The document provides an analysis of how the creator's magazine product uses, develops, or challenges conventions of real media products. It examines various aspects of magazine design and layout found in existing magazines that influenced the creator's work. These include the use of color schemes, mastheads, column-based layouts, cover and article designs, fonts, and other common magazine elements. The creator seeks to balance convention with some unconventional elements to appeal to a wide audience while maintaining a coherent style.

3. My magazine is…

4. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products
?

5. Direct eye contact to draw the reader in,
which will entice the reader into buying the
magazine
Red house style and neat layout conveys
consistency, all successful magazines have a
typical colour scheme
Large, Bold Masthead, it stands out to present
the magazines logo to buyers therefore
advertising it, as most magazines do
This is not similar to mine and is
conventional but the cover stars
name going over the main
image influenced my cover
This magazine’s edgy vibe is similar
to my cover’s, although this cover
is unconventional, it has a similar
layout to mine
All the information links throughout the
magazine, every magazine does this to guide
and tempt the reader of what is inside the
magazine
Barcode is vertical, this is atypical of a
conventional magazine but allows all features
to fit well on the page
5 colour colour-scheme would normally look
too much, that’s why most magazines use 3
colours, I feel mine looks organised and all the
colours work well together

6. Red house style is used to appear
coordinated, it makes the magazine
look neat like other competitors
Title font stands outs purely so it is clear
that it is the contents page, it provides
easy navigation and looks good on the
page
Reference to ‘BEAT’ advertises the
magazine, all magazines do this for a
sense of house style and to remind the
reader of what they are reading
This contents page’s neat and
organised style is conventional
and similar to mine, it has
influenced my magazine’s style
This is less similar than the other
contents page but still conventional,
it influenced me to use colour to
make the page memorable
The layout is similar to competitor
magazines because this way looks
appealing and allows the reader to
navigate clearly through all the pages
Positioning of pictures is slightly atypical
in a magazine because some are
landscape and some are portrait, this
provides and interesting page to look
visually pleasing to the reader

7. Uses drop cap to show the start of
the stand first, most magazines use
this
Layout in columns provides something the
reader can read easily, it is very rare not to use
columns
Three colour colourscheme similar to Q or
NME provides
organisation and house
style
This double page spread is not so similar to
mine, although I did get inspiration from the
pose the women is doing
This double page spread is similar to mine but I
chose to stay with my house style and have the
theme of red
Follows house style
colour red to maintain
the magazine’s
reputation and allows for
easy identification
Slanted “WILD” uses different font to the rest,
this grabs the reader’s attention but is unusual
in typical magazines who like to keeps
headlines immaculate
Photo goes over to the other
page, it is unusual to but was
effective in making the article
edgy and quirky

8. ?
wd
Ho
r
ou
sy
oe
dia
me
u
od
pr
t re
c
t
en
res
p
p
rtic
a
lar
u
ial
c
so
s
up
gro

9. Her pose connotes attitude
giving other people of her age
the ability to think that they
could be as care free and wild
as her
Young female in the
image is edgy and
represents a young
adult woman that is
current. The black
and white
photograph
suggests something
classic, this
presents someone
who is timeless
therefore
representing a role
model and an
inspiration

10. The “WILD” highlights the
middle class people who would
speak in the casual tone this
magazine has. It connotes that
the feature girl has a typical
rock life that people only
dream of, therefore making
them want to continue reading
Use of colloquial language and
exclamations represent someone
young and humorous, the article
being about someone so outgoing
means the language has to match
therefore representing the fun
loving people that would buy the
magazine
The assumption of
“everyone” talking about this
artist creates a confident vibe
that represents every gender
and that they need to read
this article because
“everyone” else is

11. Her leaning forward creates an
attitude but is then smiling to
seems more approachable
connoting someone down to
earth, she expands the
audience and represents
someone more relatable
This album cover represents
someone more indie and the
colours connotes a calm tone
relating to more laid back
readers, this means the social
group represented by the
magazine is being expanded to
not only pop and rock but more
contemporary artists too

12. The “posh girl” represents a higher class
audience because of her reputation as
someone presentable and a role model
to those who want to be such a
respectable artist in the music industry,
she is a typical pop star so she will
automatically make the magazine
represent her fans
This is the only male on the contents
page and therefore represents men.
Because he has attitude and looks so
careless he also represents a current,
middleclass genre. The black and white
connotes a classic tone but also makes
the artist seem rough. The fact he isn’t
smiling represents a more serious
audience and entices the reader into the
reason as to why he looks so troubled

