How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent a social group or issues?
I recorded my answer, inspired by the idea of a podcast:
I also included my written answer, as it is more complex and long, in order to allow you to follow it step by step:
When analyzing my product – Same- and the ways in which it uses or challenges conventions, I believe that it stands out from most of the mainstream culture genres. It does not follow the expected and the common patterns mainly because the cultural topic together with a psychological perspective are not often published or found in stores, this construct a very useful combination for the readers which can benefit from it. I planned my magazine, in order to rich one of my objectives which is to create a high quality USP product .
In order to intrigue the audience, I chose to interpret a distinct topic for my magazine which reflects my personal mindset and ideas. However, I was also inspired by some specific conventions of several artists and magazines from the similar genre.
The cover brakes the typical conventions through its differentiation, through the lack of common characteristics of culture magazines such as headlines, taglines, pull out quotes and bar codes- this decision was based on the results of the target audience questionnaire , and my desire to create a focused and centered magazine on cultural and psychological perspective, rather than a standard or commercial one. On the cover, for the main image, I chose an uncommon design constructed by three divided faces, each representing a person from a different continent in which I traveled, each with a different background . The cover transmits that we are all complementary, I was inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy that is often translated as “I am because we are”; “The belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity” - which originates from South Africa.
In terms of the purpose of this cover I wanted to apply a strategy that emphasizes that all of us come from different places and, although we have different life perspectives, our common subconscious allows us to do more together than alone. I also added some horizontal and vertical lines that divides the cover by adding it a subtitle connection between the three photos, to create a harmony between them shaping an entire face. Meanwhile, the lines also individualize them – concept used to emphasize that we are also heaving different “parts”. I wanted to allow the readers to decode the links between the main image and the masthead, which is written in a linear and continuous way with a bright blue and a black shade. The masthead it’s visually positioned, on the upper corner of the page and can be easily recognizable, strategy that is used usually in conventions of similar genres.
I subtly added the dateline on the upper left corner, under the headline, to conduct the audience's attention to the main image. All these elements contribute to the impact that the cover has and to the message that is reflects into the eyes of the reader.
Furthermore, the entire table of contents is pretty conventional, it is reflecting a free and open-minded style while still respecting the guidelines. Framed on a double spread page allowing a larger visual perspective . It includes the content title which decoratively, defines the purpose of the page. I added between “t” and “e” an “in” transforming it in “Continents” and, in order to create a symmetric composition and a link with the title, I also added a sketchy map with the continents. The page also includes the headlines of each article and editorial together with page numbers.
A more unusual part of the contents includes the yellow lines that I used to make the connection between each photo and to emphasize the idea of unity, which can be retrieved also in the content of each article.
There is a strong relationship between each of the 5 articles, together composing the connotation of “SAME”. The first and the last article, together connotes the theory of a famous psychologist Carl Jung and an Athenian philosopher “Plato”, that says that the collective subconscious is created from archetypes. Those theories have a strong correlation with culturalism, which integrates the “Personal subconscious” mind and the “Persona”- which reflects the appearance that we are creating when interacting with the world. All the articles gravitate around the Jungian psychology, and creates “The map of the soul”. The articles stands out, in a way from the main conventions, firstly because they are only 5 of them, although each of them is very consistent, and secondly because they are very in depth and transmit a really strong and intriguing theories. I used a strategy to give a better flow and rhythm to the magazines reader, by intersecting long articles- 10 pg., with smaller ones- 5 pg.
I decided to use a simple but interesting background- by doing a spontaneous photos hoot to my bed-sheets, for the main image, in order to settle a flowing and simple composition by attracting the attention of the readers to the titles of the articles and the photos.
The contents also contain an email address of “SAME”: www.same.org, in the bottom corner of the page trough which me and the audience can maintain the communication.
DOUBLE SPREAD
When creating the double spread page for my magazine I considered conventions, by placing the main image on the left side of the page, also, the main image compose the centerpiece of the page, by attracting the attention and make a strong impact. Also, the image that I chose helped me in catching the reader's interests, as the model’s eyes are very special and impactant.
The second element that attract the attention of the audience represents the Headline - “ Archetype” which, as in the usual conventions, is written bigger than the other parts of the article, inspiring in the same time an original an unusual meaning.
The color palette from the double spread is similar with the cover colors. I used as a main color a bright blue, which I also used it for the masthead on the cover, from which I created 2 more others blue tones which, together with white compose a synergy for the readers and built a balance between the image colors and the text colors.
The folio is written subtitle, in order to don’t distract the reader's attention from the composition of the page, but still visible, as it’s important to have a certain structure of the magazine.
How does your magazine represent social groups or issues?
My magazine tends to represent the unicity and the importance of every culture and the way we see the world through different perspectives. Therefore, my target audience is not limited to a certain culture and age – people from all over the world will empathize with “SAME’s” content. The magazine also emphasizes the usual fear of being different and unique. Many people from different cultures tend to ignore their own selves and to change themselves in order to integrate in a social group or situation. In order to assume unicity people, must develop their self-confidence and to realize that we are all different but in the same time we are all the SAME.
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