EVALUATION QUESTION 2: FRONT COVER

EVALUATION:

QUESTION 2: HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?

My magazine shows it fits in with the rock/indie genre and it attracts my audience because of the particular colours that are used because they are dark colours that go well together. Black, white and dark red are quite neutral colours so it shows the audience that the magazine is for both genders which makes the magazine more appealing as it has a bigger audience so it will attract more people to read the magazine. By looking at the front cover you can already tell there will be plenty of content within the magazine which will attract to the audience as if they are music lovers they will appreciate the different bands that are in the magazine and it gives them a choice of bands and artists to choice from so if they don't like one of them it gives them a variety. They will also be attracted by it because if they see a new band that they haven't heard of and want to listen to them they will buy the magazine to find out more about them.
The magazine only costs £1.50 which is a good price because it isn't too expensive for students to buy every month if they become a loyal reader. It shows that the audience will get their moneys worth because it has a lot of content in the magazine and also if some months there will be a free gift for example a bands EP album. This should attract the audience because they aren't paying extra for the album, just the magazine.

My cover star for my magazine is looking straight at the audience which will address them and draw them in. By having the main image fit the whole of the mise-en-scene it shows that the cover star will grab the attention from the audience. The main image appeals to them as the audience may know the artist therefore they will be more likely to buy the magazine. Also she is young and trendy and her facial expression is neutral suggesting that she feels confident and cool which connotes the idea towards the audience that they should also feel like this. She fits well into the genre because she is within the age of the target audience being 16-24 which will make the audience stop and look and the magazine because she stands out and may be a similar age to them. The cover line anchors the image to the text on the page so the audience know that these link together so if they don't know who the cover star is they can find out who it is. The pull quote gives the reader a taster of the interview and the strapline gives them background on the star so they know more about her, this will attract them because if they like what they read they are more likely to buy the magazine and take a look inside.

I have addressed my audience by using audience participation with the pug as it offers a chance to win free gig tickets or clothing which will attract the audience as well because they will be more likely to buy the magazine if there is a chance to win big. Also the social networking sites show symbiotic relationship and audience participation as it lets the audience gets involved and keep up to date with the magazine. By using social networking sites it makes it easier for the reader to get involved as they are more likely to go online than read a print version therefore it makes the magazine accessible by having online updates and a website so the reader can look online to see if there is anything new since the last issue.

The fonts that I have used are kept simple but to make the magazine look more exciting and match the genre I put the writing in capitals to make it look like it is shouting at the audience like some of the music within the genre. I put the bands names in bold and in a different colour from the added information to show the audience the type of bands that will be in the magazine so therefore when they look at the magazine on a shelf they can automatically spot if the magazine is for them or not which will attract the people who do like the genre. The typography I have used consists of mostly informal writing especially in the contents page in the editors letter to make the audience feel more confident and that they are reading something that doesn't feel like a chore to do. The whole purpose of the magazine is to entertain them so by using language that is easy to read will attract them more as they can understand it clearly and can enjoy reading it.


 
My magazine is similar to NME due to the layout of the cover and also the type of music but I also decided to use some music that would feature in Kerrang! and decided to do a mix of music. This appeals to the both the audiences for these magazines so they might prefer to buy my magazine rather than both NME and Kerrang! if they like both types of music.

I decided to create my own masthead for my magazine so it stood out from the rest of the fonts so it looked like a proper masthead. I decided to use this as my masthead because the black background has cracks and scratches which links to the genre to portray that it isn't perfect. I decided to put it in the corner of the magazine as this is what NME does so it is similar but instead of putting it in red like NME does I put it in black and white so it stood out from the main image and background. I kept the name of the magazine short so it would be easy for the audience to recognise and spot on the shelves. It will attract the audience as when they find out that the masthead means 'Music to Remember' they will automatically know what type of genre the magazine will be because it has been taken from the band A Day to Remember.


I put special offers on the front cover of the magazine to attract the audience so they buy the magazine because it offers the audience a chance to win different prizes. By not putting what they could win on the front cover will make them want to buy the magazine to find out more about it. By having the phrase 'Just for you!' it uses direct address and therefore addresses the reader by talking directly to them so they feel like the magazine is trying to connect with the audience to make them feel comfortable. By having a whole page on the magazine dedicated to special offers shows audience participation which makes the audience get involved because they can enter competitions.