When finding out that our coursework tasks were centered around creating a music magazine, I immediately thought of the ways that I could make my magazine look like ones that already exist. Because of this, many, if not all of the features found on my front cover, contents page and feature article conform to the conventions of real media products. The conventions that music magazines follow are seemingly endless in the way that they contain conventions found in every type, style and genre of magazine such as a large-sized masthead, striking main image and various cover lines but they also have conventions that only magazines dedicated to music will own. These conventions consist of having band indexes, gig guides and music reviews. Not every music magazine will have these features; some magazines like to challenge the conventions of their own genre in order to stand out and steal the attention of an audience in such a competitive market. I decided to conform to the conventions of magazines in regards to who it was aimed at. The majority of music magazines are aimed at men and will be found in their publishers' archive titled "Young Men and Music" (or something along those lines) and this is only one of the ways my magazine confirms; JAKD is aimed at a young and mostly male audience interested in a wide range of music starting at indie and acoustic to rock and punk.
Looking at my Front Cover
I think that my front cover uses many forms found on magazines. The masthead is in the same place as you will find it on many other magazines- towards the top of the page. The design of the masthead may not be the same as you would find on a fashion magazine or teen magazine because of the jaggered edges and bold print. The title is also extremely different to those found on pop-music magazines etc. The print in the title makes my magazine stand out. Although the positioning and presence of a masthead don't challenge the forms and conventions of other magazines, the design and print does; mastheads are usually a plain colour because the editors like to think that their readers will be loyal and continue to buy the magazine without the fancy designs creating their brand name. Although I hope to gain a loyal and regular audience I felt that incorporating the union jack pattern reinforces the kind of music my magazine focuses on as well as the type of cultural contexts the readers of my magazine relate to. The work JAKD itself comes from the object 'guitar jack' which is something that connects a guitar to the speakers. I felt that this word was fitting for a music magazine as it links to the way my music magazine connects the music with the people (replacing the guitar and the jack)
The date line and issue details around the bar code are conventional in the way that they are small and not a very glamorous part of the magazine. I tried to make them fit in with the house style of my magazine by varying the sizes of the words on the white backgrounds. I also gave the boxes they are placed in an angle that wasn't straight to make it work with the other boxes of this type on the magazine. The fact these are present on my front cover is conventional to magazines however the tweaks and edits I made to them aren't as you find them on some other magazines. This doesn't mean that my magazine challenges the codes and conventions of music magazines as it isn't a feature specific to this genre of magazine.
The main cover line on my front cover is bigger than the image itself. I think this is a downfall to the design of my magazine however I feel that it emphasises the importance of the article. I got inspiration from NME magazine and because of this I think that my magazine's main cover line does confirm to the conventions and forms of other music magazines as it is similar to some of those found on NME's front covers. These kind of main cover line's are found on the covers of some "gossip" magazines (Heat). I think that this could make my magazine appear to be unreliable and "fake" but I think that it could also make my magazine appear more colloquial and entertaining which is the mode of address I planned to use.
I think that the main image(s) on my front cover confirm to the conventions of music magazines in the way that they are more "angry" or "moody" than those found on fashion and celebrity magazines. The particular gesture the young man is making is typical to rock culture and this gesture is often seen being done by audiences at gigs and festivals when a band that would be mentioned in my magazine are playing. The fact that there are three 'main' images could challenge the conventions of some magazines as there is usually only one however when compared to NME magazine and even Kerrang!, having more than one main image on the front cover is not unconventional at all.
Looking at my Contents Page
My contents page uses many conventional features and because of this I am pleased with the way it has turned out. Contents pages vary between magazines; fashion magazines will have images of clothes and fashion shoots, celebrity / gossip magazines will have various images of celebrities and TV shows and music magazines will have photos of bands, live shows and can usually contain a band index. Despite not having any live photos or a band index, I feel that my magazine confirms to the conventions of a general contents page regardless of its genre. The colours on my contents page are the same ones that are found on both my front cover and the feature page; I limited myself to two main colours (yellow and red) as these are bright and eye-catching but the combination doesn't give links to pop culture.
