A2 Media coursework evaluation question

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP
OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

2. RESEARCH
• Before I started the creation process for any of my advanced portfolio, I
conducted research into existing products. I wanted to establish what the
generic conventions were for each of the products I would be creating.
• Once I had done the initial research into what the generic conventions were
for each, I then had to decide which to include in the design of my work and
how much I wanted to differ or relate to existing products.
• I didn’t want to use every generic convention I had researched because I
wanted to create unique products, but I did include some because while I
wanted to create a stand out product, I also didn’t want to confuse the
audience by differing too much from their existing expectations of media
products and styles used.

3. NAME AND LOGO
• Typical conventions for a TV channel name and logo:
• The name should give the audience some idea of what the product/service is
• The logo is usually the introduction of the product/service to the audience, so it
should help to establish the brand identity and present at least the start of a
clear house style.
• The house style is shown through the colours used, font and any graphics.
• One of the most important features for the logo to include is the name of the
product/service
• The logo should be kept quite simple so that it is easily recognisable for the
audience. This also helps to make the logo more versatile and appropriate for
use on different platforms.
• The logo should appeal to different audiences and create some interest in the
product.

4. • By choosing the name ‘Food Hub TV’ for my TV channel, it is made
very clear to the audience straight away that it is a TV channel and
what the chosen genre is, giving the audience a very clear idea of
what the brand is.
• The logo helps to establish the house style that I used throughout my
main and ancillary products through the colours and the font used.
• I also included the name as the main feature of the logo.
• I chose to include a small graphic of a plat and cutlery in the centre
of the lower half of the logo so that the genre was reinforced to the
audience. I used a simple 2D graphic so that the logo wouldn’t be too
complex and so that it would still be recognisable at a smaller size.

5. ADVERTS
• They are usually quite small and often featured on a page alongside lots of
other content.
• They are usually landscape and rectangles, although the proportions can
vary based on what other content is on the page, or if the advert is the size
of the entire page.
• There isn’t much text/information included, usually only main contact
details, a web address, any relevant dates, and not much else.
• The logo is included very clearly, but can be in various positions across the
advert.
• There is usually one solid background colour used, rather than a pattern or
an image.

6. • I made all of the adverts rectangular, but challenged the generic convention with one of them
and made it portrait rather than landscape like the other two. This is so that there would be
more of a variety of advertising for my product and so that it would be appropriate to use
across different media paltforms and in different contexts as part of a wider marketing
campaign.
• I didn’t follow the convention of using a solid background colour, and chose to instead do a
collage, and use an image as the background. This helped to establish the genre clearly for the
audience and create more interest in the product. This also challenged the convention of only
including one image in an advert. I used the same images, but didn’t use all three in each of
the ads. This helped to create a house style and a recognizable brand for the audience.
• I followed the convention of having a clear house style across all of the products through the
font, colour and image choices.
• I developed the convention of the amount of text included in each advert. I included less than is
generally used because I only wanted to include the most relevant information, which was the
web address, name of the channel and the channel’s tag line.

7. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
• There is generally one large image, usually including people. If the image features people, direct address is
usually used to make the product feel more personal to the audience, celebrities are also often used to
appeal to the audience and sell the product. The main image is usually on the left page, sometimes spreading
across whole page. The main image always relates to article. Secondary images aren’t always used, but when
they are they break up the text and help to carry attention across the page.
• A quote from the article can be used at some point on the page, either as the headline or in a larger font to
break up the text at some point on the page. This helps to grab the reader’s attention and increase interest
for the content of the article. Interviews are often used for double page spreads. The headline is usually short
and informal, helping to grab the attention of the reader.
• The main text on the page is usually size 11, aerial, and printed in 2-4 columns. Using columns breaks up
the text and makes the article look less daunting for the audience to read. A different font can connote
genre. Headline is the largest text on the page. Drop capitals.
• Other conventions of a double page spread are the page number, magazine name and a clear colour scheme.
This is usually simple and tends to follow the magazine’s house style.

8. • By using some of these generic conventions for my double page spread, it made all of the
information I wanted to get across to the audience clear and concise.
• As well as using some of the generic conventions for double page spreads, I did develop
and not use some of them so that my article would be more interesting for the audience
and would be more memorable for them.
• I chose to not follow the convention of including people in the main image on my page,
instead choosing to only use images of food. This made the genre very clear to the
audience, helping to increase interest in the site. Also, by not including people, no
specific age group, gender or race was marginalized by any people featured - or not
featured. This helped increase the appeal of my product across a wider audience.
• I also chose not to make my article an interview because it was to advertise the launch of
the channel and I felt that an interview would not suit this purpose. Instead, I chose to
include more in depth information about the series and programmes available on the
channel and site, increasing reader interest and making them more likely to want to visit
the site.

9. WEBSITE
• A navigation bar across the top of the page is very common, although sometimes it is placed
across the left side of the site. This bar includes links to different pages on the site, giving the
audience an easy way to navigate the site and content provided. A search bar is almost always
present somewhere on the site to make content easier to find for the audience. The logo
placement is always very clear to the audience across all of the pages.
• A solid background colour is a very common feature, rather than using a pattern or images, so
that the focus is on the content of the site and not distracted by the background. A house style
is created/established quite quickly across the page. Usually there is a consistent font or two,
as well as a simple colour scheme.
• Social media links or a small feed is common, advertising another service/platform for the
audience to interact with.
• There are usually lots of images/banners/thumbnails used across the homepage, as well as
videos. There are usually articles/posts alongside pictures and videos to give the audience a
variety of content.

10. • Using some of the generic conventions helped me to establish the genre quickly, giving the audience
information quickly and visually. Having the generic conventions known and accessible while creating
my products was very useful because it helped to initiate some of the production by giving be a base
to start from, as well as helping me with ideas for development from some of these conventions.
• Having knowledge of generic conventions also helped me with the organisation of the content on my
site, helping provide information quicker and easier to the audience. This also made it more likely
that the audience would spend more time on the site because it looks professional and easy to
navigate. It also makes them more likely to revisit the site because the purpose of their use is most
likely easily fulfilled and efficient.
• One way I challenged existing conventions was that I chose not to include text posts on the
homepage. I chose to include more images/thumbnails with links so that the genre was established
quicker and easier, as well as making the home page more interactive with the audience by having
links that they could click to then go directly to the posts.
• I followed the convention of having a navigation bar and including this across the top of the page.
This feature stayed consistent throughout the site so that there was a clear consistent style as well as
making the site more user friendly. The logo was also included across this bar so that it was clear to
the audience.
• I also chose to include social media feeds on some of the pages, although I developed this convention
by not including them on all of the individual pages so that the posts and other features would be
more clear to the audience without overloading them with content.