Jade senior - AS media coursework: February 2011

Codes and Conventions

To start off my AS media coursework, we are doing a preliminary task of making a front cover and contents page for a school magazine.
I researched into the codes and conventions of school magazines, i looked at school magazine called Fusion here is what I found :

Codes and conventions of school magazines.

Fusion magazine

Front cover and contents page

Front cover

Colour scheme
Big name
Slogan
Modern language
Rule of thirds
Issue number
No barcode
Picture

The front cover of fusion magazine has the colour scheme which is red, white and black these colours stand out from each other and the red shows excitement and it isn’t dull. The white and black are contrasting colours and makes each other stand out off the page. On the front cover there is a big title the title is in white on a red background and the font is bold and simple to read. This make the title stand out on the page and you can clearly see what this magazine is called. The name of the magazine is cut off at the bottom of the letters by a solid red diagonal line; this diagonal line draws your eyes to the name when you first look at the magazine.

The slogan underneath the name of the magazine is a lot smaller than the main title but it is the same colour and font. The diagonal line that cuts of the name draws you into the slogan. The slogan of ‘every generation needs a new revolution’ is quite catchy and makes the reader think slightly about what it means. The front cover uses modern words this is used to attract there target audience of teenagers in there school. It uses words like ‘weird’ and ‘grub’ this is modern language which will draw in the age group they a targeting. The front cover is done in the rule of thirds, the name of the magazine is in top third, what’s inside the magazine in middle third main part of the picture is in bottom third. This is done so the cover is aesthetically pleasing for the readers to look at. The issue number is shown at the top of the magazine; this is there to make the magazine easily identifiable by readers. It will also keep them in order so the readers will know if they have read that issue before. There is no barcode on the front cover of the fusion magazine this is because it is a free school magazine so there is no need for this as it does not need to be scanned like a normal magazine in a shop would.The picture on the front cover is a medium close of a student, medium close ups of student are normally used on front covers of school magazines. This image has been photo shopped a lot; it is modern and will attract the target audience, it give a sense of excitement and fun from the pose he is in, which will make the teenagers want to look inside and think that the magazine will be fun and exciting.

Contents page

White background
colourful picture
three columns
headings to show what is on each page
page numbers
recycle logo
rainbow border on top and bottom

The back ground on the contents page is white this makes all the other writing on the page easy to read so that you can easily read what is on each page of the magazine. Also the white background makes the colours stand out. There is a picture of a cassette tape with a rainbow coming out of it, this picture is bright and quite a modern image and the rainbow colours add a sense of creativeness and this makes it eye catching. The text on the page is in three columns this makes the contents page look professional and make it easy to read as it is in a simple format to follow. After every page number there is a sub-heading to describe what is on that page these are in a bigger font and are colourful this makes them easier to read and will help people easily identify what is on each page without having to read the full page description, and all the page numbers stand out in a bigger font as well as the subheadings. There is a recycling logo in the bottom right hand side corner, it is showing that the magazine is made from recycled paper, this is showing that the school is promoting this and gives them a good name. At the bottom of the contents page there are lines in different colours which complement the colours coming out of the cassette at the top of the page, this makes the school seem like a fun and bright place to be in and gives the impression that they are quiet a creative school as well.

Draft for School Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page

This is the draft for my school magazine front cover and contents page .

Final Front Cover and Contents Page

I have mad a front cover and contents page for a school magazine, I used the codes and conventions that I researched to make my front cover and contents page look as professional and realistic as possible. Here are my front cover and contents page,

I am very please with the result of my preliminary task and I am looking foward to starting the main coursework task.

Evaluation of school magazine

On my front cover I have used the following codes and conventions of existing school magazines.

I used a colour scheme of three colours, dark blue, light blue and white. Colour schemes of three colours are commonly used on all magazines including school magazines, the three colours mean that there are enough colours in the page but not too much that it looks over the top and cluttered.

