Evalauation: in What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?
Evalauation: in What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?
QUESTION 1
IN WHAT WAYS DOES
YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR
CHALLENGE FORMS
AND CONVENTIONS
OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?
Front
Masthead
, top left of
magazine.
Buzz/P
uf
Issue
Number
Main
Image,
Medium
close up of
artist.
Cover
Lines.
More
Importan
t ones to
the left.
Cover
Lines,
less
important
towards
the right.
Colour
scheme
works
well.
Colours
complem
ent each
other.
Barcode and
Price. Bottom right
and out of the way.
Cover
Lines
The reason for a cover line is mainly to draw a readers attention to an article, and entice them
into reading it. I chose to place my most important cover lines at the upper left side of the front
cover, this because they are positioned next to the Masthead and the Main image which will
make them seem more integral to the magazine.
For example on the James Arthur cover line, the text runs over partially onto the main image.
This conveys the importance of the cover line, as it needs to be visible for the audience to see.
This is why it goes over the artist on the image so that the integrity remains, and the
enticement of the article is not obscured. Having the artist name as the cover line is perhaps
unconventional, as conventionally the artist is usually underneath the information of the
article. However on the Twin Atlantic cover line from Kerrang Magazine, has also done the
same as I have for my cover line. I believe that having the cover line like this is more effective
to attract audience attention, and enticement to the article. This is because a reader will read a
particular article is they like the artist, by positioning it first on the cover line and larger than
the other text. This draws more attention to the cover line this one, which is why I chose this to
feature on my front cover. Furthermore, the same effect has been used on the Metal Hammer
Magazine. They have used band names from the rock genre to feature as the main focus points
In addition to this typography, font style and size are also important to draw
audience attention. After all, the purpose of a cover line is to entice the
reader to read the articles in the magazine. Typography can help represent
what type of genre the magazine is, or even the mood that the magazine
conveys. For instance on the Metal Hammer cover line, the band logos have
been used to portray the band as well as the genre and mood of the
magazine. This is a typical convention for Music Magazines, as it makes it
easier for an audience to identify the genre of music the magazine
represents. From this I designed my cover lines with the intention of relating it
to my theme. I chose a blue background along with orange text; this was
because the colours work well together and complemented each other. To me
this represented a simplistic yet elegant mood to the magazine, which
successfully fit the genre of my all music magazine.
Furthermore on the entire magazines that I analysed, I found that on all of the
cover lines the magazines had used all uppercase letters. This made the text
stand out more than usual, and was effective to draw audience attention. I
went for the same approach when designing my magazine, because I want to
attract the maximum amount of audience attention without compromising the
theme of my magazine by obscuring it. By doing this I further conformed my
magazine to the typical conventions of a magazine. I wanted to keep my
Masthea
d
Conventionally mastheads are positioned at the top of the page; this is so they can be seen
clearly by an audience. They represent the mood of the magazine, as well as the genre. In my
magazine I positioned the masthead at the top left of the magazine, this is so it can still be
clearly visible and stand out, but also so it doesnt obscure the focal point of the main image.
The masthead has been designed so that it fits the style and genre of my magazine. It has a
simplistic yet professional aesthetic; this is suited to my magazine because I dont want to
exaggerate the boldness of the masthead because that would give off an aggressive vibe. How I
created my masthead still attracts the audience, but still conveys a friendly nature. This
represents my target audience. Creativity and elegance are the themes of my magazine; the
masthead effectively represents both of those effects. This is because it isnt overly bold or it
doesnt have straight and formatted text. It has a bold yet subtle font; this conforms to the
convention of masthead designs. Because the masthead is a representation of what the
Main Cover
Line
Contents
Page
Header,
at top left
of page.
Main
Featur
es
section.
Backgroun
d image,
model front
cover
image.
Page
Numbe
rs,
relating
to
articles.
Images
relating to
articles.
Buzz/Puff.
Page number
and website
link.
Convergent social
options.
Exclusive content
extra.
Magazine
Articles
Imag
es
Social
Options