Creating for an Audience – Task 2

Emily Monsey

ELLE

ELLE magazine’s media packThe media pack from ‘Elle’ has revealed that the rough/median age of buyers is 36 years old. However we do also see that the age range of this magazine is very varied and covers a vast age range as it covers a lot in one product. The percentages were extremely close together for if the readers are married, single and have children. The category of owning your own home appeared to be slightly higher than the others which just shows that the majority of the readers may be in their late 20’s/30’s and higher, as by this age many people have their own home and possibly a family. We can also see that 67% of the readers are employed and 29% are in a professional/managerial role in their career. This shows that the audience are working class and higher

Layout - coverThe layout of this particular front cover shows that they have filled most of the space with the image of a model with some of the text overlaying on top of it. The image also goes over the top of the title of the iconic “ELLE” band of text across the top of the cover. This could show that the readers of this magazine don’t need to see the title as the readers already know and also shows that readers should also possibly know already. For the main image on the cover ‘elle’ magazine uses a well known celebrity or model to be on their cover so all of their readers know exactly who it is, this image takes over the majority of space on the cover and always features some sort of story or interview on this person. The layout of this cover isn't particularly busy or crowded which I feel helps the audience to read the magazine with a lot more ease even with some of the image being put underneath. I feel that this layout is quite unorganised which gives it more of a relaxed feel for the reader, this also sets the style for the rest of the magazines layout and also their style as we now know that this magazine is most likely not going to be overly formal whilst still sticking to quite a sophisticated look.

Layout - insideThe layout of the pages inside is consistent with the cover as it doesn’t seem too overcrowded and busy as some other magazines layouts are. They have also included their big main images in the center of each page and shaped the text around these images, I feel that this highlights that main centered image as the text is all linked in with it. They have also included some smaller zoomed in photographs which give more detail for the reader and also help if the reader is looking to purchase this particular item. This layout is fairly messy and really relaxed as the format isn't overly structured as the images have been placed at random around the page and also overlapped in some places.

Images –The images featured in ‘elle’ all show the reader exactly what they are talking about allowing the reader to understand easily. From looking through the pages of Elle we can see that the majority of images they use are large and also close together, usually scattered around the page in an informal manner. There aren’t many black and white images as most of them are fairly bold and colourful to catch the reader’s eye, this style has been chosen by the editor/producer in order to draw the reader to these images and in some cases also make them aspire to be like the models in the images. This is a popular method used in many magazines which attracts the reader and lets them have someone to aspire to be like. The images are very edited and airbrushed to highlight the models best features, this is a clever marketing technique used by the media producer as the reader may think that by buying the things in that magazine and wearing the makeup they feature will one day make them look the same. – this method is especially effective with their younger readers. Every issue published by Elle include a famous model or celebrity posing on the cover, this can draw many different readers if they like that particular person as they will always feature someone that is well-known in this particular industry. The cover image on this issue is very prominent and bold as it’s a close up shot of the model Candice’s face, for people reading the magazine that like this model this issue will stand out for them.

Inside the magazine there are many images used in order to show what they are talking about and trying to explain to the reader.The images on these pages in particular are quite bold and large in size which allows the reader to see them in more detail. These shots Are also of models straight from the runway which shows the images are official and also shows the magazines professionalismas they can get these images from well known designer runway shows. Towards the bottom of the page we then see many images Of models all clustered together that have been overlapped and Feature the different hairstyles and colours that the text includes.

Words –The cover has the name ‘ELLE’ across the top of the page, this has become an iconic headline due to it’s fame and popularity which draws potential readers to the magazine straight away as it’s very big and bold. The words “shoe”, “best hair” and “what to wear to go out” are all bold and a lot bigger than the rest of the text. This helps these particular words and sentences to be highlighted and stand out from the rest, also these words happen to be related to the magazine as they all include things about beauty and fashion. Including this text on the cover advertises what is going to be included in the magazine and attracts readers to the magazine as it’s as though they are promising ‘the best hair’ for you and also what you should ‘wear to go out’. This will help as it also will make younger readers in particular aspire to be like the models they see and that this magazine is going to help them to be like them. They have also used quite exaggerated statements about what their magazine can offer and give to their readers with things like, “the only shoe to buy now” as it looks like this style or type of shoe is the only one available for their readers. They have also put text saying “get the best hair of your life”, including this kind of text and highlighting it for the reader is a clear exaggeration as it may not actually be the ‘best hair of your life’. This is a way to attract more readers as they feel that the magazine will help them, especially if they have insecurities in themselves.

