The document analyzes the ways in which the author's mock magazine cover and contents follow or challenge conventions of real hip hop magazines. It finds that some elements are conventional - like using a masthead in the top left, cover lines in the left and right thirds, a bold main cover line, and columns of text. However, other aspects are unconventional, such as placing the masthead over the image, using a handwritten font, and including black and white photos. Overall, the author aimed to be both conventional to attract readers but also unconventional to make the magazine stand out.

1. EVALUATION
QUESTION 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2. WHAT IS A MAGAZINE?
A magazine is a publication which is normally
based on a certain subject and aimed at a niche
market/specific readership. It includes articles and
images and usually uses typical conventions to
make clear what the category the magazine fits in
to.

3. MY
MAGAZINE
The colours of the
background in the way it
has been edited
compliment the colours
on his shirt.
The Masthead is placed conventionally
as it would be expected to be seen in a
hip hop magazine in the top left hand
corner.
Medium close up has
been used which is
conventional.
Model is showing direct
gaze which is
conventional.
There are connotations
behind the colours used
which relate to the word
French.
The cover lines have been
placed unconventionally
at the bottom of the page
when usually they start
on the left hand third.
The barcode & price have
been placed on the
bottom right hand sign
which can be seen as
conventional.
The extra cover lines show the reader
they’re getting content for their money.
The main cover line is big
and bold which is
conventional in fashion as
it is presented in the same
way it would be in a hip
hop magazine.

4. Masthead
My masthead is unconventional as in many music magazines and in hip hop ones especially the image is
brought in front of the masthead to give more emphasis on the image. They can do this because they
have a good brand name which can be recognised even if it cannot be read meaning they appeal
especially to loyal customers who know what the name of the magazine is and in general they don't need
to have it on show.
I deliberately chose to put my masthead in front of the image and to be unconventional as I want it to be
clear that my magazine is unique and not like the other hip hop magazine which gives me a unique
selling point. by going against the conventions it breaks the common design of a magazine and makes it
stand out because it doesn't blend in amongst the others.
Also The other magazines use different colours and conventionally mastheads are quite bright and eye
catching whereas when creating mine I thought that I didn't want to have a bright coloured masthead as I
felt the magazine was very multicoloured as it was - you can have too much of a good thing.
The masthead has been placed in the left third in the top hand corner which is conventional and can be
seen on most other magazines, also it is big and bold which I think is important so the magazine can be
identified
I also can see that the font I used is quite unconventional as capitalised clear fonts are commonly used
for hip hop magazines giving them a clean look whereas the font i’ve used is quite raw and scruffy giving
it a unique look which is what I was going for when I was constructing the front cover.

5. Image
The main image is quite conventional as image used is a medium close up which is a
general convention for most magazines including hip hop. in doing this you can
concentrate on the model and show a focus on something specific, for example the image
shows emphasis on the model and not on the van behind because it’s a medium close up
instead of a wider shot.
Another way in which the image follows the convention of a hip hop magazine is that the
model is displaying direct gaze which is used to engage the reader with the model and
makes them feel as if they are being looked at directly. This is a good way to communicate
with the reader on a more personal level through the image used on the front cover.
The model is also a male which is typical for most hip hop magazines as a majority use
male artist and rarely female ones.
The model is also dressed appropriately for the shoot with a snapback on which is
commonly seen worn by rappers and also by wearing a big jacket and having a unique
sense of style which is now becoming the fashion in modern day hip hop as you can see in
the XXL image which shows lil wayne wearing a winter hat and in the Mixmag image which
shows the guy again wearing a unique item of headwear and sporting a unique fashion.
My magazine also has been edited in a way which can be seen s conventional as the
background has been changed in a way which compliments the colours on the models t
shirt which makes the front cover fits together better without any part of the image looking
like it doesn’t look visually appealing with it’s surroundings.
The image is also unconventional as it wasn’t taken in a studio which most hip hip
magazine front cover images are but again I think this represents the unique nature of the
magazine.