I made my title big on the front cover so that you are instantly attracted to it when you look at the cover. I used a medium close up of a student as a main image on my front cover and had two smaller images which linked with my stories on the front. I had no barcode on my front cover as this is not needed in a school magazine as it is free and doesn’t need to be scanned and I included an issue number which when I researched school magazines was on all of them, this is so that issues can be kept and easily recognised. On my contents page I used the following codes and conventions of school magazines. I used a white background which was inspired from looking at ‘fusion’ magazine which I looked at first. I used headings to show what is on each page this writing is bigger than the descriptions, and I used page numbers so pages were easily identified. Also I stuck to my colour scheme of dark blue, light blue and white so that they matched and look professional.

I have learnt a lot from making my front cover and contents page, including how to use the camera well to get good photos, I learnt how to adjust the aperture to let different amounts of light in to the shot, I learnt how to change the shutter speed and how this effects the photo, I found that the shutter speed was best on a shorter time whilst taking shots of my models. I also learnt how to use the manual focus to get the shot in focus.

I made my magazine and contents page on Photoshop from this I learnt lots of new skills using different tools, I used the brightening tools on my photos to adjust the lighting, shadows and contrast of the photos, I also used the spot healing brush to remove imperfections on my models face, and I also got more comfortable using layers and working out how important it is to arrange and have separate things on different layers so that I could easily rearrange objects on the page.

Week One Diary Entry

Date - 31^st January – 7^th February

This week was our first week of doing our media coursework, where we completed our preliminary task of making a school magazine front cover and contents page.

To start off with I researched into the code and conventions of school magazines. I looked at a magazine called ‘fusion’. I then made a plan of my front cover and contents page with some features of fusion that I liked and I changed some things I didn’t. I then went out to take photos of students in the school and of the school itself to use on the outside and inside of my magazine. I went on Photoshop elements 4to make my magazine front cover and contents page. I used tools like the brightening and contrast tool to change the look of my photos. I also used the magnetic lasso tool to cut out images. I am pleased with the result of my front cover and contents page as this is the first time I have used Photoshop properly and I feel I have learnt a lot of new skill doing this task which I feel will help me massively when I come to do my music magazine.

Next week I am going to start looking into the codes and conventions of music magazines. I will start to analyse 5 front covers, 5 contents pages and 5 double page spreads of the genre of music magazine I want to make which is a pop magazine like Q magazine, which is a more mature pop magazine.

Analysis of Billboard magazine front cover

The colours

The dominate colour of this particular issue of Billboard magazine, is pink, black & white. Pink is a very feminine colour, which creates an image for the cover star - Katy Perry, also the blackness of Katy Perry’s dress contrasts with pink background. The pinkness of this cover creates an innocent and delicate image which is related to their target audience of females, which may attract them to buy it as they can relate with it.

Fonts

Most of the font on this front cover is in Sans Serif. This type of font is more simple, and modern and edgy. This will appeal to the target audience who will modern and edgy. However Katy Perry’s name is in serif font. This is more fancy and delicate which here is used to portray Katy Perry’s personality.

The masthead

The masthead is the same on every issue. This allows readers to recognise it instantly even if some of the words/letters are covered up. The colour of the masthead tends to stay the same on this magazine but sometimes changes in others but the issue number situated in the same place on every issue.

Pictures

Main pictures on this magazine Katy Perry is the main picture, she is a successful female singer who is very popular with late-teen girls and young adult females, and she is used as she appeals to the target audience because she is someone they are interested in so they would buy the magazine to read about them. The main picture has been placed in the slightly off centre on the cover; also her head covers the masthead which is a common convention in music magazines. However there is only one picture on the front of this magazine and this is a common theme within billboards magazines this makes you see who the main feature of this magazine will be and it also isn’t over crowded which shows that the target audience is for a more mature audience unlike top of the pops magazine which is crowded with images and writing.

Language

The language used in this magazine is simple and informal however colloquial language is not used on this front cover and there is no slang language ". This appeals to the audience because it is language is not childish and therefore will appeal to them

Analysis of Top of The Pops magazine front cover

Colours

The colours used on the front cover are bright, bold and girly. Bright pink, baby pink and whites all connote childishness, innocence, pureness and happiness. Because the target audience is young girls and these are the connotations that come with "young girls"

Fonts

Sans Serif font is used as the main font. This also has a more childlike appearance and is more simple, and modern. This appeals to the target audience because they are not interested in fancy writing and this font makes the magazine have a sense of fun and shows it is not serious.

