Documentary Response to Evaluation One
Evaluation One: Text Format
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Throughout my magazine I wanted it to be stylised but simplistic as it has a new but unconventional new genre of music; Dubstep and Drum and Bass. I wanted simplicity but with also an urban style, however Dubstep and drum and bass have a target audience very similar with indie so when making my initial designs I had to consider if I wanted to have it more urban and simple or busy and indie/rock. I decided to develop the convention of having both a busy and simplistic magazine by making the front cover busy and other parts of the magazine simple and stylish.
Front Cover:
For my front cover I decided to have two front covers, I decided it would be good to allow my target audience to choose the cover the like as the edition of my magazine has a double feature of two artists and not just one. This makes it appealing because the audience feel they have control over the magazine.
As a typical convention of a music magazine I included a mast head on the top of my magazine front page. The masthead I have used is very bold and simplistic. I wanted the masthead to be stylised so I picked a font which suggested sleekness but also unique. I used a slight drop shadow to make to ensure it does not blend in with the rest of the page and inform the reader what they are reading and make it more eye catching when picking a magazine. The colour I used was a teal dark colour, this connotes a cool and stylish feel and makes the reader more inclined to picking up the magazine as it does not look too ‘in your face’ which conventional magazines have. The name of my magazine ‘Dub bass’ is a mixture of the two music genres that is featured in the magazine; Dubstep and Drum and Bass, I thought it would appropriate as the genre is not yet mainstream so there are limited amounts of magazines with the same genre, therefore the target audience will recognise the genre immediately and realise it is a new magazine. Also the two syllable word is also very catchy and has an urban vibe.
I used a longshot of my model lying on her back with her feet up. This is typically an unconventional shot for a front cover as they are typically close-ups or medium shots but I felt this was appropriate to grab the reader’s attention as she is making eye contact and her body language is suggestive appealing to the audience. The way my model is dressed and her body language also appeals to the uses of gratifications of personal identity as my model is quite mysterious and engages the audience to find out more and to aspire and admire.
With the different sell lines I used a drop shadow this is to make them stand out and imply that the sell lines are important as it looks like they are news headliners which draws the attention from my readers. The fonts I used correspond to each other as they are all bold and have the reoccurring colour scheme I have. This makes it look professional and invites the target audience to pick it up and read the magazine.
The top pull quote offers a free download, on the last word I ensure I made the word ‘more’ stand out because I wanted the readers to feel as if they are getting the most out of their money, which is appealing. It also represents the different forms of media we offer which tells the audience that we are up to date and are available online. I used the drop show tool with this one and used a slight outline to make it subtle but noticeable.
Some of the other conventions I followed for the front page was the use of a barcode, this signifies to the person reading that it is for sale and I also included a price, however I did not include a European price, as research I have made shows that Dubstep and drum and base music genre is not yet popular in the EU and I fell that it would not by necessary to publish to the EU yet as it has not become mainstream.
Conventionally I also included a website, to follow the new technological trends, the date of issue and I also included a small strapline along these saying,’ The first dupstep and drum and bass magazine’ this is to create a sense that the magazine is very exclusive and unique and promoting it this way will differentiate from my competitors.
Using secondary images was also a convention and I have used this method to promote and to sell my magazine, I three different images and each one would appeal to a different segment of my target audience. This creates a sense of belonging and personal identity and the readers will feel more inclined to read the magazine.
Contents Page:
I wanted to use a more unconventional way of laying out my contents page, however it was not completely unique as I saw a similar contents page in a music magazine so it is not completely unique but through using it as inspiration I am ensured that the contents page was effective as I was intrigued and understood the layout. I also changed my mind after the second initial draft to use a double page spread to hold my contents page.
I wanted my contents page to have more of a visual take on the contents page to allow my readers to identify favourite artists and producers and turn to the page straight away. The images I used show a variety in my magazine and are representations of the different articles, this tells the audience that I have a diversity within my magazine. I also wanted the look to resemble a collage, this is because I felt my target audience would appreciate the acknowledgement that photography is a big interest so having a collage makes it very appealing and makes the magazine seem very suited to them.
