Research

Are task was to analyse 3 different magazine front covers and see what audience they were aimed at. The 3 magazine covers show that the colours used are Bright with pink,blues and reds which stand out as a male magazine and makes the front cover a lot more bright. The plain white and grey bacrounds makes the bright colours stands out more and focuses in the model. The models of the magazine are mainly girls in stuff and famous artists there talking about in vibe. The female models turns this magazine into a lads magazine and famous point the view over to him and shows what they might be talking about. Most female models are young and attractive to attract their taget audience. The language used for their target audience is quite formal as there is no slang on the front cover of the magazine. There are lists so the information in the magazine is easily showed on the front cover. The layout of the 3 magazines tends to be that the writing is based around the model and there is not alot of writing. The model tends to overlap the title because the magazine is so well known that you know what the magazine is called. There is alot of pictures of gadgets to attract the audience and show what they are going to review. The magazines hold freebies like free music downloads and a free book based on what the magazine is talking about this this attracts the audience as they believe there getting a freebie it also attracts new readers to buy there magazines.

Preliminary Task

Our preliminary task is to produce a front page and matching contents page of a magazine aimed at new college students. The cover must feature a medium close-up shot of the student, with appropriate text and a masthead. This must be done on an image manipulation program, aswell as using a DTP.

We looked at Squash, a magazine created by a student last year. By evaulating the magazine, and using the key terms in audince segmentation, we can see how an audience is targeted.

I could identify it as a magazine by the use of "magazine" on the front under the title. A price and the usual information that is associated with magazine covers also feature.

It helps attract students through the use of a picture showing a relaxed or silly face. This helps show that the magazine is still quite relaxed, despite being about student finance, universities etc.
A light blue is also used, to help further impact this relaxed attitude. The slanted writing also projects an informal appeal to the cover. The big bold text is used to grab the attention of readers.

The target audience is college students, aged 16-19. The gender is likely male, as the colours and picture suggest this, but I think the information within would still be useful to females. I believe that the magazine is aimed at the aspirers of the psychographic chart. I know this as the magazine covers information about making and keeping money, as well as achieving well at university. I think this magazine is aimed at the B/C1 category of the Jignars scale. This is because only the higher groups would consider university, but as students are not likely to be massively well off, I doubt most would fit into the A category. I can explain this as all the main features are aimed at students, with information about student finance, revision techniques and university open days etc.

Initial Analysis

Our second task was to analyse the same front cover. We added connatations and denotations:

The main image ( the model on the cover) is large and striking and connotates fear , and terror. The mask and the dark colours lead you to suggest something dark and evil lieing underneath the mask.It takes up the majority of the page deliberately so it can try and make you think this. The way the model is bearing his teeth conotates a evil almost animalistic look , combined with the black lips and eyes makes him look strikingly evil.
The mask looks vaguely human, but missing some key facial features such as ears, which represents something evil, or hiding. Its weird mutation suggests something familiar, but still has a sense of something wrong.
The red areas, and the blood splat connotates violence and make an eye catching effect the certain bits of text.
The top of his head is obscured, which leads the reader to feel a sense of unknown. It also makes the image feel in your face, and striking. The eye hole is there, but as the eyes are missing and blacked out, it continues the sense of not knowing. You could also argue that as the eyes “ are the entrance to the soul” the models soul must be dark and black , which is a very sinister underlying feeling that runs throughout the image.
The mask has several colours, with dirty patches, which reinforces grimy and non-comformity image of the magazine.

Magazine Front Cover: Key Conventions

We labeled a magazine cover of choice, highlighting the key points.

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