Another font used on the cover of this magazine is a handwritten type font. This is quite immature and childlike, and gives the impression that it was just scribbled on as a comment, and make the magazine look like a diary, which also something associated with the target audience of this magazine

The masthead

The masthead is the same on every issue. This allows readers to recognise it instantly even if some of the words/letters are covered up. The colour of the masthead sometimes changes but the barcode and BBC logo are situated in the same place on every issue.

Pictures

Main picture on this magazine is Cheryl Cole, who is a successful female singer who is very popular with young girls and pre teens at the moment. This appeals to the target audience because Cheryl Cole is someone they are interested in so they would buy the magazine to read about them. The main picture has been placed in the centre of the cover. However as Cheryl Cole is one of the biggest people in pop at the minute her name is not mentioned on the front cover this is because it is obvious who she is to the people who will be buying and reading the magazine.

There are 6 photos on the cover of this magazine; all of the people in the images are pop stars or actors. This appeals to the target audience because if they see a picture of someone they are interested in they will buy the magazine. Also the age range that this magazine is aimed at are more likely to look at pictures rather than the words at a first glance so if there are more pictures it is more likely they will buy the magazine. The people in the photos are either posing, the photos have been taken from a photo shoot or are paparazzi photos. The ways that the people are represented in the photos are happy, clean, innocent and fun.

Language

The language used in this magazine is simple, informal and quite colloquial. For example there is slang words used on this front cover. "Omg" and "pics". This appeals to the audience because it is language they would use and so therefore they can relate to it and understand it. If the language was too complicated and boring they wouldn't buy and read the magazine. Also on the front cover second person pronouns are used such as "you" this makes it seem as if the magazine is speaking about one individual (the person buying the magazine) and makes it much more personal. The word exclusive is also used. This means that this interview or pictures are only in this magazine so the readers won't be able to read or see them anywhere else so they must buy the magazine to see them.

Analysis of Smash Hits magazine front cover

Colours

The colours used on the front cover are Black, white and red, these colours are very contrasting against each other and they make each other stand out. These colours also give the magazine a sense of danger and this will attract the target audience of late teenagers as they will see it as exciting and interesting and will want to buy it and read it

Fonts

Sans Serif font is used as the main font. This also has a more simple appearance and is more modern. This appeals to the target audience because they are not interested in fancy writing and this font makes the magazine have a sense of edginess and shows it is not serious. However the magazine name is in serif font however it is still edgy and bold so does not look out of place with the rest of this magazine

The masthead

The masthead on smash hits magazine changed a lot over the years it was in circulation. This issue was one of their last publications and is a lot different to earlier issues. However ‘smash hits’ is such a well-known name this doesn’t matter and readers will still be able to recognise it instantly even if it does change.

Pictures

Main picture on this magazine is lady gaga, who is very popular artist with this target audience. This appeals to the target audience because she is someone they are interested in. The main picture has been placed in the centre of the cover. However as Cheryl Cole is one of the biggest people in pop at the minute her name is not mentioned on the front cover this is because it is obvious who she is to the people who will be buying and reading the magazine.

There are also other picture on the cover of this magazine; all of lady gaga. This is to appeal to the target audience because they will be buying this magazine because of who is in it and seeing the other pictures will show them what is to come inside the magazine.

Language

The language used in this magazine is simple, informal, but no slang language is use, this appeals to the audience because it is similar language they would use and so therefore they can relate to it and understand it. The word exclusive is also used. This means that this interview or pictures are only in this magazine so the readers won't be able to read or see them anywhere else so they must buy the magazine to see them, which will attract the audience to buy it.