13. The five stars represents
quality and people who are
serious about listening to
good music. The quote “I
wrote my heart” represents a
softer more intense music
reader that would read the
magazine because of the
high quality content, maybe
attracting both upper and
middle class
The discount jumps out the
page to represent everyone
middle class who are looking
for something slightly
cheaper. The exclamatory
sounds exciting and
represents a positive group of
people who want to read
something upbeat in the
magazine

14. Overall, BEAT magazine tries to represent a wide variety of
social groups to expand the amount of readers. From middle
class to a slightly higher class my media product represents
them through a variety of genders featured in the magazine.
The use of colloquial dialect is aimed at a more laid back, care
free social group. The red colour scheme is bright and bold
although it doesn’t connote luxury it connotes happiness and
excitement which again represents every gender who are
middle class. The neat layout emphasises something easily
read and organised and that will represent every social group
who want something to read and enjoy which generally is who
my magazine strive to represent

15. te
itu
t
ins
ia
ed
of m y ?
ind
wh
tk
ha
and
W
uct
rod
p
t
gh
mi
ibu
istr
d
you
te
dia
me
r

16. It produces several music channels that fit into the genres included in my
magazine, which include:
4Music
The Box
Heat
Kerrang!
Kiss
Magic
Smash Hits
It distributes Q magazine which is a competitor of BEAT and because Q is so widely
known and has such a wide audience I think my magazine would be able to do the
same, and I think it deserves a worldwide recognition. It distributes monthly and that
is the frequency I would like BEAT to be distributed. The music channels Bauer Media
Group produce are what I feel would be the sort of music included in BEAT, it is
definitely the direction I feel BEAT should go in

17. They target women:
Teen Now
Woman's Own
Now
They target men:
New Musical Express
(NME)
Although they distribute big label magazines their main focus is not music.
They distribute NME which is similar to BEAT and this would be my second
choice for a distributor because of the worldwide recognition of their
magazines, the weekly distributing is not how I want BEAT to be made so that
would be another negative factor. The Bauer Media Group is a lot more
involved in music and Q magazine is more the image I want BEAT to have

18. I would like to see my
magazine in shops like W H
Smith or supermarkets so it
can be more widely
recognised by all ages, going
with Bauer Media Group
would definitely be able to do
this and expand BEAT’s brand
worldwide so it is as
successful as Q magazine

19. Wh
uld
wo
o
h
et
b
e
nc
die
au
e
u
yo
for
dia
me
r
rod
p
ct?
u

20. Age – 18-30
Gender – unisex
Address – South West London
My reader would typically be social and outgoing. They would go to
concerts of any genre and have a strong interest in music. They have
enough money to buy specifically a music magazine but not something
extremely expensive. They would be more attracted to a neatly laid out
magazine therefore organised in real life although their interest in
bright colours and colloquial language suggest that they are fun and
enjoy something interesting and exciting to read. They would be aware
of current music and style leading them to buy the magazine regularly
to keep up to date.

21. 90% of people chose
casual and humorous,
this connotes a young
laid back vibe which is
my target audience
100% said laidback, this
is typical of someone
young and into music
which is the audience
BEAT appeals to most

22. 60% said columned, this
suggests that my magazine
can appeal to those who
like a neater higher end
style. My magazine would
definitely not be scattered
and have a rock vibe
because that is the opposite
direction of my audience
The 50/50 result shows
the diversity of my
audience and how many
different genres BEAT can
appeal to e.g. those who
are indie and artistic or
those who like pop and
bright colours

23. I have done research into my audience’s class and at first did not think they were
part of the typical working class group. I think that they are more culturally aware
and know about what is happening other than the mainstream knowledge seen in
gossip magazines and the front-pages of newspapers like “The Sun”. So I then
stumbled upon the BBC website and found out my audience can be considered to
be in these rising groups of classes…
The link to the webpage - http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21970879
New Affluent Workers: This class has medium levels of
economic capital and higher levels of cultural and social
capital. They are a young and active group.
Emergent Service Workers: This new class has low
economic capital but has high levels of 'emerging' cultural
capital and high social capital. This group are young and
often found in urban areas

24. u
yo
did
ow
H
u
yo
ess
dr
/ad
act
r
att
r
die
au
?
ce
n

25. Attract
I attracted my audience through the use of bright colours and a house
style, this will make the magazine stand out therefore catching the
reader’s eye, making them interested in BEAT magazine, it will attract
an upbeat audience who are young and current
Address
The use of bright colours and bold typography connotes a fun tone and
the use of a house style makes the front cover recognisable. By
addressing the reader in this way the typical audience will purchase the
magazine because they have grown a relationship with BEAT and would
want to continue reading it. The mix of bright colours (turquoise, red,
gold) again presents the magazine as fun loving and exciting
(The masthead is important for a magazine’s
identity and is part of the house style in which
the audience is attracted to)

26. Attract
I attracted my audience through the use of colloquial language, this
attracts a young casual audience who have a light-hearted approach
to music
Address
I used exclamatory sentences to make the text seem more exciting and fun
rather than serious, addressing the audience like this makes them more
likely to be interested. Also, the play on words “blood, sweat and tours” is a
light joke to uplift the mood and address the reader in an approachable way.
“Wild” creates an edgy vibe, addressing the reader, making them see an
quirky image, this typical attitude of a rock artist draws the reader in
because it’s the carefree life they want.

