Tuesday 20 October 2009

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

My magazine follows the main conventions of real media with all the basic elements of a magazine front cover; a mast head, cover lines, puff, screamers, freebies, prices etc. I used a puff like many other magazines however my puff is quite unusual as it is humorous and is supposed to emphasise the light hearted nature of my magazine; “The hippest, illest, most doped out student magazine in Worcester!” The colours look contrasted to some of the other colours on the cover, this is intentional to draw more attention to it and add a sense of unpredictability.
The mast head says “PULSE” in an electricity style font which fits well with the theme of the magazine which is exciting and fun. The juxtaposition of the electric font with the calm colour purple makes the magazine seem exciting yet relaxed so that the reader can feel more comfortable.
I made sure that my magazine did not have a formal look so I did not use any serif fonts and tried to use interesting fonts and styles that fit the subject matter for example the “Top 10 Video Games” is written in blue old-school video game style writing, small details like this make the overall result more aesthetically pleasing to the reader.
The cover line “Sex, drugs and avoiding mould” is a humorous play on the well known phrase “Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” this further connotes the playful image to the reader and will attract some readers simply out of curiosity.
I have included a screamer “FREEBIES!” which stands out to the reader and makes them think they may get something for free that makes the purchase worth while. I have chosen concert tickets because it fits in well with the interests of my chosen target audience. I used red because it stands out and fits well the rest of my colour scheme.
At the bottom is the cover line “Music: Cheapest places to download music” the “music” part in light green to show this is the subject, it catches your eye, then “Cheapest places to download music” is in red to show this is the description of what is inside the article.
On the right side is the cover line: “Top 10: Legal Highs” this title is in a rounded font in blue which is very relaxed so that the reader doesn’t feel intimidated before reading.
My contents page uses similar themes but sticks to the single column style with pictures relating to the articles at the side.
The energetic look to my magazine is similar to that of magazines like Kerrang which is also a magazine aimed primarily at teenagers it also uses different colours and fonts to create an exciting and rebellious feel.

My magazine challenges the classic convention of the boring, strictly formal student magazine and presents a more fun and exciting publication that is more appropriate for a late teen audience, whilst still using some forms and conventions such as giving students advice and information useful for everyday life.
If I were to change one thing about my magazine I would make the colour scheme more consistent.

1 comment:

  1. A detailed evaluation that reveals good understanding of work covered so far.

    At the moment you are writing something similar to an essay in response to each question. I would like to encourage you to consider how you can make you blog posts mre interesting by including, for example, screen grabs of work in progress, or images/visuals that have inspired you. You could possibly have links to other sites etc.

    You have done everything I have asked of you and I look forward to seeing your ideas for the main coursework task later in the year.

    B

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