Flat Plans
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Target Audience Research
Target Audience Research
In consideration of the fact that my college magazine will be distributed in college, the primary target audience will be students who attend Bodmin College aged 11-19, as this is the age range of the school. Rather than the current college magazine, which does not contain specific conventions to appeal the correct audience, I will ensure the cover and contents page is appealing to the target audience, portraying what their interests are through cover stories and take into consideration the answers from SurveyMonkey. As the college is full of both sexes, my magazine will not be biased towards one gender. This widens my audience. I believe that my target audience will be interested in stories that convey what is currently occurring within the college, which is the reasoning as to why I will incorporate these particular questions. They would also like to find out about any changes within the school, such as extra funding in certain departments and what it will be spent on. Other aspects of the magazine which should be strong to attract the correct audience are photos and information for relevant events that the students could attend. A lot of people will be attracted to the magazine if it involves themselves or their friends, as they will, naturally, want to see themselves. The secondary target audience is the parents/guardians of the students, ranging from audience demographic C1 to E. The students will bring the magazines home to show their parents/guardians. They will be interested in what is occurring at the school their child is attending, and what events they are getting involved in, or potentially could be. This particular audience are more likely to be interested in the changing direction of the college itself and what their child's education is like, rather than the student itself being interested in this subject.
More males than female took this survey, which is likely to have affected the results, as males and females have different interests and look for different things when it comes to magazines. Though there seems to be more males, I will still make sure my magazine is not biased, but if it is more significant in the college, then my magazine will have to be slightly biased to ensure it is appealing to the target audience.
The predominant age of the audience who took this survey is 16-19, in fact this is the only age of the students, but was expected. I wanted to survey sixth formers rather than younger students, as sixth formers are the largest age group who are very reluctant to indulge in the task of reading the college magazine, and I wanted to know why this was. Also, if I can solve the problems that the magazine has, which is unattractive to sixth formers, then I can successfully ensure that sixth formers will read the magazine, and the younger students will look up to the older students and read it themselves, as sixth formers are role models.
Not one of the people who took my survey from this age range claimed to actually read the current school magazine, which supports my previous reason for surveying sixth formers to find out why they do not like it. They must not like it because it is unappealing and does not cater to their needs as an audience. Therefore, when I produce the magazine, I will have to ensure it is appealing to them and consists of articles with relevance to the school and interesting subjects that will attract the target audience.
From looking at the results for this question, I realised that the target audience do not believe that the magazine is at all interesting, and that the colour palette should not consist of colours of which clash. Also, they think that the current college magazine does not have a professional appearance, and so I must change this opinion of theirs by creating a magazine that has a professional appearance, interesting articles, and a limited colour palette which does not consist of colours that clash.
On asking what the audience would like to see in the college magazine, it was revealed that they seek interesting articles that they can read. From this, I discovered that the students feel as though the college magazine needs articles that are appealing and interest the particular age range. These will also need to be interesting for the other ages in the in college, to be successful throughout.
Every one of these options has been chosen by at least one person. The most popular option is 'images of students'. The current magazine includes images of students, but in context with the question, the audience feel as though the images located on the front page each term should be different. I will make sure that the images I use are appealing, and of students, but entirely different to the ones used in the magazine currently. The other relevant answer was interesting topics, something of which seems to be present in the majority of answers, so I must ensure that I am successful in including interesting topics on the cover and contents page of my magazine.
The most popular answer for this question, is information. This suggests that the readers would rather the college magazine contain information, rather than entertainment or socialisation. Going against my initial thoughts on what the audience want from the magazine, this has changed what I feel as though I should incorporate into the magazine. Though, entertainment is also popular, so I should convey the information located on the cover and contents page in an entertaining way.
Only one out of eight people would be prepared to pay for the current magazine, which tells me that Bodmin College Magazine does not make use of common conventions which are almost mandatory to ensure success. To make my magazine successful, I will incorporate these conventions.
