This document discusses how the media product, a music magazine, both uses conventions of real magazines as well as challenges some conventions.
The layout and design of the front cover uses conventions like centering the model's face, including writing on the sides, and using consistent font styles. However, the location of the main cover story is placed unconventionally at the bottom rather than the typical middle placement.
Inside pages also blend conventions, like placing the masthead in the center and using a similar contents page structure, with some unconventional elements like using multiple images on the contents page rather than one. Color is also used unconventionally to differentiate sub-stories rather than just one color.
The double page spread
3. Front Cover
The layout for the magazine is conventional
because the model is facing the camera and his
face is taking up most of the front cover, which is
what I found when I researched music magazine
covers. I didn’t want the model doing the same
pose as the one of the left, because from my
photo-shoot, the photo I chose looked the best.
There is writing on each side like a conventional
magazine, with the same style of font and colour
scheme. My masthead is very conventional as it
is in the middle, the same as other magazines I
have looked at.
4. Front Cover
There is writing on each side like a
conventional magazine, what's also
conventional is the fact I have kept the same
colour scheme and font style as well.The bar
code in the corner is also slightly
conventional as well, in the left magazine it is
on the right but on my magazine it is on the
right.
5. Masthead
It is very conventional to place the
masthead here, in the middle.The
reason why this is done is because
when the magazines are stacked in
shelf's, the masthead is the part that
you usually see.
My masthead is placed across
the top middle of the magazine. I
decided to do this because it is
conventional and it didn’t look
right having the masthead on
the right or the left.
6. Main Cover Story
In this magazine the main cover story
Is placed in the middle, just to the left.They have
Enlarged the text slightly and also put an ‘Exclusive’
Banner going down the side the emphasize it. It is
Conventional to have the cover story font bigger than
The other fonts, but not as big as the masthead.
In my magazine, I chose to put the main cover
Story at the bottom, just below the face in the
Picture. I thought it would be more conventional to
have it at the bottom in the middle just below my
Models face. I think this worked a lot better with the
Photo I had and created a better effect.
7. Sub Stories.
In this magazine, they haven't used
different colours to emphasize different
things in the sub stories.They have used a
red to emphasize a ‘Special Report’.
I took on different colours of the font for my sub-
stories.This fitted in well with the colour scheme
of my magazine and also helps catch the eye of
the reader.
9. Contents Page.
I really liked the layout of theVibe
Contents Page. I like the simple but
professional look it has. I didn’t copy
this exactly as I wanted to create a
unique contents page using a similar
style.
10. I used a similar layout for
the text in the contents
page as well which is
conventional, for example
the ‘Features >’ bit at the
top, I didn’t use the same
categories though as I
wanted different ones in
my magazine.
I used the same layout of
having the larger text in a
different colour as the
categories and for all the
stories that are there, there
are subheadings and further
information below in a
normal font.This is quite
conventional too.
I also placed the
numbers on the
left hand side of
the subheadings,
this is also very
conventional.
11. Contents Masthead
I put the title ‘Contents’ in the
same place and in the same style.
However, I decided to use a
different colour as it goes with my
colour scheme.This is very
conventional and creates a good
effect.
12. All the images
on the contents
pages are in the
same place ,but
instead of using
one I have
decided to use
two because I
thought one
image wasn’t
enough and it
looked to plain
on the contents
page.
15. In this magazine,
they have used
lots of images
with the model in
different
positions. I
decided to do the
same and use a
few different
images of my
model on mine.
I decided to be different and not conventional
with this because I wanted it to be different to
normal double page spreads, hence why all
my images are in the middle.
16. I liked the way they differentiated
between the blue and grey text in
the sub-paragraph. I decided to do
something similar with the text
underneath my masthead/title so I
differentiated the colours with the
colours from my colour scheme.
I decided to put the text on
the left & the right, I thought
this was very conventional
even though in the other
magazine they have it on the
left and right but only half
way up.
