Evaluation By Chantal Richardson

In what ways

does your

media product

use, develop or

challenge

forms and

conventions of

real media

products?

Front Cover- Conventions 1. The Brand Identity at the top of the magazine,

mainly in the centre or at the left hand side of the

magazine

2. Cove lines and Hybrids are usually on the left side

of the magazine or sometimes on both sides of a

magazine, especially in fashion magazines

3. Picture usually covers most of the front cover, and

the image can be at a mid-shot or either a close-

up

4. Headlines can be anywhere on the page, but

they are just made different through the size and

font of the text. But sometimes they are mostly at

the bottom middle

5. Barcodes can be placed anywhere around the

magazine, because it depends what the design

is like, but the conventional placement is at the

bottom of the magazine

6. Exclusives are also on the left hand side with the

hybrids and cover lines, to attract the attentions

of the readers

My Front Cover 1. Brand Identify- I have followed the conventional

placement for the brand identity, because it is extremely important that your target audience are able to spot your magazine straight away. I used a pink colour, as I have taken the colour from my models dress to show similarity

2. Cover lines & Hybrids- I have followed the conventional placement of the hybrids and cover lines, and have put the most important ones on the left side of the magazine, because the eye-line of the reader is in a “Z”. Therefore, it is important that they see all the features that are appealing to them first.

3. Picture- Music magazines usually use medium shots, close ups or long shots, depending on what they are trying to promote/advertise on their front cover. I have two models, and want their personalities/style and a musical instrument to be shown. Therefore, the best shot would be a long shot, as my model’s personality on the right seems to have a presences, therefore I wanted to covey this by her leaning on the guitar to show this dominant side. Whilst the model style on the left is usually quite quirky so I wanted her to pose in a playful way. So, the only way I could show this is by using a conventional long shot

4. Headline: I have followed the conventional placement of the headline, as my headline is as the bottom of the page in the middle. This is because I didn’t want to cover the musicians too much, but I used a contrasting colour to the picture, to make my headline stand out.

5. Barcode: My barcode is at the bottom, so that it does not take any attention away from the features on the front cover, as well as being too distracting if it was at the top. Therefore I have followed the conventional placement of a barcode

Double Page Spread-

Conventions 1. Article Title- is mainly placed somewhere

along the “C” shape eye-line. Which this magazine has done, as the readers eye-line will flow to this article title.

2. Layout- the conventional layout for a double page spread is that they place an A4 picture on one side, of the article, side bar, etc…. On the other side. This is so that the DPS doesn't feel to busy, and it is eye catching

3. Drop Cap- They have used the conventional drop cap, where it placeless itself into the text format. It is also larger, in a different font and different colour to the article to make it stand out

4. Side bar- The side bar itself is usually a convection, and is placed normally in the article, on the side. It is also normally a different colour to the article page with a picture, so that it stands out

5. By-line- Just like the article title by-line's can be placed anywhere on the DPS, as long as it is in line with the “C” shaped eye-line. However, even though it can go anywhere on the page, the designers do mainly place it at the top, so it is the first part that is read. Also, they usually insert the reporters name.

My Double Page Spread 1. Article Title- I haven't kept to conventions with the

placement of an article title, this is because I have added many different pictures on my DPS, so that if I placed it along the “C” shaped eye-line, it would cover most of the pictures. But because I placed it in the middle of the DPS, it does not really cover most of their clothing or faces

2. Layout- I have again not kept to the conventional placement, but I have seen a similar layout in the third magazine I analysed, so it is sometimes used. I did this because, I wanted to add many pictures to visually show my target audience what these two musicians lives are like. Rather than having most of the interview take a whole page. Plus my target audience like unique designs, so not keeping to conventions was necessary for parts of my DPS layout

3. Drop Cap- I have created a conventional drop cap in the sense that it is a different size and font, making it stand out. However, it may not be a conventional drop cap, due to the placement of it. As it is not fully embedded into the article with the text around it

4. Side bar- I included a side bar in my previous drafts. However due to this design and layout of my DPS, I found that adding a side bar will make my DPS too busy, plus there wouldn’t really be any space on the page due to the pictures.

5. By-line- Again I haven't kept to the conventions of the placement of my by-line, as it would look out of place if it wasn’t near to the article title, because the only other place is at the bottom or the top. This would make my page look to busy.

