QUESTION 1

A) What forms and conventions did you identify through your research?
Through my research I have found out it is typical for an extravagant masthead to be used which has to
represent the brands identity through the TYPEFACE, colour scheme and graphology of the text. It is also
seen to be conventional to have the content to be showcased on the exterior with a combination of formal
and informal writing in order to draw in the target audience of young teens as this writing choice is most
appealing to teenagers. Another convention I have identified through my research is the use of a set
colour scheme which usually themes throughout the magazine as this is shown to have the most
professional affect and therefore make the magazine achieve its goal of selling more copies to its taget
audience. Most of the magazines I have analysed use the colours red,grey, white and black which means I
had to try and mimic this for maximum efficiency. These colours have been chosen to give a modern yet
retro effect for the style and this technique is shown in magazines such as Indie and Clash which tone
down the brighter colours on both the picture and editing which means any bright colours were dulled to
create the most conventional look. The indie rock magazines I have analysed have been seen to advertise
many brands within the content so it was important I added this to mine as magazines such as kerrang
have advertised relevant brands on many different pages. The choice of photo is usually representing the
artists style in how they want to be portrayed. In the magazines I have analysed it is shown to create an
independent style which goes against the norm and goes against the typical monopolisation of musician
characters. Another key convention for indie music is the style which typically means using the retro and
unique look with a mix between urban and rural settings to show the hybrid genres diversity and style
within the picture or artist depiction. This research was the main resource for how I created my magazine
as I had to ensure I used the most typical connotations for indie rock. Another typical convention used for
indie rock is the use of an obvious mise-en-scene within the pictures and this means using the correct
artist choice, the correct setting for the genre so a mix between urban and rural for optimum indie impact.
This also means using the props to the focus point so this could be the use of drum sticks or a guitar to
make the rock genre show through. Stereotypically the story for the double Page spread will be informal as
it will have an informal topic which is being explained by a professional in the topic such as a band
member talking about something that could be illegal so if it was put into formal text it would ruin the
emphasis on the story being told making it less interesting. Finally it is typical for my magazine to have
QUESTION 1

B) Did you aim to conform or challenge conventions in your product and was this
achieved?
When creating my product, I had the aim to both conform and adapt within the conventions as I felt
some of the conventions could be improved to match the certain style of indie rock I had chosen. I
chose to specify with modern indie rock which is less associated with retro and more with links to
modern society adventure and extreme sports. This meant I chose to capitalise on this by focusing my
magazine on the modern sector and extreme sports with modern living. Furthermore, I tried to
emphasise the layout chosen to still keep the typical conventions of indie rock such as my typical
masthead I had chosen with a near identical layout plan for my three pieces to still keep the indie rock
effect as prominent as possible. I think I have achieved this to a certain extent as my layout still
matches magazines such as kerrang with the use of the sub stories being moulded around the picture
to create a professional style without compromising picture quality and effect. I also felt I mimicked
the colour scheme accurately as I have used all of the typical colours throughout which means I am
also conforming to the typical theme for the magazine as it doesnt vary between pages but shows a
steady, stable theme. It could be argued however that my content does challenge the typical themes
for and indie rock magazine as it doesnt give the correct connotations for my main story but this is
only the case as I have chosen to focus on one aspect of the genre which incorporates what is in my
opinion the most interesting aspect which is the modern concept in which shows the relationship with
extreme sports. I feel for what I wanted to achieve that I have achieved the correct photos for my
decided outcome but when reflecting I can see that some of the photos which showcase the extreme
sports could be miss interpreted and example is the double page spread using an image of
skateboarding which at first sight could be mistaken for a skateboard magazine but the story then
reverses this as it explains the important links with how each complement each other such as bands
wearing the others merchandise in support. I have achieved my conventions correctly as I have tried
to mirror a some of the most current indie rocks but also added a more modern and popular style so
this means fusing the indie magazine with Kerrang magazine in order to fur fill maximum potential.
This potential however could have been misinterpreted as my magazine could be seen to have a more
pop vibe which all though was unintended is an understandable representation.
QUESTION 6
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Whilst designing and creating my music magazine product I have expanded my knowledge vastly within certain aspects of media programming. I
have used already familiar programs such as word, PowerPoint and publisher which have been used in the intended ways. However, whilst using
publisher for my design process I now have a very clear understanding of how it works and how to edit my design in the most professional manner
for the most conventional design. I have also learnt to use new programs such as adobe Photoshop which I have found the most difficult to pick up
as this is the main aspect in which we had to teach ourselves. I have found that photo shopping a photo is a lengthy process, which all though
inflicts a minimal difference, can be the significant factor in creating the correct connotations for the music genre chosen so for an indie rock front
cover I had to try to create a slightly retro image by using effects. I have learnt how to sharpen an image whilst making it still look natural and
professional for modern indie rock. I have also been introduced to new presentation softwares such as Prezi, which has helped to create a more
diverse presentation method for my blog once embedded. I have ensured my use of Prezi means my blog has a more interesting and professional
structure when I was presenting my ideas. All of my work has been presented onto blogger, which was very easy to pick up, as it is a very
straightforward piece of software. Although presenting the ideas was an easy process, I had a lot of trouble with the blogger system as my work
kept on deleting so I had to keep re doing pieces and redoing pictures because I could not view my blogs contents as a school user so some of my
pictures and work were out of line meaning I had a slightly unprofessional look to the blog so I had to use an external user to make these
alterations. I have learnt how important the use of technologies are when creating any product in the media industry. This is shown as in modern
society the products are highly computerized when being produced so if I wanted to succeed in the industry I would have to learn how to master
design software has in order to create a professional product. Secondly, I could improve on my varieties so I should have used other technologies
such as padlet in order to make my design more diverse. The fact that media is such a technology based subject within our product design
process meant it effected every stage in some way. It effected my blog because I used blogger as the upload software as a collective from other
programs such as publisher and prezi. When editing my final photos I had to use adobe photo shop, which was a crucial tool when making my
photos look as professional as possible.