2. Question 1
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge the conventions of
real media products?
3. Conventions of a „Vibe‟ Front Cover
The mast head
Vibe magazine’s mast head is
conventional used in a banner form
across the page which is placed at the
top of the magazine. The mast head is
white and bold against a green The eyebrow
background making it stand out to the This is conventional for a
audience magazine as it tells the
reader what the main
articles are inside the
magazine
The main cover line
This is essentially the main cover
line as it is in a larger font than the The central image
rest of the cover lines showing the The central image is conventional
audience that this is the main as it is laid over the masthead as
feature of the issue which relates Vibe readers are able to recognize
to this particular month. this immediately even if the main
image is covering the mast head
completely. This shows that Vibe
has built its readership over a
Other cover lines period of time to get familiar with
Also the rest of the cover lines the name showing that now the
highlights other key articles that will magazine is established for the
interest the reader to buy the content as this is the main selling
magazine. point. The image also show eye
contract which draws in the
reader. Females are also see in a
sexualised manner as she shows
The barcode and date
her legs off and poses with her
This is what all magazines have at
hand on her head. The text
the bottom which includes the price
between the arm and legs is
in different countries currencies e.g.
purposely put their so readers
this magazine states the price it is in,
would be drawn to that after
in Canada and the US. The date is
Typography reading the main cover line.
also placed over the barcode usually
Vibe magazine uses mostly the same font throughout the
or at the top of the magazine
magazine with just different sizes to show the main articles.
At least eight different font sizes are used on the front cover
so the reader is bored.
4. The eyebrow
I used an eyebrow to
My Front Cover The masthead – I used a bold
masthead with a drop shadow and
bring in my readers and layered the maroon over the black to
highlight a main article give it more dimension and to stand
that they would be out. Also I spread it across the page
interested in which magazines of this genre do e.g.
Vibe
Strapline
I created a strapline of
“Lyrics you will never
Main cover line – After looking at
forget” This is not
several front cover pages of HipHop
convention in HipHop and
and R&B magazines especially Vibe, I
R&B magazines however I
saw that it was conventional to place
wanted to produce
the main headline either on the left
something different that
of right of the top of the page and it
would make my magazine
was rare for the main cover line to
stand out in the market.
be placed in the middle. I made the
font larger and bolder than the rest
Eye contact – The model is of the cover lines to emphasise it is
looking straight at the the most important
viewer which makes the
viewer feel like they are Barcode and date – I placed the
important . barcode at the bottom right hand
corner instead of the bottom left as I
Cover lines – I used 5 cover wanted to first grab the readers
lines which is conventional for attention to the cover lines as they
Vibe magazine. I tried to use would start reading from the left
words such as “Plus” to entice instead of the right. Therefore they
the reader and make them would read the content first before
read on for what articles are in deciding the price.
the magazine.
Central image The predominant colours of my magazine consist of black, grey, maroon and navy blue. I
It is conventional in Hiphop and R&B magazines for women thought these colours would fit in well with my target audience which is males and
to show ¾ of their body as most of the images stop at their female, however mostly females. I thought navy blue would be a good colour as it would
knees or thighs. The model also uses eye contact with the give a contrast of light blue and navy blue.
reader and her pose allows the reader to be brought down The model of the same age range as my target audience in my magazine which is 16-22
to the rest of the cover lines. year old which I thought would be easy for the audience to relate to.
5. Ways my front cover uses the conventions of real front
cover
Like Vibe my masthead is simplistic, bold and clear and is also spread across the page like Vibe magazine does
so readers are immediately able to recognize the name of the magazine. I went along with the conventions of
placing the central image over the masthead as I wanted to stick be conventional even though it is a new
magazine in the market and readers still need time to recognize the name. This is why I also spread the
masthead out so it was more recognized. I used this masthead as my magazine as well as Vibe magazine are
both of the same genre therefore our target audience’s are the same which means that this is what readers of
Vibe magazine would expect from other R&B and HipHop magazines.
Similarly to Vibe magazine’s front cover, my front cover also uses an eyebrow at the top of the
page this allows the reader to know some of the key articles in the magazine or who features
inside.
6. Ways my front cover uses the conventions of real front
cover
RULE OF THIRDS
My front cover uses the
conventions of a real media
product as I made sure that it
used the rule of thirds which is
an important convention that
Vibe magazine follows. I
thought that as this is a R&B
and HipHop magazine and my
magazine is aimed at a target
audience of 16-22 year olds,
they would be rebellious
teenagers/young adults
therefore I stuck to the rule of
thirds, but not completely.