Inside the actual magazine some of the words have beenhighlighted again just like the front cover as they have kept thelayout and the way they use text and words consistentthroughout. Words such as “closet” have been used and kept in a larger font to the others as this word in particular will attract the reader as this whole magazine is based on fashion and beauty.They have also used the word “confidential” next to ‘closet’ to create an alliteration and make the words more catchy and highlight what this article is going to be discussing. The word‘confidential’ also makes this article more mysterious for the reader and possibly exciting to read what they have to say.

Colour – The colour used on the cover of this issue of ‘elle’ is all very co-ordinated as the background is pink and also the model has been styled in something pink, this all links together and shows the magazine is going to have consistency. The writing of the title has been put in white along with the rest of the text on the cover, I feel that this still stands out and is bold even without a bright colour. This again shows the consistency of the magazine and shows what we can expect to see inside, this could also show that the magazine isn't going to be very formal and will have more of a relaxed feel to it as they haven't chosen to do it in a plain colour and have gone for a bright pink for their cover. However they have included some of the text in black, such as the date, price, the text “world exclusive” and the name of a designer where inside our can receive a discount card for. I feel that the text in black is the more formal text and also the things that need to be mentioned and printed such as the date the magazine has been published and price of the media product. “Elle” magazine always chose a colourful theme for their magazine inside and out and I feel that this shows the magazines relaxed approach and also gives the magazine an informal style, which makes it more appropriate for the large target audience they appeal to.

Inside ‘elle’ there is still a lot of colour throughout the pages as They have kept consistent and showed their relaxed approach to magazine whilst still achieving a sophisticated look. On this particular two page spread there is quite a lot of colours that have been used but the colour that is used most frequently is blue. For example they have made the word “shop” stand out from the rest by changing it to a blue colour font in contrast to the other black text. This word will appeal to the readers as it is a fashion magazine and this may be one of the reasons that they purchase the magazine, so they can then get ideas and tips on what to ‘shop’ for. They have also made some of the other text blue such as their website address, a quote and they have also underlined the word ‘ever’ with a blue line from“for the first time ever”. I feel that they have used the blue colour as a highlighter for some of the text as it will draw attention to what they are saying. This page is also all about shopping at Elle's online website, this will advertise their website and also gain them more money if people chose to shop on here.

Font –The font for the front cover is very varied which shows contrast to the usual consistency throughout the magazine, they have also shown their relaxed approach and feel as they haven't stuck to just using one font throughout and not changing. The main title “ELLE” is the same in every issue of the magazine and the only thing they change is the colour, this font is very iconic for the magazine and has always been done in capital letters which gives it a bold and striking look. The font of the highlighted words is the same on two as “shoe” and “best hair” is the same, however the line “what to wear to go out” is a different font which I feel really stands out and is highlighted. The font for this particular sentence is very casual and not a font you may usually expect from a magazine as they usually stick to more easy and simple fonts, especially regarding the cover. All of the text that they have felt has been more relevant has been enlarged in comparison to the rest and also some has been put in bold or in capital letters. However the font for the smaller text is a slimmer font and a lot less bold and eye-catching, but still has been but in capital letters so the text is still readable and can be noticed on the cover. The name of the designer “Kurt Geiger” has also been put in a really bold font that sticks out as it has been put right at the top of the page even though the size of the text is still small. This is highlighting the designer as they are trying to draw attention to the 25% off they will get from this designers products when they buy the magazine. This will be very appealing for the readers as they will see this as a reason to purchase the magazine, this is a very clever advertising technique as more people will be attracted to this issue.

Inside the magazine I have selected a page where there has been many different fonts used as they have used a different font onsome of the letters in some cases, this shows they are clearly trying to draw attention to this page as it will be found very eye catching for the readers. “The new mood” is the title of this page in particular and is the main focus along with the many images that have been used on these pages as the font are varied throughthese three words. They have swapped between three different fonts which add different thickness to the writing and also have been put in different sizes as the word “new” has taken over a lotof space on the first page.

