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For a music magazine to look professional there are certain conventions it needs to have. For
example it must have a front cover, a double page spread, the editors letter, a contents page, and
advertisements.
The front cover is the most important at first sight, as that is what will attract the readers. To make
a successful front cover it must include; the magazine’s title, the strapline or tagline, different fonts
and colours used, the main image, the anchorage and cover lines. Perhaps any other tactics; lures,
celebrities, ‘freebies’, even the amount of exclamation marks!
A typical DPS will have two or three columns for your text, horizontal as well as vertical, almost
book-like. Sidebars, text wrapped around images and photos which bleed across the grid line. For
my magazine I used three columns for my text, before I started to decide which design I would use
I did some research on different DPS pages. I have used all my images in black and white which
could be a risk but I believe my pages have worked better with no colours, as did my audience
feedback- 97% agreed it looked better than the colour pages.
For the contents page it s important to remember that they offer an overview of the features inside,
as well as the brand identity of the title. There are all different types of contents pages, however all
of them have page numbers, some more specific than others, and they have the main features and
reviews of the magazine. Some include more than one picture and some only the main photo. A
page number is not necessary, however typically would be around pages 2-3. You would always
see the title of your magazine somewhere else on the page. I used one column for my contents, as
my picture was quite strong I didn’t want to over crowd the page I used a more simple design. I
labeled it page 3, and put the name of my magazine ‘URBAN’ in the left right hand corner with my
page number. There is only one image on my contents, as otherwise it would become cluttered.
In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
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My magazine is targeted at both sexes, from the ages 16 to about 20 years old. This
meant I had to make it attractive for both genders, including multi-sex cover lines and
content.
On the front cover I used a male model however the cover lines talk about albums,
festivals and fashion. Tyler Ryan is the made-up celebrity I have used for my
magazine. He was part of a band who recently split up, called “Little Comets” who are
a popular, multi gender band.
The colours I have chosen are red, grey, black, and white, they are mainly unisex
colours and invite a wide range of readers. These colours were approved by a number
of students from my college who did a vote on which colours would work best for
both genders.
There is a free “Passenger CD” sticker on the top left corner, this is not only a very
popular, well- known artist, but a lure to attract readers, to make them feel that they
are getting their moneys worth.
The front cover talks about having an “exclusive” interview with Tyler Ryan, the word
exclusive is key because it makes the interview seem as if it is only featured in this
mag, it makes the reader feel special reading about it. It gives the audience a
a chance to connect with URBAN as well as being a part of the interview. I
believe my magazine gives a lot for both male and female, which also could
save money for students, as they can share it, as it is suitable for both.
How did you attract/address your audience?
