In what ways does your media product use forms and conventions of real

media products?

My Cover

Code and conventions of magazine front covers.• Title at the top of the page in the centre or to the left.• Bar code, price and date.• 1 main image of the music artist/or something related to your main cover story.• 3 or 4 fonts.• Limited colours.• Master head• Taglines.• Cover-lines all link to the genre. • Layout is appropriate to genre and target audience.

Title‘EDGE’ is the largest piece of text on my page. The text stands out from the background as I have added a bevel to it. I learnt how to bevel a piece of text on Photoshop. I did this by right clicking on the layer I wanted to bevel and clicking ‘Blending Options’ from here I could control exactly how deep I wanted the effect.

Examples

Main image Most music magazines have a medium close-up of a person filling their cover and this is what I have done in my music magazine. My image goes with the mise-en-scene of my page as the person on my cover is wearing red and the colour scheme of my cover is red, white and black.

Examples

I stuck to the codes and conventions with my magazine cover as my model is a male wearing a checked shirt, when I asked my audience what they related to indie music some people answered checked shirts. Also, my model is a male and males are more associated with indie music.

Text size Easily readable, spread out across the page, not covering the picture of the cover, differences between cover lines and headlines

Examples

I stuck to the codes and conventions with my text as my cover lines are 24pt which fits in with the codes and conventions of a normal music magazine as the text can be read from a distance and is clear and visible against the background colours.

PriceI have added the price to my cover so the audience knows how much it is, I did this red so it fits with my colour scheme.

BarcodeI put the barcode as it is needed to be purchased in shops. I added this using a new layer in Photoshop which is what I learnt to do during class.

Teasing ContentI have used this on my magazine cover to make my audience want to read on. I have picked these specific bands because they are suitable for my genre and target audience and when I got my questionnaire results back, these were the bands people wanted to read about.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme of my music magazine is red, black, white and blue. I have stuck to these colours using the colours of my text and headlines and the mise-en-scene of the model on the cover of my magazine as he is wearing a red and blue check top. This is effective as all the colours work really well together.

My Contents Page

Codes and conventions of a music magazine contents page• Page number• Images that are relevant with the music style• One main image• Different fonts• Colour theme (connects to the front cover)• Captions with images• Magazine title• Columns (3 or 4)• Text separated into subheadings and textual information about articles

Page title “Contents”I have put this as the biggest piece of text on the page, following the codes and conventions of a music magazine so the audience know what the page is. I have also used red text to stand out from the white background and to stick with the colour scheme of my magazine design. I made the word “CONTENTS” stand out by adding extra equal spacing between the letter so it catches the readers eye. Another thing I have done here is use the title of my magazine “Edge” on my contents page, I have done this is the same font as my cover to keep continuity throughout my magazine. Finally I have added the date and issue number on the front for the readers benefit so they know which issue is which.

Examples

Colour and font schemeThroughout my contents page I have used the same font for each of my articles to keep continuity. I have made the headings of each article bolder and put them in a different colour to make them stand out to the reader so they are easy to navigate too. This is effective because it looks more professional having them all the same size and font as it doesn’t look messy.

Examples

ImagesThe images I have used on my contents page are all relevant to the content on my magazine. I have added the pictures using Quark and set them into columns. The pictures I have included consist of a Leeds Festival picture, A Jake Bugg picture and a picture of the person on my double page spread, I have taken all these pictures myself. These are relevant as they all feature in my music magazine.

Examples

Page numbersFor the page numbers I have put them slightly bigger than the headlines so they stand out if the reader is looking for the page number quickly, I have also made it text black instead of read to make it different from the headline and also to contrast well against the white background and fit with the colour scheme of my whole music magazine.

Examples

ColumnsI have arranged all my text over the page into columns as this is a basic convention of a music magazine as all the content can be read easily and the page can be navigated round easier for the readers. I have 3 columns as it fits all my information in perfectly and the pictures I have used also fit in.

Examples

My Double Page Spread

Code and conventions of a music magazine double page spreads.• Main image• The page number• Bold headlines• First letter of the article is bold an larger (drop capital)• Who wrote the article.• Introduction- always by the headline• Quotes from articles.

Main ImageThe main image on my double page spread fits in with the codes and conventions of a regular indie music magazine as my image takes up around 50% of the page which is similar to other music magazines. With my image I made James wear read, white and blue and used headphones to fit with the mise-en-scene of my article as he is a DJ also, so it fits with the colour scheme of the rest of my magazine.

Examples

Examples

ColumnsI have organised my article into columns with indents in every paragraph to make it easier for the reader to read the content. This is similar to other music magazines as they are set out the same way. I used black text in 10pt to fit in with my colour scheme and also to stand out against the yellowy wall background. This is effective as all the colours work well and compliment each other on the page.

In my magazine I have followed the codes and conventions as magazine usually have 3 columns. I have decided to follow these codes as it looks neat on my page and by having 3 columns I fit all my text and content on two pages perfectly.

Examples

HeadlineThe headline I have written links in with my article as it is a play on words as the DJ I interviewed is called “James Bridge” I have mixed up the colours to add more variety to my page and made the “Bridge” a different colour to play on the words. I think this is effective as it lets the reader know that the article is about someone rising to fame.

I have stuck to the codes and conventions of a normal music magazine by having a title relevant to my article and big enough to be read from a distance. I have broke a conventions of a music magazine as I have changed the size of some of the text and the colour to make my double page spread more interesting and dynamic.

Examples

Stand firstI have written a stand first for my article that will keep the audience gripped and make them want to read on. I have taken inspiration from other indie magazines like Q and NME and I have made the names in the article a different colour (red) to make them stand out. This is effective as the readers eye is drawn to the important details so they know what the article is about.