Captions –There have been many captions used on the front cover as they have tried to advertise what the reader will find in the magazine when they buy it. They have used the line “the only shoe to buy now”, this shows that they are going to be advertising some kind of shoe inside and this will appeal to many of the readers as they will want to have this shoe that they are recommending. All of the captions are very bold and exaggerated as well as they are trying to excite and appeal to their target audience, they all also relate to the contents of the magazine as they all speak about beauty and fashion which is why the readers will be purchasing it. They have also selected some of the captions to be very large and eye catching for the reader mixed with some of the smaller captions that possibly don't have as much space and coverage in the magazine. They have placed all of the captions circling around the main image of the model which highlights their main focus of the image but also highlights the meaning of the captions as they could be linking with this image. Mixing the fonts on these captions has also made them stand out as they look different and show the relaxed and informal look of the magazine, this also sets the audience up for what they will see inside the magazine. The use of all of these captions link in with the contents of the magazine and let the reader know what they are going to be reading, it is a way of advertising what's inside which can be a way of appealing to the potential readers and audience.

The contents of this magazine includes lots of captions which help the audience as they read through the magazine, they also tellthe reader what the images are meaning and what they are going to be talking about on this page in particular. They have also put the title of their website across the top of one of the pages, this is a way for the magazine to advertise their website as wellas their print product which will all make them a profit. On the left page of this spread in particular has the caption ‘snapshot’and this has then been surrounded by images around it which links in with the contents of the text.

Anchorage - The anchorage that ELLE magazine use on their pages is quite specific to the image which helps when reading the magazine as it allows the reader to follow the magazine easily without confusion. All of the captions they have used on the cover directly link with the contents inside the magazine and helps the reader to understand what they are going to be reading inside. For example they have used the caption ‘get the best hair of your life’ on the cover, this is a link with the pages inside that talk about different hairstyles and colours that they feel will give their reader the ‘best hair’. This helps as it uses anchorage for what the reader is going to see inside, instead of not including this and those pages being random to the reader. They have also mentioned that inside their readers will find a 25% voucher off kurt geiger items which draws the reader in and appeals to them, this is also mentioned again inside the magazine as they actually have the voucher inside. They have also included the small caption at the bottom of the cover page ‘the high street edit’ this is showing the reader that there will be some affordable high street fashions available for the reader and links in with the pages inside as they are going to be showing more images of the fashions and what their readers ould buy from the high street, this anchorage helps the reader as they then now what's going to be inside.

Inside the magazine there is a two page spread that features thearticle they had previously mentioned on the cover regarding hair.This helps the reader as it links well with the cover and shows that the cover includes some of the main articles that will be includedand featured inside the magazine. Also on this page there is thebig title of ‘colour’, this helps as it uses anchorage for everything onthese two pages as they are discussing a variety of different haircolours that can help their readers to ahieve the ‘best hair’. They have also included the caption ‘cinnamon red’ which links in with the picture above it as it is talking about the hair colour the modelhas and also discusses this colour in more depth in the text below.

Codes & conventions -colour schemeThe colour scheme used on the cover is very co-ordinated as they have used a bright pink for the background and linked it with the models clothes as she is wearing a pink jacket, they have also gone for a simple and plain colour for the text as they have used white for all of the text on the cover, this pairs with the top that the model is wearing. I feel that this all shows consistency in the magazine and sets the readers up for the consistency that they will later see in the magazine. I feel that the colour scheme for the cover changes all the time on each issue, this shows the difference the magazine has and also the relaxed attitude they have as they always change the colour scheme but not too drastically as they always keep the font of the title the same and in the same position which avoids confusion and also shows that they keep their consistency with the cover, yet they dont stay the same all the time as they make slight changes sometimes.

The colour scheme of the front cover is slightly different from the pages the reader sees inside as they havent stuck with the bright pink colour theme inside the pages and have decided to change it and show originality. For these two pages in particular they have used the main colour as blue and have used this to highlight some of the words and text to help the reader to see whats important. The magazine has not chosen to stick to one specific colour scheme as they have included many images inside which show bright and bold colours that can catch the readers eye. However they have used some pinks on this page that could possibly link with the cover as they have stuck to bright colours throughout the inside of the magazine and have used colours such as blue and pink.

