The document discusses the conventions used in the design of a mock rock music magazine cover and contents. It summarizes how elements like the masthead, cover lines, images, layout, typography, and language employ conventions of existing rock magazines like Kerrang and NME while also breaking some conventions. For example, the placement and styling of the masthead, use of sans-serif fonts, rule of thirds layout, and informal language are all conventional, though some images introduce unconventional backgrounds and the banner includes a cover line rather than artist names. Overall, the magazine draws from real conventions but also challenges some expectations.

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

2. Masthead
The masthead of my front cover is extremely
conventional in size, font, and placement.
The masthead is in the largest font size on the
front cover which is the same as other
rock/indie music magazines such as Kerrang
and NME.

3. Masthead
My masthead is also in a sans serif font which
is conventional for the rock/indie genre and is
also used in NME and Kerrang. The sans serif
font makes the magazine look more masculine
which is conventional for the genre as rock
magazines generally look more masculine as
they are aimed towards males.

4. Masthead
The masthead is placed at the top and in the
centre of the page which is identical to the
placement of the Kerrang masthead. The
placement of my masthead is conventional as
it is on the route of the eye and is the first thing
on the page you notice. The head of the model
is also placed in front of the masthead which is
conventional and is also seen on the Kerrang
front cover.

5. Cover story
The sans serif font used
for the cover story is
very conventional for
rock and indie music
magazines as it looks
masculine which suits
the genre of which the
magazine is about.
The subheading is also
in all capitals which is
very conventional and
seen on many other
rock magazines as it
again looks masculine
and also angry.

6. Pull quote
The use of a pull quote is
very conventional as it is
seen on almost any music
magazine. The serif font I
used for my pull quote is
still conventional as it still
looks masculine rather
than a very curly and
sophisticated font. The
font style still suits the
genre and is often seen on
and inside Kerrang
magazine.

7. Cover lines
I chose to break conventions
for all of the cover lines on
my cover as they are often in
the same or similar fonts
which looks and so they
don’t attract much attention
and look boring. To make
each cover line stand out in
different ways, I used
different sans serif fonts that
catch the eyes more than
simple ones. All the fonts,
however, suit the rock genre
as they look destroyed or
eroded which is very
conventional along with
simple and bold serif fonts.

8. ▪LAYOUT
YOOOO

9. Top banner
The use of the banner above the masthead is
conventional and is always above the
Kerrang masthead. However, I have chosen
to go against conventions and include a
cover line here rather
than more names of
artists as it makes the
magazine look like it
has more content in
it.

10. Route of the eye
The layout of this magazine cover is
conventional for any magazine as it uses the
route of the eye. The masthead is placed at
the top in the center so is the first thing you
notice when you look at it. The head of the
girl on the main image also lies on the route
of the eye meaning people will recognize her
and see her almost instantly which is very
conventional for any music magazine. The
start of the cover story also falls on the route
of the eye which is conventional on most
music magazine covers.

11. Rule of thirds
The magazine cover is also
conventional through its
layout and the rule of
thirds. Many magazines
have important aspects of
the page falling on the
crossovers. The main
image falls on two of the
crossovers which is usually
the case for music
magazines. The cover story
also falls on a crossover
similar to how Kerrang’s
does.

12. Left Third
Use of the left third
is extremely
conventional in any
music magazine as
that is what is seen
when they are on
the shelves in shops
so this is where
content is shown
and advertised so I
have followed
conventions by
making good use of
the left third of the
magazine cover.

13. Bottom banner
Including a banner at the bottom of the page
stating more artists who are featured in the
magazine is conventional and often seen on
rock/indie magazines.

14. IMAGES
Y0LO L0LZ

15. Main Image
The main image is conventional for a
magazine cover as it is a mid shot which is
often used in music magazines so the face
and facial expression can clearly be seen.
However, I broke conventions by having a
background to my image which is effective
as it makes the magazine look more ‘grungy’.

16. Cover lines
The free poster is conventional
as it is another mid shot and is
against a plain background like
the poster of Slash in Kerrang.
The image of Kazza is
conventional for a rock
magazine as it has a guitar as a
prop and is also a low angle
which makes the artist look
powerful which is conventional
for rock magazines and also for
rock artists as they look
dominant and powerful.

17. #COLOURZ

18. House style
The house style of black, white, red and pops
of yellow is conventional for the rock genre
as they are dark and masculine. They are also
conventional for rock/indie music magazines
as they are seen in music magazines of that
genre such as Kerrang and NME.
The white masthead is also conventional as
in music magazines it is any colour that will
contrast with the background.

19. LANGUAGE
WEWP

20. Language
The colloquial language is conventional for a
rock magazine as they are more informal
than other music magazines.
Taboo language is also quite conventional for
the rock genre and rock music magazines as
it shows anger and rebellion.
Using words like “killin’” and “cutting-edge”
are conventional words as the words are
associated with violence and suit the genre
as rock is associated with violence.

21. CONTENTS
PAGEEEEEEEE

22. Typography
All the fonts on the
contents page are sans
serif which is conventional
for rock music magazines
as they look simple,
modern, and masculine
without being over the
top. Most of the text is in a
similar font so that the
page doesn’t look too
messy or unprofessional
which is conventional as
most contents pages use
similar fonts throughout.

23. Images
The main image is conventional for the
rock genre as the girls are wearing dark
clothes that are associated with the genre.
The location is also conventional because it
is run down and destroyed and the girls
have dark makeup on which rock artists
wear. However, I broke conventions by
using a clearly posed image of the pair
rather than a natural image.

24. Layout
The masthead and
title at the top of the
page is conventional
for any contents page
in a music magazine
as it informs the
reader of what the
page is.
The use of columns is
also conventional as it
is seen in almost
every music
magazine and makes
the page more
ordered.

25. Colours
The house style of black, white, and red
has been continued onto the contents
page to create a flow and theme
throughout the magazine.
There is more yellow on this page but there
is still sparse amounts so it contrasts with
the other colours. Use of yellow on the
contents page in sparse amounts is very
conventional for rock music magazines.

26. Language
There is again informal language on the
contents page which is conventional for
rock music magazines as they aren’t meant
to be too serious.

27. DPS

28. Typography
The pull quote is in a sans serif
font but looks grungy and
grimy which is conventional for
the rock genre because they
are often seen to be grungy.
The feature is in a simple sans
serif font along with the rest of
the text which makes the page
and band look modern which is
conventional for rock music
magazines as the majority of
their text is sans serif.

29. Images
The image on the right page is
a mid shot which is very
conventional s0 you can see
the bands makeup and facial
expressions.
There is also a long shot in the
other black and white image so
you can see the bands outfit
which is conventional for rock
music magazines.

30. Layout
The feature is in columns which
is conventional for any music
magazine as the text is always
in columns.
The page also uses the route of
the eye as the two pull quotes,
the faces of the girls, the
feature, and the smaller image
fall on the line which is
conventional for music
magazines so people see the
important aspects of the page
first.

31. Colours
The main colours on this page
are red, black, and white,
which is conventional for the
rock genre as those colours
are associated with rock
artists as black connotes
death and red connotes blood.

32. Language
Colloquial language is used
again on the double page
spread and it is definitely
informal as they refer to a
concert as a ‘gig’. They also use
field-specific lexis typical to
music which is conventional for
rock music magazines as they
obviously talk about music in a
music magazine.