Analysis of Q magazine front cover

The colours

The dominate colour of this issue of Q magazine, is white, black and red colour. These colours are not very feminine colours, however from the picture on the front we can tell that the magazine issue is going to be aimed at females. Q always sticks to the same colour scheme of red, white and black which is a trademark for this magazine

Fonts

The entire font on this front cover is in Sans Serif. This type of font is more simple, and modern and edgy. This will appeal to the target audience who will have modern and edgy personalities.

The masthead

The masthead is the same on every issue. This allows readers to recognise it instantly even if some of the words/letters are covered up. The masthead of Q magazine always stays the same and has never changed, the colour, size and positioning is always the same.

Pictures

Main pictures on this magazine is of Beyoncé who is popular with males and females from ages of pre-teen to middle aged people , and she is used as she appeals to the target audience because she is someone they are interested in so they would buy the magazine to read about them. The main picture has been placed in the centre on the cover. There is only one picture on the front of this magazine and it is not crowed like other pop magazines this attracts the target audience as it shows that magazine is for a more mature audience unlike top of the pops magazine which is crowded with images and writing.

Language

Analysis of Billboard magazine front cover

I decided that I would analyse another issue of billboard as I like there styling and I am thinking to use them as a model for my music magazine.

The colours

The dominate colour of this issue of Billboard magazine, is white, grey/black and a gold/yellow colour. These colours are not very feminine colours, which creates an image for the cover star – Miley Cyrus, also the blackness of front cover give a sense of danger to the magazine which will attract there young audience .

Fonts

The entire font on this front cover is in Sans Serif. This type of font is more simple, and modern and edgy. This will appeal to the target audience who will have modern and edgy personalities.

The masthead

The masthead is the same on every issue. This allows readers to recognise it instantly even if some of the words/letters are covered up. The colour of the masthead tends to stay the same on this magazine but sometimes changes in other magazine but the issue number situated in the same place on every issue.

Pictures

Main pictures on this magazine is of Miley Cyrus who is popular with late-teen girls and young adult females, and she is used as she appeals to the target audience because she is someone they are interested in so they would buy the magazine to read about them. The main picture has been placed in the centre on the cover; also her head covers the masthead which once again is a common convention in music magazines. However there is only one picture on the front of this magazine again like the last billboard front cover I have analysed, the magazine is not crowded which shows that the target audience is for a more mature audience unlike top of the pops magazine which is crowded with images and writing.

Language

Analysis of Q magazine contents page

This contents page is in a blocked layout where there are blocked pictures and blocks of writing, there is one main column down the left hand side with two smaller one on the right hand side at the bottom.

The font of the text on this page is in sans serif, which is modern, and edgy which makes you think the stories will be edgy but the main name of magazine ‘Q’ is in serif font which gives a different sense to the magazine as it is more of a fancy font.

Q magazine always sticks to the same colour scheme of red, white and black which is shown on this contents page as well this makes the magazine recognisable to readers. All of the page numbers are in red which makes them stand out more against the white background.

There are only 2 images on the page so it doesn’t look over crowed which will make it appeal to a more mature audience, also when there is not many pictures on the page the ones that are there stand out when you first look at the page. Also the page numbers are cleverly put in the corners of the pictures so you can see instantly where that feature will be in the magazine.

Analysis of blender magazine contents page

This contents page is image dominated; it has one column of text and a quotation in the bottom left hand side which is different to any of the contents pages I have already analysed.

The font used throughout this contents page is sans serif this make the magazine seem modern and will appeal to the target audience of teens and young adults.

There is not much text on this page and not much description of the pages, however this will appeal to the target audience as it is precise and to the point and they do not have to read loads to find out where they want to read it the magazine.

The picture on this contents page is of Katy Perry, this shows the target audience that she will be the main feature in this magazine, the image is very creative with her holding a blow up toad stool making her look smaller this is cleverly done and gives a sense that this magazine is going to be very creative with their photography and imagery.

The colours scheme of this contents page blue, black and white, the background is very plain and white however this give a sense of innocence which is related with the pop star featured and of the target audience.