Codes & conventions -photographyElle magazine always stick to the same layout for the cover as they have used an image of a well-known and famous model as their cover. They always use a celebrity that can be recognised by their readers for their photography on the cover and then feature more images of this person and also include articles or interviews with this person. This is the only photography used on the cover as they keep it very simple and sophisticated looking by not using lots of photography which can give the impression of the magazine being too over crowded and busy. I feel that just using the one image gives the magazine more of a sophisticated look even though it’s a lot simpler than other magazine covers that use several different images. This however doesn’t link with the rest of the magazine as they have used lots of photography throughout to guide the reader through, to advertise and to show the reader what the text is describing.

Inside the magazine they have used many different images as theyhave showed exactly what they are talking about and also used one main image of a model from that issue’s cover. On the left hand page they have used lots of images of ‘snapshots’ that linkin with all of the text which helps the reader to guide them through the pages. They have also used many different images atthe bottom of the page which are a lot smaller than the ‘snapshots’as they possibly don't have as much relevance as the others. Thereis also some images on the right hand page as they have used fourcaptions and then used some other photographs underneath these captions as they all link in with them and relate with what the words at the top are talking about.

Codes & conventions -writing style & languageThe writing style and language used throughout this magazine is very different as it changes, whilst still keeping the relaxed feel for the magazine which makes it easier and more comfortable for the type of audience they are targeting. On the cover they have used many different captions as they have tried to advertise what the reader is going to find inside the magazine. They have used the words ‘shoe’ and ‘best hair’ to advertise what is going to be inside and have also shown their relaxed attitude as they haven’t made it look too formal and plain and have made it look a lot different and also more relaxed. Using this kind of language has made it a lot more comfortable for the audience to read as it isn't very formal. The writing style has been really relaxed throughout and this even shows on the cover as they have used really easy to read language and vocab, this links with their target audience as they haven't got a particularly older audience as they have the majority of them being quite young, this links because older people may prefer a formal looking and structured writing style.

Inside the magazine they have stuck to the informal writing styleas they have used language like; ‘closet confidential’ on these pages. This language shows the key theme throughout the magazine as fashion as it shows what they could have in theircloset and the language of ‘confidential’ makes this more mysterious and exciting for the reader as they get to see what this article is going to be discussing. This writing style has made the article a lot easier to read due to the language they have usedand the layout of the page as they have spread the text out whilststill keeping it in columns as you would usually see in every othermagazine.

Codes & conventions -text & picture ratioOn the cover of the magazine they have used the only image of the model as the only image on the page and also spread it across the whole page instead of using several images etc. They have also used many different captions on the cover to advertise what they are going to be talking about in the magazine, i feel that the ratio of image to text is quite even as they have used lots of text across the image and also used a large font which makes it look more even instead of using a really small font size as then it would of looked like the image completely took over the page. I feel that this ratio works really well as they haven't made it too busy with the text and also haven't made the image too small so that the image is unrecognisable or too hard to see. The ratio of this cover is exactly the same as most of the other covers available as they usually stick to the same kind of layout, they have also kept the same one image that is enlarged to fit to the whole page on nearly all issues of the magazine and is only changed a small amount of times. However the text on the cover is different a lot of the time as sometimes they can use a lot and other times they keep the look of the cover as very simplistic with the image taking over even more.

Inside the magazine there the ratio wasn’t exactly the same as itwas for the cover as i feel that the images out weigh the text asthe text is so small in comparison to the large size of the images on each of the pages, along with the smaller images that are zoomed in images of the main ones. The text appears to be alot smaller that the photographs which makes it look slightly off balance in the ratio between the two. There is also only two collumnns on the page along with the smaller bits of textfor the captions, this adds to the smaller ratio of the text adding to it looking quite off balance. This two page spread is a lot different from the rest of the pages inside the magazine as all of the pages are different in their layout and all the text toimage ratio varies throughout.