Table of Contents (TOC)-

conventions 1. Article Title- They usually have this size slightly large, as

long as it stands out on the page. They can be placed anywhere on the page, but the article titles are usually on one side together, whether that is at the bottom of the page or at the sides

2. Graphics- it is conventional for designers to add boxes round numbers, or to cut the model out of the picture, as it just makes the TOC more interesting. Or they add unique graphics, such a lighting in the background.

3. Layout- There is not really a conventional layout of a TOC, as it depends on what each magazine’s target audience is like, e.g. Q’s magazine is quite rock and pop based, therefore they have scattered the pictures around. However, what is conventional is that place the different sections together, as even though Q’s pictures are scattered they are still on one side, and the article titles, leading texts on the other, to give some structure

4. Editorial Pillars- this is essential for the Table of contents, as this is what the target audience will look at to find the different articles, etc…. They are usually placed above the article title’s in their category, so it is easy for the reader to find the article they want to read.

Table of Contents 1. Article Title- I haven’t kept to conventions with the

article title, as I have instead placed the article

title within the first line of my leading texts. This is

because I know that my target audience would

be more intrigued if there was a build up

(summary) in the leading text/article title

2. Graphics- I have added graphics to make my TOC

interesting, so I have kept to conventions. I have

used a water mark, to give a little colour to the

background. Also, I have used frames, with strings,

to create the 3D illusion that they are hanging, as

this would attract my target audience, as it is unique, as well as 3D

3. Layout- I have kept to conventions in the sense

that I have kept most of my leading texts on one

side. However, I started to make them go under

the frames, for aesthetic purposes. Also, keeping the pictures and frames on one side of the TOC

which is conventional

4. Editorial pillars- I have placed them in a

conventional way, which is above the article

title/leading text, so that the reader can easily identify what the article is about from its

category/editorial pillar

Advert- Conventions 1. Layout:

if the advert is selling a bottled product, the product is usually placed to the side of the model, so that they both do not over power one another, as the consumer needs to see what the product can do (model) and what it looks like (bottle).

If the product is something on the model or the product present in the picture with a model, e.g. fusion. Then that piece of clothing is usually the centre of focus. This can be through lighting the product or merely having it standout

2. Adverb Title: Even though the product and sometimes a model (if present) must both standout, the advert title must too. This is why they usually put the advert title in front of the model to slightly cover them, and use a contrasting colour, usually something dark on a light background, as this allows the advert title to standout

3. Graphics/ backgrounds: there are two conventions Firstly designers can use background graphics to

represent what they want their product to convey. For example, the advertisement above is trying to convey perfection and beauty, so they tools like glow and blur to create this heavenly background. Whilst they also use a pink rose, as roses are a symbol of beauty.

However, some designer also choose the other conventional layout of an advert. This is where institutions usually use natural setting backgrounds rather than graphics (added effects), such as using a garden, forest or white studio backgrounds, etc…. This is because the in situations/designers do not want to detract attention away from the product

Advert 1 Layout: I have used a very conventional layout, as I

merely have a model and placed the product and

advert title together in front o the model. The reason I

did this is because, I am trying to promote elegance,

therefore I wanted everything to be very simply,

therefore the less busy the page is, the more I can

transmit the idea that beauty is simplicity, which is my

connotation

Adverb Title: I have kept to conventions and placed

my advert title in front of both the model and the

product, as I wanted the font to be quite thin not

bold, therefore if it wasn’t placed where it was, it

would not be noticeable. Especially because I have

to use a white font to contrast to the pink shades

Graphics/ Background: I do have a background so I

have kept to the conventional style of an advert. The

reason I have done this is because I wanted to

create this effect of silk curtains in the background,

because I’m trying to convey a luxurious life. So to

create this silk effect, I merely used a the smudge

tool to blend in dark and light shades.

Advert 2 1. Layout: I have kept to the conventions of an

advert layout, through the pose my model is in. This is because she is placed in the centre of the page, and due to the positioning, the clothing is taking up most of the page, therefore, when my target audience see this advert they will be drawn to the clothing.

