Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media products?

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Front Cover

For my front cover I used this VIBE magazine cover of Beyonce for inspiration and tried to make mine slightly similar to it.

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Front CoverUsing ConventionsOne of the ways my cover follows the conventions of normal magazine covers is that it has a dominant image, this means the focus is on the one main artist. Another way is having a large, bright masthead which will help with brand awareness and make the masthead memorable to the readers. There is also a simple but effective colour scheme which is constant throughout. Also there is a barcode in the bottom left corner, this is similar to the real magazine cover and is in a strategic location on the page in order to not distract from the main image.

Developing ConventionsOne of the ways my cover develops the conventions of a normal magazine cover is that it has very few cover lines. Another way is that the website address is at the bottom but is in a bright colour, it still matches the colour scheme and stands out more than your usual one would. Also, most magazine covers have a header or a footer, but my footer is in a bright box so adds to how eye-catching my cover is.

Challenging ConventionsOverall, I think my front cover mainly follows and uses the conventions of a typical music magazine cover however I think the use of another image of artists challenges the conventions. Another image adds a variety to the front cover which could appeal to the target audience.

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Contents Page

For my contents page I used this VIBE magazine’s contents page of Ciara to give inspiration for my contents page.

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Contents PageUsing ConventionsOne of the ways my contents page uses and follows the conventions is having all the text on one side of the page in a column, it also is separated into a few categories to make it less overwhelming and easier to take in for the reader. It also has one main dominant image which although is the same as the inspirational contents page, this is not necessarily used in other magazines or genres. Also my contents page has page numbers which is a important feature for all pages in a magazine.

Developing ConventionsOne of the ways my contents page develops the usual conventions is by having a main masthead but on the opposite side to the text. Another way is having more images on the page. Compared to the inspirational contents page this is different as there aren’t multiple images on that page.

Challenging ConventionsMy contents page challenges the conventions of the inspirational contents page by having bright colours. Although it matches my colour scheme throughout my magazine, it isn’t like the inspirational one.

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Double Page Spread

This VIBE double-page spread of Soulja Boy is the inspiration that I used to design and create my double page spread.

Media Evaluation – Tamera Lall Double Page SpreadUsing ConventionsOne of the ways my double page spread follows the conventions is that there is a drop caps in the text and well as it being separated into columns to make it easier to read. Also there are page numbers on the pages which is essential in all magazines. There is also a by line and strap line which usually is featured in all magazine articles, no matter the genre. As well as this, there is a masthead that is larger that the rest of the text and brighter so it stands out.

Developing ConventionsOne of the ways my double page spread develops the conventions is that it has a main image on the left hand page but it doesn’t take up the whole page. Also the actual text and article is an interview (Q&A) instead of a free-flowing article like on the actual VIBE double page spread. Also the name of the magazine/website address in included on the page but instead of being on the top of the page it is on the bottom.

Challenging ConventionsMy double page spread mainly follows the conventions of the usual double page spread, however on the instead of having one main dominant image, there are multiple images that are captioned. Also the main image is actually used as the background.