The document discusses conventions used in real music magazines that are employed in the media product. These include limited color schemes to appear professional, overlapping images on the front cover to connect image and text, and freebies or promotions to attract readers. The contents page also mirrors conventions like the masthead spanning both pages, balancing text and images, and using promotions. Images are used to introduce articles and connect visually to the written text.

1. Q1: In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?

2. The front cover uses a lot of conventions of real music magazines.
The first one to name is the limited colour scheme. This is really important as a too colourful
front cover would distract the audience and the magazine would appear unprofessional.
For this front cover the colours used for the mast head and the cover lines are adjusted with
the colours of the main image: black, white, red and brown. The colour of the mast head is
the same red as the one of the body of the guitar as well as the brown of the “Hot” and
“Plus” are a variation of the wooden head of the guitar. This gives the front cover a
structured and clear appearance. The colours red and brown highlight the most important
parts of the text which are the main heading and the headline which announces the cover
lines.

3. Another typical technique which is used on the front cover of
the LIVE! magazine is the overlapping main image in front of
the masthead.
Placing the image above the text creates a connection
between the label and its contents. It shows that they are not
separated but belong together. Another effect of this
technique is that the audience is under the impression of
being the first priority of the magazine. To inform the reader
is more important that advertising the own brand. This
attracts a larger readership as this magazine promises to fulfil
their desire for the latest news in the music world rather than
promoting itself and making money.
A lot of magazines like Q or NME use this especially when the
main image is related to a sensational or outstanding story.
This is also true for the LIVE! magazine. The image and the
main heading announce a brand new artist which no one
should miss out on. The power and speciality of the new artist
is emphasised by the images position in front of the usual
standards.

4. The last convention to mention out of the variety which are
used to create a proper front cover for a music magazine is
the freebie on the bottom line of the magazine. This is a
great way to draw in the audience because they feel they
are gaining out something out of purchasing the magazine. It
also makes the company different and unique compared to
other competitors as this magazine offers free big posters of
famous celebrities you cannot get anywhere else. This is
therefore the Unique Selling Point of the magazine.

5. The next page to take a closer look at is the contents
page.
The most relevant aspect is the mast head. It is on top of
the page and spread over the whole width parallel to the
mast head on the front cover. It is important to link the
front cover and the contents page to show the structure
and order of the magazine. It is not a mess with random
pages put together but created with logic and system.
The big letters make it easy for the reader to identify this
page as the contents and also connects the text column
on the right hand side with the images on the left hand
side of the page. The red bar which highlights the mast
head also includes the issue number and the cover date.
This again is part of the clear structure and serious
appearance of the magazine.
CONNECTION

6. Secondly there is the column on the right hand side. A
contents page has to be appealing to the audience which is
often solved by using a lot of pictures. Too much text would
repel especially younger readers but just using images looks
dilettantish and unprofessional. To create an attractive page
you have to find a perfect balance between the amount of
text and images. Therefore a structured text column on the
right is a nice way of solving this task. Divided into four
headlines which are all supported by sub headings and page
numbers it is easy to orient oneself.

7. A third feature on this page is the plug in the right corner. This stands out
on the contents page in order to draw in the audience’s attention to the
upcoming music festival. The signalling colour yellow which is nowhere
else used on this page proclaims that the magazine offers the chance to
win tickets for the promoted festival. The plug has a similar function to the
freebie on the front cover. They both help the company to separate from
other music magazines and provide something special and unique.

8. The main image takes up half of the double spread page. The image frames a
female artist which has already been shown on the front cover. This time tough
the shot used is a Close Up rather than a Long Shot. This is due to the fact that
there is now an article revealing a lot more about the artist than the headline on
the front cover. Simultaneously the close shot reveals a lot more of the woman’s
emotions and facial expressions than the main image on the front of the
magazine. So the main image serves to state the fact that this page provides a
lot of new information which match with the reader’s expectations.

9. As there are two pages which present
together one article it is necessary to link
them and create a smooth connection
between them. This is done in two steps. The
first one is to use the main image as the
background for the written text. There are no
spaces, it all fits together. The second step is
to create and emphasise a relationship
between text and image. Letting the written
words wander around the shoulder of the
artist leads to the desired effect. Now image
and article are linked and their affiliation
becomes obvious.
Also the structure of the article has to be considered. As it is
a text which appears in a magazine and not in a book the
text has to be split up in columns. It makes it easier to read
as the amount of text seems more spread. Also the use of
paragraphs makes it more appealing for the audience to
start reading the article. The first look tells them that it is
logical structured. Without any columns or paragraphs to
organise the information the reader would be overwhelmed
and rather repelled than attracted.
Introduction