Evaluation - Question 1

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

 In regards to the production of the masthead of my
magazine, I have tried to follow the conventions in
which I had laid out during my research stages. This is
primarily through the use of large bold text as well as a
serif font. The large and bold text stands out and is
able to catch the attention of people who may be
walking by in a store for example, whilst the serif font
may also contribute to this effect, it double functions at
making the magazine seem more presentable as serif
fonts are typically more professional looking. The
positioning of the masthead is also key in drawing the
attention of the potential customer. It's central position
at the top of the page lies dominant and remains the
first thing a person will see on the magazine, and
therefore the masthead becomes associated with the
name.

 Through my research into similar regional magazines, the results
I came up with were fairly diverse in regards to style of imagery
for the main image, however it was safe to say that the majority of
the images that I had in my own examples were long shots, more
specifically long shots of local wildlife or potentially landmarks.
Therefore I decided to use a longshot of the Ramsgate Harbour
area. This choice of main image applies itself to the codes and
conventions outlined in my research stage as it can be considered
very much a ‘beautiful’ or ‘calming’ image due to the calm
appearance of the boats/water as well as the brightness of the
lights along the seafront area of the harbour, representing the
area in a positive light. The main image is briefly expanded upon
with bits of text however the text applies ambiguously, actually
referring to the majority of the magazine contents and not
specifically the front page. In a sense, the deliberate decision to
withhold much contextual information behind the magazines
main image until the reader gets to the relevant article can link
into Roland Barthes enigma code, in which the reader is forced to
build up their own meaning behind the image until the loose ends
are tied (in the case of a magazine, until the reader has read the
relevant article).

 Whilst scanning through my viewed list, it also became clear to me
that there was a convention amongst including some form of sell line
on the front cover of the magazine. Essentially a short enticing
sentence, the function of this regional magazine convention is to draw
the reader in and make them want to read the magazine. The Front
page begins coming together, with the Masthead catching the attention
of a potential customer and now the sell line and main image enticing
the potential customer to pick the magazine up and have a look inside.
The functionality of this sell line also fits nicely into the idea of uses
and gratification. The magazine isn't spoon feeding reader information
and it is up to the reader to navigate the magazine in order to find the
information they seek, becoming active consumers. This sell line may
refer to other information in the magazine, or even refer to it as a
whole. My sell line, 'Explore your local area this winter' is within the
context of a regional magazine' through the use of 'local' however is
also specific to articles within the magazine that are on the topic of
local winter attractions and activities. In the sense that my own sell
line is encouraging the reader to do something active seemingly goes
against conventional sell lines however, as some of the other examples
as seen on the previous slide tend to focus more specifically on the
magazine, by either talking about the content of some of the articles or
'showing off' how good the magazine is.

 Whilst conducting my research into the codes and conventions of
magazine front covers, my results were less conclusive in regards
to the content and style of the front cover. Some magazines such
as KentLife liked to have relatively large amounts of text and
information on the front page, whilst other magazines such as
Cornwall Today preferred to be more minimalist in text, and rely
on the few bits of text that actually were on the front page to lure
the reader onto the contents page to find more. Both seem to be
conventional in their own right, and therefore I have acted
conventionally by being minimalistic. Due to the unconventionally
dark image that is providing the background to much of the text
however, the bulk of the text that appears on the page is
primarily white, including that of the white masthead. To add
better contrast with the text and make it easier on the eyes
(remembering that this magazine is aimed primarily at older
generations, who are more likely to suffer with poorer eyesight) I
have added a black stroke effect around the text, giving a thin
black outline. Other than the primary use of black and white, the
only other real use of any other colour is yellow, which is bright
and catches the eye of the reader for a smaller section of text on
the front cover.