Analysis of Vibe magazine contents page

This contents page has an image dominated layout, this is where there is one main image that takes up the page and the text is incorporated in it. This contents page uses sans serif and serif fonts the main title of ‘contents’ is in sans serif and looks modern and edgy like the type of music this magazine covers. However the main subheadings is in serif it looks quite feminine, which shows this issue is mainly aimed at females

There is only one image shown on Vibe Magazines contents page and this
is a long shot of a well-known music artist called, ‘Ciara’, the image and text shown aren’t colourful like most contents pages, it is uncluttered and has clear bold black and white colour scheme. The heading of ‘contents’ separates itself from the text shown to indicate page numbers of different articles inside the magazine. This sets a representation to a specific target audience as the target audience being young teenagers and young adults the image is aimed to just getting to the point and so the readers know straight away what they are going to read about.

The colours of this magazine gives an unique impression and sets the mood of the magazine to the target audience of the type of music genre for the magazine, you can see from the contents page’s colours that this magazine appeals and attracts a target audience of young teenagers and young adults who are interested and
listen to urban/dance/pop music.

This magazine uses language to address its target audience it uses sharp and snappy sentences on the contents page which will attract the target audience.

Analysis of Billboard magazine contents page

This contents page is in a blocked layout where there are blocked pictures and blocks of writing, there is one column down the left hand side with two smaller one on the right hand side and one a block at the bottom.

The font of the main titles and subheadings of what’s on each page is serif font, this type of writing is more flicky on the edges sometimes this type of font can look feminine but here it looks more sharp and edgy, all of the other writing on this contents page is in sans serif, which is modern, and edgy, the types of font used is important as it defines the magazines image.

The main colour scheme of this contents page is white, blue, and black. This colour scheme will probably carry on through the issue. All of the page numbers are bolder than the other writing which makes them stand out more against the white background.

There are 4 images on the page so it doesn’t look over crowed which will make it appeal to a more mature audience, also when there is not too many pictures on the page the ones that are there stand out when you first look at the page and again like in Q magazines contents page the page numbers are put in the corners of the pictures so you can see instantly where that feature will be in the magazine, this feature seems to be a convention in music magazine from the ones I have looked at so far.

Analysis of top of the pops magazine double page spread

The double page spread from Top of the pops magazine it is a feature about the Jonas brothers appearing in Camp rock, a Disney channel original movie. Top of the pops target audience is young teens and the Jonas brothers are a popular band with this target audience. The picture on this page is of the Jonas brothers posing with their instruments, the picture takes up half of this double page spread and slightly crosses the centre line which links the two pages together making the two pages look connected. Also the picture is on the right hand side which means that when the magazine is being flicked through they see the picture rather than the writing which will attract the young target audience. The font used is sans serif, this font keeps the page simple and less formal, and the handwritten font is used on this double page spread just like on the front cover of top of the pops I analysed, this makes it less formal and makes the page look more interesting. The colours on this page are bright, eye catching and girly, it uses a colour scheme of mainly pink, red and yellow but also incorporates blue white and black. There is quite a few different colours on this page and the page look busy and crowded however this will attract the magazines target audience of young teens and pre- teens. This main feature of the double page spread is an interview with the band. It is set out in two columns which isn’t the common convention of article which are normally in 3 columns as this makes the page look more aesthetically pleasing. There is a quote in the middle of these two columns which stands out from the rest of the page, this quote has to be punchy and interesting to the target audience so when they are flicking through the magazine they notice it at first glimpse of the double page spread.

Analysis of Q magazine double page spread

This double page spread features take that, a very popular pop band. The main image on this double page spread is of take that, they are standing in a line behind each other and all looking to the camera which helps the audience to connect with this article and picture. The image is quite creative as all you can see is there eyes and it is in black and white which fits with Q’s image, this image also show a lot about who this magazine is aimed at, you can tell from the image it is for a more mature audience who will see this creativity. There is a quote from the main article on the left-hand page of this double page spread, it is in a different larger font that the rest of the text, this attracts the reader’s attention. The quote is in same bright red colour as the Q brand logo on the other page, having these in the same colour links the two pages together. The title of this article is simply ‘take THAT’ this is straight to the point a precise as a more mature audience does not need to be drawn in to an article by the title, as they probably bought the magazine to read about take that. This title stands out and gives a sense of creativity as the ‘take’ is in italics and ‘THAT’ is in capitals. All of the text on the Q&A page of the double page spread is in a more sophisticated font and all the text is in black, this gives connotations of being for a more mature audience and that take that as a band are becoming more mature. The language used in this double page spread is quite informal with artists using words such as ‘dunno’ this will make the audience connect more with the what is being said as this is a word regularly used by the target audience of late teens to young adults.