I used a conventional banner at the top to clearly state what the pages was considering I have used a double page spread and it also gives me a chance to write a small editor’s note on the left hand top corner to make the magazine more personal and relevant. I used the existing brand imagery to make my magazine continuous and ensured all colour schemes were consistent and followed on throughout. I also decided to include two images of my own front covers to acknowledge the fact that it was a double edition and to show the reader the other cover to the one they have purchased.
I used the appropriate highlights for the different types of the articles and colonised them to make it easier for the reader to read and use. I also used the contrasting colours to make the fonts stand out and be aesthetically appealing. The page numbers are in a bold and often highlighted in boxes which emphasises the page number.
Double Page Spreads:
Following my double edition idea I decided to make three double page spreads, one featuring both of them and one each afterwards.
For all the pages there were a couple of conventions which I followed. As I felt it was important to keep the name of the magazine in the mind at all time and to show that it was exclusives the audience were reading so I included little mastheads with a black placard over the top saying ‘exclusive’ on all the double page spreads. Another convention I followed was the page numbers, I only put them in one corner on the double page spreads in a light soft grey, and this makes it easier for the audience to navigate the pages. Lastly I included a web address on all the double page spreads on the top right pages, it is small but large enough for the reader to notice it again it relates to the other mediums and which would please the audience as being a part of the technology which the target audience are heavily dependent on.
The first double page spread consisted of one of the best images I had taken, it showed both my models sitting on a chair but the female was more dominant and he was more shy with their body language, this relates to the articles after where we find that the girl models article is more confident and friendly whilst the males is more serious and shy. The costume I used for my models go well with my colour scheme as it followed the blue and grey. I used very large stylised writing to introduce the pair as ‘PAMELA and CAMO’ it is the same font as the title but I intended this so it would look of importance and show that it is one of the main features of the magazine. I also included a small introduction to the pair and wrote about their past and their future this is to give the audience a taste of the articles but not give too much away adding to the suspense and curiosity of the audience.
For the single feature double page spreads they both follow some of the new conventions music magazines have, for both I included on how to keep up with the artists on social networking sites. This is appealing to the audience as they are able to satisfy their social needs and it relates to their own social networking sites. It was important for me to include them as technology is such a growing trend in the generation which my audience profile are based in. For both I also included lots of pull quotes to give a rough idea of the personality and the tone of the magazine Also I included a bold introduction in large font to allow the reader to have a taster of the article and it would be their own choice to follow on reading or not. This is important because I always want my audience to feel as if they have control and not to pressurise them.
For the female feature I used lots of images of my model and placed them the entire top in black and white, all long shots. I then placed a fully coloured image on the left centre of the page. This is appealing to the eye as it has lots of different creative images to showcase. It is appealing as the reader is able to see the different personalities within the images and the models images make them feel aspirational and admiration for her confidence and stance. The tone of this article is really friendly and bubbly, it is an interview and the reader is able to find out her secrets, feelings and attitudes to things. This fulfils the gratification of curiosity and entertainment and they are able to relax and enjoy a light hearted interview.
For the male I wanted to create a more serious looking article but still have the same style as the female article. I used on large image to fill the whole left side, again it is a longshot. I then created a small collage of images for the top of the right page. This is again to give the audience more variety and more interest into the article as having only one image may seem blank and un-interesting. I included pull quotes but I put them on the bottom corner, this is because for this article I wanted it to be a flowing story and wanted the reader to really engage with it instead of flickering around. The article is quite serious as it is about the artists rise and fall and how he had overcome them, it is to allow the readers to realise that artists are just normal people and they have worked hard to become part of the industry, it will tell the readers about how hard it is but how to overcome them. This satisfies their knowledge and belonging.
Overall I feel I have followed the main and logical conventions of a magazine, however I have challenged some in a creative way and adapting the conventions to my own audience profiles needs, wants and interests. I feel I have adapted them well enough to properly appeal to my audience and generate interest.
