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By Scott Dickinson

FRONT COVER

Throughout my work I have tried to apply codes and conventions that would appeal to my target audience of 12-18 year olds, however I feel that a wider audience would appeal to my work due to the fact it is based on pop music, an abbreviation for popular. Despite this I will focus on my primary target audience when elaborating on points in my work.

• My main image features a young artist of approximately 16 years old, immediately connoting the target audience of the magazine as he falls under the age it is aimed for. This is emphasised further by the size of the image, as it almost takes up the entire page. This is convention that is often used in magazines ,as a popular star would persuade my audience to purchase the product, it also highlights the age group the magazine is based for.

• I have tried to make the price of my product as affordable as possible because I feel that a low price would attract my target audience. This is because my aged audience usually have a limited amount of money to spend on leisure through their “Pocket Money”, therefore I felt that £1.50 would be a suitable price. There are also many other forms of entertainment that would attract my audience such as music, films and games, therefore I feel that my product is competing these. So a low price would hopefully persuade some to buy the magazine over other products.

• The use of informal language on the cover such as slang would appeal to my young target audience. I have made use of it to emphasise the idea that the product is form of entertainment through lack of formal features that would connote a more sophisticated audience. Lexis such as “swagger” and “celebs” are used on the front cover to also connote the sub genre of the music which is Pop music that is usually dominated in the charts, this is because this music is often urban, much like the language.

CONTENTS PAGE

• I have applied use of light colours such as blue, turquoise and red to make the page look colourful and light hearted. This is to appeal to my young target audience as an informal and attractive impression is created on the page. I also feel that the colours connote the sub genre of the music, as the music is popular ,therefore meaning enjoyed by many people. Therefore using colours such as these do not limit myself to certain sub cultures or groups, they connote a much larger audience.

• I have emphasised large images of artists on the contents page. This is to avoid the page appearing to have too much text, as this is something that would not attract my audience. The large images also emphasise the importance of the pages included in the magazine, for example my double page spread pages are advertised as very attractive through the large image of the artist to the audience. The images also appear to be overlapping some the boxes giving the page an attractive effect.

• I have included the “and tons more!” section of the page to allow my audience to feel they are getting more content for their money. This is a part of the page that is emphasised by it being in the same font as the title of the page, and the large star shape at the back of the text. This highlights the significance of the other pages included in the edition, and looks playful.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD• I have included a range of images on the double page spread for the audience

above the main text. This is to make the large amount of text look less unattractive on the page as it now looks more interesting. I have used this technique further on the page by having the main image spread across the two pages, challenging a convention, and separating text. This effect looks visually attractive in an unusual yet effective way.

• I have interpreted the use of social networking into my double page spread. This is in order to appeal to my target audience as I know from my own knowledge that the most effective way in which young people keep up to date with news and events about their favourite celebrities is through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I feel that by including this element of the work, my magazine will look more modern and up to date with techniques that attract a specific audience. And I feel that including factors that create that impression is important when making a magazine that focuses on new music.

• At the end of the interview there is very brief explanation of where to find and buy the song that the artist has mentioned during the text. This appeals to my audience as it shows an understanding of a platform where the modern audience can access and download their music, on itunes.

• I feel that the actual images I have included on the double page spread appeal to the audience. This is due to the model looking stylish when posing in his pictures, this is through props such as sunglasses and a microphone. The artist is also posing in different stances that look effective, for example a rebellious impression is created in the image with the artist going to cover the camera with his hand adding to the range of effects each individual picture create.