Question 5

How do you attract/address your audience?

When designing my magazine I have looked at conventions displayed by other music magazines and incorporated this into my own magazine. One of the most powerful influences in a magazine, by far, is the photography. When organising the photoshoot, I specifically selected young females who had the personality and looks of most modern female artists. By taking qualities that a young audience can relate to, I created two successful groups that can be interpreted as role models for the audience and people that they can aspire to. For a male audience, the bands can be seen as a 'crush'. This set up is the most conventional way that music production companies can advertise their artists. The clothing that all of the models are wearing are fashionable and very current ranging from modern edge to revived retro. This is how the audience model themselves which will therefore introduce them to musicians who are just like them. The shots I have used are also all different and aren't repetitive, for example, on the front cover I have used direct mode of address and coupled with the close-up shot makes the face dominating especially in terms of stocking the magazine on a shelf which makes it stand out against the ther magazines. Diret mode of address is also used on the double page spread but I have used a long shot to include the whole group who are all connecting with the audience. However, the contents page contrasts this technique and uses indirect mode of address, which can be seen as quite seductive and used to promote the style of the model.

Another important way of attracting the audience is the use of colour. The mast head is a unique colour but is pale and stands out against the black band. However, it is the red of the flashes and kickers that attract the audiences' eyes to the most significant information on the page that could encourage a further look inside. The other most prominent colours are black, white and green which is complimentary to red and all contrast. This is an interesting variety without being too busy for the readers. For example, on the contents page the red draws the eye to the top left, then again to the bottom right as a natural order of reading and navigating through the magazine. On the double page spread, the title uses the most colour and highlights the name of the band and pull quotes taken from the article to help make the text recognisable to skim-readers. A younger audience needs excitment so the colour is bright but well thought out and engaging.

The language of a magazine can is very important when addressing an audience as differerent ages, gender, social class and personalities are naturally attracted to a certain language style. Since my music magazine focuses on the indie/folk genre the language needs to reflect this. The readers of this genre are usually in the working class and young so overall I have aimed for informal language, as if engaging in conversation with the reader. Considering majority of the audience would probably be students, you have to take into account that they want to read to entertain, not educate. For example, the interview includes language that would be used in everyday speech, including 'slang' such as "just the little detours we were goin' to see on the way" which is more realistic and down-to-earth. It is also more accurate to the band's regional identity. More pulling language has been used for the kickers. The plugs also use engaging language such as "Win" and "Exclusive" where the reader will feel that they have the opportunity to gain fromt the magazine either as a prize or reading exclusive articles that you can't find anywhere else. The text is presented in a mix of bold and italic fonts which highlight different sections of the magazine. Some unorthodox, decorative titles have been used, especially on the double page spread so that the page is fun and sparks curisoity which is what a young audience needs to keep attention on the page. On the left hand side of the double page spread I have used a pull quote to highlight the overall subject of conversation in the article so that the reader does not feel overwhelmed by a big chunk of text.

Overall, these points significantly define the genre and target audience of the magazine, fulfilling it's purpose in addressing the audience. A mix of the imagery and text compliment each other and emphasise the type of music it is representing.