Analysis of Billboard magazine double page spread

This double page spread is from billboard magazine whose target audience is mainly females of late teen to young adult age. The feature on this double page spread is of Rihanna who is a popular artist with this target audience. This double page spread has a lot of writing on it and few images with text set out on three columns on each page. The way this is set out I common layout often used in all magazine to help the aesthetics of the page. There is a quote on the left-hand page it is in a larger font to the rest of the text which makes it stand out from the article. It also introduces the colour of hot pink, which makes it stand out even more. There are only 3 pictures on the page, one medium sized image of Rihanna performing, and two smaller images of Rihanna with other people. These break up the text slightly so it looks a bit more interesting. The font used on all the text on this double page spread is sans serif, this will appeal to the target audience as it is simple and modern and makes the page look edgy, this may also be a connotation of Rihanna’s music and personality. The first line of the article is in a bigger font than the rest of the text. This is once again used to grab the attention of the readers. The colour scheme of this double page spread is black ,pink and white, the background is white and plain, however this makes the writing of black and pink stand out more and these colour scheme is quite girly and this will attract the female target audience. I personally think there is too much writing on this page and I do not think it is very attractive or interesting, but I do like the colour scheme.

Analysis of Q magazine double page spread

This double page spread features take Florence Welch from Florence and the machine. The main image is of Florence sitting on an American flag looking to the camera which helps the audience to connect with this article and picture. The image is once again quite creative as most images from Q magazine seem to be, it also crosses the centre line making the pages tie together. There is an introduction before the main article on the right-hand page of this double page spread, it is in a different larger font that the rest of the text, this attracts the reader’s attention. The introduction highlights Florence’s name in a different colour so it is clear this article is about Florence Welch not Florence and the machine. The title of this is song lyrics by this artist this will make readers know who this is about without reading into it. Most of the text on the double page spread is in a sans serif font, this is because it is more simple and easier to read, however the drop capital and the title are in a serif font which looks more sophisticated font and all the text is in black, this gives connotations of being for a more mature audience. The layout of the text on this page is in 3 columns which is the way articles are normally set out. I like this double page spread and I think it works very well.

Analysis of vibe magazine double page spread

This double page spread is from vibe magazine, this magazine is a slightly different genre to previous analysis’s I have done but I like the layout and design of this double page spread and it caught my eye whilst looking through the magazine. The main colour scheme for this double page spread is white, grey/black and blue, these colours are not very girly but the page still looks to attract the female audience. The article is set out in a 3 column layout even though on the right hand side page there is only 2 columns a third would fit in. The font used is sans serif which is modern and simple which represents the style of music this double page spread is about. There is an introduction before the main article on the left-hand page of this double page spread, it is in a different larger font that the rest of the text, this attracts the reader’s attention. The introduction highlights the artists name in a different colour so it is clear this article is about, and will draw in attention of the fans of the artist.

Week Two Diary Entry

Week two

Date- 8^th February – 15^th February

This week I looked into the genre of music I wanted to focus on for my magazine. I looked at magazines like NME, Kerrang and Mojo but they were not the kind of magazines I wanted to do so I looked at magazines such as Q and top of the pops, which I liked a lot better. As I then had a more clear idea of what genre I wanted to do I started to analyse the codes and conventions of pop music magazines, so I started to analyse front covers, contents pages and double page spreads of music magazines I looked at the colour schemes, the pictures, the fonts, the layout and the content of the magazines, and I analysed 5 front covers, 5 contents pages and 5 double page spreads for pop genre music magazines.