This document discusses the preliminary task of creating the front cover and contents page for a new school/college music magazine. For the front cover, conventions from existing music magazines were followed, including a large masthead, cover lines down the left side, a main image taking up most of the cover, and inclusion of barcode, price, date and issue in the bottom corner. For the contents page, conventions like a large masthead at the top, dividing articles into labeled sections, and use of backgrounds/colors to make sections and text stand out were utilized to create a clear and professional looking page. Overall, the document evaluates how conventions from analyzed magazines were identified and applied to the preliminary task designs to

1. Preminilary
Task

4. Front Cover

5. Contents page

6. Evaluation
For my media coursework I had to first complete a preliminary task which was to create the
front page of a new school or college magazine, ensuring that the image was taken in a medium
close up shot and there was an appropriate masthead and text. After completing my front cover
I can see that I have identified and included the typical conventions of music magazines, for
example, I have included the masthead, AMP (which stands for amplified music production) in
the top left corner and cover lines down the left third. My masthead is quite large, in a bold and
recognisable font, making it easy to read, look vibrant and stand out, another convention of
magazines.
The cover lines featured are all down the left hand side of my splash which could be considered
as challenging typical conventions as some magazines place their cover lines down both sides of
the splash, however, the majority of magazines I have analysed have placed their cover lines
predominantly down one side and therefore, this is the reason I have placed my cover lines
down one side only.
The main image I have used takes up the majority of the splash, which links further with my
understanding of typical magazine conventions. The image featured on my front cover is in a
medium close-up, making strong eye contact with the audience, making them feel instantly
engaged with the magazine, urging them to purchase it. This represents a strong character and
makes the model look powerful and intimidation, adding further to the idea that the audience
will feel urged into purchasing the magazine.
Further conventions I have recognised and clearly identified is the use of a banner, usually along
either the bottom of top of the splash. On my magazine front cover I have chosen to place my
banner along the top of the page and with a yellow background. This sets it aside from the
repeated colour scheme used throughout my magazine and also other magazines, making it
stand out further.

7. I have also placed a bar code, price, date and issue number in the bottom corner of my splash.
This shows further identification of conventions as on all magazine's these are placed away from
the main features to ensure that the focus is not directed away from more important features.
As the construction (as stated in the brief) is a new magazine I chose to price it at £3.10 to
ensure that it is not too expensive to draw away readers but also expensive enough to make a
profit despite it being a new magazine and therefore running the risk of not many people buying
it.
Similarly when designing my contents page I kept in mind the typical conventions found when
analysing existing pages. All contents page's I have looked at feature a large masthead at the
top, whether it be the word 'contents' or the name of the magazine. I decided to feature the
word 'contents' at the top of my page in large, bold lettering to make it clear to the reader what
this page would contain. I also added a background to the text to make it stand out further and
as the background is grey, make it link with the overall colour scheme of my magazine, linking it
with each page and making a recognisable product.
A further convention also featured is the fact that articles are divided into sections and so I
decided to use this idea and split my page into sections that would include features that were
'on the cover' and those that would be 'regulars'. This makes it easier for the reader to find what
they are looking for and also makes the page look more professional. In the background of these
sections I have placed a darker background to make it stand out from the white base. This
separates, not only each section from each other but also both sections from the background,
making the product look more professional and easier to navigate around.