Audience Research

The people that answered the survey were all aged between 18 and 24, this could suggest a bias result as a magazine based upon this may not appeal to parents who may also read the college magazine.

My results for gender are fair as there is an equal number of responses for each to ensure that I will make sure the magazine is suitable and attractive for both genders. 

There are an equal number for each of the amounts earned within the households, these range from lower to middle class. This could help decide how to price the magazine and to make sure it is reasonable for the target audience. 

The results for this show that it is bias as there in not a range of different sexualities due to the fact that everyone asked was in my media class and the majority of the people are Heterosexual. 

Every person to complete the survey is White/Caucasian which means that again the results maybe bias and may lead the results to appeal generally to this ethnicity rather than a wide range.

Again the results have been equal, although as half of the results show that they never read the magazine may suggest that there is a lot to improve about it. Also the fact that no one always reads it may mean that it lacks appeal to the target audience. 

The main problem that every person found they disliked about the magazine are the title stories, this means that none of the stories appeal to the target audience. Only one person didn't like the cover of the magazine which could suggest that ideas could be taken from the original magazine, however improvements are still to be made. The layout of the magazine was disliked by 75%  of everyone asked, this shows that a lot needs to be changed about how the college magazine is presented. 

The fact that 50% of the people still said they wouldn't read it may mean that they are just not interested in the college news and events. However the 50% that said sometimes mean that they may be persuaded to read it if it made the improvements that it is in need of.

My results show that everyone except one person are interested in music magazines which could give ideas on how to present the magazine to appeal to an audience like this. The one person that said fashion could mean that it could be incorporated within the magazine but not the main subject of so it still appeals to this certain audience. 

Within this response only one person said they would be willing to pay for the magazine, however the general outcome was that they would want and expect it to be free if they were going to consider reading it.

Analysing Contents Pages

This is the magazine contents page for a Vogue magazine.
Image
The main image is the main feature on the page to capture the readers eye. It is taken at a medium shot, this maybe so you are able to see that her dress isn't too long resulting in her to uphold the stereotypical image of women to be used to sell products as an object of desire. This helps to prove Laura Mulvey's theory in 1975. The fact that the model has a typical slim figure found in the media could make the reader want to become like her, resulting to them buying the magazine. Due to the title 'Vogue' overlapping the image of the woman suggests that it is 'higher up' and she is inferior compared with it.

Typography
The page looks quite well organised with the use of headings above each list of pages so it is easy for the reader to find what they are looking for. The font of the word 'Vogue' is in quite an elegant font which could connote it to be more feminine, again linking back to the target audience.The models outfit also fits in with the colour scheme, which makes the magazine look more professional and well thought through, this suits the target audience which would be aged towards women aged between 20 and 50. This also reflects on the price of each issue which costs around £4 and younger people/students may not be able to afford to pay that much for one magazine.

Colour
The theme of the page is black and white with red subtitles throughout the page. The colour 'red' relates to the idea of the magazine of fashion and the fact that the model is a woman posing to try and sell what she is wearing links to the fact that the target audience is females. The colour 'grey' doesn't take too much attention away from the image, this keeps the design fairly simple but is still quite effective.


Image
The pictures are all fairly small but are all of the same size to connote the equality of who they are of, although they are all of famous actors/actresses. This may appeal to the audience as if they recognise the names then they maybe more likely to read, especially is the person on the page acts as a role model to them. All the images are of medium close up's, but due to the pictures being small it could suggest that the celebrities featured on the page are all famous enough to capture the readers attention without having lots of things to draw your attention towards them.

Typography

This is a magazine contents page for big movie film review. The font saying ‘contents’ is large and is capitals, which could emphasise the importance of the page. There are 5 subtitles, also in capitals to capture the readers attention. Celebrities are included in the interviews featured in the magazine and the profiles. There is a sub-title saying ‘competitions’ this is to encourage the reader to buy the magazine as they will have the chance to win a prize.

The magazine is aged at older teenagers to adults, and could be aimed towards men or women.

Colour
The colour theme is black and white, this could suggest that a lot of the big movies are old. It also keeps the design fairly simple without cluttering the page with too many colour distractions to take the readers attention away from other features on the page. The colours give us a hint that it may be about old fashioned films which could attract readers of an older generation due them being able to relate to when the films where made unlike a teenager could. The use of the colour could also argue that is helping to prove that men don't pay as much attention towards colour as they have more important issues to worry about it, this is evident in Lakoff's theory which was published in 1975.

This contents page is from a gossip magazine called ‘Closer' . The target audience is teenagers to young adults aimed towards women.

Image
Celebrities such as ‘Katie Price’ and ‘Edith Bowman’ are shown in images on the page to draw the reader in. This gives the reader an insight to what information the magazine may hold, as a result if you don't know who the celebrities on the cover are of it may suggest that this magazine is not for you. There are various images on the page but still has a main one on the page of a celebrity. Most of the pictures are of women and a lot of them are smiling which may suggest it is positive and light-hearted, this may link the bright colour scheme. There are various shot types being used throughout this contents, inlcuding medium close ups, medium shots and close ups. The medium close up could be used so the reader can see the person's figure as this magazine will be focused partly on appreance as women are stereotypically meant to uphold their glamourous look. The close ups could be used to draw attention to the person due to their celebrity status and to show off other features rather than their body, in this sense the magazine is going against Laura Mulvey's theory in 1975.

