Appealing
How did you attract/address your audience?
My specific target audience was 16-21 year old girls who had an interest in indie/mainstream music. I appealed to them in my magazine through layout, images, fonts colours and of course topics in the magazine.
Front cover:
My front cover must be the most appealing and interesting to the audience as it’s the first thing they see and generally the decider of whether they buy the product or not. Therefore I tried to use all relevant conventions and take advantage of features such as layout to attract them and draw their attention into the magazine. 
I placed a pug in the primary optical area with a topic involving music to draw the audience in. Also one of the first things you see is the title which is placed at the top of the page as it is the most important. This is also so the audience knows the magazine name straight away. It also had to be in an appealing and girly font and coloured in a simple but stand out way. So I used black but placed it on top of the title in grey so that it stood out. The black makes it look more professional and stands out from the bright colours. The next thing they see if the face of the girl on the cover. This is placed like this because next to the title, the person on the cover is the most important factor in whether they buy the product. It is also so that the coverlines can be neatly and maturely ordered around her so as to appeal to the audience. The majority of people in my questionnaire said they would prefer a magazine with an ordered layout as opposed to a cluttered one. The next thing you see is the main article then the band names. Of course as it is the main article it is very important that this is visible by the audience. The list of band names is an essential feature of indie music magazines as it shows the audience who is in there and if they like the artists they are more inclined to be attracted to the product. Finally you see the free posters, as they end up in the terminal area. This, like the pug is another music related article placed there to appeal to the audience and draw them in. All the important things are cleverly placed along the route of eye so that the audience can see it all in a quick glance and see all the things that will most appeal to them about the magazine. I used an ordered layout because of my questionnaire results and didn’t use many coverlines. This keeps the focus on the important parts of the cover and doesn’t look too crowded and immature.
The colour scheme was a part of my magazine that was frequently changed from draft to draft to see which best stood out and would attract the audience the best. I needed it to be girly but mature and quirky at the same time to as not to look too childish. I finally settled with a dark pink, orange, black and white. The black and white are basic and professional colours conventionally used in indie music magazines. They also usually use one or two bright colours. I chose dark pink as it is feminine but still mature so to attract my audience the best. I used orange as it stands out well against the background, goes well with dark pink and looks quirky so as to draw the audience in. I spaced out my colours well making sure there wasn’t too much of one down one side etc. as it looks off balance. I also placed the main articles artist in pink as it is a girl and so relates to the article.
For fonts, I only used a few different ones as to not look too childish again. I had a feminine serif one that I used for the masthead, and coverlines. This was clashed against a basic sans serif font to create contrast and not to have too many complicated looking fonts. Plus all magazines tend to have at least one basic and one ‘curly’ font.
The final front I used on my front cover was originally for the quotes for my main article, but I used it for a cover line as well so as to distinguish it and make it look more appealing. This again was a girly font but one that looked more handwritten to increase effectiveness of it. Another font I used was one that related to the main article so was used as a thing to associate with that particular artist. This is a way to appeal to the audience as they would recognise the font associated with this artist.
The image used on the front cover was shot against a brick background rather than a stereotypical plain coloured background. Even though this may make the coverlines slightly harder to read, I think it looks very effective and appealing. The rustic natural background is quite mature and professional so is attractive and draws the audience’s attention through being different. The clothes used were fashionable but not too fashionable. This is so the audience can still relate to them easily. The shot used was a mid-shot because this shows the artists clothes and her face which is all you need to recognise her and draw the audience in. Through composition she was placed in the centre on the shot with her head in the centre to show that her face is the most important part as it’s the bit the audience will recognise. I used a casual but still girly pose that represented her as being that way and seeming a bit shy as her hand is coming near her face. This makes her seem less intimidating as a star and more relatable therefore more appealing to the audience. The pictures used at the bottom were used to appeal to the audience as they would recognise the artists in them. The shots used in the images were various so they don’t all look the same.
The topics in the articles used were relatable to the audience’s interests and age group while still being focused on music. For example ‘gaga speaks out against bullying’. From Gaga, the audience immediately know who it is and the topic of bullying relates well the 16-21 year olds as most are in school or university.