7. Conventions of a “Vibe” Contents page
Title
The title is bold and laid out in an
abstract format which is in three
rows showing the magazine is very Main image
simplistic and unique. This may have Vibe magazine conventionally uses
been done to give the magazine it’s one image on their contents page so
own style so if readers saw this they it’s not cluttered with information
would immediately know this and the reader can easily navigate
belongs to Vibe magazine. Vibe’s their way through the magazine as it
contents page is always consistent as is clear and concise. The model is
they use the same font through all looking straight at the reader to show
their issues. their significance and make them feel
involved. The main colours used are
The letter ‘V’ from the masthead is grey different shades of grey and
used and is quite transparent and black with a pop of colour from the
hidden behind the title and main heart.
image, which indicates that Vibe
magazine already has a built in
readership as they are instantly able The page numbers are written in bold
making it easier for the audience to
to recognize that this is from Vibe.
navigate their way through the
magazine
We can see that below contents it
states 1/3 which suggests that there The magazine is divided in a range of
is more sections of the contents page sections
as it stops at ‘Fashion’ this means
that Vibe magazine decided to go
against what is conventional and
have spread their contents pages out
into 3 different pages which is
unusual for a magazine.
8. Header
My contents page
I used this as it reinforces the
name of the magazine to the
reader. Vibe magazine’s Main image
contents page doesn’t do Like Vibe magazine I used
this, making my magazine one main image in my
unconventional. I thought as contents page as I didn’t
this is a new magazine a
want to distract the
header would help my target
readers away from the
audience to remember my
magazine better. main feature of the
magazine which is
Headline ‘Rihanna’
Similarly to Vibe I used a
different font to my
masthead as I didn’t want my Sections
target audience (16-22) to I divided my magazine into
get bored easily. I decided to different sections so the
go against the conventions of reader would be able to
Vibe by laying my out in a easily navigate their way
different format, as Vibe through the magazine, for
usually lays their headline in example if a reader wants
3 sections. I did this as I to see the ‘Gossip’ section
wanted my magazine to they know exactly what
stand out against a bright page it is as it is written in a
background. larger text.
Page numbers
I placed the numbers in a
bright bold orange as I
wanted it to be easy to read,
like Vibe did.
Reference to the model and
photographer I made sure to highlight the main article in the magazine by writing ‘Exclusive
biography’ also I used Direct mode of address by stating “You won’t want to miss it!”
The word “You” is talking to the reader directly making them feel more involved and
important.
9. Ways my contents page used and developed the
conventions of real contents page
Vibe magazine lays their contents page on a range of
pages (normally 3) I developed the conventions of a real
contents page by putting all of the contents page
information on one page so it would make it easier for
the reader to navigate their way through the magazine
and find the page they want.
I used Vibe magazine’s conventions of dividing my
magazine in main sections such as ‘Posters’ and ‘Gig
reviews’ so the reader can get what they are looking for
immediately without reading everything in the contents
page to find the page they want
10. Conventions of a „Vibe‟ double page spread
Headline
Header It is bold and clear to
‘Vibe’ is used to indicate the reader is the audience and is
reading this magazine. Also highlights the placed on the right
section they are on. facing page which is
conventional for most
double page spread
articles.
A stand first
This is conventional
for all articles to use
Full bleed image as this gives an
This is placed on the introduction of what
left facing page and the article is about.
the model is looking
straight at the camera
Copy
Text is written in
bold as well as
regular
11. My double page spread
Header
Drop cap Columns and Gutters
I used a header so the
I used this to make it eye catching and it would I made sure that the gutters were the same width. Like
readers would be
immediately draw the reader into the text. This is Vibe magazine I also have 3 columns.
familiar with the
unconventional for Vibe to do.
magazine and it is also
conventional for Vibe
to also used one. By line
I wrote my name at
the bottom of the
Headline
page even though it is
I wanted my headline
conventional to place
to stand out so I made
it between the
it in italic and a bright
headline and stand
red, and made it into a
first it after which
satin effect. Following
Vibe magazine does. I
the headline I wanted
placed it at the
to write words that
bottom as I didn’t
were catchy to my
want to clutter the top
target audience by
of the page as it
using alliteration
already had the
“Rihanna’s
image, headline, stand
revolutionary race to
first and header.
recognition”
Footer
Stand first This includes the
I used this to date, page number
summarise what was in and the name of
the article so readers the magazine
would know exactly
what they were going Main image Pull quotes
to read. I went against the conventions of Vibe I used four pull quotes all together which is unconventional for Vibe
magazine by putting a landscape image onto a magazine to do but seeing as my audience is aimed at 16-22 year
portrait page. This is unconventional for any olds I considered the fact that they would get bored easily and by
magazine, however I wanted mine to stand out using pull quotes it was drawn in the reader if they knew the main
parts of the article
12. Question 2
How does your media
product represent particular
social groups?
