Task 6

 

I have finalised these images for my magazine as it will give the audience an insight on what my magazine is about and who it is mainly aimed at. the direct mode of address will attract the target audience and is very appealing, I have decided to use a variety of images so that it does not bore the audience and will make them want to read further on in the magazine.

Task 6- drafting and finalising house styles, drafts and layouts

Magazine presentation from Sharmili21

Task 5- magazine newstand task

• The newstand shows that the magazines are displayed in the aisle at the front because it’s an easy place to be recognisable to people so you don’t need to go looking for it. There are two sections of different magazine with four columns which shows how it’s displayed. It has been displayed like this because each section is a different category which is targeted at different age groups.
• The colour of the house styles and cover lines compliments and contrasts on the background of the magazines
• Most images that are positioned in the middle are large; this could imply that the image is the main focus of the eyes of the target audience.
• There is bright format with colourful pictures, this attracts the target audience (children) and makes it eye catching
• The masthead is in bold some that are placed behind the main image even though some letters are covered it maintains brand identity as some magazines are more known than others.
• Traditional methods include mail order, direct-mail selling, cold calling, telephone selling, and door-to-door calling. More recently telemarketing, direct radio selling, magazine and TV advertising, and on-line computer shopping have been developed.
• A key decision a business has to make about distribution is whether to sell “direct”. This method of distribution is usually called “direct marketing”. Direct marketing means selling products by dealing directly with consumers rather than through intermediaries.

 

Task 4-audience feedback and evaluation

 



As my magazine was a student magazine it was aimed at Leyton Sixth Form Students aged 16-19 for males and females, to create the student magazine, firstly I took some photographs that relate to my genre and everyday life in college. These pictures included students studying / revising in their spare time and AS Sociology students work. After I took these pictures I decided to create my magazine and for this I had to think of a name, cover line, and features to include in the student mag. I came up with many ideas however it was difficult to make it short and simple as I didn’t want to bore the audience.  Also my cover lines aren’t very descriptive, which can lead the audience to read more inside.

The masthead of my magazine is “LSC Student Magazine” in a solid yellow colour the reason why I called it this is because I wanted to make it clear on what it would have inside this magazine and I did not want to complicate things. I then came up with many cover lines such as: how to write a CV, top grades at LSC, 10 ways to success etc. The pull quote for this magazine was “education has changed my life.”  This headline was the biggest out of all of them which indicates that this is the main issue in the magazine. Also it could probably relate to other students as well. Large letters capture the reader’s attention but it does not give too much information away.

The main colours used in this magazine are black, yellow, white and green this is because I wanted to make it stand out and appeal to both genders males and females; I also went for the more natural look. The typography is also in yellow and green which contrasts with the background and is clear and visible for the audience to read.

The image used on the front cover is a direct mode of address because the model on the magazine is looking straight at the audience this is effective as it would grab the buyer’s attention instantly. The camera shot is a medium long shot, where you can clearly see the background and foreground, where the audience can clearly see the books in the background however the student is still the centre of attention which represents her importance. The image of the model/setting can represent the genre of magazine she is advertising.

Moreover my contents page follows the typical conventions as it contains images, list of contents which shows page numbers of each topic. The colour scheme is again neutral, the use of yellow, green and cream this reflects the colour scheme from the rest of the magazine.

Furthermore I have used three different images as it will give the audience a slight idea on what to expect in the magazine and does not include images that does not relate to college. Also I have included captions underneath my images so it evidently shows what the pictures show. On my contents page I have made the important information stand out than the rest for example the reviews, competition. This is a good technique as it will hook the readers to read more inside and find out more. Lastly I did not want to add too much detail on the contents page as it would bore the audience straight away and it would be unnecessary to add too much detail.

The feedback I received overall for my student magazine was “Your front cover is quite professional as there is an appropriate photo and also your colour scheme is constant; which also works really well, of green, yellow and a creamy-peachy colour...this is then continued on the contents page as the constant and complementary colours are used again, followed by the photos...you have followed magazine conventions well! However, personally I found that on your contents page there is a bit too much information and this may bore your target audience and it must be short and snappy; same thing with the front page; I think that there should be less cover lines...but overall a successful piece of work.”- Arilda. The audience feedback helped me as I can improve on my work next time and I could closely focus on the areas of improvement to get myself a better grade.

 

This is my front cover and contents page for my magazine article

Task 3- LSC magazine

Task 2: Research/case studies (individual work)

Vibe Magazine Analysis- Front Cover

The masthead “VIBE” suggests the magazine genre is urban/rnb it’s in bold/black across the top of the page, also the font is very masculine this may suggest that the target audience for this magazine is males aged 16-25 year olds in contrast to other magazines such as the Glamour magazine which is feminine and would suggest that its appropriate for females.  Also there is a List of popular names on top of the mast head that will persuade the buyers to purchase this magazine. The colour of the masthead is solid black which can either associate with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. The masthead is placed behind Usher which means that instantly the target audience would know what that magazine is called as it is very well known and popular so the company does not need to display the whole name.

The image used on the front cover is a direct mode of address this is effective as it would grab the buyers attention instantly. The camera shot is a medium long shot, where you can clearly see the background, middle ground and foreground, where the audience can clearly see the plane in the background however Usher is still the centre of attention which represents his importance. The image of the model can represent the genre of music he is advertising. The main colours used in this magazine are black, yellow, white and blue. The typography is in yellow and white which contrasts with the background and is clear and visible for the audience to read.

