1. Q7. Looking back at your
preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in
the progression from it to
the full product?
Holly Beaumont

2. Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?

3. When I initially completed my preliminary task I felt
happy with it. Looking back I now understand that
there are various areas which could be changed in
relation to making it look more conventional,
contributing to the professional ‘look’ of the
magazine.
When I first began creating my preliminary task front
cover, all of the technology was new to me, meaning
the final product is likely to not be of a high standard
as opposed to if I had experience with using
technologies such as Photoshop.
Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?
Magazines which follow conventions help contribute to
ensuring it looks a lot more industry standard as opposed to
not having some sort of structure to follow, as this would
make it look shabby and unprofessional.

4. CONVENTIONS:
Main Image:
Header:
Masthead:
Selling Line:
Price:
Date Line:
Barcode:
Main Cover Line:
Footer Bar:
Pull Quote:
Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task,
what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?

5. UNUSED CONVENTIONS:
+ Header
+ Selling Line
+ Price
+ Footer Bar
+ Pull Quote
During the production of my magazine, from the list of
conventions on the previous slide, 5 were not used.
On reflection, I can now see that the use of a header
would ensure that my reader find the magazine
appealing enough to read it. A header would also
potentially lure them in due to it giving the audience an
insight into the content within the magazine. Similarly, a
footer could have been included for reasons such as this.
A sell line would also contribute to making my magazine
more conventional due to the fact that it entices the
audience. A catchy sell line would give the magazine a
light-hearted, relaxed feel; perfect for college life.
The price is one of the main conventions which should be
included on any genre magazine, although, I think the
reason behind not using this convention is simply due to
not acknowledging this as an important convention. After
progressing to the production of my music magazine, I
know understand that it is vital.
I decided not to use a pull quote on the front cover of
this magazine due to the fact that it is a magazine which
is not necessarily article- heavy; it does not feature
‘celebrities’ which can be used as a major selling point;
making it irrelevant.

6. CONVENTIONS:
Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task,
what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?
Main Image:
Skyline:
Masthead:
Sell Lines:
Price:
Date Line:
Barcode:
Main Cover Line:
Footer Bar:
Pull Quote:
Anchorage text:
Puff:
House Style:

7. UNUSED CONVENTIONS:
After identifying the conventions of
magazines on the previous slide, my
magazine includes 12/13 of these. The
reason behind not using a footer is
due to the fact that I did not feel as
though it was necessary in relation to
the fact that my magazine already
includes a header, giving the audience
insight into the features within the
magazine. Although, if I was to go back
and change something about this
magazine it would be to include a
footer which includes information
about subscriptions/competitions
within the magazine as it does not
contain any at this point in time.

8. SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS I CONFORMED TO:
The first convention I conformed to was
including the issue date and price twice on
the cover of my product. The reason I
placed this on the barcode is due to the fact
that it makes the product appear a lot more
industry standard as a result. This is
common within music magazines as if a
customer is unaware of its price, they are
more than likely going to check the barcode
– therefore I have covered all bases.
The masthead is situated to the left had
side of the product, this once again
conforms to conventions due to it
replicating the layout of already existing
products once again making it industry
standard.
A selection of fonts were used in the
production of my music magazine, this
gives the product more variation and
appeals to a wider audience as a result.
I decided to add a puff to my front cover due to it
being another source that is likely to lure in
customers as it may appeal to a certain interest of
theirs and therefore result in them purchasing the
product.

9. CHANGES I WOULD MAKE:
I would be more likely to add a subscription
option to the front of the magazine to attract
potential customers as the yearly price is likely to
be cheaper as opposed to singular payments,
therefore allowing customers to pay for the
product in that way, making it even less
financially demanding; making it easier for my
demographic to purchase and therefore more
appealing.
I would also, as stated previously, include a
footer on the bottom of the magazine to lure in
potential customers due to giving them a brief
insight into what my magazine has to offer. This
would include the advertisement of
competitions or subscriptions due to these areas
being one of the highly voted elements which my
audience would like to see. The fact that these
would be presented on the front cover would
secure a purchase on their behalf.

10. OVERALL:
The preliminary task allowed me to become familiar with the software I needed to use
for my music magazine in relation to using Photoshop to edit photos, text and
manipulate particular features.
The comparison between both my preliminary task, and final products also allowed
me to develop knowledge in relation to maintain a house style and create continuity
throughout my magazine. My final product follows much more of a strict plan
regarding colour scheme and conforming to conventions, this was continued
throughout my magazine to ensure continuity was maintained.
The fact that I had this initial experience made me feel a lot more confident regarding
conventions of a music magazine and how to use them effectively. The feedback from
my peers in relation to my preliminary task enabled me to make changes to ensure I
would not make the same mistakes on my music magazine. It highlighted areas with
an issue and allowed me to improve them. The improvements helped me ensure my
music magazine front cover was completed to the highest possible standard.