The document discusses conventions used in pop music magazines. It states that continuity is created through similar color schemes, fonts, and artist types across issues. Part of the research involved investigating specific conventions of the pop genre to ensure the magazines adhered to those conventions. Key conventions mentioned include logos, mastheads, color schemes, feature stories, main images, headers, drop caps, interviews, and placement of artist photos. The document examines how these conventions are implemented in covers, contents pages, and double page spreads.

1. Throughout all of my products, I have used continuity to create a recurring theme and
similarity, as you would find on a real media magazine product, as this is conventional to
see on a magazine package. The continuity is created by using a similar colour scheme, font
style and artist types on each of the magazine products, which helps the audience identify
the genre of the magazine and to help the artists seem realistic, to achieve artist identities.
Part of my research and planning was to investigate the specific conventions of the pop
genre, which I then used within my products, to ensure that the magazine products are
conventional to the pop genre.

2. Front Cover
My Pop music magazine front cover: An existing music magazine front cover:

3. Front Cover
Conventions of the products:
Masthead/logo
Masthead/logo
Feature stories
Feature stories
Barcode and
price
Barcode and
price
Main image
Main image
Main story
Main
story
Footer Footer
Images of
Different artists
Images of
Different artists

4. Masthead/Logo
The first stage to creating my magazine front cover, I designed my
masthead, which is one of the most prominent parts of the front
cover, as this indicates which genre the music magazine is based on.
The masthead showcases the name of the magazine, which mine is
called Pop life, which clearly demonstrates the genre to the
audience. The genre is also reflected in the masthead through the
colour and the design. This is because it includes pink hearts inside
the masthead, which is conventional to the pop genre and also my
target age of 11-16 year olds.
Colour scheme
Another thing that I had to chose and design was the colour scheme
which I used within my front cover. The main colours which I chose
to use were stereotypical ‘girl’ colours, such as pink and purple, as
the pop genre is conventionally based around the female audience.
As my music magazine is targeted at girls aged 11-16, so the colours
used are appropriate to that audience.
Front Cover
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
My magazine:
Existing magazine:

5. Front Cover
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Footer
Plug
Another conventional feature in my front cover is
the footer at the bottom of the page. The footer
usually contains incentives or exclusive and
exciting news, which is used to draw the reader in
and use it to encourage the reader to buy the
magazine.
The plug is also another conventional feature used in
a pop music magazine, which is used as a similar
effect as the footer and is used to draw the reader in
and excite them, so they want to read on. The plug is
conventionally located at the top of the front cover
page, this is to ensure that it is visible to the reader,
when on the shelf in the shop.

6. Main story
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Front Cover
Feature stories
On a Pop music magazine front cover it is also conventional to
have a main story across the middle of the magazine, this is
because it is the main part of the magazine and the part which is
supposed to be the most interesting part of the magazine. The
main story usually includes the name of the Artist which the main
story is about, so the reader recognises the name and then wants
to read more about the story, especially if it is a popular artist,
which it usually is.
A pop magazine also conventionally contains lots
of feature stories, usually down the side of the
magazine page to showcase to the reader what is
included into the magazine, to give them a taster
of what is inside of the magazine and also to
make the reader intrigued, so they want to read
on.

7. Front Cover
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Main Image
The main image of a pop music magazine is conventionally
placed in the centre of the magazine page and is usually taken
as a medium close up, this is so part of the models outfit is on
show, which conventionally is a fashionable, on trend
costume, to make it appealing for the target audience. The
model in a pop music magazine conventionally appears happy
and bubbly, to make it seem pleasing for the audience to
read.

8. Contents page
My Pop music magazine contents page: An existing music magazine contents page:

9. Contents page
Conventions of the products:
Title at the top of the page Title at the top
of the page
Logo Logo
Editors
column
Editors
column
Magazine
contents
Magazine
contents
Feature stories
And Artist’s images
Feature stories
And Artist’s imagesPage number
And web
address
Page number
And web
address

10. Contents page
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Logo
On a Pop music magazine contents page, it is conventional to
have the magazine logo at the top of each magazine page. This
logo is usually a smaller scaled version of the mast head on the
front cover. The logo in a pop music magazine usually represents
the audience of the magazine, through colours, such as pink and
also symbols, such as love hearts.
Heading
On the top of a pop music magazine contents page
It is conventional to have a heading which makes
It clear to the audience what the page includes.

11. Contents page
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
The stories included
Page number
In a pop music magazine it is conventional to have a
‘what's included’ part within the contents page, to
address to the target audience what is included within
the magazine and to create excitement with the bigger,
more exciting stories in the magazine, which may
intrigue the audience to want to read on and buy the
magazine.
In the contents page it is also conventional to have the page
numbers of each story, as it would be shown on that specific
page. This helps the reader locate the different stories and
help them decide which story they wish to view first, if one
particularly intrigues them.

12. Double Page Spread
My Pop music magazine double
page spread:
An existing music magazine double
Page spread:

13. Conventions of the products:
Double Page Spread
Large heading based on the
story
Logo in the
Top corner
Drop Cap
Different
Colour for the
Interview
questions
Page number and web address
Image of the
Artist on one
Half of the
page
Introduction to
the Artist

14. Double Page Spread
Conventions of the products:
Large heading based on the
story
Logo in the
Top corner
Drop Cap
Different
Colour for the
Interview
questions
Page number and web address
Image of the
Artist on one
Half of the
page
Introduction to
The Artist

15. Double Page Spread
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Header A pop music magazine conventionally contains a large
header at the top of the page, to address to the target
audience what the page is based on. Some double page
spread headers are quotes from the story itself, which
my product challenges this convention from this
particular example.
Drop Cap
In a double page spread, it is conventional to see a
drop cap to emphasise the first letter of the story,
which at a first glance, makes the story seem more
appealing and exciting to the target audience.

16. Double Page Spread
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Image in the story
It is also conventional to see an image within the middle of
the story, which is related to the story itself. This makes it
much more interesting for the target audience, as they are
able to see a real-life image of the Artist which links to to the
specific story.
The interview
In a double page spread in a pop magazine, it is conventional to
see an interview being used as the main story, this is because its
much more fitting for the target audience, as there is prominently
much less to read than an actual full story, which may come
across as boring to the audience.

17. Double Page Spread
How my magazine uses and challenges conventions:
Main Image of the Artist
It is conventional to see a large image of the specific Artist
on the double page spread. The image is usually placed on
one half of the double page spread, so the reader can clearly
see the Artist on the page and then may wish to read more
about the Artist, as it will usually be a very popular Artist,
which makes it easy for the target audience to be able to
recognise the Artist.