1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
I have chosen to answer this question in the form of a written interview (Q & A):
Q: What is your perspective regarding magazine conventions in reference to your final product?
A: My magazine, BONBON, does challenge many magazine conventions, in a meaningful way. I feel like my choice of breaking said conventions is validated by the fact that we live in an ever-changing, modern world, in which people stray from the regular in order to do something better than what was done before them, because, after all, we will never move forward if we keep doing the same thing forever.
Q: Can you give us insight on your thought process regarding the front cover of BONBON?
A: When looking at BONBON's cover photo, it is notable that it challenges conventions such as the headline, skyline, 'pull-out quotes', and captions. I have decided I wanted something simple, minimalistic for the cover photo, as I wished to create something for the people that look beyond the cover and into the content of the magazine without the need for all the other text, which is somehow distracting from the photography, which has its own message to transmit. I acknowledge that my magazine is at risk of not attracting as many readers with the lack of writing on the cover, but it may also seem interesting to people passing by a magazine stand, as it is quite unique and different from standard magazines.
Q: What conventions did you follow throughout the entire magazine?
A: While considering conventions that I did follow, it is worth mentioning that BONBON had an issue number, the table of contents containing article titles as well as the page they can be found at, as well as the headline on the double spread (albeit a bit distorted).
Q: How did you approach creating a compelling, modern Table of Contents for your magazine?
A: Regarding the 2nd and 3rd pages of BONBON (featured artist and table of contents), I followed most conventions of modern music/arts & culture magazines. However, when regarding the names of the articles and editorials in the table of contents, I did go a bit on the abstract side, and choosing words which would represent the theme of the articles/editorials, without giving away too much detail, thus keeping the content mysterious until the page is turned.
Q: And what was the motivation behind the 'Featured Artist' page?
A: On the Table of Contents spread I also chose to represent asian people through the photoshoot with my Chinese friend, Yidi. As asian firms are growing in artistic industries such as performing, practical, and fine arts, I thought it would be quite fit to subtly give hard-working asians credit for their struggle, as it may be hard to make it in a Western industry as Eastern people. It is also noted that K-Pop is growing exponentially in popularity, and, even though writing an article about something popular would boost product sales, the artist featured in BONBON is an alternative Chinese artist; this way, the magazine can offer readers new options regarding what they listen to/ watch/ buy and so on, while keeping their art spectrum fresh and boosting these lesser known skilled artists' popularity.
Q: Can you tell us more about the subject of the double spread, as well as the process of creating it?
A: In the double spread, I believe the biggest convention broken to be the depth of the subject addressed. As BONBON is a magazine primarily made for artists and art fans, I chose to give the readers an introspective into one of the most devastating feelings an artist may feel - portrayed through expressions, makeup, and candy (as stated in previous posts about the final product, feelings of helplessness, obsession, devotion, desperation). The text is also kept to a minimum, while on standard magazines there is a short article explaining the concept on the double spread.
My double spread is meant to serve as an introduction for the interview that is on the next two pages of the magazine. I have also played with text font, size, and layering, in order to create a more complex double spread - as the title of the editorial is 'SEESAW', I chose to split the word in half and place the two new words in different parts of the double spread - 'SEE' is less seeable. Next, I layered the text 'ENDLESS GAME OF SEESAW' in oder to make some parts more, and some parts less seeable, referring the words 'see' and 'saw'.
Q: What about the back cover?
A: For the back cover photo, I chose to use a photo from the same photoshoot as the front cover photo, somehow going full-circle in my mind. Usually magazines contain either something that makes a reference to the next issue of the magazine or something really simple and abstract. It is quite uncommon to see photos from the same photoshoot used for both the front and the back cover, however, it did fit my vision for my magazine, and I believe that I should be confident about my choices, even though they challenge conventions, as I spend time and energy on them, as I, like every other artist, want to make the choices that both represent myself, and have an aesthetic appeal.
Q: Was representing social groups or issues a priority for you when creating BONBON?
A: Overall, my product does not aim to represent social groups or issues as boldly as other magazines. I do understand the use of representing such things, however, my magazine aims to bring people with the same interest spectrum closer, and to be a happy, safe space for them to go into, in such a way that they do not think about the issues in the world, but of the beauty in it.
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