QUESTION 3In what ways does your media

product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions

of real media products?

Conventions of my genre

The Genre I used for my magazine to follow was rock/metal and there are many conventions for this genre including:

A more personal experience with the user Darker colour scheme usually (Heavy use of black) More pictures than text More of a rugged look and not that formal

I tried to stick to as many conventions about the genre while trying to give it my own twist by changing a few things that would not take away from the home style such as : Trying to have a more unique colour scheme with my magazine and carry

on the theme throughout the issue Trying to make it so it seemed rugged but it had a organized style to it

anyway so it had the rock magazine ‘rugged’ look but you know where to look first and it had order to it so everything is not just put anywhere

Tried to have a colour style that was dark and bright at the same time due to the contrast of the black and orange which I like

Big title that attracts lots of attention and takes up a large space this is going against normal music magazine conventions because it goes over the page crease.

A collection of photo’s over text as its more engaging to the reader of the target age of Kerrang! which is teenagers also they are black and white so they do not take away from the main image and title

A large image on one of the pages that takes up a large area. Usually a picture of the band or the singer which is arguably the most important member of the band.

Little side panel that has lots of information on it, This helps the page get fleshed out and look more full.

Very powerful images that scream “Look at me” when you turn the page, helps draw readers in. An effective way of this is having direct eye contact with the reader of the magazine.

Has the large photo that takes up a lot of space and attracts attention by the model using a direct mode of address.

Big title that catches eyes as the orange has flare and draws attention to the most important places on the page

Main body of text that has questions marked in orange so you can tell the difference between them and the replies from the guitarist

Other images to compliment the main image. This is so people who prefer pictures over text can also start to enjoy the article.

A banner at the side that contains more information and fills up the page

For the double page I have tried to match up a lot of the conventions that kerrang! Follow as you can see from my examples I have labelled on the previous slide and my justification of why im following them on this slide. So I tried to stick to as many as I could.

The contents logo is always up in the top left of the page because that is where you look first. It’s also a bright colour so it stands out more on the dark background and it highlights the important bits of the contents page.

I large photo that takes up most of the page and features and artist that is familiar in the genre.

Here we have something that splits up the picture from the text and tells the reader what is on this page

At the bottom you have a whole host of content that has been presented using small sub headings

Editors note including a picture of the editor, this brings a more personal feeling to the magazine as you are in touch with the editor

The title of my contents page and also the date and issue number of the magazine

Editors note from the main editor and also a picture of the team having dinnerPictures help advertise the articles on different pages, a range has been included

Little mini headings for the 3 main category's in a rock magazine the review tab, news tab and the competition/swag tab

The middle of the page split up which separates the big picture from the news section which informs the reader where everything is

A big main image that has something to do with rock and has something to the article (Ties in with page 12)

The social part where the magazine informs the reader how to get hold of them on Facebook and Twitter which is important for a rock magazine.

Big title that clearly displays what magazine it is. This catches eyes and its easy to find what you are looking for Has a large sub

title that explains what's a feature in the magazine. Usually something interesting and eye catching.

Banner at the bottom to make the bottom of the page feel finished. Also tells reader what else is inside

Includes white box including price and the bar code for the product

Banner at the top with photos and telling people what else is in the magazine.

Main image that is engaging and interesting, usually something to do with the sub title

Big title that has a artist featured inside on the cover

Smaller collection of pictures down here to show what else is in the magazine and fill it up a bit

Banner/Footer at the bottom to help finish the page and make it look more finished and full, this is also a massive convention for most magazines

Main image that takes up most of the page and attracts attention through direct mode of address and the crazy colours

Its got the white box with the bar code and the price of the magazine + the date and issue number

This is the banner, Its simple but helps the page look better. It also includes some of the features of this issue of the magazine Main heading,

This is big and stands out from the black and would hopefully catch eyes as orange on black is eye catching.

Here is my pug which has a competition on it which ties in with the main image and may also entice people to buy the magazine

Conclusion

I think that I have followed the conventions of a rock magazine which is pretty unique from most magazines well as I can see similarities between my magazine and Kerrang!

I also think that I put my own twist on a lot of things to give a fresh and unique look to a magazine that I think people my age and into rock and metal would like.

My ultimate goal was to try and catch eyes with the colour scheme and I think with the contrast of black and white I achieved this as everyone I have asked said it catches their eyes very effectively so I think the bold look of most rock magazines was captured in my work.