 Much like the colour scheme and style, my research proved relatively
inconclusive when it came to deciding whether or not the use of the header
and footer was conventional amongst regional magazines. Broadly, the use
of the header to hold information and more insight into some of the
magazines' articles seemed more conventional than the use of the footer in
the same manner, however due to audience feedback during the production
stage I have ultimately decided that the inclusion of both a header and a
footer was optimal for my magazines appearance, allowing me to present as
much information as possible whilst also removing the clutter that is caused
by too much text appearing over the main image. My header however could
be deemed unconventional however due to its large reliance on imagery,
with three images building up the bulk of the header. My footer however is
more conventional, using the image in the bottom left hand corner to portray
contextual information, as seen and outlined during my research stages,
with a white strip containing text, making the reader aware of the article
that will correlate to that information. The footer area also contains a
barcode and price tag, another convention that I found during my research.
Therefore, the ways in which both my footer and header apply themselves to
conventions are very conventional, however my magazine is unconventional
in the sense that it relies on both a header and a footer to portray this
information, as typically you would see one or another in a regional
magazine.
 The text in my header was an idea that I had taken from the SussexStyle
magazine which also separated information in a similar fashion, which I
have replicated in the footer as well.

 The page references and listings provide a short insight into what the reader can expect on
that specific page, however my magazine is unconventional in the fact that the
information provided is particularly limited. KentToday is very much built around
catering potentially more elderly readers, and therefore an ocean of text didn't seem
practical and a more minimalist contents page would help them more efficiently navigate
through the magazine. However the [age does remain conventional in the sense that it
provides a smaller set of text that gives further insight into the article. As well as being
unconventionally minimalistic, I have used a serif font for all of the contents to have
greater appeal to an elderly age bracket and the mindset that people of this age might
come with. My block of text is also unconventional in the fact that a much smaller portion
of the page is devoted to the text, with a larger area granted to imagery, going against the
conventions in which my research had laid out, however I feel this to have worked well,
once again coinciding with my continued goal of a minimalist presentation in the early
pages of the magazine.
 In addition to the main bulk of text I have added a subscription box and social
media/website links. The links will primarily be there to cater for those who fit into the
lower half of the bracket that my magazine intends to apply to whilst the subscription box
is there to cater for the older half of that bracket. The addition of these two features also
allows me to fill out the page with the extra information and text, which is visible
throughout my research. It appeared conventional to have additional information
coexisting alongside the page references, however it wasn't necessarily conventional as to
what text this would be, so I am still applying to this convention.
 The rows and columns structure of the text on the page as well as the use of numbers not
only applies to typical conventions of magazines on a broad spectrum, but also allows for
easy navigation, fitting nicely into the uses and gratification theory.

 The photos on my contents page are in some ways conventional yet in other way
unconventional. In comparison to many of the examples that I have found and examined
throughout my research stage, it appears the style and layout that I have followed seems
to be a common theme and convention amongst regional magazines, however it is
unconventional in how much space of the page that it takes up. Many of the examples in
my research take up much less space, with more space dedicated to the text. In a way this
does fit into my own personal convention of minimalism and remains consistent
throughout the rest of my magazine, however this was primarily just a creative choice.
 The pages reliance on imagery to give across contextual information is also an attempt to
fit into the conventions laid out during my research, with many other publications, both on
websites and in the magazines themselves relying heavily on imagery as well as the text to
give information to the reader. This may also link into Barthes theory, as effective use of
imagery is still typically less informative and more ambiguous than that of text, and
means the reader must make their own conclusions temporarily until further information
is given at a later date. It also helps to keep many of the articles relevant, and can display
an article that may otherwise have been overlooked.
 The use of imagery on this page, specifically in the attempt to attract the eye of the viewer
may even link into Hall's reception theory, where the reader may or may not receive the
image in various ways or develop their own meaning based on familiarity. This is a
mixture between Barthes theory and Hall's reception theory. The limited use of text will
force the reader to make their own story, and this story will be developed depending on
familiarity with what that image is depicting.