Two out of six people agree that the college magazine is appealing, though no one at all who took the survey reads it. This connotes that magazines do not need to be solely appealing to invite an audience, but consist of interesting topics and use the appropriate vocabulary in order to attract the specifically chosen target audience.
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Analysis of Elle's Contents Page
Analysis of Elle's Contents page
The primary target audience for Elle is females who are interested in fashion, and see it as a huge part of their lives. It is also for homosexual males, as the stereotype is that they are a lot like women, only more extreme. Though this is in most cases untrue, as the media portray people who are not 'normal' (in terms of Marxism, the dominant class; white, heterosexual, middle class males) as unnatural others, as Medhurst states 'They are awful because they are not like us'. This fashion magazine is mature, not suitable for younger teenagers, 'Have you got the balls to be an MP?' 'Naked Hollywood'. The contents page contains lexis that are not suitable for a young target audience, though a lot purchase it regardless as they wish to gain knowledge in mature fashion. The target audience is of white origin, as you can tell by the imagery of white people. They are also young, but have disposable income, as the magazine comes at a price of £3.80. This is 30p cheaper than Vogue, which connotes how Vogue is likely to be more appreciated. It is aimed towards people of 2nd/1st class.
Three columns located around the main image does not look particularly professional, but rather blocky and almost as though it has been formed like a newspaper article, which makes it look as though the layout has been fitted to the wrong genre. The masthead is located directly at the top of the page, which stands out as an iconic piece of lexis that draws the eye. My opinion is that the masthead feels separated from the rest of the text as there are lines in-between, which could be improved by removing the lines and bringing the title down a little bit. The image to the left which is a portrait and contains writing underneath, is a cover story; it has a whole section to itself showing the importance of the piece and how it is dominates the rest of the text. Another image is located towards the bottom right, the main image. As it has not been positioned near the other image, there is not a clump of imagery, rather a good sense of spacial awareness. Subheadings are present in the text above each section of writing to ensure the reader finds the process of searching for a specific article simple and flows well.
The colour palette consists of three main colours, as a common convention of magazines. If a magazine contains more than three colours, it has the tendency to lose its professional appearance, and look as though it was created by an amateur. The predominant colour is red, even though the majority of the text is black. This is due to the large headline and the bold subheadings which draw the eye in. Black text against a white background is also very common, as it is effortless to read due to the contrast of the colours. The imagery has been made up of warm tones to connote happiness and intends to bring out optimism and positivity in the audience.
The main image located on the page, though not the centre of attention, is of an apparently cheerful female smiling on the beach. Females tend to have the ability to relate more to other females rather than males, which is the reasoning for incorporating a female into the contents page rather than a male. Due to the fact that this photograph has clearly been taken on the beach, it is likely to be a summer issue. This is reinforced by the warm tones of both pictures, ensuring that they are weather-related and each issue reflects the seasons through fashion. Personally, I do not feel as though this is a particularly enjoyable picture, as the blurry disposition puts me off. The other image just reminds me of an Instagram picture, which a lot of young teenagers are doing in this day and age using their synergetic mobile devices. Though this is a very old issue and would not have used the image for this purpose as Instagram, nor synergetic phones, had been invented. It looks vintage, but personally, I do not enjoy it, even though the model is beautiful.
Personally, I feel as though this contents page is successful in attracting its target audience due to the elegance and sophistication that vacates the page. The colours are appealing, and portray the magazine in a positive way, as though it is incredibly optimistic. The imagery could be improved, as one photograph is blurry, and other looks as though a teenager has taken it on their synergetic phones. Another aspect of the text that could be improved is the blocky columns. But overall, I feel as though it is appealing and successful.
Monday 28 January 2013
Analysis of Vogue's Contents page
In consideration of the fact that Bodmin College Magazine does not contain a contents page, another example of how its conventions prove it would be unsuccessful if sold, I could not analyse a college magazine contents page. Nor could I find a contents page for 'College' magazine, or any sort of college magazine that was not produced by students. This compelled me to analyse a completely different genre: fashion.