27. Attract
By featuring multiple artists on the front cover and the contents page,
more people will be attracted to my magazine because of the variety
Address
On the front cover I have addressed different artists in the plug, so it
is clear there is variety in my magazine. On the contents page I have
tried to include multiple artists, male and female. Putting out to a
wider audience will make the magazine both more recognised and a
lot more popular, thus succeeding in being a mixed music magazine
and becoming a worldwide brand

28. The contrast between the text and the
feature article photo emphasises the
cover star, there fore attracting those who
like her music but other music too
Address
I have addressed the audience through a
young rock artist, appealing to specific
genre of rock. By putting bright colours and
naming multiple different artists addresses
all the other different genres included in
BEAT. This similar to the use of different
artists on the contents page addresses most
audiences therefore allowing for a wider
market. Although the feature article photo
being of a women would generally appeal to
a female audience more

29. b
nt a
r
lea
u
o
ey
hav t?
c
hat
du
W
ro
sp
thi
e
ut t
o
lo
no
ch
o
s fr
gie
th
m
f
so
s
oce
r
ep
in
uct
r
nst
co
g

30. The right image
looks better
I created a small amount of Bevel and
Stroke to make the masthead jump out
of the cover and catch the readers
attention, making the outline darker
creates an image that stands out

31. Hold on the
ellipse tool
Set the colour gold,
press the paint icon and
…
… click in the circle
to create this
Add the text and
create a shadow
I chose to do this to balance out of the front cover page and catch the
readers eye so they see something good on offer, the gold connotes
quality and the exclamatory provides an exciting tone

32. To achieve an immaculately aligned
layout I had to line up all of the plug. I
pressed onto view and clicked grid
I then compared it to another
magazine and lined that up to see
how much space the plug should
take up
By looking at another
magazine I concluded that
I should only go as far as
the width of the mast head.
Now it looks neat and I
measured it so all other
plug was aligned therefore
creating the neat layout I
wanted

33. I put the images on to the
contents page by selecting open
I just continued
until the whole
page was full
The find and select the picture
you would like to insert
The more pictures I
added the more
my contents page
looked real

34. To create the stars I
pressed the
custom shape tool
I then selected
the snowflake
because it was
the closest thing
to a star
And selected 5 to create
and album review look

35. el
fe ll
u
ou f
y e
o th
d
o
at t
h it
w
k, om
as fr
t
y ion
ar ss
in e
im gr
el o
t?
r r
p p
uc
ur he rod
p
yo t
n
at t i
ck arn
ba le
g
in ave
k
oo u h
L o
y

36. We first had to make a school magazine before we made our music magazine and I
have made vast improvements over the period of creating my media product

37. Aligning the plug so
it’s the same length
to look neater
Using the neutral
background makes the
magazine look sleeker
Linking the fonts
so they don’t
look messy
Putting more
relevant
content
making the
reader more
informed
Planning the
layout, photo
and contents,
therefore
making an
overall better
magazine
The photo has better
lighting and the
shadow makes it
look more in place
By influencing my media
product on an actual
magazine the finish is
more organised
Cropping the edges
of the feature article
photo to look more
professional
Adding conventions
like a barcode
allows for
authenticity

39. By using visual aids
to help the page
aesthetically
Using the neutral
background makes the
images/text standout
By influencing my
media product on
an actual magazine
the finish is more
organised
Sticking to a simple
colour scheme
makes the
magazine’s
appearance more
professional and
organised
By not overlapping text
and images allows for a
clear easy navigation
By putting BEAT
brand at the top
creates a
distinguished house
style and brand
Putting in
quotes to
draw in the
audience
Adding
conventions like
a discount
section allows
for authenticity
Planning the layout, photo and
contents in detail, therefore
making the info more relevant

40. The right is more professional, uses better fonts and is sectioned
to be like a real magazine. The colours are also more organised

41. The image on the right has more of an impact on the reader and looks
like a genuine singer, it has better lighting and fits nicely on the page

42. The right is bolder and stands out more to draw the reader to the
magazine, it is also neater and more compact therefore looking
more professional