BY CHIBUZO IKPECHUKWU

Evaluation

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE

FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

Forms & conventions of a front cover

BarcodeEvery magazine has a barcode. Hip-hop magazines usually position the barcode vertically at the bottom of the page. The price, issue number, month of issue and website address is also positioned with the barcode

MastheadA conventional masthead is

usually has a big and bold font. It takes up almost ¼ of

the top of the page. Vibe’s masthead is aligned in the

centreBackgroundA common

convention in hip-hop magazines is that the

background is plain and simple

Main cover lineVibe magazine do not follow the common convention for the main cover line. They have their own internal convention. The main cover line is kept relatively the same size as the other cover lines. They usually position the main cover line on the left hand side of the page, near the top of the image

Central ImageA common convention used for

the main image in hip-hop magazines is that subject of the

image has direct eye contact with the camera lens. The full

bleed image is positioned in the centre of the page and is always layered over the masthead. Most times a

medium-long shot is usedCover linesThe average number of cover lines used on the front cover

of Vibe magazine is 6. Only two fonts have been used for

the cover lines in order to keep the cover lines eye-

catching but yet simplistic and clean

Box OutThis is not a convention for all hip-hop magazines. The use of a box-out is an internal convention used by Vibe magazine

‘eyebrows’Eyebrows are often used to list some of the other people in the magazine that have not been mentioned in the cover lines.

Forms & conventions of my front cover

BarcodeI conformed to the convention used for barcodes. My barcode has been

positioned vertically at the bottom of the page. The price and website

address are also positioned with the barcode on Status.

Central imageMy central image conformed to the conventions of a hip-hop magazine.

Females pictured in hip hop magazines are usually photographed

at a medium long shot posing suggestively. I challenged the

convention by using a full close up for the central image. However I

conformed with the convention by getting my model to be seductive

with her eyes.

MastheadMy masthead does not conform to the central alignment. Instead I have decided to make it left aligned. I did, however, conform to the conventions of a big bold font used. The masthead for Status also incorporates headphones. Hip-hop magazines that have also incorporated elements such as microphone, headphones etc into their mastheads are Hip Hop Weekly and The Source.

Box-outI decided to follow Vibe magazines

internal convention of using a box out to include a quick response code.

Main cover lineI conformed to the conventions of a hip-hop magazine by making my main cover line stand out from the other cover lines. I did this by using a bigger font size and type font. To further differentiate it, used a red coloured font.

Cover linesOn the front cover of Status, there are 5 cover lines. Only one font type has been used, however different fonts have also been used. The cover lines were simplistic, conforming to the conventions.

StraplineI decided to put the month of issue in the strapline. This challenges the conventions because the month of issue is usually placed at the bottom of the page, near the barcode.

‘Eyebrows’I conformed to the conventions

for ‘eyebrows’ exactly by also using it to list other people

featured in the magazine.

Forms & conventions of a contents pageHeaderVibe magazine includes their logo in the header

ImageIn Vibe magazine,

they only use 1 image on the

contents page. They always use a

full bleed image, with the person

positioned along the right-hand side

of the page

ContentsThe contents list is usually positioned along the left-hand side of the page in Vibe magazine. The title of the article and the page number is in a bold font , with a brief description of the article underneath in a regular font

TitleMost hip-hop magazines have use two pages for the contents page. One page contains the recurring articles and the other page contains the list for the featured articles.

CreditsThe photography credits and fashion credits for the photography are positioned near the bottom of the page.

Forms & conventions of my contents page

HeaderI have added a header

to my contents page. It is bigger and bolder than the contents list

and also uses a different font.

Although I conformed to Vibe’s convention by using a header, I

also challenged it by differentiating it from

the contents list by using a different font

type, size and boldness.Contents

I copied Vibe’s conventions by making the title of the article

and page number bold. I created my own convention by

increasing the size and making bold the article on the list

related to the person the front cover.

CreditsI have also included the

photography and fashion credits on the contents

page. It also positioned at the bottom of the page.

ImageI followed Vibe magazine’s convention of using 1 image on the contents page. However, instead of positioning it along the right-hand side, I decided to position it on the left-hand side.

Forms & conventions of a double page spread

TitleThe title of the article is of the

initials of the person in

article. They are stylised to

be layered over each other

HeaderThe header includes the

logo of the magazine

By-lineThe by-line includes a

quote that the audience

identify with the person

pictured. It also has a brief

introduction to the article and the credits for

the photography

and who wrote the article.

ArticleThe article has uses two columns. It as starts with a drop cap.

Imagea full bleed image of the person featured in the article is used on the first page

Forms & conventions of my double page spread

TitleI conformed to Vibe

magazine’s convention of using overlapping initials of the person

featured in the article.