Analysis of Vogue's Contents Page
The primary target audience is females who are obsessively interested in fashion. I say obsessively, as they see fashion as something of which is one of the most important things in their lives. Not only is it targeted towards females, but homosexual males, as their secondary target audience. They are stereotypically camp and also obsess over fashion. As the magazine is considered to be the most prestigious fashion magazine vacating the shelves, it has not aimed itself towards teens, as teen vogue covers that; though a lot of teenagers purchase the magazine regardless. Rather, it has aimed itself towards adults with disposable income, towards the more youthful side of adulthood, around 25-35. It is expensive for a magazine at £4.10, which connotes how it is aimed towards people of whom are not working class, but 2nd and 1st class. A lot of celebrities read it as well, which is why there is such high fashion.
The overall layout of the magazine is simplistic and not complicated, yet effective. Columns, as a typical feature of magazines, are present to ensure the contents page does not look like a daunting string of words, but rather easy to read. Thus, widening their audience, as people who perhaps are not particularly good at reading will not feel as intimidated by the text. There is a clear gap between each paragraph, this usually breaks the text up. The masthead, the magazines name: Vogue, is effective and clear against the background. It overlaps the image, as though the name is more important than the content of the magazine, which can be compared to designer clothing. A lot of people with disposable income don't particularly care what the clothing looks like aesthetically, but what the name is. The masthead is larger than any of the other writing, and stands out against the white and grey background. This draws the readers attention immediately. Subheadings have been used above each section of writing, to ensure the reader finds it quick and easy to find each specific section. The image, located to the left, is the centre of attention (other than the headline of course) but has words layered over it, almost making it look as though it is vaguely part of the background.
Three main colours have been used to influence the colour palette of this contents page; red, black, and grey. Though grey is not such a prominent shade as the others, it occupies both of the images. The red font has been colour coordinated with the dress, as to not add a wide variety of colours which would make it look unprofessional. The white background is common in contents pages, as to not take away attention from the text and keep the audience focused. Thea subheadings are in red, which works well, as a lot of people who are interested in fashion are dismissive; if they cannot access something quick enough, they will not care and give up. The white background means that the text shows up well. The black and white is complete contrast, which means that the text is so easy to read
The imagery is always an insight to what the magazine contains. In this case, it relates to the genre. It is clear to see that the main image is fashion-related, as the denotation is a model wearing a garment, which is not the usual garment you would see in 'regular' places.There is only two images on the contents page, as not be be overpowering with images. One relates to fashion, the other is a beauty product. This connotes that the magazine is not only interested in fashion, but also alternative ways of improving yourself aesthetically, widening the audience to people who are looking for a magazine that shows you how to look good in various different ways. The model is posing, a common aspect of fashion to show maturity and, somewhat, sophistication. She is also wearing a garment which is quite revealing in places, suggesting to the audience that fashion is looking good, not covering yourself up. The image is of a female, which can relate to the female target audience, and so the readers carry on reading as they are drawn in by the imagery more than anything else. It is also a reflection of the upcoming seasons' trend. The image is beautiful, but I feel as though the picture could have been taken in a slightly different position, as the headline covers a lot of the face.
The typography is effective in a simplistic manner. All fonts are similar, excluding the iconic masthead of the magazine, which is typically going to be the one part of the magazine that is unique in comparison to others. The fonts are not varied, as the magazine would look untidy and immature, and the reader would not know where to look. This particular typography is not busy, laid out in a tidy fashion. The colour, relating back to the colour palette, is visible against the background, particularly the black text. The red is striking, as it is less present than the black and the audience are naturally drawn to the minority. Fashion is considered to be elegance, which is the reasoning for the producers creating a masthead that is elegant, a reflection of the target audience. A common convention of magazine contents pages is to have subheadings of which have been typed in capitals, this creates emphasis, allowing the reader to find knowledge that these determine the different sections present.
