I think that my student magazine overall is successful. I think that the colours are used constantly throughout and complement each other allowing the magazine to have a professional touch to it. I also think that the pugs and small story lines are interesting so that the reader reads on after viewing the front cover but also brief enough so that not too much information about the magazine is given away.

 

I also think that my main cover image is strong because its very visible and because it’s a medium shot it allows all focus to be on the person within the image instead of what is going on in the background and this is what i wanted considering the magazine was interviewing a new artist who does not yet have any fans and needs to grip people’s attention from the minute they first see the magazine.

  

By me using my own images but posing them as someone famous shows that i have really thought about the images i have used. It also shows that i have thought about the type of artists who would feature in the magazine and that they are not just randomly picked from the internet or copied of somewhere.

 

 

To improve my magazine i would make the main headline and the pull quote from the main article of the magazine bigger and bolder so that it’s clearly stands out from everything else on the page and the readers are not distracted away from it. I would also use brighter colours so that it makes it easier to read.

 

 

Another improvement i would make is that i would use a happier main image so that readers are drawn in by the friendliness of the person within. Even though the image is clear and professional it’s too serious for my chosen genre, and could make people not choose the magazine because the image is too cold.

The masthead of the magazine is in a bold black font, this automatically draws the reader’s attention to the magazine front cover. The connotations of the bold font are that the magazine is very lively and stand out from the other magazines.   The pink in the heart within the title also guides readers to the stereotypical audience the magazine targets which is girls, the lover heart also gives the magazine a friendly vibe, meaning the lover heart is polysemy.

The ‘gaze’ also known as the main cover image is very dominant within the front cover. This allows audiences to learn who the main feature story will be about and helps them decide whether or not the magazine appeals to them. The main image also contains someone who is smiling the denotation of that is that the person is genuinely happy however the further connotations of the image is that the picture has been set up purposely, and that the person smiling is used to portray a happy atmosphere to the magazine and that is it trying to attract audiences through the use of imagery.

The house style of the magazine front cover is very repetitive when it comes to the colour use of whites and pinks. White connotes purity and innocence which could tie into the themes of the magazine. Stressing to audience members that it is a friendly magazine and that all ages can read it which is a positive for the magazine itself because it has a broader or audience ranger meaning more sales. Pink connotes girly, lovey and friendly messages targeting girls for their primary audience, however with the use of hot pink that adds more of an edge to the magazine and makes it become more daring as the colour is closer to red, which stereotypically connotes danger this allows the magazine to appeal to older audiences as well.

The use of the slogan week after week allows audience members to become familiar with the magazine; it plays apart in the magazines brand identity. It also allows audience members to recognise the magazine as the slogan is catchy and memorable allowing audience members to relate back to the magazine when they hear the slogan. A connotation of the slogan is that it is used to add a humorous fun side to the magazine, stressing that the articles within the magazine follow the same bubbly pattern throughout.

The promotions/offers displayed of the magazine front cover attract more audiences because it offers more than just the magazine itself. By also advertising fashion it then informs audiences that the music magazine doesn’t just write about music, and that it has more than just the featured article and that it offers information on themes such as fashion etc. Again, this multiplies the audience range as it will appeal to more people because of the variety of story choices.

 

The reason I have chosen the images with the ticks is because they are the most focused images and they are medium close ups allowing a clear view of the person within. The on profile pictures also follow the rule of thirds, demonstrating it is a good quality picture to use for a magazine cover.

The reason I will not choose the pictures with a cross in them is because they either are too far away, causing the image to be unclear. Or the background is not a neutral colour which may cause some of the focus for the main image to be lost. The close up shot also causes the image to become blurred as the person within was too close to the camera for it to be able to focus resulting I a bad quality image.

Questionnaire Summary

 

The purpose of my questionnaires was to collect information about my target audiences so that I knew what to and what not to feature in my magazine so that my audiences would want to purchase my magazine and would be satisfied with the content throughout.

My research shows that pop is the most listened to genre of music, therefore I will base the of the house style of my magazine on the conventions of a stereotypical pop magazine.

My research also shows that twitter is the most commonly used social networking site therefore I will promote my magazine through the use of twitter, which will give me the confidence that most students will hear about the magazine.

Through more research the music artist which was disliked the most was Justin Bieber. Therefore I will not include any articles within the magazine on Justin bieber because it may lead to the majority of audiences not choosing my magazine because they do not enjoy the people featured within.

My research also shows that people would rather buy a fashion magazine than a music magazine and that they would rather spend money on clothes than on a video game, implying that the bulk of my target audience are into fashion. In order to keep my audiences happy I will include features of prizes which are to do with fashion. For example add a page within the magazine which tell you about the latest fashions or offer a clothes voucher with the purchase of the magazine.

Further research shows that my target audience enjoy watching films just as much as much as listening to music therefore I will include film reviews within my magazine so that the audience have information on the latest films as well as the latest music artists.

Through the results of what peoples favourite films are the two most popular films fall in to the genres horror and romcom. This allows me to have more of an understanding on what audiences enjoy and allows me to know what sort of film reviews to include and what films will interest the audience.

 

 

 

The rule of thirds is a terminology  used in media . It  is where  an image is split up  by two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, making  9 sections on the image.  Normally  the main focus of the image  will be found in the middle section.

 Through the two individual  portrait images , I have used the rule of thirds by lining  up the persons eye focus with the top horizontal line, or just before.On the group phtoto i have also lined up their eye focus with the top horizontal line in order for the viewer to be automatically drawn to them instead of what is going on in the back ground.