Evaluation Essay

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 The magazine I chose to create is a indie/rock magazine. I chose this theme because it’s something I can relate to, and I find easy to represent the typical codes and conventions of the indie genre. 

 My Front Cover’s conventions included a Masthead that suited the magazine; I added an effect on the text to make the masthead look as though it had been sprayed on the magazine. The ‘graffiti’ look continues throughout the magazine as I feel that the urban backgrounds and text convey with the indie stereotype. The header at the top is an artistic font, this font flows throughout the magazine; I chose this font because it represents some graffiti text which ties in with the urban theme of the magazine. My sell lines I have placed on a banner because I found it difficult to write them on the brick wall background; I chose to put them on a banner because they stand out from the wall so it makes it easier for the audience to read. I added in popular social networking sites to appeal to the target audience of my magazine, these images may attract the audience from the social networking sites to buy the magazine. 

 For my Contents Page I chose to follow the same theme as my front cover, I have a mid shot of the same model as on my front page standing up against a wall with street art on it as my background. I discovered this street art in the middle of a vintage market, this conveys with the stereotype of indie, as the market sold the clothes that most, if not all, of the indie population wear. The street art also flows well with the text I added in. The fact that it is street art ties in well with the theme of the magazine I think this picture is a lot more formal, showing a form of professionalism in the magazine and that its not all about graffitied walls, it also involves a sense of art. The text I have used is different to the front cover, giving the contents page its own style of design. I used the bottom right hand of the page for a ‘news’ section, this makes the magazine more formal, but I warped the text so it wasn’t like reading a news paper article.

I decided for my magazine to do two introduction pages. 

 My first introduction page was made with the same model that I have used throughout the magazine, I used this photo because the model is looking out into the distance with the caption ‘Ambition’ and the phonetic spelling underneath. The use of the water and the distance that the model is looking out into represents looking ahead in the future and following your ambition. There is no graffiti in this page but there is the same font that i used on the front cover, this acts as a slow transition into the magazine, still following the them of font, but without the graffiti style; this would allow freedom to design to whatever theme I would want after this page, it also calms the magazine down instead of being very loud and outstanding it makes it easier to read and allows the audience to relax and read the magazine. 

 My second introduction page used a different model and several effects. I first made the picture black and white to make the shutter speed photo stand out more, I edited the lights to look as though the text was coming out of them. I used these colours and effects to convey with the theme of urban street, although this picture didn’t originally contain graffiti I added subtle graffiti onto the banisters with the models name and the month the issue was going to be published; this was to continue the theme of the magazine. Although the dress and look of the model isn’t very ‘indie’ he does show signs of the indie genre, his hairstyle conveys with the stereotypical view of an indie person. 

 My article page was designed to be simple, I allowed the sign ‘brick lane’ to be visible because this is where I got all my photography for the magazine, I also allowed the model to be visible as the article is on him. The text I used is the same as the front page and introduction page. It is in an urban graffiti area which conveys with the them. The picture i took is a long shot of the model and wall; I chose this shot because it got his full body in which shows his casual stance, it  also allowed me to get the brick lane sign in and the graffiti to tie in with my theme.