Overall, I feel as though the contents page for Vogue serves its purpose of informing its target audience on the information they require to take an interest in the magazine itself well. This hands them what they want and need in a magazine. The image is a true portrayal of the ideology of people who are interested in fashion, though personally, I believe that the masthead should not be hanging over her face. This could be improved by positioning the image in a different place, or perhaps the text. The sub-headings offer up different sections to the readers, showing them that there is easy access to everything in the magazine and simple to find any one specific article. The contents page is simplistic, elegant, colour coordinated, yet is not overpowering; a true success.
Friday 25 January 2013
Analysis of College Magazines
Analysis of Bodmin College Magazine Cover
The primary target audience is students who attend Bodmin College, which ranges from age eleven to nineteen, and occasionally 20 year olds who have had to retake their last year. This means that the magazine has to be relatively simple, to ensure that the younger students find it easy to understand the magazine. It is successful in this, as the vocabulary is simple. Though, the magazine also has to appeal to the secondary target audience, which is the parents/guardians of the students. The majority of the people who read this magazine would be of the audience demographic C1-E. As this is a public school, it is unlikely that there would be parents/guardians who are higher in audience demographic C1.
The colours of the masthead are not particularly suitable concerning the relatively busy background. It does not stand out and is not the first aspect of the text that the audience's eye is drawn to. The logo used is thin and difficult to see, whereas it should be bold and catch the audiences eye. The 'N' is blending in with the photographic background, giving the masthead an amateur appearance. Primary colours are present in the masthead, doubled with black and white, which looks blocky and does not portray the school in a particularly positive way; the primary colours are not professional, it seems as though the school wanted the logo to be incredibly simple, rather than outgoing. A positive aspect of the masthead is that it tells the audience what the magazine is about, though it is difficult to spot with all that is going on. This should take up 1/8 of the cover, as you will find a professional magazine does, but does not succeed in doing so, which makes it look as though it has not been created by someone of whom is skilled in this particular area of the media.
This particular college magazine is poorly laid out. Personally, when I view the text, all I see is three images of which are blocky and do not portray professionalism within the magazine industry. Text has been placed over the images, again, ensuring the text fails in looking professional; as basically as I can explain, the magazine has been laid out like this: 'text, picture, text, picture, text, picture'. This is not professional, it rather reminds me of a formal letter with many paragraphs: daunting and boring. It should be fun and appealing, not a chore. A poor structure should not be something of which is so incredibly present in a magazine if the producer would actually like people to read it. The images should be different sizes, not imitating one another, and there should not be page numbers vacating the magazine front cover. These, in a professional magazine, would be located in the contents page. There is also a lack of teasers, the impression that this college magazine is giving out, is that each story on the front cover is as important as the other. Which is obviously not true. There will always be, no matter what the magazine is, one story that stands out and is the base of each issue. But not this magazine, no, they have failed to do this and it really does not grasp the attention of the audience.
What makes this awful magazine appear even worse to the target audience is the pictures of horrific quality. In the first image, it is difficult to make out faces, as the white balance is terrible. This is not something that the students themselves, who were in it, and the parents/guardians of said students would be pleased with. The magazine is very busy, there are so many different people in the photographs and it is daunting to even look at, putting off a lot of young students who find it difficult to find an interest in reading anyway; it is unnecessarily heavy for the reader. There is an overabundance of people in every single picture incorporated into the cover. It really is not simple enough to attract the young target audience. They do not want to see so many people, it is rather confusing for them, especially when they are age 11-13. As any magazine should, there should be a main story that the issue is focusing on, which requires a main photograph dominating the text. These images defy the common conventions of a magazine, the predominant images used as covers for magazines are mid shots. The pictures used in this magazine are wide angle extra long shots, which is unsuitable. The top image shows a white male commanding a group to do something, supporting the theory of Marx, who states that most dominant class of people is those who are white male heterosexuals of middle class, and as this man is wearing a suit, the Marxist view is connoted. A positive point about these images of which must be made, is that the magazine would appeal to different types of people, the first image denoting music, the second is year eleven leaving which would appeal to all years as they anticipate this from the moment they begin secondary school, and the third is Ten Tors which a wide range of students partake in.
