Annotated Examples Of Existing Texts - Contents Pages

Contents page analysis (1) from avapetal

Contents pages are all designed with the same aim in mind: for it to be a simple page that can easily be used to navigate the rest of the magazine. They are all quite different though due to their demographics and mode of address. Kerrang magazine have positioned their masthead on the contents page in order to reinforce their brand identity. This acts as a continuous reminder that the audience are reading Kerrang magazine. Spin magazine have used the colour red sparingly in order to keep the page simplistic and mature whereas the page feature the kings of leon has no particular colour except from the colour black and the various colours within the images. The contents is all put into separate boxes to make it easy for the reader to look through and process Kerrang have chosen to split the page in half horizontally with the image taking up the top half and text the bottom half. The text is all split into columns under various headings made to look as exciting and enticing as possible. This suits the teenage, male demographic who like this chaotic, random effect as they seem to have a lot going on and can be sometimes considered as having 'crowded' lives. In complete comparison Spin and the other magazine are very well organised and uncluttered. Their demographic is clearly more mature. The fact that Spin only has a fewer contents suggests that rather than just flicking through the magazine they are forcing the audience to read the whole magazine. The conventions are all quite similar in that none of the pages have the word 'page' in them. Also, although Kerrang is the only one of the three to have an editor's note, it is a convention that a lot of other magazines have followed. The use of images are chosen carefully as they want to use popular artists in bigger pictures in order to excite the audience and cause them to go through the magazine seeking out the page of the artist they wish to read up on.

Annotated Examples Of Existing Texts - Front Covers And Double Page Spreads

Front cover & double page spread analysis from avapetal

After annotating and analysing these three different front cover it is evident that they all have a set of conventions to follow. Yet these conventions are all codified differently depending on the target audience and the mode of address that is specific to age, gender and sometimes class. Vogue's demographic is generally very different to that of Kerrang! and Clash magazine. The colours, language and mise en scene all contribute in reflecting the target audience. Vogue's masthead is quite sophisticated as are the other typographies used for the feature stories. From this we can see that the magazine is mainly aimed at females (given also the feminine purple colour used). It reflects the girlishness yet elegance that the reader's have or aspire to have. The main colour scheme is purple, black and white. Purple has connotations of royalty whereas the black symbolises mystery and the white reflects purity which is how the demographic are reinforced. The main image on the cover also helps to reinforce the demographic . Emma Watson was photographed in a way to make other women aspire to be like her. She is making eye contact with the camera and is on the same level with it which goes against the Male Gaze Theory in which it was stated that the camera is male and thus women are photographed as sexual, desirable objects who are inferior to men. This image is in line with Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which the audience buys the magazine in order to be brought closer to reaching their goals and aspirations (to be like Emma Watson). The buzz words chosen are fitting for this demographic. Words such as 'Must Have' and 'Beauty News' are written in bigger fonts which entice the audience into buying Vogue. Kerrang's masthead is written in a cracked typography which adds to the defiant, rebellious edge the magazine has. The predominant audience for Kerrang are teenage males which is why this sort of design would appeal to them. The front cover is quite cluttered and random given the younger demographic. Opposing to Vogue, Kerrang's masthead is positioned behind the main image as if they are popular enough to have an obscured masthead and still be recognised. Clash also has Kurt Cobain obscuring their curved masthead. They seem to be confident with their brand identity too. By doing this both magazines have created the impression that they are bursting with content and have to do squash everything together in order to fit it all in. Kerrang's colour scheme for this particular issue is black, white, green and yellow which work very well to create a striking front cover that stands out on a magazine shelf. However, Clash has created an odd cover with everything black and white except for the name 'Nirvana' and a small feature at the top of the page. This represents quite a serious demographic or the fact that this issue is going to be comprised of a big Nirvana feature. Billie Joe is photographed in a dominant position with a guitar strapped across him. The lighting suggests that he is just about to step on stage and perform. The Clash cover is quite odd. It has Kurt Cobain smiling manically and staring at the camera in an almost unnerving manner. All the magazines have chosen feature stories that are in line with the Use's and Gratifications Theory as they are entertaining, allow social interaction and are also informing. This theory states that there are several main reasons why people use media. The feature stories are compromised of different typographies and colours which attempts to show the reader that the magazine have lots variety (Clash is the exception to this- it seems to have put all of its faith into Nirvana for selling this particular issue. Also, it is their 20th special edition meaning that it may already be hyped up amongst fans). The mastheads all follow the same convention of being aligned to the left yet Kerrangs spans the top of the page perhaps due to its size and length. Both Kerrang! and Clash have banners advertising other feature stories and things to expect from the magazine which could be because they are both aimed at almost similar demographics. Almost all double page spread consists of an equal balance of text and images. Normally, there is a main image that takes up most (sometimes all) of one page whereas the rest of the page is consistent of text in the form of an article. The NME has done this with Lily Allen. Apart from the newspaper-esque heading the rest of the two pages is quite simplistic which is true to the NMEs mode of address. This has also been down with the article about Noel as his image takes up the whole of the right hand page. There is also a smaller box on the right side page entitled Noel's Greatest Moment which helps to deliver key things about the artist which should be short and attention grabbing. The article about Solange Knowles is slightly different as she does not take up the whole of one page. Instead she share the page with a column of text and a quote. Also, there have also been several black and white images included amid the background perhaps to indicate the different sides to her personality. Most double page spread contains a sort of bridge between the two pages to show the reader that they are linked together. Both the NME article and the one about Solange Knowles have done this in an attempt to give readers an idea of what the articles are about. The Noel Gallgher article does not do this. Instead it goes against conventions completely and has one page with a red background and one with a white background. Perhaps they want to depict how unique the artist is himself or want the reader to be different and unique. The NME does not necessarily have a specific colour scheme for this article. The heading has just been written in black and the most colour is seen on Lily Allen's shirt displaying that she is colourful and different among other 'drab' artists. The blue, white and black on Solange Knowles' article is quite basic with her wearing the orange again insinuating that she stands out. The Noel Gallagher article has one main colour: red. This suits the artist as he is well known for having angry feuds with his brother. Apart from Now magazine, the other two articles both start with a drop cap. The fact that Now magazine has refrained from doing this is quite unusual given that it is a general convention of all double page spreads. Again, the Uses and Gratifications theory can be seen as the articles seem to be informative, entertaining and encouraging social interaction. The mise en scene of all magazines adds to the mode of address. The NME has got Lily Allen wearing a lot of black eyeliner and seeming somewhat rebellious, quirky and alternative as this is perhaps the type of girls thought to listen to her music. The girls may identify with this and so this is in line with Maslow's hierarchy of needs given that the girls aspire to be like this and so invest into this dream buy buying the NME. However, the NME's audience is predominantly male so they were in fact drawing in the niche audience in this case. Now magazine has Solange standing quite innocently in a vibrant dress. She is made to look submissive suggesting that she is in line with the male gaze. The choice of an orange dress may be due to the fact that she is used to standing in her sister, Beyonce's shadow for so long that she now wants to stand out. Noel Gallgher's image looks almost as though he took it himself giving the audience the idea that he is in power and in charge especially given the low angle of the camera which enforces his dominance. All of the images have an anchor which is a convention included to convey meaning of the photo to the audience.

Quantitative Audience Survey

Quantitative Audience Survey from avapetal

In order to ensure that my magazine was appealing to my target audience I had to conduct a questionnaire using QuestionPro in which I asked certain questions to form a better understanding of my demographic. It also helped me decide some of the specifics when it came to designing the pages of my magazine as I had a clear understanding of what my target audience wanted.