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

All magazines have a specific demographic which they need to target in the best way possible and this is predominantly done through the use of codes and conventions. Conventions are essentially the norms within the magazine which are either developed or challenged by magazines to reflect their target audience. The representations within the pages of the magazine are constructed by the images, the graphic design and the language used. This is also known as the mode of address and displays how conventions are coded to target their specific audience. Common conventions used in magazines include; masthead, banners, ear-piece, main image, numbered pages etc; all of which are coded to make the magazine easier to read, navigate around and to create a sense of familiarity. This familiarity has been developed through years of media influence, hence why popular fashion magazines follow a set format to cater to the mainstream audience. However, some magazines twist or challenge these conventions in order to portray their target audience. For example, ‘Little White Lies’ challenges mainstream conventions in a new and innovative way with a lot of attention to detail. The front cover consists of a hand designed image, the title and the barcode with everything other mainstream convention extracted. This is because they have aimed their magazine at a niche audience which sees themselves as unique and different from the rest of society. This is then portrayed by the magazine which challenges conventions to code a sense of individualism to the reader.

Within the construction of my magazine I wanted to break some common conventions to portray my slightly alternative demographic. However, I also wanted to adhere to common conventions as my demographic, although they believe themselves to be unique and different, are all quite similar to one another. They aren’t completely independent and unique to be able to extremely alter the common conventions of my magazine, so including common conventions such as a masthead and feature/cover stories was needed to create a sense of familiarity and comfort for the reader. However, I have challenged some common conventions in my magazine to code an impression of individuality. I have broken some common conventions by making the magazine smaller than the average size. This was done so the magazine resembles that of a handbook or guide to music, instead of plain information on music. Additionally, being perfect handbag size will appeal to a lot of my demographic as they can take this ‘handbook’ along to gigs with them and feedback reviews of their experience at the gig through online blogs etc. To add to this ‘handbook’ theme, the paper I would use would not be glossy magazine paper but more like book or writing paper, allowing the reader to feel they can write on the pages and add to their whole experience of the magazine, as music is nothing without the creativity of others.  However, the front and back pages will be printed on glossy magazine paper creating a sense of familiarity for the reader and to be taken seriously amongst other magazines on the shelf but as the pages inside will be of a newspaper quality this will also cut down on production costs. My idea of a handbook type magazine is similar in size, form and paper choice to Timeout magazine; a guide to what’s on in London in terms of theatre, cinema, music, clubs etc which shows that the choice in paper and form can make a big difference to the type of image you are portraying.

 

On my front page a lot of my conventions abide by the norms of a common magazine. For example, I included the feature and cover stories on my front page and arranged them in a C formation, much like many mainstream magazines. This was done to create some familiarity to the reader from the outset so they are more confident reading on through the rest of my magazine. There are also two banners running along the top and bottom of my magazine which give examples of some of the artists included within the magazine. This is a common convention of magazines; however the top banner usually has another feature story advertised within it. I have used this space to add more artists as these are almost ‘buzz words’ for my demographic. My target audience are passionate about their music and the more bands and artists advertised on the front cover, the more likely they are to get a sense of the type of music included within the pages and therefore more likely to buy my magazine. I have also included a ‘button’ which draws attention to the additional incentive I am offering to my reader. This doesn’t challenge common conventions but it does develop them as additional incentives are usually placed in an ‘ear-piece which fans out from the corner or the banner. I did this because I thought it was more aesthetically appealing and would attract more attention to the incentive which is catered to my audience.

Another convention which I did not break was the masthead. This is usually placed at the top of the front cover and is the biggest text on the page, which is coherent with my magazine. The text I chose to use looks almost handwritten and stands out from the rest of the text on my page. The reason I chose this text was to follow the theme of a ‘handbook’ and touches such as handwritten text gives subtle emphasis to this theme. Additionally, the name ‘Compass’ displays that of guidance and direction which also fits into the idea of a ‘handbook’ or ‘guide’ to music. The slogan which runs underneath it; ‘the new direction’ also emphasises this idea. I have also used many different fonts on my front page from the feature story to the other cover stories and the banner fonts.

