The document discusses how the media product challenges and develops conventions of real media products. It summarizes how various design elements were incorporated from existing magazines to make the mock magazine look realistic and professional. These elements include using consistent fonts, colors, images of artists, and layouts inspired by magazines like We Love Pop and Billboard. The document also explains how splats, mastheads, barcodes, and drop caps were included to follow industry conventions and make the magazine seem like a real purchasable product.

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

2. Throughout the production process of my front cover, contents page
and double page spread I found that the most important thing was to
include the main artist throughout all pages. By doing this I was able to
show that I had used continuity. Secondly, by using the same colour
scheme throughout the front cover and contents page I was able to
make it look like my pages were made for an actual magazine. The
main colours used are light pink and blue, these colours are also
complemented by light yellows, dark blues and lilac. Due to the
magazine being pop these colours work really well as it has to look
vibrant and colourful, making it look more professional. Finally, by
using the same font for all three pages this was also a contribution into
making the magazine pages look for professional. The font is bold and
powerful which reinforces the dominance of my magazine.

3. Due to the artist having quite a lot of skin
exposed, I didn’t want to ruin this by
covering it. Therefore I placed the main
artists name towards the bottom of the
page but due to the text being a lot larger
than the rest of the text, it is hard to miss. I
purposely did this to show her dominance.
By having the colour of her name “Eve” in
white, I was able to show continuity as all
of the text is white in order to match the
colour of her top.
Here I have placed a splat to show show
that there has been a “chart update”. By
using a splat I have been able to grab my
audiences attention in a different way than
usual. Instead of showing it like the rest of
the text is shown, it has been done
differently, in a way where it is noticeable.
My intention was to do this as the
magazine's purpose is to advertise and
show music, the genre being pop. But as
the magazine is pop it means that the main
focus of music is chart music, therefore by
using this splat I was able to show that
that’s what the magazine is about, further
expressing the fact that it is a pop
magazine.
For the masthead I wanted to produce
something that screamed dominance. To
do this I created it by using a large, bold
font but so it looked dominant in a subtle
way I made sure that the colour was pink,
portraying pop. To further signify that the
magazine is all about music, I made the “o”
in “now” look like it was a cd, this makes
the magazine look fun. Finally, at the end
of the masthead I have designed an
equalizer with the colours blue, green,
yellow, orange and pink. This makes the
logo and therefore the magazine look very
vibrant and again contributes to the
impact of colour throughout the pages.
For all of the stories featured in the
magazine that are on the front cover I have
made the text white but still I have added
colour. To do this I put the text in front of a
coloured background making sure that the
colour was within the colour scheme. As
the colours all match it shows continuity
therefore it makes the magazine look more
realistic. I did this throughout all of the text
so that it would all look good around each
other. But the main reason I did it is so that
the magazine front cover looks more
professional.
When creating my front cover I had the
idea of including the people who were
going to be featured in the magazine on
the front cover too. I wanted to do this as
it is an interesting way of introducing
them, as not only does it let the audience
know straight away who is going to be in
the magazine, but it also shows the
audience what they re going to expect.
Instead of including them on the front
cover in a ‘plain’ way by just placing them
anywhere, I wanted to make sure that they
looked unique. Therefore I gave them the
look of a “polaroid picture” which makes
them look different yet they have a lot of
individuality. This means that my front
cover not only looks professional but I
have also given it a look of individuality
which I intended for as I didn’t want it to
look like every other magazine on the
market.
To make my magazine look like a real
magazine I had to give it the features of a
real magazine. Therefore I got an image
of a barcode and placed it on my
magazine to make it look like it was
purchasable. By making it look
purchasable I was able to make it look
like it will be sold in stores, therefore by
doing this I was able to make it
authentic.