Cover lines such as “Soulja Boy Young and Reckless” aren’t very descriptive this can lead the audience want to read more inside. The headline Usher “THERE IS NO COMPETITION” is the biggest out of all the other ones- indicates that Usher is the main issue of this magazine and also this is the main article. Large, bold and vague latters capture the reader’s attention but it does not give too much information away. The shadow at the bottom can either represent the masthead or the plane in the background. Moreover the dress code of the artist is of the U.S Air force this may suggest his power and importance in the music industry. Also his costume relates to why there is a plane in the background. Lastly The use of modern technology suggests that the audience can also find out information on their mobiles. The barcode implies that there are a lot of blackberry users.

 



Vibe Magazine Analysis- Contents Page

Vibe Magazine has maintained brand identity by using the same colour scheme throughout the magazine; it is very simple but still maintains the powerful and strong colours. They use the website www.vibe.com on the front cover and also on the contents page this enables the readers to find out more information. The headline “Features” instead of it saying contents page breaks conventions.

The black background colour contrasts with the typography however the colour gets lighter behind Usher and makes it look like he’s in the “spotlight” this suggests that Usher is still the main feature in this magazine. The colour scheme is again neutral, the use of grey, black and white this reflects the colour scheme of the rest of the magazine, this contents page is image heavy as the picture takes over and there is less writing.

 

Vibe Magazine Analysis- Double Page Spread (DPS)

 

The quotations on the double page spread is highlighted in bold capitals as it draws more attention to the audience, which is obviously something this interview is aiming to convey to the audience, Usher feels he is doing extremely well in the music industry.  Also the image used is an indirect pose where Usher is looking the other way this makes him look like he has something very important on his mind or that his is of a higher status when in combination with the cigar and the quotation, which can symbolize superiority.

There are quotes from the interview written on the image, this is gives the reader a quick glimpse of what is inside the article. Also the questions in the interview are in a bold/black font and the answer is in normal font, this is so the reader can be clear on what is being asked. Furthermore the mise-en- scene in this page is the watch and cigar he’s smoking is associated to success and wealth also the image is a low angle shot also portrays his power and high status he has in the music industry.

Billboard Magazine Analysis- Front Cover

The convention of the front cover is dominated by a main image – this is of the pop artist Rihanna. The image has a sexualised direct look, with the Rihanna revealing a lot of skin, with her lips an extreme red colour. This is drawn to the audience’s attention as males who will find the Rihanna attractive and sexually appealing and females who inspire to be as attractive as the cover star. Her costume is beige, off white colour suggesting some innocence & vulnerability, which contrasts against the sexualised image and the amount of flesh revealed. Rihanna has half her face covered with her hair, connoting she is hiding something from the audience, which connects with the subtitle of the main pull quote "MY FANS DON'T REALLY KNOW WHO I AM". This suggests that she discloses this information with Billboard magazine the target audience love to know when they have access to exclusive information which will attract a lot of buyers and not just Rihanna fans. The dominate colour scheme of this issue is red, black and white. The red on the model, the pop artist Rihanna, is her lips and hair. The red here connotes beauty, attraction and danger. Also the barcode is conventional as it is displayed on every magazine.

the image is a large medium shot as you cannot see much of the background this is effective as it clearly puts Rihanna in the spotlight this shows her importance

Billboard Magazine Analysis- Contents Page

Billboard’s contents page differs a lot from vibe magazine as it has a lot more text and we also don’t see the same model as we saw on the front cover as we saw on Vibe magazine e.g. Usher. The masthead "Contents" appears across the top and is very similar to the masthead on the cover, the connotations of this font are edgy and loud, it is simple and fairly dramatic.

Furthermore the chart list on the left hand side gives the audience an update on what is current at the moment. The songs and artists are categorised in different colours so the audience can distinguish which artist/song is at the top of the chart, this is effective as it makes it easier for the audience as there is a lot of small text.

The background is mainly is white this advocates that it is aimed at an older audience in my perspective 16-25year olds. However the white background makes the other images stand out and the audience can identify what is happening this gives the page a fresh look

Billboard Magazine Analysis- Double Page Spread (DPS)

The dominant colour scheme of this double page spread is black, white and pink. The pink is used to give the article and the artist (Rihanna) a feminine side, however black is used to give her a more edgy, darker side and personality. The double page spread is dominated by the image in the top right of the magazine, it cross over into both pages of the spread. The image also has a sexual side to it, with it looking like she is stradling a male's gentials. Also another addition to the sexual image is that Rihanna has alot of skin showing e.g. her thighs, and she is wearing fish net tights which is an icon of sex and attraction.  Also Rihanna is wearing a helmet that features Mickey Mouse ears. that are iconic of childhood and Disney, this contrasts childhood and it also adds a playful and fun element to the artist.

The spread features a quote from the article, to grab the audience and reader's attention to the article, it does by the text being bold and larger then the article text, also the content of the quote is quite striking and adds a bit of controversey with the artist boasting about how she can only do certain songs. The most striking bit "ONLY I CAN DO" is in pink, compared to the black of the rest of quote, this is to emphasis this part of the quote and make it even more striking in it's design and appereance. The article has no headline, however the opening line of the first paragraph is in bold and alot larger font size then the rest of the article making it stand and allowing the reader to get straight into the article. Each new paragraph and subject dissucssed in the article is divided by a small sub-headline in capital letters and in the colour hot pink, to go with the colour scheme, which with a successful use of colour scheme is effective as it gives the double page spread a professional design and view to the target audience.