My magazine mainly uses the forms and conventions of a magazine by using a top strip which the real magazine also has. The main image for mine is also a typical convention of a magazine with it being considerably large and covering most of the front cover, furthermore it is in the centre and there is eye contact with the camera which helps my magazine interact with my chosen target audience. What my magazine also uses is cover lines going down the page on the side of the front cover.

However what I notice is other forms of conventions that my magazine develops and uses that the Vibe magazine doesn’t seem to use. This includes a strap line with mine being “time is money” which is in a graffiti font and is under the title but the reason I chose those exact words is because it is a play on words with my title referring to what time could be used for, but also the reason I chose graffiti for my font is for my original target audience, to give them a sense of belonging to my magazine. My clock is once again developing conventions of a music magazine by being a play on words with my title but furthermore it is part of my logo for my music magazine.

There are some differences with my magazine and the VIBE magazine but none of them are significant but they include the masthead with the VIBE masthead being big and bold and covering across one side of the page to the other. Moreover the VIBE magazines image is covering half of the middle words in the word VIBE but they may be because it is already a known magazine and therefore can do this with readers not really noticing however my magazine is still in the developing process and on its way to becoming a mainstream magazine however for know I should not try and challenge the forms and conventions of a music magazine and also not cover up my masthead.

My music magazine uses a left third by having the main article on the left side and also a competition with my cover lines being on the right side. This was purposely done because of my background that has black coming in from the right bottom hand corner and then mostly white on the rest of the page. Therefore my left third is on the light so that is where all my important information should go to entice my target audiences.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

My music magazine represents different type of social groups and challenges the stereotypes of particular social groups, especially on my front cover. Grime is the genre of my music magazine and this particular music genre is associated with black ethnic origin and a background of a low social class. However black ethnic origin nowadays are portrayed as troubled youths of today with hoods up and hats down that look unapproachable. Therefore I went for a sophisticated look for my front cover to contradict the stereotype of the clothing of grime artists and also people of black ethnic origin. This is because I wanted my artist to represent grime as a soon to be mainstream music genre that could portray black ethnic origin in a positive light. That is why the clothing is a suit with a trilby hat and tie to refine the grime artist clothing and make my artist look cultured and suave. This will help maintain my original target audience because they would want to aspire to my main image but moreover I have tried to expand my target audience by the clothing I have used with me looking for different types of social class including the working class with grime artists normally ranging from the C2-D borderline bracket. C2 is working class and D is working poor which is a good example for grime artists with most of them having a background of a poor up bringing on a rough estate in London. This may be the reason for the type of clothing they where, the way they act and the stereotypical view on them. I within my magazine is trying to transform this view into a positive look by using different types of clothing and positive messages.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The artist on the right is an established grime artist by the name Dizzee rascal and in this image he is portraying a variety of connotations associated with grime artists which include the clothing, “bling” and the way they conduct themselves.

The clothing is typical of a grime artist which includes a New York cap to the side and the jacket however the cap holds negative connotations within society due to the fact people where there hats so its just above there eyes and therefore looks very menacing.

Furthermore there is the bling which is normally associated with hip-hop artists however with grime artists trying to portray the term “swagger” in the chain round the neck, the rings and also the glasses to again hide the eyes.

Moreover the way the artist is posing in the image is also quite menacing with clenched fists and an unapproachable facial expression. This portrays negative views for grime as a whole and it is also justifying the stereotype of grime artists.

On the other hand my image of my grime artist is portraying positive connotations including the suit and tie with the trilby hat.

Who would you target audience be and why ?

My target audience are people who listen to grime this normally ranges from the ages 13-21 and also a male sex. The reason for this is because the ages could relate to what is within my magazine and also with the grime genre being male orientated it would be an obvious choice to target males.

The title is black with a blue neon around it and I chose these colours because black is big and bold to get the audiences attention and then the blue is seen as the popular masculine colour to entice my audience. Instead of going for a typical graffiti type of font for my title I went for a legible font with a hint of graffiti for it to be easy to read but also for teenagers to relate too. Furthermore the neon outline is also masculine with teenagers especially being attracted to this. My audience feedback was to make the neon less bright but still very noticeable and make sure I maintain the blue and black colour scheme throughout my front cover.

The clothing is a crucial factor in expanding my target audience beyond the age of 21 and this is because of the refined and cultured look to portray an artist that has made it through a tough background to become a up coming big name who is about to make money. This type of clothing is to attract ages above 21 but also entice the male teenagers in trying to aspire to my grime artist.

