does
not particularly stand out
Masthead is bold and large as is
typical of a masthead as it is the
recognisable and defining feature
of a magazine. I purposely chose a
font that is slightly dishevelled to
reflect the attitude of the target
audience- young, care-free and
partially rough around the edges

4. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
I have used a conventional grab
quote on the cover to entice the
audience to want to read on
further about the cover star rather
than a typical strapline
Instead of using a conventional
bullet point I have taken a photo of
a plectrum and resized it in order
for it to be an appropriate size
Although the puff is conventional
from the aspect of offering
something free, it challenges
conventions as the background to
the text is not a shape as usually
found but a series of rectangles
used as strips behind the text
The ‘S’ in my masthead is a photo I
have taken of guitar lead- this
challenges conventions as
mastheads are usually just made up
of text
I have included the web address of
the magazine’s website on the
cover subtly by positioning it
horizontally on the last letter of the
masthead- this is not conventional
of a music magazine

5. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
The layout conventionally conforms to the
rule of thirds. The main image largely
dominates the right two thirds on both
covers- leaving the left third free for cover
lines. This challenges conventions as the
image is usually found in the middle of a
cover. The eye line conventionally falls on the
line of the top third.
There is a mixture of fonts which provides
variety- some bold and some more sparse.
Majority of fonts are sans serif to connote the
colloquial tone of the magazine which would
target the indie-pop sub-culture
The colour scheme of my magazine follows
the convention of using only black and white
combined with one colour. I used the colour
purple as the dark shade is subtle and adds
sophistication to the cover
On my magazine the colloquial tone is
created using language such as ‘the new kid
on the block’ and addressing the reader using
pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘your’. This would
target a sub-culture who are more likely to
respond to the use of conversational
language. It is conventional to address your
audience in the appropriate manner

6. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
As my magazine is monthly, I have added
the text ‘This Month’ next to ‘INSIDE’ to
indicate that it is released monthly. This is
conventional as some magazines such as
NME use ‘this week’ on their contents page
Use of subtitles organises page references
and provides the reader with ease to find
particular features they want to read.
I have challenged conventions with my
subtitles by making the text so large that it
goes over the edges of the shape behind-
making it blend in with the background.
However, the size, font and contrast
between the black and white ensure the
text still stands out
Conventional anchoring text indicates the
relevance of this image. It is also common
for the size of anchoring text to be very
small
My editor’s letter is in the form of a photo
of an actual piece of paper which I have
digitally added text to. It is conventional for
an editors letter to be featured on a
contents page however they are not always
present. I have developed conventions by
using a photo of an actual piece of paper.

7. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
It is conventional for the issue to be dated
on the contents page- this usually consists of
the month and year but sometimes includes
a specific date. I have positioned the date on
my cover horizontally, next to the text ‘THIS
MONTH’ so the information is clear. I have
challenged conventions by positioning it in
this way and using a photo of a guitar strap
behind it as a background/ design feature
It Is conventional for a contents page to
feature a reference to the masthead in
some way- whether it be a small version of
it or text in the same font. I have used the
same font for the title ‘INSIDE’ and also used
the photo of the guitar lead as the ‘S’ to
create consistency
Minimal use of serif font is conventional for
magazines such as mine to display an
informal/ colloquial tone
I have incorporated a background on my
contents page which I manipulated first in
Photoshop. It appears to be a splatter of
paint and adds interest and texture to the
design. This is developing conventions as it
is an original image that I have creatively
incorporated

8. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
The layout conventionally conforms
to the rule of thirds in some aspects.
The image on the right mainly falls in
the right third however the page
reference section and editors letter
fall into two halves rather than three
thirds therefore this challenges
conventions
There is a mixture of fonts which
provides variety- as there is on the
cover. I have used mostly the same
fonts as what can be found on the
cover in order to create a house
style and prevent the overall product
from looking untidy or
unprofessional.
The colour scheme is also consistent
with the cover however I have
incorporated more purple on the
contents than what can be found on
the cover. This is due to the colour of
the background and the adjustment
of colour to the image on the right
hand side

9. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
A colloquial tone is consistent in
order to ensure I am addressing
my target audience: a sub-culture
who are more likely to respond to
the use of conversational
language. Colloquial language can
be found in both the editors letter
and in page references
It is conventional to find a
‘subscribe’ section on contents
page which offers special offers
and free gifts to anyone who signs
up. This sections often features
small images of previous magazine
covers- I considered this but
realised it would not work as well
due to this being the first issue of
Released

10. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
A conventional standfirst can be found
underneath the headline on my double page
spread which indicates the content of the
article
Attitude shown by the subject of the main
image appears laid back yet intense due to
direct address- this type of pose is
conventional of a main image but varies
depending on the story being told my the
image
It is conventional to find a headline on a
double page spread- this may sometimes
just say the artist’s name. My large,
ambiguous headline challenges conventions
through the layout of the words- some
horizontal, some vertical- and the use of
varying fonts
A convention that I haven’t incorporated
into the article is a crosshead. I did not use a
crosshead as I felt the article was already
appropriately organised using paragraphs
It is conventional to find a byline when an
article is featured in order to credit the
journalist- this is often in small font which
does not particularly stand out. My byline
follows these conventions

11. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Photo credit can be found horizontal to the
image. Conventional small and discreet font
used for the photo credit as to not distract
from the content.
I have used a conventional drop-cap.
However, after looking at other real media
products I feel using a more interesting font
for the drop-cap would be more successful
Font used for the article is Times New
Roman. It is conventional to use a small serif
font for the article
I have used a conventional grab-quote to
break up the text in the article so that it is
not one large block of writing. I have used
purple text and large speech marks to
indicate that it is a grab-quote. I have
developed conventions by using an
unconventional font for the speech marks

12. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
A link can be found between the
colours in the subject’s clothes and
the colours used in the design- this
creates consistency and links the
image well within the piece. The
colours used in the design are
minimal and are consistent with the
house style
The tone of the double page spread
is created using colloquial language
within the article and the light-
hearted headline- ‘Here’s to the lives
of the young and foolish’ which
conjures images of a group of people
raising their glasses. It is
conventional within a magazine such
as mine which aims to connect with
a young audience for a colloquial
tone to be used.
The layout follows conventions as it
is common to see a double page
spread which is made up of a page
containing the article and the
opposite page displaying the main
image. The layout of the article is
conventional as it is sorted into
three columns- articles of this kind
are always split into at least two
columns

13. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
Inspiration
I got the idea of using a large opaque letter
behind the text/ content of the double page
spread from this double page spread featuring
Lady Gaga in Q Magazine. Q have developed
conventions by creating this design feature- this
is not a common convention therefore I am also
developing conventions by doing so.
I was inspired by the editorial letter in NME that
featured on page of reviews. A small picture of
the editor is conventionally found with an
editor’s letter however using a Polaroid form
and paper clip develops this convention. I
decided to use the same format for the picture
of my editor. I took a picture of a paperclip and
edited it in Photoshop to make It appear to be
actually attached to the paper
This picture of Pete Doherty influenced the shot
type I wanted to use for my double page spread.
When I saw this double page spread featuring
Friendly Fires from Q magazine I wanted to
combine the shot type with a photo that had a
narrative of a police line up. I developed
conventions by combining the two ideas and
using paint to create a suitable background.

14. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
A particular social group that has developed quickly
recently within the younger generation is ‘indie’ which
stands for individual. ‘Indies’ are generally associated
‘Indie’ with indie music and attempting to stand out from the
crowd- whether that be through their attitude, the way
they dress or their general appearance (piercings,
unconventional coloured hair, etc) I have attempted to
represent this sub-culture by challenging conventions by
using original photos and AutoShapes in a creative way.

15. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
GENDER ETHNCITY AGE
Diversity in gender is provided The people featuring in my The people featuring in my
with the presence of a photo of magazine are all white British. magazine range between 16
a male. This represents social This does not address ethnicity and 17 years old. Since the
groups of both females and in the way it should as the target audience of Released
males and therefore targets social group my magazine is 16-24 year olds there
the correct audience as should aim to represent should should be a more varied age
Released aims to appeal to be of a diverse nature which range featured in the photos
both genders. encourages multiculturalism. in order to represent this
This shows I need diversity of particular social group.
ethnicities photographs instead
of just one ethnicity.

16. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and
why?
IPC Media have extensive knowledge on
publishing a magazine such as mine due to
being the publisher of the music magazine
NME. This would be an advantage for my
magazine and I feel IPC Media may benefit
from publishing Released as it is aimed at a
different demographic (aged 16-24, C2, D, E
profile). However, IPC would be unlikely to
publish a magazine so similar to NME due to
the possibility of compromising the sales of
their already successful and established
magazine.
Also, NME is the only music magazine that IPC
publishes, and although it is a successful
magazine, this would mean that they do not
have as extensive knowledge on pitching a
music magazine to a younger audience as
perhaps other publishing institutions.

17. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and
why?
Bauer Media are the publishers of a wide
variety of magazines- varying from those that
target niche markets such as golfers and
gardeners to those that appeal to a wider
audience such as Q and Heat.
I think Bauer Media would be the right publisher
for my magazine as their extensive knowledge
regarding pitching to a certain age group/
market would assist in marketing my magazine.
Also, they publish a variety of music magazines
such as Q, MOJO and KERRANG; proving that
they can successfully market several music
magazines designed to target varying
audiences.

18. Who would the audience be for your media product?
My target audience is both males and females aged 16-24 years old.
Since my audience is fairly young they are unlikely to be high earners
due to the fact they are either still in education or currently working
their way up in the working world. Taking this into consideration, my
magazine is aimed at a C2, D, E profile. The ethnicity my magazine
targets is widely varied because it would be distributed in the U.K: a
place where culture is diverse and multiculturalism is prominent. Most
of my audience would have an aspirer’s psychographic profile,
however some may be mainstreamers. This is because younger
generations tend to aspire for a higher social status and may feel that
conforming in some aspects as reading a magazine like Released
may grant such social class.