One feature of my contents page that uses the forms of other magazine contetns pages is the 'Letter from the Editor' section. Magazines include these into their magazines to make their audiences feel as though they know the magazine; they are getting a direct letter from the editor that is being shared with their fellow readers and fans and this gives their readers a sense of belonging to a certain group. I included this into my magazine to ensure that there wasn't an empty space as well as the reason mentioned above - I wanted my readers to feel included in the magazine. This letter also allows people to gain a quick insight into what the best features are in the magazine according to their editor.
I gained inspiration from an NME contents pages. I liked how this contents page was different from others in their layout (the conventional collumn dedicated to features and regulars, editor's letter and the issue number. I think that this is quite an unconvetional contents page because of this and I feel that this is why it grabbed my attention. I took inspiration from the way the sections were serparated; the collumns on the page are divided by a thin black line and I incorperated this into my magazine instead of using text boxes and borders around each photograph. Although this contents page doesn't have the collumn containing the contents, I felt that I needed to include this so that there was a difference between the two. I used a bold background to the headers so that they stood out and I used the colour red as this was one of the main colours on my front cover; there is a clear link and theme running through the magazine this way and it gives the aduience the sense that the magazine flows. I am pleased with the way this contents page turned out as it looks like a real media product; the features I included confirm to the conventions well and the fact that this magazine was designed by a student is not obvious. The photos I used are varied as I wanted to establish the fact that my magazine was for people who internalise the lifestyle and cultural contexts of the magazine; I included more artisitc and contemporary images (Michael Frazer) and some natural and mundain images (George K). These images suggest that although my magazine is a dedicated music media product, the interests in other hobbies and interests are there. This shows that my magazine understands the values of it's readers. If anything, I feel that there is too much text on my contents page given the amount writing I did for the editor's note. Looking at my Feature Page
I think that my feature page is quite similar to those found in NME magazine. Unlike the front cover and the contents page I have added blue as my third main colour. I did this to break up the page more and give it more variety. Conventional features found on a main article include images, a big and bold title, drop caps, gutters, columns and pull quotes. My magazine feature page is conventional in the way that it has a title that stands out and makes it clear as to what the page is about. This heading uses a variety of fonts and sizes and this represents the music styles the magazine features; varied.
I added an introduction to the article to suggest that there were pages belonging to this feature but they just haven't been displayed. Choosing an article on the best albums suggests that my magazine knows a lot about the music it features and that they have an understanding of what people like to listen too. The layout of this page was composed to try and make it look 'fun' and 'retro' as some of these albums are relatively old. This links to my target audience because it acts as a reminder of the music they used to listen to or have seen about in the magazine in previous issues; it's like a page in my magazine that is going through the memories of music it has shared with it's audience. This suggests that the readers of my magazine have a lifestyle like the one my magazine is trying to inflict; if they read this page and remember a song from this album or remember an article about this album, they also remember how long they've been reading my magazine and the ways in which it has helped them with their musical tastes.
The main article is split into three sections; it is divided between the three top albums with the biggest part being for the top album. Each section gives an insight into the album and the editor's opinion is given. I felt that this would be the kind of article my target audience would enjoy given that they enjoy things such as indie and punk music. Giving an opinion in each of these sections means that the readers can take on board these thoughts and use them to understand their own preferences. Not that my magazine effectively 'brainwashes' it's readers but I feel as though the lifestyle these readers lead can be influenced by the thoughts and opinions found in my magazine.
The fact that I have both an article and an interview on my feature pages isn't really conventional of magazines as it is usually one or the other however the individual features are conventional. The article gives brief information about what it is talking about and contains opinions of those writing it. This can be found in many magazines however some may not include opinions but may contain more facts. The interview uses forms that every magazine uses by having brackets that include gestures and noises that aren't speech and the names of the interviewer and interviewee. This makes the interview easier for the readers to understand.
Adding text that mentions what is going to be in the magazine in the next issue is something that can be found in almost every magazine. This is done to inspire new readers to become regular buyers; if they are able to see what is going to be in the next issue they may make a mental note and buy it when it is released. I did this so that it is clear to see how each issue of my magazine is going to link. This suggest that my magazine has a unique selling point, or at least, something that it prides it prides itself on (lists and reviews).
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