Typography
One of the sub-headings is called 'Celeb news' which connotes that the audience is for young adults as they will take interest in the celebrities lives and maybe look up to them as role models. This magazine is based a lot around appearance, as it includes fashion and body image. It also includes ‘real life’, which has quotes from celebrities about their lives under the subtitle to encourage the reader to find out more. In the top right corner there are the page numbers to the pages that are featured on the front cover so they are easily found by the reader.

Colour
The colour theme is yellow and pink which is also present on the cover of the magazine, which suggests its consistency. Also the two colours together are quite 'girly', this also links back to fact the magazine is aimed at teenagers to young adults. The colours used are quite eye catching and capture the readers attention, due to the page being so colourful suggests that it can be appealing to a younger audience as well. The fact that there is more colour use supports Lakoff's theory in 1975, where she stated women will pay more attnetion to colour terms due to the fact that they have less of an importance within the society.

Ten Contents Page Conventions:

1)    Colour scheme indicates the content

2)    Appropriate images

3)    Subtitles

4)    Page numbers

5)    Chronological

6)    Naming who the celebrity is

7)    Level of formality

8)    Lexis-Use of upper/lower case, bold font

9)    Editors note, staff list

10) Shapes, boxes, arrows etc.

11) Title and the word ‘contents’

Analysis of College magazine

I’m going to analyse to College magazines, one designed by the college secretary and the other designed by a-level media students. The first target audience for the secretary magazine are the students in the college ranging from ages 11 to 19. The target audience for the a-level student magazine was aimed at professional judges as well as the students. The target audience are for both lower to middle class. Both magazines are diverse to suit any gender readers and are carefully thought through so they do not come across offensively to anyone.

Masthead

There is no masthead, which could put people of due to there being nothing to catch the readers eye, however there is the college logo in the top left corner so the magazine is distinctive. This means that there is nothing obvious to catch the readers eye which links to the fact that it doesn't stand out compared with other magazines.

Layout

This magazine cover was the one designed by the secretary for the school students. The magazine is cluttered with pictures making it look unorganised which suggests it hasn’t been thought through too well. 

Colour

There is a purple coloured mist in the bottom right hand corner to create an artistic effect, although looks a bit messy making it look un attractive. Although, the smoke does create an edgy and rebellious image, this could attract certain target audience members that relate to the rebellious theme. The magazine has many colours involved which may draw them into it, although the fact that it doesn’t have any specific theme can make it look unprofessional.

Images

The pictures are of photographs to show that the magazine is non-fiction and are of students within the school so the readers of the magazine are able to relate to the page. The picture of sweetcorn at the top of the cover is quite irrelevant to the magazine and therefore could suggest that the magazine is a bit random rather than planned out. Due to the images being of an equal size this could be to show that everyone throughout the college is treated fairly regardless of their age. Some of the images are quite blurred as well causing it to become unattractive.

Text/Lexis/Typography

The font used to write ‘magazine’ is written in capitals as if to shout out to the reader and the fact that it is untidy may suggest the magazine is conversational and informal. There is a lack of text on the cover, this could stop the magazine from standing out as there is no vivid writing to catch their eye. There are no title stories to tease the reader into wanting to read the magazine.

The target audience for the magazine below is the same aimed towards students within the college, aged 11-19. Also they will be of lower to middle class. It was also made to be judged for an A-level so was made quite proffesional.

Masthead

The masthead 'Skive' is in block capitals and is very enlarged with a thin balck stroke around it, this might be to emphasise the importance of the title to attract the readers. The font style is kept fairly simple so it doesn't take too much of the reader's attention away from the rest of the page, it also has a 'foggy' look around it to give it a mysterious look.  This represents a younger reader who may show an interest in themes like this one.

Layout

The cover looks like it has been given a thought to how it is laid out, which could persaude the reader into wanting to buy it. There are subtiltes laid out around the sides of the magazine this is to draw the reader in so they are able to find out what is inside.  The use of photoshop has been used to enhance certain features of the cover and to give it a professional finish.  

Colour

There is a main image in the background, it is a cold blue, which links to the frozen theme the magazine is trying to pull off. The dark background draws the focus towards the face and concretes the idea of the harsh cold tones. As the colour is blended well within the background you can tell that the student had a clear understanding of photoshop.

Images

The reader is drawn to her eyes as they are heavily made up with black eyeliner, however has white lashes and eyebrows also relate back to the theme of 'frozen'. The blacked out eyes link the rebelious theme which may link to many members of the college. The smaller pictures suggest what the magazine has to offer without taking your focus away from the main image. 

Text/Lexis/Typography

There is an 'exclusive interview' advertsied at the bottom of the magazine, this could make the reader feel more persuaded to read it as they are able to find out certain things that are only available in this magazine issue.

Preliminary Task

Before i begin my final task I will need to create a practice college magazine cover, contents page and double page spread, this will enable me to develop the skills needed to be successful on the main task. I am going to aim to improve skills, such as on photoshop and in photography to improve the appearance of my music magazine pages.

AS brief choice

For my AS brief choice I came to the decision to create a music magazine front cover, contents page and a double page spread. I think that this could be interesting as it will allow me to be creative with how I will lay out the different pages and choosing which fonts and colours to use. I will also be able to take a range of pictures to fit in with the music theme of my magazine, and as I have chosen English Language as one of my other subjects it will help me with the written analysis of the magazines.