Codes & conventions -fontsThe fonts used on the front cover vary slightly as they have used different fonts for some of the different captions, they have also kept an easy to read and simple font to allow the audience to read to cover with no issues or problems. The font of the title ‘ELLE’ is in it’s usual font and is being covered slightly by the large image of the model, this is on every issue which makes it very recognisable for their regular readers. They have also used a different font on some of the fonts in order to highlight these words in particular such as, ‘shoe’ and ‘best hair’ these words have been highlighted so the reader can see exactly what is going to be inside the magazine. This shows difference from the rest of the text as the font of these words in particular are in a very bold and larger font from the rest which draws more attention to them. There is also a completely different font that has been used on the bottom left hand corner of the cover for the line ‘what to wear to go out’ this font is really different in comparison to the rest as the other fonts used were earsier to read and also a lot more plain, much like a sans serif style font. This font however is still fairly easy to read but draws a lot of attention to the words as it is different from any of the other fonts on the cover. This also links in with previous issues of elle magazine as they regularly use a different font to highlight a certain article that they wish to focus on.

Inside the magazine on these two pages in particular they have used a variety of different fonts which show difference and also originality from the rest of the issue. For the main title they have used a really large font that is spread across the page and also used different fonts for some of the different letters. I dont feelthat they have done this in order to highlight that letter in particular as they dont have any relevance, but i do feel that theyhave done this so it will draw lots of attention from their readers. They have also used a large letter ‘T’ at the start of the article on the other page which is how most articles start in a number of other magazines and news papers which show that they do like to keep some formalities.

Codes & conventions -modes of addressI feel that this magazine doesn't use many actual terms of address that are directly speaking to the audience. They typically use ‘the’ to address or start the sentence with their sentence without addressing their audience, ‘what to wear’. I feel that this shows that they are clearly talking to their audience as they are telling them what they should wear without question, however they arent actually saying ‘you’ and directing the statement at them directly. I feel that this contrasts with the rest of the friendly and relaxed style of the rest of the magazine, it also makes the magazine feel less personal as they are targeting such a wide range of people. This also makes it more as a statement as they arent just directing it at you they are just are just saying that this is what they have to offer their audience which could potentially intrigue them even though thay arent being acknowledged as ‘you’ . However there is one caption that addresses their readers as they have used the line ‘get the best hair of your life’ this looks quite informal and relaxed as the rest of the layout etc has previously shown. It also shows that the magazine can make it more personal for the reader and also that they arent just making bold statements.

This theme has continued throughout the inside of the magazine as they still dont directly address their audience, they start their sentences without any address for their readers but instead usethe word ‘the’ as a bold statement for their readers, telling themthis is ‘the colour’ they have to have. This again shows the magazines originality and uniqueness as they arent sticking to the usual theme of talking to their audience in a way that soundsas though they are speaking to them directly. However just like cover they have addressed the audience in some parts as frompreviously reading issues of this magazine they directly addresstheir readers in the articles instead of in their titles.

For companies and media producers it is really good to get feedback from their target audiences, this enables them to make possible changes to their media product if they find that their audience would prefer something a little different. Feedback also helps if the company needs more inspiration or ideas for their product as their target audience can possibly recommend certain things in some cases. A companies audience can also control how succesful the media product is as they can decide whether to recommend it to others or even buy it for themselves, in order to help the media producers and companies avoid negative reactions from their consumers they can participate in audience feedback which can help companies to avoid situations like this from occurring.

There are several ways in which a company can gain feedback from their selected target audience including;

Focus groups - this is a good way to gain feedback as this is when the company gathers a group of people from their target audience, allows them to sample their media product or talk about a potential product and ideas then these people give their honest opinions about the product and all this information is recorded and will be used to help design the product.

Audience panels - this is when a group of people from the companies target audience are selected and are regularly contacted about a particular product, this lets the company understand peoples thoughts on the product and the people can then be contacted for a couple of months or even years regarding the product until the company have all the information they will need.

Trialing - Trialing is when people from a company's target audience get to test out a sample of the companies product, this allows the people to try out the product and then feedback their honest opinions and thoughts on the product so the company can make any changes before it it then released into the public.

Complaints - this is possibly the least positive way to gain feedback from their audinece, however it can be very useful in some cases as sometimes it can be the reason that a product isnt selling because everyone has the same complaints and thoughts on the product. Social media also allows the audience to gove feedback in a variety of different ways.

Audience feedback