13. What is meant by representation?
The meaning of representation is something the media/media producer does
to re construct reality and put forward their ideas of what they think is reality
but really isn’t, for example a musician/artist is shown to the reader in a
different light to reality e.g. the way they dress and through their pose. They
may not be like this in reality, but portray this look.
Lyrical reader profile:
Cassie is a typical 19 year old who attends University where she studies English Literature and
Journalism. Cassie’s friends live in halls with her and also read ‘lyrical’ as this is a common
interest between her and her groups of friends. She also has a part time job so in her spare time
she likes to splash out her money at places like Topshop and Urban Outfitters and loves reading
about style. Cassie is into the latest technology and loves computers and downloading the latest
apps. Cassie’s style reflects her taste in music as she aspires to look like her favourite music
idols, for example Rihanna. She has a wardrobe of branded clothes and footwear. She looks
forward to her Friday nights as she goes to the local night club with her friends where she has
fun and listens to Hip Hop and R&B music. After a night out she comes home where she
regularly tweets and uploads photos on Facebook.
14. Representation my photographs construct
Mise en scene – This is means ‘telling a story’ for example through props,
compositions, lighting and sets
Clothes/Dressing
My front cover image demonstrates representation through what she is
wearing as she has on a lot of jewellery e.g. rings and bracelets which
reflects my target audience as it shows uniqueness and gives an 80’s
feel to it, suggesting the music in the magazine is contemporary yet
mature. The denim jacket and skater skirt also suggests that the fashion
is up to date and trendy.
Location
I took my images in a TV studio in college against a white backdrop. I
picked a white backdrop instead of black as I didn’t wanted to get to get
the hair to represent Rihanna.
Pose
I got my model to pose like this as it shows a kind of innocence to the
reader and also shows they have something to hide, for example like
many of Rihanna’s poses.
15. How I demonstrate representation through
copy
I tried to keep the copy as interesting as
possible to my target audience so they
would keep reading. I didn’t want my
article to sound like I was just stating the
facts so I made sure that the text flowed
as much as possible. This articles
represents my target audiences as it
shows that Lyrical readers don’t just like
the lyrics and beat to a song, they also like
to find out the person behind the music.
16. How I demonstrate representation through
design of my product
Colours
As my magazine is
Articles
aimed at males and
For my coverlines I
females I used colours
made sure to include
represented both
features that would
sexes – e.g I used
attract both females and
navy blue for males
males. Since my main
and burgundy for
article and front cover is
females.
based on Rihanna which
would attract a female
audience more than a
males audience I made
sure to include more
male orientated articles
too e.g. ‘Drizzy vs.
Breezy
17. Question 3
What kind of media
institution might distribute
your product and why?
18. IPC media is a large UK magazine publisher, selling over 350 million copies each year. IPC produce over 60 iconic
media brands with most of their audience being women. IPC was sold to Time incorporated in 2001 which is also
owned by Time Warner, making IPC an international corporation. Time inc publishes 130 magazines, for example
Marie Claire, Uncut, NME, In style, Entertainment weekly, Life etc. I’ve noticed that IPC do not publish Hip-hop and
R&B magazines therefore my magazine would bring something new to their teen and music section as IPC publish
the magazine NME for the same age range as my magazine which is 16-22 years old, however this is a rock
magazine. This suggests that there is a gap in the market for HipHop and R&B magazines in IPC therefore I
believe a new genre of magazines would fit well into this publication as they haven’t done this before consequently
leading to less competitions between other publishers. Also after looking closely as their magazines and
recognizing many of their successful magazines, I thought this would be a better publisher as they have good
experience and would be able to make ‘Lyrical’ into a thriving magazine. IPC mainly publish their magazine to a
mass market of men and women, therefore having a unisex magazine can build their readership even more,
attracting a new set of readers and widening their audiences.
19. Where my magazine would be sold
My magazine would mostly likely be sold in big stores such as WHSmith and
supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison's etc. My magazine would be
sold in WHSmith especially as this is a book store and sells a range of magazines
which would attract consumers looking specifically for magazines. Also since my
magazine is a ‘music magazine’ it would be sold in a range of music shops e.g.
HMV. My magazine can be sold in large retail pharmacy’s such as Superdrug and
boots.
21. Who is my target audience?
My target audience is between the age range of 16-22 years old. My magazine is
also aimed at females as well as males, however predominantly females, similar to
Vibe magazines audience. Vibe magazine’s statistics show that their magazine is
made up of 55% of male adults and 45% of female adults.