4. When designing my contents page I had
to keep in mind that it had to suit the
style of my front cover as the contents
page is the page that follows the front
cover. Therefore I kept all the type styles
the same, the fonts, the colours and the
pages included in the magazine that are
also included on the front cover. For the
title ‘contents’, I have chosen to use the
same font as the masthead on the front
page, but I have changed the colour to
black to make it look bolder and to make
it obvious what the page is all about.
To make the magazine look realistic, I
made it look like there had been a letter
from the editor about the magazine. The
language within the letter relates very
well to the genre of the magazine.
Phrases such as “wowmazing pop
wonders” keeps the reader interested and
gives an idea to the audience of what the
magazine is all about.
Here I have placed the sub heading
“inside this month” in large bold font to
show the importance of what is featured
in the magazine. Underneath I have
included a structured layout of columns
to show the audience what the magazine
has to offer. By also including page
numbers it makes it easier for the reader
to find the page they wish to view. I had
to ensure that the page numbers
matched the stories in the magazine.
Along the right side of the contents page I
have included other featuring stories with
page numbers and images. By doing this it
means that the contents of the magazine
are still included, but instead of being in a
structured layout, they have been placed
differently, making it look unique and
therefore more professional.
I have managed to include images of many
different girls. This follows conventions
because not only have I managed to
include 7 images on the contents page
alone, but I have also managed to recreate
the scene in which they are in. Therefore I
have made each girl appear in a different
place, suited to their story. If I were to do
things differently I would include boys in
this too as I think with only girls it makes it
look like it is only suited for an audience of
girls, when that is not true, it is aimed at
boys too.
As you can see here, I have included the
main artist of the magazine (featured on
the front cover) in the contents page
several times. I did this because it
demonstrates the fact that they have a
role of dominance throughout the entire
magazine. If I were to do this again I
would position the images differently and
give them a bit of a background so that
they stand out more.
To make my contents page look more
exciting I decided to include a splat
alongside the image of the three girls in
L.A. By using a splat it means that
information is still being conveyed, but in
more of an exciting way. The clothing that
the girls are wearing relate conventionally
to the genre of the magazine as it is being
reflected. This means that they look good
with the magazine and that they
contribute into making the contents page
look more professional.
To make the contents page look realistic
I decided to give the option to
“subscribe”. This means that the
magazine looks like it can be purchased,
therefore I have followed the
conventions by making it look realistic. I
have used the same font continuously
throughout the page, but I have slightly
enlarged the price making it more
obvious that there is a saving.

5. Here I have used a drop cap to
make it obvious to the reader
that that is where the article
begins. I did this because other
real magazine do it therefore I
did it too to make my magazine
seem more professional.
To make it clear to the audience who these pages are about, I simply used the
girls’ name as part of the headline. The name is in a different font and size to the
rest of the title. Due to this, the rest which says “superstar rising” is a lot more
clear due to the big and bold font. This shows that she has dominance over the
magazine, overall making it look more professional. Also, the colour of the font is
blue, which is the same colour of the girls’ jacket. This shows that the headline is
about the girl on the left and that she is the ne who is a ‘superstar’.
To make all of the colours on my double page spread match, I consistently used blue as it shows a level of
dominance and sophistication. To do this I simply used the brush tool and turned the opacity down. I also
gave the image of the girl have a slight blue effect to match the colour scheme. But I did it to a degree
where she still looked tanned and therefore vibrant. The three main colours I used for this page were blue,
white and black. This is because I wanted the girls’ face and image to stand out. To make her stand out
when I took the photograph, I made sure that there was a lot of lighting on her face. This made her eyes
and lips stand out which is what I wanted as it made the image look like it had been professionally taken.
When taking the image of the girl
I asked her to pose in a certain
way where she looked different
to the image of her on the front
cover, but not to the point where
they looked like different people.
By making her pose differently it
showed that on the front cover
she looked fun and lively but
then deep down she is serious
about her career and the fact she
is rising.
On the left page I have not
included anything but the artist. I
did this intentionally as it makes
her look more dominant as she
alone is taking up one page. I also
wanted her to be on the left as it’s
the first thing you look at when
turning the page. Meaning that it’s
obvious to the audience straight
away who the pages are about,
making them want to read on. I
have also wanted the artist to
reveal a bit of skin so that it makes
her look mischievous while looking
sophisticated, overall making the
image look more professional.
When thinking of what to write for the article I had decided that I wanted it to be an interview
between the artist and the interviewer. My reason for this was so that the audience can fins out
more about the artist. Also, by interviewing them I was able to include more colours throughout the
text. For example, all questions asked by the interviewer are in dark blue and bold font. This means
that it’s obvious to the reader straight away if its in interview or not.
To make all of the pages look neat and sophisticated I decided to have three structured
columns of text. This meant that it looked like a real music magazine due to the fact it
looks very professional. I took inspiration from all magazines to do this.
To make this page look like it was
part of a real magazine I decided
to make it look like the artist had
appeared at the Brit Awards. To
do this I removed the original
background from the image of
the girl and I then replaced it
with another one. By doing this it
makes the page look very
realistic which was my intention.
I changed the lighting of the
image to make it lighter. My
reason for dong this is because I
made it look like a paparazzi took
the image meaning other
paparazzi's were there too,
meaning that there will have
been many flashes which would
have made the overall image
brighter, I also chose in image of
her smiling as when you have a
picture taken, you smile.

6. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
We Love Pop’s
barcode
My
barcode
I liked the idea of having my barcode the same way as We Love Pop’s
barcode. my reason for this is because I like the style and the fact that it
is plain and simple so that it does not take the audiences attention from the
main things happening in the magazine. I decided to take inspiration and
recreate what I found with my own website address. I think having a barcode
and website address on my front cover makes it look more conventional.

7. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
Here you can see how I have challenged conventions from various different
existing magazines to result in making my own magazine front cover look
realistic. I have chosen to use narrow columns with coloured backgrounds
making it look more conventional but I have made sure that the text is white
so that it doesn't’t contrast too much against the colour.
We Love Pop’s
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine
My
magazine

8. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
Due to my magazine being a music magazine it had to include information
about things to do with music. Also, due to the music’s genre being pop
music I also had to make sure that the top 40 chart would be noticed.
Therefore by the use of a splat I was able to grab the readers attention nicely
while letting them know that there is new music to be read about in the
magazine. I compared my splat to Billboards magazine is that is also
a pop magazine meaning I could use ideas and conventions of there’s
to help making mine look better and more professional.
Billboards
magazine
My
magazine

9. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
When creating a contents page to a magazine it is vital that you include
the features of the magazine. Therefore I have taken inspiration from
the conventions of a list of features from the magazine We Love Pop. I
have stated what is ‘inside this month’ so that it is obvious to the
audience what they are going to be reading about. I have chosen to
present the features in two columns and I have used two different
colours being black and pink.
We Love Pop’s
magazine
My
magazine

10. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
Here I have taken further inspiration from the We Love Pop magazine and I have
chosen to demonstrate the same conventions that they have. I have expressed
what is featured in the magazine in a different way to what was previously stated.
Instead I have included images of what the features are about. By doing this I can
give the audience an idea of what the people look like that what their story is
about.
My
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine

11. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
To make the magazine look more realistic and interesting I have chosen to to make
out that I am the editor of the magazine ad I have chosen to include a note from me.
This makes people feel more welcomed into reading the issue meaning that if the
magazine were to be published, more money would be gained. This means that the
magazine follows all conventions.
My
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine

12. Challenging conventions with inspiration from
existing products..
My
magazine
We Love Pop’s
magazine
Billboards
magazine
To make my double page spread look more professional and realistic I
added a drop cap at the beginning of the article. This makes it look more
conventional as it is one of the most ideal things to include on a magazine
to maintain a professional look. I have chosen to have my drop cap
matching the colour of the artists blazer on the double page spread. This
ensures that the colours stay within the theme.