The colour palettes consists of two primary colours, red and yellow, and black and white. Usually, a magazine will use three colours and have a colour scheme. This ensures it is simple enough to attract the reader, rather than a mix of colours that don't particularly go well together. Also, the colours used should be appealing to both genders, but these are not. Though red is not gender specific, yellow is generally directed towards females and tends to attract them, suggesting that this text was created by a female. They are bright, bold colours, but the text is minimal, and so it is difficult to see and does not stand out. These busy colours go against the common conventions of magazines, and does not look professional.
In terms of typography, four different fonts are used on the cover, a huge aspect that takes ensure neglect towards professionalism of the magazine. On a professional magazine, the producers would not have used so many different fonts, as it is not part of the common conventions that cater to the needs of the target audience. there are no teasers included, which means that there is a harsh lack of information for the audience to be drawn in by. All that the text informs the reader on what the articles are literally about, rather than placing a little teaser to make them want to read on. Parent/guardians are unlikely to be interested in these articles if their children are not involved in some way, which is why teasers should be incorporated to ensure their curiosity. Page numbers are unnecessary on the font cover, it is unsightly and something that belongs of the contents page.
To conclude, this magazine is not fit for purpose. My analysis has shown me that there is an immense lack of common conventions, and so it is likely that the target audience are repelled, rather than attracted to this magazine. Nothing about this cover is interesting, it does not capture the target audiences attention, as it is too busy and the colour palette is not suitable. The typography does not cater for the needs of the audience, as there are too many fonts, and there is lack of an interesting story. This college magazine looks nothing like the typical magazines that the target audience would opt for, thus is not appealing.
Analysis of College Magazine Cover
The target audience of 'College' magazine is very different to the likes of the 'Bodmin College' magazine. The primary target audience is students who attend university in America, which is, predominantly people from the ages of 18-25. There are also mature students who attend, but this magazine is not aimed towards them, rather the youth. Contrasting to the previous magazine analyzed, this magazine does not have a particular secondary audience like parents/guardians, as the students are seen as independent individuals and the producers of the magazine do not want to take away this independence, as it will not make them feel mature enough and will not attract the specified audience. It is also predominantly aimed towards males, though there are aspects of the text which are suggestions of intentions of female engagement.
The masthead, one of the most important aspects of every magazine, adheres to the common conventions of magazines; it is 1/8 of the page, unlike the 'Bodmin College' magazine. The vast majority of well known magazines place the dominant image over a small section of the text, as it shows the audience that it is not necessary to be able to view all of the masthead as the magazine is well known. It is large and bold, standing out to the target audience with an appropriate title of which is straight to the point. It does not get in the way of anything else, and is one of the first things that the audience observes, which is what the producers want. They want the target audience to be familiar with the name of their text to ensure that it is in their head, therefore more likely to purchase it multiple times (if what is on the inside is just as good). It is effective in communicating to the audience the purpose of the magazine: to inform (also to entertain).
The layout of this cover follows common conventions and caters to the needs of the target audience. It is sophisticated, modern, simple, and subtle. All of these aspects grasp the attention of the specified target audiences, ensuring they feel mature and like adults, coming out of that state of immaturity and patronising treatment as though they were young children. A common convention of all professional magazines is the one main image. This connotes to the reader that there is a main story, and that the person of whom has be incorporated into the cover is the subject of the issue. This is very easy to understand and clear to the audience. The story related to the subject of the cover is directly next to him and part of it overlays onto the image, it is the largest text on the cover and gives a professional vibe, rather than looking busy like the 'Bodmin College' magazine. Unlike the 'Bodmin College' magazine, there is a barcode which denotes a price and ability to purchase the product. This is a connotation that the product is worth paying for, that it is professional. This structure is professional and does not fail to cater to the needs of the target audience concerning its simplicity in a modern and new way. It is easy to tell that this is not for children, as the image is of a man who is holding books, rather than something that appeals to a child. A website address is located underneath the masthead, widening the range of platforms the magazine has to offer. Digital copies of magazines are becoming a sort of trend in the industry at the moment, which is the reasoning for it being included.
