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In what ways does my product use, develop or challenge the codes/conventions used in other media products?

Columns

My product develops on the use of columns on the contents page as it is not an essential convention of music magazines. This is evident as magazines, such as NME often use different layouts to present their contents page (as shown). I decided to use columns as I had a lot of information that I wanted to put in and also think that it allows the audience to see and navigate themselves around the magazine a lot easier. I feel that using a separate layout would have not worked as effectively for my magazine.

Fonts

On my contents page I have used different sized fonts to separate up the subheadings and also the brief description of the articles underneath them. I have done this to establish the importance of the sub headings and also to add shape to the page so that the text is not just one size and is easier to read. I have done this as it is a common stereotype of a music magazine as it allows clarity of the text so it’s clear. I have also developed this further to use opposite colours for numbers around the bulk so it stands out well. This allows me to keep colour matching with my colour scheme also.

This example, taken from Billboard shows how the use of separation of colour and font can make the text easier to read. This can also be seen in the image above from my product.

Page Numbers

This feature is key to any product of this genre as it helps the audience to know which page to turn to if they want to see something in specific. I have followed this convention as it is important to include. From my research I noticed that many of the magazines analysed included page numbers.

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Title

I have chosen to repeat the name of my magazine on the contents page as it re-iterates the name to the audience. This repetition allows for the name to be constantly seen so that the reader remembers it. This technique is often used in other music magazines so I used the convention on my product to allow the contents page to link to the title page again. However I have developed this on my product, in comparison to others as I have used a different font instead of the very same on the front.

Block background colour…

One code to mention of a music magazine is to use a block coloured background on the contents page, which is a feature which I have also used. I have done this as it allows for the text to stand out clearly as if it was a busy background it would take attraction away from the text and make it harder to read also. Many music magazines, like ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ or even ‘MOJO’ use a plain background and build up around this.

I have also began to develop this as I have added a column of darker grey at the side of the page, allowing a neater effect and also a contrast of colour here too, allowing the colour scheme to work here. This is a development as not all of the music magazines that I have researched use more than one coloured background to add shape.

Lack of images

One feature which I may have challenged with my product is the use of images on the contents page. This is because in the case of some music magazines, I found that a lot of images are used and less information. However this is not the case for all magazines. I decided to only use 2 images as I think that any more would make the page look too cramped and squash the text, ruining the columns and making it harder to read. I think that if I used a different layout, such as square blocks then more images would have been able to be fitted. For example…

Lack of advertisements…

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In my product I have challenged the feature of advertisements on the contents page. I have done this by only briefly forwarding certain products/events, such as Leeds Fest. I have done this through my images as they links into stories in the magazine itself. I think that challenging this is important as I did not want advertisements on my contents page as it leaves less room for the actual information. I think that use of advertisements can be placed in with the stories themselves, ie adverts for Justin Biebers CD on a story about him. I have done this, in comparison to other products so that I can ensure even advertising throughout.