6. Main Coverline
In order to show a clear difference between the main cover line and the rest I decided to
use a different typeface, a variety of colours and a larger size for the font as it’s important
to show very clearly the main cover line which represents what is on the double page
spread of the magazine. This is the conventional way of presenting a cover line by using
a large capitalised bold font.
My magazine challenges the conventions of a hip hop magazine as the main cover line
isn’t relevant to what i’ve done my double page spread on however this was necessary
as from my research I found a majority of the readers wanted to read an interview and
many wanted to hear about new and upcoming artists. I decided the main cover line
could be reduced t one page as it isn’t a hot topic however the image stood out from the
photoshoot so I chose to use that image/story.
The font used could be seen as unconventional as its not a plain font it’s a unique
interesting font which is what I wanted on my magazine to attract a certain type of
audience who have an eye for great typography which is different, this is why I
challenged the convention.

7. Coverlines
My cover lines have followed the basic conventions of a hip hop
magazine as they start in the left third and finish in the right third however
on most hip hop magazines the cover lines will continue on the top of the
upper third not the bottom.
I’ve also used language that is familiar to the reader by typing “kendrick
on why he don’t smoke” which is a lyric of one of his songs this makes
the reader feel more in touch with the magazine which is something that
can be commonly see as conventional as it occurs on many other hip hop
magazines.
I’ve also followed the convention associated with most music magazines
which involves putting a list of many celebrities associated with the genre
as if they see many of their artists they will be more inclined to pick up the
magazine.

8. Buzz/Puffers/Barcode
The magazines that I analysed didn’t use any of these features so I
thought it would be conventional to follow them in design. I decided
to stay conventional as from researching various hip hop
magazines i’ve realised that the readers are less enthusiastic to
enter competitions or something similar that would be found in the
form of a puffer as a majority of the readers will be adults who are
18 or over and probably have a job and not enough time.
Through further research I found that most hip hop magazines
keep their barcode up horizontally and also they change the
placement depending on where the main cover line is so my
barcodes placement can be seen as conventional as they are
commonly seen on the left/right third.

9. Font
Many of the magazines I analysed used capitalised
sans serif fonts as they’re clear to read and are
effective for representing the cover lines. I used
Verdana as this font was the most similar and has
proved to be very conventional as the fonts are almost
identical.
I chose to use a conventional font as it is universal
and can be easily read by almost anyone as the cover
lines are important for advertising the contents of the
magazine think it’s important that they be clear.

10. MY CONTENTS
PAGE

11. Header
The header is conventional as it follows the same
idea and has a hidden connotation behind the words
“west side” which refers to a place where rap
descended from.
It also uses more than 1 colour to keep it visually
interesting for the reader.
I also chose to stick to the typical bold capitalised
font as it is essential that the header is big and bold
so it can be easily read.

12. Contents
The arrangement of the contents is
conventional as I've separated the
featured contents and the others.
Ive also used numbers to show where
to find each content which is
something thats seen in most
magazines.

13. Social media buttons
To my surprise social media buttons are not a
typical convention of a hip hop magazine but I
chose to include them as it’s a great way of
promotion.

14. Images
The images i’ve used challenge the typical conventions
of a contents page image on a hip hop magazine as
they don’t show direct gaze or a medium close up.
I’ve also used a black and white image which again
challenges the conventions as full colour images are
usually used.
I’ve also followed the conventions in some ways as I've
used multiple images similarly to XXL magazine as I felt
it was

15. MY DOUBLE PAGE
SPREAD

16. The image
The image isn't very conventional as it is in black and
white whereas full colour images are usually used
how ever I didn't want the reader to judge the artist
on the image as the article is all about getting to
know him for who he really is. By using an image that
is less appealing this increases the chances that the
reader will read the article to find out more.
The clothes the model is wearing are very
conventional and stereotypical for a hip hop image as
he is wearing a hoody.

17. Text
The font used for the text is quite conventional and
could be seen as almost identical as the one used for
XXL magazine as I felt it was important to use a
universal font which is easily readable.
The text has also been lined up into columns which is
a basic convention of most magazines.
I also followed the idea of using language the
readers will understand as I feel this makes the
readers feel more familiar when reading.

18. Stand first & Byline
I’ve used many conventions of a hip hop magazine
like including a stand first and byline to introduce
the article and to give credit to the author.