QUESTION 5: HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?In order to appeal to my audience, I have used some conventions of existing rock music magazines- these being things such as a bold masthead which stands out compared to the background and focus on the cover artist. I have also chosen to have dark colours, with no bright or ‘happy’ colours as I think that would have moved my magazine away from its intended audience as unlike Kerrang!, my magazine is aimed at a slightly older demographic. Kerrang! has a lot more colour and a background which pops out more, whilst mine is only plain and grey as this helps the cover artist stand out more.

Unlike Kerrang!, my magazine does not have a skyline, but does still present what posters there are in a flash, as they are not what I would want the reader to see first (most people read from top to bottom). Another similarity is that both Twenty One Pilots and Lisa are wearing dark colours, as well as facing the camera which can help the reader feel engaged with them.

Both my and Kerrang!’s contents page have red on them, as well as a paler colour for the background which the text is on. However, Kerrang! also has a lot of black and yellow, and I thought that having black as a background colour for my magazine would be too dark, and yellow would be too bright for my target audience- yellow also represents happiness and the genre I was going for is usually quite dark, which is why it would not fit. Yellow also tends to be on a lot of products for children, and my audience would be slightly older than Kerrang!’s. I have took inspiration from the way Kerrang! presents its subtitles, placing them in a rectangle to help them stand out against the rest of the text. Also, my contents page appears to have more graphic features than Kerrang!’s one, and does not include an editors note or an image of the double page spread- although this may appear like it would appeal to a younger audience due to the amount of images I have included, I have presented mine a lot less

cramped than Kerrang! does, which ultimately makes my contents appear slightly neater and therefore appeals to my audience.

I have based my double page spread off of this one from Kerrang! as I think that the simplicity will help relate to my audience as it does not look overcrowded. Also, similarly to this DPS, I have not written my interview in a Q&A format as that is

more suitable for a pop magazine, and would not be appropriate for my audience. The title of my double page spread is the body copy, as it is in Kerrang!’s- this helps attract the audience to read it. Both magazines have quite a short article, which would mean that the audience is not put off by there being a lot to read. Both fonts look like they were handwritten, however, Kerrang!’s one looks a bit more scruffier as I wanted mine to look like it was handwritten so that it seems more normal and the audience can relate to it.

USE OF LANGUAGE/MODE OF ADDRESS

From my initial primary audience research I have learned that my target audience would like a direct mode of address, as this helps the reader feel more engaged with the text. I have decided against using vocabulary which would be considered vulgar as the genre is often associated with vulgarity and I wanted to go against that. I have also used semi-formal language and no slang as highly informal language with a lot of slang would be more relatable to a younger audience.

USE OF FONTS

For my masthead I have chosen a font which is smooth but is not completely just block letters; this is because I wanted something original which would stand out, as existing rock magazines such as Kerrang! have a broken font, however, I wanted to go with something different so it would be more original and distinguishable between all the different existing magazines. Similarly to mine, RockSound uses a block font, but mine is slightly different as it has a few breaks through it.

CONTENTS

From my primary audience research I have also learned that they would expect to see things such as competitions, opportunities to win, free CD’s, interviews, posters, and reviews. Due to this on my contents page I have included that sort of content in my music magazine, as that is what the audience would want to be included in it. I have also included information about upcoming gigs and concerts as that is likely what my readers would want to do in their spare time.

IMAGES

When doing my primary audience research I have discovered that rock music magazines have the artists facing or at least looking at the camera, this is because the body language of the artists can be inviting to the audience, causing them to feel like the content is directed at them which can make them interested in viewing it. I have also tried to have some of my images in everyday environments such as a stairs and a brick wall- this can help my audience be able to associate themselves with my magazine more.

Like in many rock magazines, some of my models appear quite serious and intimidating as that is what is expected of the genre, therefore more fans of the genre would be likely to be interested in the magazine, but I have also presented my cover artist as goofy in order to go against that stereotype.

CHANGES I HAVE MADE TO MY ROUGH DRAFT FROM AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

I have kept my final front cover quite similar to my original draft, keeping the initial design for the masthead as well as the contents listed- along with the fonts I have used. From audience feedback I have changed my colours to be more suited for a more gender-neutral audience, as well as suit the genre better due to red having connotations of being quite bold and daring; much like the music genres my magazine covers. I have also included a flash in order to make some of my content stand out more, as well as added a line at the bottom to include more graphic features to interest my audience.

I have majorly changed the design of my contents page. The audience feedback I received showed that the text would have been too cramped in this design and although it would have been original and unique, it would not have exactly matched the genre intended. I have also included more graphic features in a less crowded manner as my audience would liekly prefer a more

neater-looking layout. Also, the idea of the vinyl record would have been more suitable for an indie magazine rather than a rock magazine.

I have mostly followed my initial design for the double page spread, but have changed some quotes, colours, and have added more text. Following audience feedback, I have placed the artists on the cover as this makes the page a lot more interesting and eye-catching as the audience would know

who the article is about. Similarly to the front cover, I have changed the colours of my magazine in order to make it appealing to a more gender-neutral audience.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK ON FINAL PRODUCT

What draws your attention to the product?

- The images - The colours- The masthead- Bold lettering

What genre is it and how do you know?

- Rock- Punk Rock- Pop Punk

The audience have said that this is because of the black, deep red, and grey colours. They have also said that the artist names seem appropriate for the genre, as do the costumes of the models as they are portrayed as quite rebellious.

What do you consider are the strengths of the product?

- Looks authentic- Intriguing due to images and text- Well organised- Aesthetically pleasing- The colour scheme - Plugs + Prizes- Good layering- Fonts and feautures link to the genre- Clear connections between the pages- The ‘Wires’ interview is a strength because it seems personal for the fans so it would attract their attention

Would you purchase the product and why?

- Yes because like the genre - Yes because the contents seem interesting- No because do not like the genre- No because do not read magazines

How would you improve the product?

- Add more diversity - Could make some text bolder- Add colour to make it more eyecatching- Less empty space on DPS