A​lex Newell-Media Studies

Across my front, contents and double page spread there are many ways in which I have attracted my audience. However, I will be focusing primarily on the drawing features of my front cover which I used to attract my audience of mostly males between the ages of 15 and 35. This includes my use of conventions used in existing magazines as well as basing the articles, colour scheme and overall look around the ideas of what is most appealing to fans of the Indie Rock genre.

 

The first and most obvious method of attracting my audience was through my front cover picture, I had to use something that was both interesting and engaging to the reader, not just from the pose but also the look of the artist. I took inspiration from existing magazines where the cover artists look directly at the camera, giving the impression of looking straight at the reader, as well as using the pose to present their personality. As you can see there is a strong similarity between my cover artist and Richard James on the cover of Q, the pose involves covering part of the artists face whilst still allowing eye contact to be made between the artist and the reader. The clothing worn by the artist also attracts the audience as it will be of a similar style to the clothes they wear and some could see it as a guide to a particular style.

Additionally, on the contents page my use of a cover album would be a big attraction to my audience due to their desire to discover new music so it would be perfect for them to read about and find the new music they crave. This is something you might find in an existing magazine and by including it shows how using and adapting existing conventions has been beneficial to the design of my magazine. By listing it as a free cd this further draws in the reader as it becomes a large selling point of the magazine due to the general positive attitude consumers have to cover mounts.

 

A further attraction for my target audience is the inclusion of competitions within the magazine and this being shown on both the front cover and the first contents page. By positioning the word ‘competitions’ on the front cover it inclines the reader towards buying the magazine as they will then be able to enter the competition, so the idea of winning a prize will be a drawing factor.

 

Finally, the style of writing seen on the double page spread is suited towards my audience due to its engaging manner, not just through the language used but also how it is written. As it is in a Q&A format the reader can instantly pick out the question they most want answered and read just that part of the interview before going on to read the rest. With the addition of a pull quote and a short yet engaging introduction, I ensure the features on my double page spread would engage the audience from their first glance at the pages.