My audience’s interest
• They know how to play an instrument e.g. drums, guitar, piano etc.
• They enjoy online shopping and watching out for the latest trends
• They are up to date with technology and download the latest apps/applications
Shops they like:
22. Who is my target audience?
Lyrical reader’s style
Out of all celebrities Rita Ora’s style
represents my target audience’s style the
most. They love looking unique yet cool at
the same time, by putting certain pieces
together from different places to make one
outfit. They like to stand out from the crowd
and show their personality through their
fashion.
Lyrical readers like looking
relaxed and distinctive to other
people by wearing hats, denim, t
shirts, crop tops, hoodies and
sunglasses.
24. How did I attract/address my audience
through language, imagery and layout?
The target audience for Lyrical is males and females – however mostly females from the age
of 16 to 22 years old. I tried to structure how women are portrayed in magazines such as
Vibe, for example I found that they are seen in a more sexual manner as they have a full
body shot, whereas men normally tend to have a head shot, and is therefore unusual for
men to have a full body shot in a magazine especially in Vibe. I took a full body shot of my
model as this is how women are represented in magazines.
Imagery
How did I attract my audience?
As my magazine is a cross over audience of
males and females I attracted males to my
magazine by using a full body shot of my model
instead of a headshot. Also I attracted my
audience of females by using a female on my
front cover. This makes it easier for the viewer to
relate to my model.
25. How did I attract/address my audience
through language, imagery and layout?
Language
How I attracted and addressed my audience:
As my target audience is from the age of 16 – 22 this means that
most of them are in higher education e.g. College/sixth
form/university. Therefore I addressed my target audience through
words used such as words such as “eccentric” as they would
already know words like this. I also wanted to attract my audience
through the use of alliteration e.g. “Rihanna’s revolutionary race to
recognition” and “Barbadian Beauty” as this makes the text flow
more and makes it memorable and sound more catchy.
Layout and design
How I attracted my audience:
I attracted my audience through layout and design as I
structured my double page spread article in a different format
than usual by not using a portrait image. This makes it look like
she is lying on the page. This would attract my audience of 16-
22 years old as it is seen to be rebellious and breaking the
conventions of a magazine.
26. Question 6
What have you learnt about
technologies from the
process of constructing this
product
27. Using wordpress, Adobe Photoshop and
Indesign
Wordpress Word press is a free and simple way to share information at
anytime and anywhere. I found it really easy to find my way
around the blog once I put everything into categories and
menus e.g. In ‘Home’, ‘Preliminary exercise’, ‘Research &
Planning’, ‘My music magazine’ and ‘Evaluation’
Adobe Photoshop CS5 The second tool I used to construct my product is Adobe
Photoshop CS5. This is used widely in the magazine and
media industry to edit, enhance and manipulate photos. At
first I found it quite hard to use as my model had very curly
hair and I wanted to get the background out of it, but as I
played around with Photoshop I was able to get used to it
more.
This To this
This is an example of how I used
Adobe Photoshop CS5
28. Using wordpress, Adobe Photoshop and
Indesign
Adobe Indesign
The third tool I used to create my magazine after editing the images is
Adobe Indesign. I used this to create my preliminary exercise which is a
student magazine and my real magazine product – my front cover,
contents page and double page spread. Initially I found this software
also quite hard to use, especially the measurements. Like Photoshop I
was able to come to terms with the software and produced a range of
designs for my mastheads and then went on to make the real product.
29. Camera
I used a SLR camera which I hired from my
college along with a tripod and I also hired out
the TV studio where I used lighting and a white
backdrop to produce my photographs for my
magazine. In order for me to construct my
magazine I had to book the studio in advance. I
found the camera really easy to use, however at
first I go a few unfocused shots, which I like but
weren’t clear.
30. Using other technologies
I used a range of other technologies in order to complete my coursework.
These include...
• Social networking sites e.g. Facebook to contact my model as well as
through phoning and texting.
• Google to do my research for my article and
look at the style of other magazines
• Dropbox to make sure my work was saved
and backed up, making it easily accessible on
any computer.
31. Question 7
Looking back at your
preliminary task what do you
feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full
product?
32. Please click the link which will direct you to my blog, where I speak about how I have
progressed since my preliminary task and what I have learnt through the process
http://staceyasmedia.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/new-18/
Preliminary Front cover
Preliminary contents page
Real Front cover
Real contents page
33. What have I learned about manipulation of
representations?
I have learnt that the media can do anything to manipulate images and making it
look perfect to the viewers. Most magazines airbrush and edit their images in
Photoshop a lot before putting it on the front cover.
After Before