These texts are all different to portray the idea that if my front cover is full of content, my magazine will be too. However, most magazines use different fonts for different cover stories but I felt this was a bit too full-on and messy for my audience. I wanted clean lines and texts to represent a new and modern magazine which represents my refined demographic.

Another feature which is crucial for representing my demographic is the main image on my front page. This is generally an image which my target audience find inspirational and reflects their dreams and aspirations. This is based on an extract from Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ theory (see question 5) which describes ‘self-actualisation’ as being the need to fulfil ones potential and if the images on my magazine represent my demographics idea of fulfilment, this appeals to their desires and attracts them to buy my magazine. This idea coincides with the theory of the male gaze (see question 5) where women portrayed in a submissive way are more appealing to men. However, as my magazine is aimed at women the theory still applies but in a different way. Women who are presented as submissive also have the attention of many men. This portrays that woman as powerful and this is something many common women envy. When this is correctly portrayed in magazine images this attracts a female audience. I incorporated some of this theory into the image in my magazine but instead of posing my model in a submissive way, I have posed her in quite striking ways. However, I have used an additional theory, the theory of hyperreality, to work alongside the male gaze and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This theory shows the impact that simulations of reality can have on a wide range of people that are exposed to the media. This is achieved through photoshopping images and replacing ideas of reality with hyperreal and modified versions. I have done this alongside striking images of the model to still attract my audience with hypperreal images but keep the idea that this woman is strong and powerful. This challenges common conventions of main images but also develops them by incorporating a new and powerful edge to images of women. This codes an idea of individuality to the reader.

On the contents page of my magazine I used the same text as the masthead on my front cover to create the ‘contents’. I made this run down the left hand side of the page as I thought it resembled that of an old concert or cinema venue sign that would typically run down the side of the building. This brings back the idea of an old, vintage scrapbook with a new and modern edge. I also used ‘hand-written’ like typography with the subtitles such as ‘features’, ‘regulars’ and ‘other stuff’ which develops common conventions by giving an alternative twist to normal conventions coding a mode of address that my audience understand.

The image I used on this page is also in line with the ideas I had for my front cover image. She is dressed in a slouchy jumper and is in a powerful yet sexy pose. However, I did photoshop this image to make her legs thinner and hips smoother. I also took away any imperfections on her face which again relates to hyperreality as many girls who probably wear slouchy jumpers at home reading the magazine do not look like this. I continued to use the top and bottom banner in the same colour as the front cover to create a sort of brand recognition which provides comfort and similarity for the reader. Many magazines use this convention as it is a very effective way of piecing different articles of your magazine together. I also added the icons of three major social networking sites down the side of my contents page to notify the reader that they are able to get in contact with COMPASS via these sites and feel like they can interact with the magazine.  The background of my contents page is quite modern and fits in with the theme of music as it looks like something you would see in a studio. This is to emphasise the point that my magazine is all about the music but still has feminine accents with the pink banners etc. The whole point of the contents page is to make navigation around my magazine easy and clear and is also a reference for any prospective buyer as when they pick up my magazine in the shop they will look to see what the content of my magazine is via the contents page. You also need to reinforce your brand identity within this page which can be quite a tricky task to achieve when you have to be so concise.  I feel I have achieved this by making my contents page clear and accurate whilst also including features which suit my brand identity, reinforcing an appropriate mode of address for my audience.

On my double page spread I wanted to create a clean cut and striking theme which I think I achieved predominantly through the image I used. Again, this image is quite commanding and quickly attracts the reader’s attention. This is to enhance the ideas I have previously explained and tie the whole theme of photos together. Additionally, the image stretches over both pages of the double page spread and represents the idea that she is ‘taking over’ the new scene of music and is quite a dominating character. The way in which I laid out my title and sub-title is quite unusual as I have put them side-by-side and presented the ‘May-Be The Next Big Thing’ in a pyramid formation. This develops common conventions by twisting the norm of a magazine and coding it to suit my alternative audience. I also continued to use the top and bottom banner to tie the three pages together and added the ‘COMPASS’ logo in the top left corner which I will do on every left page throughout my magazine. This is to enhance the brands identity which is quite common of many popular magazines.