David Roman

Conventions identified in my music magazine

Front Cover

David Roman

Masthead

My masthead incorporates many elements of a hip-hop magazine. The colours red, black and white are all colours that dominate in a hip-hop magazine. These are strong and aggressive colours and are used as the colour scheme in many hip-hop magazines and is the same for mine. The red used is mainly used to catch the eye of the reader. The sharpness of the red immediately draws the reader to my masthead which can allow for identification of the magazine. The bold sans serif font is also a conventional feature. This is used because it makes the masthead much easier to read and see as it is extremely bold.

David Roman

Cover Image

My cover image is conventional for that from the hip-hop genre. One of the models are wearing a hat and the other has an earring and a chain. These mise-en-scene elements create the conventional feel and relate to the genre. The aggressive expressions they are doing also relate to the genre as it as seen as angry. Therefore, having the models do the same shows that this is from a hip-hop magazine too. The artists are also wearing reds and blacks which connote evil and anger which many people relate with the hip-hop genre.

David Roman

Page Layout

The layout of the front cover is conventional to that of the hip-hop genre. The coverlines are placed both on the left third and the right. However, the main coverline is placed on the left, whereas the minor coverline that just describes who is in this weeks issue is on the left side. The cover story is placed near the bottom of the cover. This is done on most hip-hop magazines. The cover story being in a different font style and in a much brighter colour compared to the coverlines. This is so most of the attention is drawn to it. My magazine also uses the route of the eye. The masthead, date and issue number sit on the top. As you move along the main image then coverline on the left third is next followed by the main cover story and the other featured articles.

David Roman

Conventions identified in my music magazine

Contents Page

David Roman

Heading

My heading for my music magazine is conventional as it clearly states that this is the contents page. Not only does it say “Contents” but it also says “Features”. These were the most commonly used names for the contents page and I therefore included both of them. This is done because it can let the reader easily distinguish that this is the contents page as if it was named something else it would be harder to identify.

David Roman

Main Image

The main image of the contents page is very conventional. This is because for the contents page they have an image of one of the featured artists in this week. Therefore, I chose to do the same. The image relates to the genre because it shows a very aggressive facial expression from the model and the eyes are squinted. This connotes anger and it is conventional for the hip-hop genre. The mise-en-scene elements of the costume include the chain that is around his neck which is standard for a hip-hop artist to be wearing.

David Roman

Page Layout

The page layout of the contents page is very similar to that of the front cover. The coverlines are placed on the left third and all include a byline which give a little more information about the contents of the article. The featured story is also made extremely clear as it is placed at the bottom of the page and is even bordered. This makes it clear for the reader to navigate to the story and is also eye-catching as it is in red and a much larger font.

David Roman

Conventions identified in my music magazine

Double-Page Spread

David Roman

ImageThe images used in my double page spread are

conventional for that of the hip-hop genre. The main image on the left page relates to the hip-hop genre. This is because one of the models are pulling their middle finger. This kind of profanity is common practice within the target audience and the genre itself. The mise-en-scene elements such as the hat and the chain and the models also having their arms folded connote seriousness. The image used on the right side is a complete contrast. The effect of this was to remove the seriousness from the article and add humour. The smiles and the hand shaking show friendliness and which is unique and is rarely seen within the hip-hop genre, however the genre is diverse.

David Roman

Colour

The colour scheme used is conventional to the hip-hop genre as it is the red, black and white. Also, I have kept the colour scheme uniform and constant throughout the magazine as many magazines do the same and it can allow for the reader to easily identify the publication if the colour scheme is unchanged.

David Roman

Page LayoutThe layout of the double page spread is

split into two: the left page and the right. One the left hand side is the main image, the heading and standfirst. These are all conventional elements of a hip-hop magazine. Also in the top left is the masthead which is placed within all of my music magazine. The right hand page has the main article, images, a heading and pull quotes. The image is used to catch the eye of the reader and above it is a pull quote. This can also break down the flow of the reading for the audience. I also use another two in the article to control the pace in which it is read and keep it interesting. A kicker is used and is eye catching enough to gain the readers attention.