2. Advert title: I have challenged conventions with my advert title, as most designers for fashion, would place their name at the bottom of the page, in a large font. But I have placed the advert title at the top of the page. I did this because, the title is quite long, and if I had to place it in the conventional placement at the bottom, that would mean a smaller font. This is because I would have to put the “Fashion” underneath “Hepburn’s” so that the clothes are not being over lapped. Then make it smaller than it should conventionally be, because if its at the bottom it will cover most of the dress.

3. Graphics/ background: my background is very conventional, as I have used a natural setting. I only needed a medium shot of my model because if I took a long shot, I would then bed advertising shoes or tights, etc…. Therefore, I wanted the background to be quite light so the dark clothing could standout from the background.

How does your

media product

represent

particular social

groups?

Social grade As my target audience are mainly

teenage girls, my magazine really

targets many social groups. However,

due to the price and what my magazine

provides, the main social grade for my

magazine would be: ABC1C2. this is

because the my targeted social group

depends on the income, class of my

target audience's parents.

A: higher middle class, who have high

positions, are office workers or

professional

B: middle class, who live manageable

lives, office workers and are professional

C1: lower middle class, who are

supervisors, office workers, junior

managers or professional

C2: skilled working class, who are

manual workers

The reason my social grade

is ABC1 is due to….

Price: £1.50, is very

comfortable for those in the

middle class region,

because they are in secure

positions in their jobs

Adverts: the products my

magazine advertises are at

average prices of teenage

perfumes and teenage

clothing, so they are

affordable. And because I

am advertising these

products, this explains what

social groups I am targeting

What kind of

media

institution might

distribute your

media product

and why?

Bauer Bauer is an media institution made

from Bauer Media Group. This is the

largest privately owned magazine

publishing Group in the whole of

Europe. Bauer Media Group offers 15

different countries, 300 magazine.

Also, they offer these countries online

services, TV channels, and radio

stations.

Bauer offers brands that are influential,

meaning brands with millions of

followers, that are engaged by what

the magazine tells them. Bauer states

that their strategy , is to connect the

magazines target audiences, through

creating engaging content their

“multi-touch point brand platforms”,

whenever they want. They claim that

their unique brands, help them to be

dominant within the media.

Magazines they offer: Q Magazine

IPC

IPC Media, is a institution that is known for it’s 60 iconic media brands. The reason they are iconic is because, IPC it has created content for multiple platforms through mobiles, tablets online, print and events

It is the leading consumer magazine publisher within the UK, where they engage 26 million adults in the UK. That is around two thirds of women in the UK, and 42% of men in the UK. IPC Media’s award winning websites have reached over 25 million user at a global scale, every month

IPC also states that they are fully committed to work in partnership with its advertisers, business partner, consumers and employees, to be able to create media products with phenomenal value, innovation, service and creativity.

Magazine they offer: NME

Prometheus Prometheus is an

institution that promotes

music (Billboard), Film

(Hollywood Reporter and

Backstage), plus

Advertising and

Marketing (Adweek).

Prometheus targets their

audience, through

marketing at “culture’s

most power forces”:

Media, Music and

Entertainment. This they

claim makes their

institution a “catalyst” for

influencing popular

culture

I have chosen…. I have been looking at Billboard

Magazine which is owned by

Prometheus Global Media:

Artists: my magazine is country

pop, and Billboard does many

different types of genres,

whatever is the most popular in

the week, as they are a weekly

magazine

Design: Billboard make every front

cover unique and sometimes do

not follow conventions. I think

they would distribute my

magazine because, our

magazines are quite similar in the

sense that we play around with

colour, and don’t just use the

same colours for every front cover

Themes: they also like to make

their magazine fun, through the

use of set and clothing

Who would be

the audience

for your media

product?

My Target Audience The main target audience that I

picked are teenage girls. The reason I chose this particular group is because, I feel that marketing wise, there are a lot of new teenage as well as adult musicians that teenage girls tend to relate to e.g. Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran

Due to my magazine being £1.50, as well as looking at what I have been advertising in my adverts. The social grade would probably be ABC1C2. This is because these social groups would be comfortable with this price, but also, my adverts promote perfume, which sell around £8-£12, as I am basing them around the price of “Britney Spears fantasy perfume”. As well as the clothing, in my second advert, which would be sold for £15- £20.