The male is wearing black and white colours specifically not to clash with the green in the text, as this is a difficult colour to compliment. Green is generally thought to be associated with males, rather than females, suggesting that the magazine is targeted more so towards male students, who are considered to be the dominant class according to Marxism. Though there is a clear suggestion that the magazine has been produced to attract the likes of male university students, the splash of pink in the corner invites females to also purchase the magazine, widening its audience and ensuring its sales increase. In contrast to the pink colour, it the writing it contains inside, saying 'Lets go paint balling!' which is not considered to be an activity of which females particularly enjoy, stereotypically. This could be encouraging the stereotypical female to try something new. White has been used to be the neutral colour that balances out the bold colours, rather than introducing another colour, which would make the cover look to childish an unprofessional. Along with the white, the grey background is also neutral. This allows all of the text to stand out, grasping the attention of the target audience in a sophisticated and attractive manner.
Only one image occupies the cover, and also serves as the background. This is particularly interesting to the audience, as there is not an overabundance of images and they can focus on the one story that the magazine is trying to sell. This is the same case with the colours of which occupy the image. It is not necessary to include various different colours, as it is likely that they will clash and distract the target audience from the real purpose of the magazine. Though the magazine is for university students who are intelligent and sophisticated, there is something in the image that suggests otherwise. The crucifix necklace is low and pointing downwards, creating a sexual aspect of the text, which ensures the audience feel as though they are 'cool' and can be if they read the magazine. Personally, I feel as though the imagery attempts to prevent racism by deifying the stereotype that black people are unintelligent and social problems. This goes against Malik's theory that black people are portrayed as either the entertainer, the social problem, or the native. In a way, the image does support this theory, as he looks quite entertaining, though more intelligent. The image also invites females in, as this is the stereotypical jock that would be found in an American university, often shown in films, and it is likely that most females would find him attractive. Thus the reasoning for choosing to feature a male who clearly works out and is attractive.
The typography for this particular cover is a portrayal of one side the stereotypical youth. I say one side because there are predominantly pessimistic views of the youth, especially depicted by the news, who only really show negative stories. In consideration of the fact that their target audience is still relatively young, a modern font has been used, which portrays their youth but does not make fun of it. Three fonts have been used, all of which are very similar. If fonts of which were varied in style, the magazine would lack in professionalism, as it is not sophisticated. The typography seems to flow really well, it is very effective in attracting the correct target audience. 'The ultimate Spring break escape' is quite difficult to see, so if this is an important story, the audience would find difficulty in reading it and would not be drawn to this specific feature. This could be improved by either changing the font, or ensuring the font is not as thin and delicate.
To conclude, I personally think that this magazine cover is successful. Everything about it follows common conventions of magazines, displaying an effort to ensure the cover looks professional and sophisticated, as the specified target audience would want. This caters to the youthful university students needs, as it consists of information of which is valuable to them, and imagery that will portray the lifestyle of a lot of the students. In particular, the colour scheme and imagery say a lot about a magazine, this cover has portrayed 'College' magazine as positive and educational. This modern magazine is fit for purpose, and much more suited to the target audience than the 'Bodmin College' magazine.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Analysing College Magazines
'A process needed for problem solving... not a specific gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people' (Jones, 1993)
'The making of the new and rearranging of the old' (Bentley, 1997)
'Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed in three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain. and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation' ( Caikazentmihalyi, 1996)
Preliminary Task
My AS Coursework
After looking carefully at the selection of Foundation Portfolio briefs, I decided that the most appropriate and interesting brief for me to undertake at this point in the course was the Print Brief. I produced a magazine at GCSE level, though it was not very sophisticated nor contained many of the specific conventions required for magazines, and through this I intend to improve on my skills concerning production of magazines and understanding of how they attract their specific target audiences; this will provide solid knowledge for me when it comes to media production. Personally, I am incredibly interested in the music industry, youth culture, creative design for print and photography and cannot wait to get started on this project.
The Brief:
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