The document discusses the conventions used in real media products and how the student's media product challenges or follows these conventions. It provides examples of the front cover, contents page, and double page spread and analyzes the conventions used for each section. The student aims to follow conventions such as consistent fonts, color schemes, and page numbers matching the contents page to appear professional. Some conventions are challenged, such as the layout of the contents page, to give an indie style. Overall, the document examines how the student's media product both challenges and follows real conventions.

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

2. There are many different forms of conventions for media
magazines and for each a front cover, contents page and double
page spread they are all different. I have tried to follow along with
the conventions of each product because this makes it look
professional and it shows I understand the conventions of a real
media product. The following conventions are for each product:
Front Cover
Conventions:
Masthead
Barcode/Price
Main Feature
Stories
Feature Stories
Main Image
Plug
Date and Issue
Web Address
Contents Page
Conventions:
Main Feature Story
Subheadings
Images
Contents Heading
Feature Stories
Regulars
Columns
Subscription
Page Numbers
Double Page Spread
Conventions:
Main Image
Drop cap
Pull quote
Main Article in Columns
Page Numbers
Stand First

3. Front Cover
A front cover page is exactly what attracts reads in the first place because if the
front cover doesn't look interesting then readers wont be interesting in a product, so
this is one of the most important factors you have to remember that it needs to look
colourful and attractive. Here is my front cover page:
For my front cover I have tried to follow the
convections of one as best as I can and I have
succeed following the convections of a front cover
page. I have included everything that I listed before
and I have made it look presentable and attractive
to look at. I have chosen the simple colour scheme
because red, black and blue all stand out from white
so this is a good contrast with one another. I have
chosen feature stories related to my genre which is
Indie, these collaborate to express the genre, also
most of these bands are on the rise so this creates
a niche market audience because these bands
aren't really aimed for a mass audience other than
Coldplay. . I have chosen 3 different font types
which I have used continuously through my
products. I created the logo myself on Photoshop, I
created it to look quite British in relation to the
colour scheme, TIE is abbreviation of This Is
England so this is an English magazine.

4. Masthead
Main Feature Story
Plug
Barcode/Price
Feature Stories
Main Image
Date and Issue
Web Address

5. Contents PageThe content page is where the reader can find all the
information they need and to find where what interests
them on which page. This is the page were readers
can decode what they want to read and not, this is an
important page, it needs to be full of information.
This is my contents page, I have followed
most of the conventions but I also challenge
some. The ones I have challenged are the
columned layout, subscription and the editors
letter. I believe that the contents page should
be there for information and page numbers
that's why I haven't included them because I
could add more features like another image or
the regulars. However I have followed the
remaining conventions like including all the
feature stories that were included on the front
cover, it is important to do this because if the
reader only wishes to read one individual
story and it isn't featured on the contents
page they will have to go through the entire
magazine to find it and this isn't good
customer service and can put mistrust into a
product, so that’s why you include the stories
that are featured on your front cover.
I have included main headings and I have made
the main feature story bigger than the rest, this is
to show the reader that this is the main story and
the most important from the other ones. I have
also included weekly regulars because this
entices people to continue reading because these
may interest them in some way plus it shows that
my product can follow conventions. I have
followed the same colour scheme but have
changed the background colour, I have changed
the background colour because on the front cover
it was used to attract the interest of the reader but
this new background makes everything look a bit
more indie because other magazines wouldn't
change the background colour so I am
challenging this convention to show that my
product is for a niche and indie target audience.

6. Subheadings
Images
Contents Heading
Main Feature
Feature Stories
Page Numbers
Regulars

7. Double Page SpreadA double page spread is where all the information is
needed for your main feature story and easily has to be
one of the most visually stunning products. I have
followed all the conventions for a double page spread
because the information on a double page spread has
to be accurate.
I have chosen to do a medium close up shot and make my model look at the camera because I
believe this creates a direct mode of address with the audience and creates a bond like no other. I
have structured the article in columns because this makes the product look professional and it
makes the article look more presentable and make sit easier to read. For this article it is a Q&A
and to show this I have picked red and show this I have
picked red and blue text to make it clear to the reader
that when I am asking a question it is blue and when Billy
is answering it is in red, this adds a bit of an indie style to
it also because most magazine would not do this. I have
included a drop cap to indicate to the audience that this
is were the article starts. The symbols down the middle is
a connotation of life that one thing just overlaps each
other and that we always worry about something else
than another thing, this reflects the article because Billy
is talking about getting his life back onto track, this also
adds an attractive side to it because the magazine would
be folded in half so it make a symmetrical shape creating
an indie style to the article.
This is my double page spread, I
have followed all the
conventions for the double page
spread. On all magazine double
page spreads they have an
image that takes up at least a
quarter of the page and I have
done this with my magazine,

8. Main Image
Drop Cap
Main Article In Columns
Page Numbers
Pull Quote
Stand First

9. Consistency
In a professional real media product consistency is one of the
main features that you have to take into consideration. This is
because some readers don't like change, some readers like the
way things are so it is important to always think about
consistency, because if you don't you may loose out on long term
subscribers who don't like the change unless they know that its a
regular thing that the product does. There are a couple of main
things that need to be consistent throughout a magazine:
The same colour scheme all throughout the magazine
The same font
Page numbers matching with the page
These are three of the main three features that have to consistent
throughout the magazine it is the conventions of the magazines. I
have followed these conventions through by using the same fonts,
colour scheme and the page number matching the contents page,
I have also added a few other consistencies that I will show you.

10. Consistent Colour Scheme
Throughout my three main products, I have used the colour scheme of white,
black, red and blue. I have used these colours because they stand out from
on another and makes a good contrast. The only thing I have changed has
been the colour scheme and I explained this earlier on by showing the
audience that this is an indie genre so it does different things from other
genres. I chose this colour scheme because it matches with the UK flag
which are these colours, other than black, to show to the reader that this is
an English made magazine.

11. Consistent Fonts
Throughout my main products I have used three different fonts which include:
Baskerville Old Face
Magneto
Agency FB
These are the 3 main fonts that I used throughout my media products. Using the
same fonts throughout is a convention of media products. You use the same fonts
throughout because it shows that the fonts are used for this particular issue of the
magazine. I used these three fonts because they are all different and all are quite
unique. They are easily readable fonts and all look quite ‘indie’ which reflects the
genre.

12. Consistent Page Numbers
It is important to have consistent page numbers that are
featured in your contents page, because if the page
numbers don't match with the contents page then the
reader will have to look through the whole magazine to find
the one thing that they wish to read and that will be
annoying and frustrated for the reader. However by having
consistent page numbers you can reduce this stress and
anger because they will be coordinate with the contents
page. I have followed this convention by coordinating my
double page spread with my contents page and this shows
my products follow the conventions and is consistent.

13. Consistent Images
Now this isn't a nesserscary consistency but I thought about this and I believe it
makes the product look more professional. Every image that I have used they all
have direct address to the readers. As I said before I believe doing this creates a
bond like no other with the artist and the reader, it makes the reader feel special
because it looks like they are looking at you and only you. This isn't normally a
convention of a media product but I thought this would be beneficial because it
creates a bond and this makes the reader more intrigued with the magazine and this
can decide whether they buy the magazine or not.