Evaluation Q1

Issa Hussain

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

Masthead- Both mastheads are at the top. They both are in a bold font.

Background- Both are black

Cover lines- both name hip-hop artists

Main cover line- Main artists name of the magazine

Main image- Both of the artist are from the same genre (hip-hop). They both cover most of the front page, which shows the audience that they are the main artists for their magazines. Also by both of the artists looking straight at the camera they present an intimidating look to show they are serious about what they do. The clothing of both artists is very stylish as they both are wearing snapbacks.

Barcode – they both contain a barcode, which is essential.

Additional cover lines- Both have cover lines about the hip-hop industry -music

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

Cover lines- the Hip-Hop front cover has given cover lines with small info underneath to give a little insight into what it is about. I haven't done this in my magazine because I want to make my audience think about what the article may be about from the short cover line. This makes my purchasers more eager to buy and look through my magazine.

Images used on the front cover- The Hip-Hop front cover has used 2 images to fill the page, making sure there is hardly any dead space. I have only used 1 image as I thought that using two images would take up too much space and therefore wouldn't enable me to put on my cover lines.

Puff- On my front cover I have used a puff because they are very eye catching and make the front cover look very attractive. They also show the audience what they will win if they purchase the magazine. Whereas on the Hip-Hop front cover they haven't used one.

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

When creating my front cover for my magazine, I followed codes and conventions. I put my masthead at the top of my front cover, which follows the codes and conventions as a masthead is a crucial element for a front cover. I have also placed cover lines, price, barcode, date line and a issue number, which are on pretty much most magazines out in the world. Another code and convention I have placed on my front cover is my main cover line, which is onto of my main image. I have done this because it will show my audience who is the main artist in this magazine. Also the puff is very eye-catching as it stand outs from my front cover, showing my target audience they can win prizes if they purchase this magazine. In addition, I have used mise en scene through my colour scheme. This show my audience that this magazine represents a certain genre (Hip-Hop) and keeps my magazine consistent. To conclude, I have followed the code and conventions whilst creating my magazine, this allowed me to create a successful magazine and to look professional. It also makes my magazine look well structured as I have used the rule of thirds as well.

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

Main image- Both magazines have a main image on the contents page, which are positioned on the left. Both magazines focus on one main artist on both the front cover and the main image.

Page number and titles- Both contents pages have the text on the right hand side. They both have titles for the text, which shows the audience what the section is about.

Content page masthead/title- On both contents pages the main title is in big and bold letters, so the audience can see what this page is about. This is also done because they want to catch the audiences attention.

Website link- Both contents pages have website links at the bottom. This is there so the audience can get a further insight into the company.

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

Background- My contents page has a black background as I wanted my main image to blend into the background. I also thought that my text would work better with a black background behind. However, the other magazine has a grey background with the letter behind the main image in a bold text.

Images used- For my contents page I have used 3 images as I believed this would fill up my dead space and it would make my contents page look interesting. However, the other contents page has only used one image.

Social media- I have put social media icons on my contents page, so my audience could follow the makers of the magazine. The other magazine hasn't done this.

Banners- I have one banner at the bottom as this flows with my contents page and with it being red this follows with my colour scheme. The other contents page hasn't done this.

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

In my contents page, I have developed and used various codes and conventions. The first thing I thing I placed on my contents page was the contents title, just above my main image. I have followed codes and conventions by consistently using mise en scene. I have done this through my colour scheme as I have kept it consistent throughout my magazine. Another feature I have added is social media icons. I have placed this via a red strip at the bottom because this will allow my target audience to follow my magazine online and see further information about 'LYFE'. I have also placed 3 images on my contents page. I have done this so my target audience can see what type of artists will appear inside my magazine. I added a stroke around these pictures to make them look attractive and to look eye-catching for my audience. One other element I included was my masthead as I wanted to keep it consistent throughout my magazine showing my audience who created the magazine.

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

Main image- Both magazines have large main image on the double page spread. The images show the audience that the text is about the main artist.

Title- Both magazines have a main title to show the audience what the article is about and who it is about. They are also presented in bold texts to catch the readers attention.

Intro- Both magazine have a intro to introduce the article.

Article- Both double page spreads have an article to entertain the audience. These articles are about the artist shown on the left.

Positioning of the text and image- Both double page spreads have the article and text on the same sides. This is done to show the audience the article is about the artists, who is shown on the left.

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

Background- My background is a brick wall. I did this because it is not what many people would see on a double page spread, so this makes mine unique. The other magazine has used black and white for their background.

Shot of artists- My shot of my artist is a long shot. I have done this because it fits my background and also it allows my artists to directly look at text, showing the audience that the article is about him. However, on the other magazine the image of the artist is presented in a close up.

Article- My article is a Q&A. I have done this because it allows my target audience to get an insight into the artists life. Where as the other article is a story about an event occurring the artists shown on the left.

Wrap text and quote - I have used the wrap text effect, so my text would wrap around the quote. I have done this because the quote will catch the audiences attention and this a vocal point for my double page spread. The other magazine has not used this effect.

Masthead- I have put my masthead on this page as it shows consistency and shows the audience what company created the audience. The other magazine has not done this.

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

When constructing my double page spread, I have included many codes and conventions aswell as using them effectively to make it look exciting. I used codes and conventions when placing my image on his page but then used them again when I used the wrap text feature. This made my text wrap around the bold quote I placed in the middle of my article. I did this because I wanted to make my article look different and to have a centre point for my double page spread. Further on I have used codes and conventions, when I added a title and a intro at the top of my page. This makes my double page spread look well structured and appealing to my purchasers. Mise en scene is used again through my colour scheme, as I wanted to keep it consistent throughout my magazine. Another element I added was my masthead. I did as I wanted to keep on showing my audience who created this new Hip-Hop magazine.