Evaluation - Question 1

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

My magazine follows the conventions of real, up-market, mature music magazines (such as Q and Rolling Stone) as this ensures that I have appealed to my target audience, and created a magazine that fits this genre. Here are some examples of this:

The layout of my magazine cover and the layouts of existing covers from Q and Rolling Stone magazine can be compared due to the positioning of the text, masthead and other added features such as extra images and boxes of text. The way all of the main images cover part of the mastheads are similar, and also the positioning of the people on the covers. The features of my cover follow the conventions of existing covers which is what my target audience is used to seeing.

The layout of my contents page and the layout of real contents pages such as in Q and Rolling Stone magazine are similar, due to the majority of the writing being on one side of the page with the images on the other. Also, the way the main text is broken up can be compared, and the poses of the celebrities against the pose of my model. I believe my contents page fits the usual conventions of existing contents pages due to the features included, and I think it will appeal to my target audience.

The fonts I have used fit with the style of fonts that existing magazines such as Q and Rolling Stone use, as they are all quite simple but effective which I believe adds professionalism to the magazines. It also creates even more of a mature vibe as an older demographic would be more drawn to simple but tasteful fonts, as opposed to more fun, bold fonts.

My main double page spread image fits with the forms and conventions of real magazines, as my model looks similar to celebrities that are featured regularly in music magazines. This will appeal to my demographic as this is an image that they would be familiar with, and would attract them to the article. All the images displayed from existing magazines have been edited in some way, as has the image of my model. This fits with the conventions of real media products as the editing of photos is done frequently, so my image appears just as professional as the ones from actual magazines.

My main contents page image follows the conventions of sophisticated and up-market music magazines, as my model's pose can be compared to those of real, more mature magazines. This will appeal to my audience as my image is similar to ones they are used to seeing in real media products.

My front cover image follows the forms and conventions of real music magazines aimed at an older demographic, as my model is posing similarly to the celebrities featured on the cover of existing magazines like Q and Rolling Stone. This type of image is popular for this type of music magazine where the celebrity is made to look pretty and what others could aspire to be like, therefore will appeal to my target audience.This suggests that young women are represented to be beauty and fashion conscious, perfect and glamorous despite the fact they are posing for a music magazine and not a fashion one.

My masthead follows the conventions of existing magazines such as Q, as it is similarly a one letter masthead which I think is an effective aspect of a more mature music magazine. This will therefore appeal to my target audience as it is something they are used to seeing with the likes of Q magazine.

The layout of my double page spread fits with the forms and conventions of real, up-market magazines as they all seem to contain a large main image with the majority of text on the left hand side. The fonts are varied on existing double page spreads, as they are on mine. The images don't necessarily have a musical feel to them which I think is acceptable in a more up-market, mature music magazine.