 When laying out my plan for creating my advert, there were three main conventions that I
wanted to maintain. I wanted to have the images exclusive to the right hand page, I
wanted to have some form of divide (as seen in the sports advert on the previous slide) and
I wanted to have only a small block of text on the left hand side. Whilst I have maintained
these conventions in the sense that they all appear in my advert page, my advert page is
unconventional in the sense that all of these conventions appear at once, as throughout my
research there wasn't a single example that included all three.
 Therefore the use of the right hand page as a display of imagery is use of a convention,
outlined in my research. The small block of text in the centre of the left hand page also fits
into a convention, and was visible in the Audi advert. The divide that divides the two
images was also a convention, as seen in the sports adverts and the use of symbolism
(specifically in the Audi advert) I have also tried to recreate through the use of the rose in
the bottom left hand corner (which is also visible on the side of the store, in the bottom left
hand corner).
 The limited use of text and use of imagery may once again link into a mixture of Barthes
and Hall, as the imagery may be interpreted differently (people from Margate or those who
know of the location will look at the advert and interpret the message in a different way to
those who are unfamiliar) and those who are unfamiliar with the store will use the
imagery and limited text to build up their own story/conclusion on the magazine.
 Unconventional in the sense of the addition of social media links but conventional in the
sense of contact/follow up details, I have included social media links. This allows anyone
interested in what the advert is proposing to follow up, and due to the limited reach of a
local charity/vintage shop I felt it more acceptable for the business to have a social media
page opposed to a website.

 In my research I had outline cross overs between the website and the
magazine as a convention, and I have adopted this convention on the
front page. Very much in the same way that a magazine will have a
masthead, with the content of the front page below it, the homepage
has the title at the top, with features and images below it. As well as
this the font and size of the title resembles that of the magazine, as
well as the large reliance on imagery and minimal text. This brings my
onto my second point, as my webpage is very much conventional in its
reliance on imagery over text. Since are large bulk of a regional
magazines audience will most likely be of a more elderly age, or even
middle age, there are many factors that should be considered. This
may be parents, who juggling work and children will have limited time
and reliance on imagery will be much more efficient. Those who are
even older and who are less tech savvy will also find this feature useful
as swathes of text may seem daunting to them, therefore this is a very
important convention to comply to.
 The various tabs at the top of the screen, that may function in a
similar way to a contents page also apply to conventions laid out in my
research, increasing the navigational ability of the website. The
interactive nature of the website, the tabs and the featured images also
plays into the media theory of cognitive needs, as the user is able to
interact with the page in a more hands on manner than a magazine
may allow through the use of hyperlinked pages.

Hyperlinked
Page2–
FeaturesPage

 Once again I have conformed to the more minimalist and basic
display of text and imagery that seems to be present throughout
other publications. This has worked due to the more disjointed
nature of the website, where the hyperlinked pages are very
specific opposed to having it all on a single page, and these
hyperlinked pages can be accessed through the tabs present at the
top of pages.
 The use of a features page in general appears to be conforming to
convention, however some websites tend to be even more specific
in their website layouts, and categorise their articles even more
specifically by listing various topics such as outdoor events and
education idividually (KentLife does this). However the layout of
my features page appears to question some of the conventions.
The way I have displayed my features is in a very central, column
like manner, whereas it seems to be more typical to have rows or
even fill the page. In comparison to other examples even, my own
features page is even text heavy. I have made this production
choice as it provides a bit more information to the user, as
sometimes reliance purely on imagery to provide contextual
background may not be enough.

 Due to the limited availability for regional magazine billboards and
even magazine billboards in general, much of my research revolved
around looking for conventions that can be seen in billboards as a
whole, and I have compared those conventions alongside the one
example of a regional magazine that I have been able to find.
 The very much black and white colour scheme for my billboard is
explained not only due to the fact it is the typical colour scheme for my
magazines brand across publications and the website however it also
applies to the convention of having two largely contrasting colours, in
order to easily catch the attention of anyone who may be going by in a
busy place or on a road for example. By doing this I am not only able to
comply to the conventions of billboards but I am also capable of
remaining consistent across my brand.
 I have also complied to the convention of displaying one of my products
on the various devices that it is compatible with. To follow up with the
display of various online technology, I have provided links to social
media and the website in the bottom left hand corner.
 My billboard may also be deemed unconventional in the sense that the
billboard isn't advertising the actual product, but the examples given
on the magazine are actually that of the website for my product. It
could be argued however that it all comes hand in hand, and that I am
advertising my brand overall, which would be less unconventional.

Evaluation - Question 1

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