Evaluation Q1By Oliver Midgley

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

Meeting ConventionsLarge, iconic masthead conventionally located in centre at the top helps to create brand identity.Tagline is much smaller in a plain font close to the masthead . It is used by magazines to briefly summarise what the magazine is about- it is small because it is not as important as the name.The splash is the biggest image on the page showing it is the most important article in the issue. It is a convention that the photo has been taken in a studio and manipulated in post-production so there are no blemishes and I have created a focus effect to accentuate his face therefore directing the reader’s gaze, he is also using direct address to create an intimate connection with the audience. The plug is ‘Exclusive’- it is common for any magazine to advertise their product by highlighting the fact it has features only available in one place. This is one way I enticed people. There is a barcode so it can be sold, with the price and date is given. It is also small so doesn’t attract the eye at first glance.I used a strip (this one runs along the bottom) which contains smaller sub-stories. This comprises of a plug ‘Win’, as well as other sub-images to appeal to those not interested in the main feature. Another convention I have met is using a limited colour pallet in a order to create a recognizable brand. It is black and white with red used sparingly to emphasise importance when used (e.g. Masthead, Main Cover line and ‘WIN’). This is a sophisticated colour scheme used by the likes of Q. Primarily sans serif fonts.It is common for magazines to try and maximise the number of artists to appear on the cover as it increases the chances there will be a singer/band that someone will like and persuade them to buy the product- I have achieved this by writing a number of names down the bottom.I also have a top banner- this contains the main bulk of my cover lines. It is fairly conventional to have some kind of banner running across the top or bottom which contains information.I have met the convention that males are not sexualised, especially for a male audience.Challenging Conventions Many popular magazines place the splash over the masthead, this is because they are already well established publications and most people will already be aware of the brand/ be able to identify it from the partially showing, but identifiable title. I have chosen not to do this because my magazine is new and raising brand awareness should be prioritised.It is quite unconventional that I haven’t placed any features at all down the sides (usually music magazines place some cover lines down one of the sides around the splash image to fill white space). The splash doesn’t fill the whole page either.I have challenged the convention that teenagers aren’t successful by having one as the splash on my music magazine showing he clearly has found fame.

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

Meeting ConventionsThe magazine name reappears towards the top. It is much smaller than the one used on the cover page.The headline ‘Contents’ is across the top in the biggest font on the page to make the function of the page clear. The issue number and date of publication are found nearby in a smaller font. These details are mandates so belong on a page which guides the reader around the magazine however they are not considered to be something that would entice someone so they are not on the cover.A ‘Features’ headline displays some of the features beneath, each one has: number (bold and in different colour to stand out), Title (bold) and a small description. I based not only the design for my features, but the majority of my contents page, off one taken from Q magazine.An image is used as a visual lure for a specific feature. It has it’s own box to show the same details as the other featuresThere is an ‘Every Month’ section- conventionally magazines have features that appear in every issue under it’s own heading- usually nearer the bottom too, out of the spotlight because they are less instrumental in selling the magazine compared to exclusive interviewsEven if it may not reflect the rest of a magazine, it is hugely conventional for the contents to be neat and organised with clear sections as the contents contains most of the information about the issue. I also ensured any lines, pictures and text is aligned just to make it completely seamless.A picture from an album cover is shown under the ‘Reviews’ section to provide a visual stimuli.Website URL and Social Media links with respective logos are particularly relevant for my young audience who are very much connected.The colour theme is consistent with the cover, as are the fonts, promoting the brand.I have also made the title of the features to be in all capitals- this just helps them to stand out that little bit more against the descriptions.

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

Meeting ConventionsThe title is in the biggest font as it is importantI have added a small tag in the top corner to show it is exclusive and the main story in the publication so readers should see this when flicking through and read out of curiosity.A drop cap at start of article is a convention simply for aesthetical reasons. The text flows around the picture leaving a small margin too- it means the text remains clear and consistent (no colour changes to make it legible) There is only one photo on the DPS and it takes up the majority of one side. Q do this very regularly except their photo never crosses slightly into the other side.It is a convention to use a pull quote which stands out from normal text. I have achieved this through a bigger, red font compared to the small, black text.I have included page numbers and a small iconic ‘O’ standing for ‘Outskirts’ to push brand as the title appears nowhere else on the page and there should always be a reference to the publication’s name.The main bulk of text is arranged into two columns with the left following onto the right as that is the direction in which Standard English is read. I opted against using a drop cap for every single paragraph as I felt that would be come over-excessive.The model is shown being active by singing into the microphone. This a convention just like women are usually presented as being passive. Also unlike women, he is not sexualised as the majority of the target audience are heterosexual males.Challenging Conventions I have challenged the stereotype of teenagers not being successful by having this young singer as the main feature of my article.