The are definitely similarities with my magazine and the Vibe magazine I have chosen but there is also considerable differences. The vibe magazine looks as if it is aimed at a higher age band than mine looking at the front page with the masthead being a reason and this is because the masthead is bold and formal yet the middle of it is covered. But I do realise that I am also aiming at the same age because of me going beyond the age of 21 as my target audience. However I can also notice that both our magazines are aiming at males because of the dominance of males listening to this type of music. Also it is worth mentioning that both of our magazines have used a masculine colour to attract our target audience.

However the clothing is difference with the vibe magazine opting to go for a simple style of clothing but with the original New York baseball cap and jeans but then with all the “bling” associated with hip hop artists and this is also for males who love bling. Whereas my artist is portraying a different side to this type of music, a more softer side and making my artist approachable which also helps my magazine come across as a different type of a grime magazine which portrays positive connotations of grime which is why I have used my style of clothing to attract my target audiences.

How did you attract and address your audience?

The way in which i attracted my audience was the colours i used on my front cover to make it appealing and also the main image fairly large and enticing. The colours i used were black, white and blue which are simple colours but i understand blue works well with black and white yet also it is a masculine colour which is an appeasing way to get my target audience to take notice of my front cover. Blue is the outline on nearly everything on my front cover being used as a neon shadow which maintains throughout the front cover but also the soft glow is there to draw in my target audience. The glow around most things on my front cover is not typical from a music magazine however mine is unique and the blue is meant to address my audience in a way it could ease them into taking a liking to a magazine. Black and white are basic colours but would make my magazine noticeable if worked together properly and that is why i have merged them together as a gradient for my background with the right side purposely being black to sway my audience to the left hand side because that is where my lead article is based. The cover lines on the right hand side is black and white which maintains the colour strategy and it blends in with the front cover whereas this leaves my blue lead article to stand out and pull in my target audience.

• The font i use throughout is formal and bold with the title having a hint of graffiti to attract my audience because of graffiti being associated with the grime genre. Other than that i use formal, legible font on the rest of the magazine however my lead article being quite different in order to stand out. The reason i chose to do formal font was because i was not going for a typical grime magazine with the grime conventions i was looking to attract a higher age band but also maintaining the ages i already have reading my magazine. Furthermore i wanted it to address my audience in a conventional manner to differ from the stereotype although the language i used would be for the younger age band.

• My image is important to my whole front cover due to the fact it represents a completely different side to grime and that is why just like codes and conventions of a magazine it is right in the centre covering most of the front cover. Also using the codes and conventions of a music magazine my image has my artist making eye contact with the camera, non verbal communication to once again pull in my target audience as if they are having a conversation.

• I attracted my higher age band by using a suit and tie which holds positive connotations however it also attracts the younger age brand as well as me trying to inspire the male teenagers that read my magazine.

The type of language I use in the double page article is to appeal to both male and female with me describing the artists songs as unisex music that both male and female would appreciate therefore once again expanding my target audience. The way in which I addressed male in the article was them being able to relate to this new artist who is bringing a new concept of suave and sophistication to grime and is a icon in the making. On the other hand addressed females with the artist being seen as an attraction symbol for females to seduce the female target audience . Furthermore the style of the article is from a woman’s perspective because it creates the scene to present the artist as an attraction symbol. Also I create the sense of manic and over excitement to portray the artist as belonging to grime and being followed by a legion of fans

• Comparing my magazine with the vibe magazine the comparisons include the colour scheme which is maintained throughout the front cover however vibe magazine has chose to use a feminine and masculine colour to allure both male and females from the front cover.

• The image I use is fairly large with the artist using non verbal communication with readers to create a sense of belonging for the audience. It is a mid-shot and surrounded by a soft glow of blue to appeal to my audience whereas vibe magazine is using a head shot to expose the facial features which it looks to be crucial to the front cover.

• Both of our magazines use similar language on the front cover using words such as “exclusive” and then in both of our lead articles use first person words including “I” and “I’m”. This is portraying a direct conversation with the artist himself and the target audience I have instilled with him saying this helping to represent confidence and also that cockiness that is normally portrayed in the grime genre.

• Using the codes and conventions of a music magazine I am using the masthead to draw in my target audience and it is covering some of the top of the image to show the masthead is indeed important on the front cover. On the other hand Vibe magazine has its masthead large and a vibrant blue to be really noticeable however to make sure its target audience understand the image is the most important the image overlaps the most of the middle of the title.