In what ways does your magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Front Cover:
1. As you can see, I have used a masthead on my front cover. Masthead's are typically found in magazines.
2. Another element I have used on my cover is a publication line.
3. I have used three cover lines on my cover, whereas usually there are around three-to-five.
4. To maintain a professional appearance, I have included a bar-code on my cover.
5. I have used a female model for my cover photo, which I decided using feedback from my target audience.
6. As is seen in many well known music magazines, I have chosen to have a feature article. This is presented using larger typography and by having the person in question as the model for the cover.
Develop (orange squares):
1. As you can see, in the top right section of my magazine; I have listed four other articles that are featured in my magazine. I have done this to include more information for the audience who may not have the time to look through the contents page before deciding to purchase a magazine. The magazines I have looked at have not done this.
2. Unlike a lot of music magazines in my genre, I have decided to include the page numbers on my cover. The reason I did this was to allow people who were short of time to quickly find the article they wish to read (perhaps to find the article they initially bought the magazine for).
Challenge (purple squares):
1. It is quite rare to find a cover photo that is a close up of a model. Typically you would find medium close ups or even long shots. The reason I decided to use a close up was to add a nice background for the text to contrast off, as well as to make the reader feel more personally involved with the magazine. By making the face bigger, and subsequently the eyes, I am able to draw in the audience better than if I had used a long shot.
2. Unlike other music magazines, my masthead features a symbol. This symbol or 'mark' is used throughout the magazine to ensure continuity. This can be seen in both the page numbers at the bottom of each page, as well as on my double page spread as a 'tab' in the top right hand corner. Another 'norm' I have challenged is the positioning of my masthead. Whereas usually a masthead would take up the entire top left corner, or take up the width of the magazine; my masthead takes up two-thirds of the cover width. I think this is fresh, new approach to the layout of the masthead. By laying it out like this, I am able to include more information on the cover.
Contents Page:
Use (blue squares):
1. Similar to Q's Contents page, my heading is bold and very clear on the page. Also, they are both serif fonts.
2. Here you can see that I, too, have used a header for each of the sections ('Features' and 'Regulars').
3. I decided it was a good idea to put page numbers on the photographs featured on my contents page. That way, readers can easily and quickly navigate to the articles they wish to read.
4. Like Q, I have a separated section for featured articles. On Q's contents page, they have used a different font and a larger text size to emphasise the articles. In my contents page, I have used a section header and added two extra lines of description to emphasise the two articles.
5. I have used two photographs on my contents page, where as Q has used four (if you include the spread at the bottom). I chose to only use two because I felt it was just enough to make a change from the text but not too much to make it feel busy and cluttered.
6. Just like Q (and most magazines), I have included the title of each article and made it slightly bigger than the description. I have used a sans-serif font for the title but a serif font for the description.
7. Similar to Q, I have included the page number and magazine information at the bottom of each page.
Develop (orange squares):
1. Whereas Q have included an issue number "issue 279" in their title, I have opted to include a subtitle "IN LIEBACK THIS WEEK", a web link to our online website "lieback.co.uk" and the date of the current issue "December 2012" instead. I have done it in a way that you receive more information without it being 'forced at you' - it's beautifully minimal.
2. Whereas Q have used four photographs on their contents page, I have decided to use only two. I used a smaller photograph of the model on my cover in the 'FEATURED' section to show continuity from the cover. I have also used a large photo of a model in another article to the left to show the variety of articles. I thought four photographs may have been too much for my contents page.
Challenge (purple squares):
1. Unlike Q, who have chosen to show only a selection (six) articles on their contents page; I have decided to show a lot more. On my contents page you can see sixteen articles (two features and fourteen regulars). I chose to 'move away from the grain' by putting more articles on their to create the impression that you get a lot for your money. It is also easier for the reader who may find it laborious turning through all the pages to see what is in the magazine.
2. Unlike Q and many other magazines I have looked at throughout this project, I decided not to overlap and of the images in my magazine. That included my contents page. The look I was looking for when I created my magazines was 'beautiful simplicity'. I wanted to make each page look well thought through and well presented. I feel that overlapping images goes against this belief and so I have chosen not to do it.
Double Page Spread:
Use (blue squares):
1. Like Q's double page spread, I have also opted to include the mark from my masthead on my spread. I have done this to show continuity throughout my magazine.
2. Like Q, I have made the heading of my article bold and big on the page. I have done this to make it stand out so it is easy to see when people flick through pages of the magazine.
3. Just like Q, my magazine body copy is split into three columns. I, however, have justified the text on the page to make it seem fuller, more conformed and 'square'.
4. Similar to Q, I decided to indent the opening sentence of each paragraph to make it easier to read. I have also used a serif font similar to Q's.
5. As you can see clearly above, both Q and I have used large photographs of the featured model to fill the entire left hand page. Unlike Q, my photograph is a long shot (whereas Q's is a medium close up).
6. Similar to Q, I have also included page numbers at the bottom of the right hand page. I have also included the name of the magazine and the date of the current issue (December 2012).
Develop (orange squares):
1. Unlike Q, I have decided to include a deck in my double page spread. A deck is a summary of the article or introduction that is bolder and usually bigger than the rest of the copy. My deck is three lines and introduces the featured artist whom the article is about. It allows people to judge whether or not they are interested in reading the entire article.
2. Unlike Q, I have included a second photograph in my double page spread. The second photograph I used was taken during the same shoot as the photograph to the left. I decided to include it as I think it works well contrasting the personalities of the artist (on the left she appears shy, perhaps timid, and on the right she appears confident and enthusiastic).
Challenge (purple squares):
1. Unlike the Q double page spread shown above, I have decided to include a byline in my article. Some music magazines choose not to include this information as the author/journalist may already be very well known (so no introduction is needed). However, because my magazine is new and unheard of, I felt it necessary to include a byline as to introduce an important author that would be seen in many issues of LieBack in the future.
2. Unlike a few of the music magazines I had looked at throughout the course of this project, I decided to include a block quote in my article. This particular quote is out of context to the reader, which intrigues them and may persuade them to read the article and discover what the quote means. These are usually found in editorials and broadsheets. I experimented by using it and I liked it, so I included it on the page.
3. Unlike Q, I have decided to include the page number, magazine name and date of the current issue on both pages. As you can see, due to the background of the page, I have changed the colour of the information to white as to create a better contrast with the background. I decided to include this information on both pages for continuity throughout the magazine.
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