Contents page:
My contents page is the second thing the audience will see and is also extremely important as it has the article titles and descriptions in, so them appealing to the audience is essential. This is why the layout must be very attractive and interesting so that it doesn’t look to plain with just lists of articles.
As you can see with the principle of thirds, the three columns fit perfectly in them which separate the information in a neat ordered way that will appeal to the audience while still looking interesting. Once again, the route of eye has been cleverly used so that all the important and appeal information is included along it. It starts with the title of contents being the first thing you see which is obviously the most important as it tells the audience what the page is about. The next thing along the route of eye is the articles, which are essential for attracting the audience. If the reader scans over the articles and finds them interesting then they are more likely to read the magazine. The next thing is the picture of the editor which you may not think is very important but I think by seeing the face behind the magazine makes it more relatable and appealing for them and the note from them and “signature” makes it like they’re speaking directly to the reader. The final thing along the route of eye and in the terminal area is an image of the main article. This image along with the two others helps to break up the text. This one in particular also appeals to the audience because it relates to the article on the cover and reminds them of it here – showing familiarity. In the primary optical area I placed an image of the front cover to remind them of it and again the main feature. There is also text saying ‘this month in’. With the picture below it makes sense and is and interesting and attractive feature making it appealing.
The colour scheme used was also the same to keep it consistent and mature as appeals to the audience. The dark pink was used for the column as the side and the headings as it is the main colour in appealing to the audience since it is feminine yet mature. The little bits of orange stand out against the pink and overall make the page look more colourful and interesting therefore more appealing to the audience. Once again I used black and white to stick to the same colour scheme but also because they both stand out great against colours while not looking in your face. I used a simple white background which is very conventional. By keeping it simple and mature I am attracting my target audience as it doesn’t look childish. So I used black mainly for text as it stands out great against the white background therefore catching the reader’s attention and attracting them to the magazine.
The fonts used on this page were the same as the front cover to keep a consistent scheme. I had the girly font as the titles for the articles and the bit saying ‘ this month in’ to make it stand out as they were the important bits. The article names and descriptions were kept in the sans serif basic font from the front cover so that they are easy to read in small writing and are conventional therefore appeal to the audience. I put the description in italic so that it was easily distinguished from the article name. The font for ‘Linzi’ was placed in a handwritten font to look effectively like a signature therefore looking realistic. This would appeal to the audience because with the x at the end it feels more casual and friendly.
The pictures used were placed to cause familiarity and break up the text. The image of the front cover in the primary optical area simply reminds you of what you saw on the cover and reminds you of the name of the magazine. The image of the editor creates a sense of friendliness within the magazine. It attracts the audience more by seeing the face behind the magazine. I used a picture from the main feature to have a familiarity from the front cover. It also attracts the audience to read that particular feature because it stands out from the rest due to the image. This image was a picture of the model in London, as this is a theme for the article. The background makes the location known and because it’s an English magazine, its relatable for the audience and draws them in.
Double page spread:
The double page spread is also an important feature in my product because it is the main article and is referenced on both the front cover and contents page. An interesting and different layout must be used to attract the audience if not they will just think it looks boring. On mine, I decided to take up a whole page with the image, to break up the text and make it look like there’s less. This appeals to the 16-25 year old audience because an article with lots of text can look intimidating.
The route of eye goes from the kicker and title in the primary optical area, to the head of the model, across the article to the image in the text then finally across to the pull quote. The article is placed this way so that all the important information is along the route of eye meaning that the audience see it all at a first glance. This is a very simple way to best attract the audience into the spread. The kicker and standfirst are placed in the primary optical area as they are the start of the article therefore the most important factor for whether the audience will read it. The start of the title is also in this area so that the audience know the artists name.The layout of the text is very ordered to appeal to the mature audience and to follow magazine conventions. The image in the text and pull quote break up the text and again make it less intimidating, appealing to the audience. The pull quote is placed in the terminal area so is the last thing you see. It is very important in attracting the audience to the magazine because it is like a sneak peek of the article. The reader can be drawn in from that single quote if it looks interesting to them.