FooterThere is a footer on which consists of the website address for Status magazine, the month if issue and page number. This is a

common convention in all magazines to have a footer that includes the page number and

magazine web address.

By-lineI conformed to

Vibe’s convention of

including a quote

identifiable with the person

in the article

ArticleThe article has uses two columns. It starts with a drop cap.

ImageA full bleed image is used for the article like in Vibe magazine

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

What is representation?the way groups are presented in the media and popular culture, often through stereotypical images that affect our views of gender, race, class, age, and ability

Status magazine is a hip-hop based magazine aimed at 16 – 30 year olds. The majority of the target audience will be male, however females will also be aimed at. The audience is very male dominated one and is also predominately targeted at Black British youths living in England. Click here for Status Reader Profile

Colloquial language such as ‘Lego’ will only be understood by people who listen to hip-hop music (my target audience)

Nickname’s used such as ‘The Big Dog’ will be identifiable to my target audience

Brand names like Ralph Lauren Polo

are popular with my target audience.

It also shows that my audience are quite well-off so

have money to buy these items.

Status magazine has a predominately Black audience so a Black model has been used

Clothing reflects the female audience. Today, females who listen to hip-hop tend to have a tomboyish-yet-feminine street style. For example they were trainers but also where fitted tops and fitted jeans.

WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA

PRODUCT AND WHY?

I chose IPC Media to publish Status.They are a multi-national company with a global market currently owned by Time Warner.NME (rock magazine) is one example of a music magazine they publish. They do not currently publish any hip-hop music magazines so we will be able to enter the gap in the market for a UK-based hip-hop magazine.NME, a very successful magazine they publish, is a brand aswellas a magazine.

Places to sell my magazine•Music stores (e.g HMV)•Street clothing shops (e.g. Footlocker, Blue Inc)•High street clothing shops (Topshop, Topman)•Corner shops (in urban areas)

Status magazine will be sold in music stores such as HMV and clothing shops such as Footlocker, Blue Inc and Topman becuase these are places popular with my audience. I also chose Topshop to get to my female audience. The magazine will also be in corner shops however only in ones located in urban areas. This means the magazine will reach my target audience directly.

DISTRIBUTION

PRICE

The price of the magazine is £3.95. Vibe and XXL are sold at this price in London.

WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?

Audience of my magazine

The target audience are males between the ages of 16 and 30. However I will not be excluding my female audience.

The audience for Status are people who pride themselves for their appearance. They are most likely to shop at Footlocker, Topman and Blue Inc. Also they may shop online for ‘exclusive’ urban streetwear you wouldn’t normally find in stores

Status’ audience will consist heavily of Black British men but with a crossover audience of all other ethnicities.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF

CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?

WordpressThis was used to document my process through creating Status magazine.AccessibilityThis was easy to access as it is a free blogging service available on the internet.Ease of useIt was also easy for me to use and I had little/no difficulty using it.

GoogleThis was used in order to conduct research.AccessibilityThis is very easy to access.Ease of useThis also is very simple and easy to use. However it may become a little difficult deciding which website to select information from.

Adobe InDesignThis software was used for the construction of the magazine.AccessibilityThe software package must be bought and downloaded before you can use it.Ease of useAt first I found this slightly challenging to use because it was the first time for me to use the software.

Microsoft PowerpointThis was used to create presentations.AccessibilityThe software package must be bought and downloaded before it can be used.Ease of useI am very familiar with this software so it was extremely easy for me to use.

Digital CameraThis was used to take photographs to be used in the magazine.AccessibilityThe digital cameras must be booked in order to use them.Ease of useOnce I familiarised myself with the settings/buttons I was able to use the camera with ease.

SlideshareThis was used to embed presentations onto my wordpress blog.AccessibilityThis is a free program available on the world wide web.Ease of use

Adobe PhotoshopI used this to edit photographs.AccessibilityThe software package must be bought and downloaded before it can be used.Ease of useThis was a bit hard for me to use initially as I had little experience using photoshop.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE

LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

What skills have you learnt/developed?• I have learnt how to construct magazine pages using Adobe InDesign.• I have also learnt how to manipulate images on Adobe Photoshop.

What have you learnt about planning?I have learnt that planning and research is extremely important when it comes to creating a magazine. For example, research must be carried out before articles can be written and also photoshoots must be properly planned out so you can get all the shots you need.

What have you learned about manipulation of representations?• I have learnt that in order to appeal to my target audience I have to plan thoroughly everything from the language used to the clothing of the models. They must all fit with the conventions/stereotypes associated with that particular genre of magazine in order for the audience to identify with them.