The colours scheme is different from the front cover and contents page which is conventional and also because it looks more interesting and therefore appeals to the audience. By using a different colour scheme you can give a theme to your article or use colours often associated with the artist to best appeal to the audience. I used a British theme because it appeals to the British audience and also means they recognise the locations of the photos so it relates to them and draws them in. As I used a simple white background which is conventional and therefore appeal to the audience, and the London phone box is red, I used a blue box for the caption. The title was then a British flag so all the colours are used evenly keeping up the theme.
The model wore quite neutral colours to stand out from the brightness of the article. These were fashionable but not too intimidating so the audience can relate to her and are attracted to the article.
Some of the fonts used were the same as the front cover and others were new. The one shown above was used on the front cover and this spread because it is associated with the artist and therefore easier for the audience to recognise her. The one for the article was a simple serif font which is easy to read yet looks professional and mature. The pull quote was also a font used front the front cover, it is a girly handwritten font to give an affective and appealing look to the female audience.
The image used as a whole page was composed and shot carefully because it would be taking up a whole page so had to be interesting and effective. The London phone box was shot to the left of the model so that she was leaning on it but you could still see the majority of it because it’s a key feature of the theme. Her clothes are fashionable but not intimidatingly so, this means the audience can relate to her. It is a long shot of the model so that you can see her whole outfit and body. This was also done as it varies from the other shots used of her so they are all distinguished and appealing. The model was placed in the centre of the shot looking straight into the camera with a girly but confident pose. This is so it looked like she was looking straight at the reader and so it appeals to the females effectively. Other shots were taken but none came out as well as that one did. This is because most came out quite blurry when you made them big to fit the size of the page and they obviously have to be clear so that the audience can see all the details.
The other image used on this double page spread was a family photo so allowed the audience to feel like they knew her better and related to her. This is a very appealing feature for an article. It was a close up to show both their heads and the Christmas background. This was the most effective size to use so it didn’t take focus away from the main article.
Questionnaire (created on
http://www.surveymonkey.com/) results: I got a very good representative sample of my target audience’s opinion of my magazine. I know this because a high percentage of the results were from girls aged 17-21. Therefore I can get an accurate view of what my target audience thought of my magazine and see if the techniques of appeal worked. I can also see their opinions about my magazine.
Overall, I received very positive views from my target audience. This gives me the general idea that they liked my magazine and it appealed to them. When asked about the front cover, they replied with answers like:
The audience liked the colour scheme I used, giving me the impression that it was effective in catching their eye and attracting them to the cover. They also commented on the quality of professionalism which is very important for my magazine as if it looked tacky it would not appeal to the audience. A final point made is how good the photo looked. This is also a key feature in attracted the audience as it takes up most of the front cover. The fact that the audience liked it gives me the idea that they would buy it.
Possible improvements given were either very vague or none at all which is very good as it tells me that my target audience likes my magazine the way it is:
Overall I think my front cover was very effective in appealing to my specific target audience it was aimed at. With only a few adjustments required for maximum appeal and some great responses for what they liked, I’m confident that it succeeded in attracted them.
For my contents page, the responses were also great:
My target audience loved the layout, saying it was easy to read and clearly laid out. This is a key feature in appealing to my mature audience because if it was all messy then they wouldn’t want to read it.
The improvements were the same as before, with quotes such as ‘different font for the titles’ and ‘you could include more information about the contents’. So the main issues were the font of the date/ issue number and also the placement of it. Also the information amount. But other than that, the responses were good although not an as effective page as my front cover in appealing the audience.
For my double page spread, most people were quite vague about their answers, although the longer ones showed a good amount of appeal to the audience:
Looking through responses, people really liked the layout and the picture, them being the main reasons of appeal. The target audience also said it grabbed your attention with the photo and theme. These are very successful comments in that it shows my double page spread did a very good job of appealing to them and attracting them to read the magazine.
Improvements for the spread were as follows:
Most of them said that I couldn’t improve it but the little improvements are very helpful in showing what they would want to see. Overall I think my double page spread did a very good job of appealing to the target audience with great responses and only a few minor improvements mentioned.
As shown from both the in depth and frequent techniques I used and the responses from my audience, I think my product did a very good job of appealing to the target audience. From my results it’s shown that they liked it very much only noting a few minor improvements. This shows that my techniques paid off and I was able to create a very attractive and appealing product for my target audience.
This way, I had a much better chance of getting the opinions of my chosen target audience on my magazine.
