Monday, 28 February 2011
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Analysis of a Magazine Front Cover
Image source: http://www.myfacemybody.com/2010/11/heat-magazine-steve-irwin-steve-handisides-common/
Even though photos of glamorous girls are used they are not posing and look natural, but also add interest to the stories. The main focus of the magazine is celebrities so on this particular cover there is Cheryl Cole who is very well known, and people would buy the magazine to find out about the latest events in her life. As celebrities are written about this would add interest for the target audience who are 16-25 year olds.
The colour scheme is red, white and yellow, so it means that the front cover is eye-catching. The word “BIG” is written in capitals and is around the same size as the title of the magazine. This helps to emphasise its importance in relation to the Cheryl Cole story. There is also an image of Katie Price in the top left hand corner, so re-enforces that the main focus within the magazine is celebrities, and that readers find it interesting getting to know what is happening in the lives of people like this.
Connotations of the title "heat" are fire and danger, so the fact that "Strictly" are getting "Dirty" links into this idea of being dangerous, with a daring side too. The magazine would interest men and women, as Cheryl Cole is a role model for females, so they would want to read the magazine and find out about her "renevation plan", whereas males would see her as being an attractive and successful woman, so they would want to read about her for this reason.
Saturday, 26 February 2011
2nd Magazine: NME (New Musical Express): Research and analysis.
Research: NME has been published since 1952 and in the 1970’s it became the best-selling music magazine. It is still popular and is sold every week, with features such as a singles chart, music news stories and interviews. The target audience are teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 who are interested in the latest music. The price is £2.20 and it is published by IPC Media (Time Inc). When it was first released The Beatles and The Rolling Stones featured regularly on the front cover. In the 1970's the magazine's main competition was another called "Melody Maker", so it had to develop its features to keep buyers interested. Despite the fact that sales dropped through the years, and even into the 2000's, the magazine has managed to remain on the market.
Analysis: On this front cover bright, eye-catching colours are used, as well as bold fonts, especially for "NME" and "Skins." The main colour scheme is yellow, black, red and white, and these colours work well when combined together. As the models for the photos are young, and from recognised programmes such as "Skins", the target audience would be teenagers ranging from the ages of 16-19. The main models on the page look like they are quite close, as they are hugging each other. so this shows how male and female teenagers can have close relationships, and also how one gender may have more friends of one gender than another (i.e the girl from skins with two boys). There are things which are assosiated with teenagers, such as "sex", "drugs" and "myspace", which are linked into the "Skins" story, suggesting that taking "drugs" and doing similar things is cool. All of the images are in colour except the one in the top right-hand corner, so this catches your attention as it is different, and makes sure you know that there is an article about the "Klaxons." The fact that the page is crowded means that the reader knows they will get plenty of content for their money. The magazine is promoted even further because of the fact it comes with "free posters," and some of these are shown (along with the name of the band), across the top section of the page. At the bottom of the page a "plus" arrow indicates some more of the bands who will be featured in the NME magazine. I think that it would grab the attention of an older teenage audience because of the age of the main models, and the amount of articles you get for your money. The name NME is also short and snappy, whereas the full name doesn't sound as funky.
Image source: http://kayascodelario.net/2009-02-04/update_17
Analysis: On this front cover bright, eye-catching colours are used, as well as bold fonts, especially for "NME" and "Skins." The main colour scheme is yellow, black, red and white, and these colours work well when combined together. As the models for the photos are young, and from recognised programmes such as "Skins", the target audience would be teenagers ranging from the ages of 16-19. The main models on the page look like they are quite close, as they are hugging each other. so this shows how male and female teenagers can have close relationships, and also how one gender may have more friends of one gender than another (i.e the girl from skins with two boys). There are things which are assosiated with teenagers, such as "sex", "drugs" and "myspace", which are linked into the "Skins" story, suggesting that taking "drugs" and doing similar things is cool. All of the images are in colour except the one in the top right-hand corner, so this catches your attention as it is different, and makes sure you know that there is an article about the "Klaxons." The fact that the page is crowded means that the reader knows they will get plenty of content for their money. The magazine is promoted even further because of the fact it comes with "free posters," and some of these are shown (along with the name of the band), across the top section of the page. At the bottom of the page a "plus" arrow indicates some more of the bands who will be featured in the NME magazine. I think that it would grab the attention of an older teenage audience because of the age of the main models, and the amount of articles you get for your money. The name NME is also short and snappy, whereas the full name doesn't sound as funky.
Magazine Research: Shout
Shout is a teen magazine for girls which has been published by D.C. Thompson & Co. Ltd of Dundee, Scotland. It was first published in 1993.
The price for Shout is £3.00, although the Summer Special usually costs around £4.99. The magazine is published every fortnight and is read by over 520,000 people. There are a wide range of articles such as fashion, celebrities, true stories and flowcharts. Readers can send in their problems and they are shown in the magazine, along with a response. However, people can have a reply sent to their home address if they would rather receive it in person. The readers of the magazine can also send in “Embarrassing Moments”, and these are then rated by the editors.
Another magazine was released after readers said that they wanted more of the stories and celebrity gossip that Shout has to offer. This magazine is called "Shout Secrets", and the reviews for it whilst it has been on trial have been positive. The price of this is £3.00.
The current editor of Shout is Maria T Welch and it was launched by Jackie Brown.
Image source: http://magazine-subscription.org.uk/1791/shout-magazine/
The price for Shout is £3.00, although the Summer Special usually costs around £4.99. The magazine is published every fortnight and is read by over 520,000 people. There are a wide range of articles such as fashion, celebrities, true stories and flowcharts. Readers can send in their problems and they are shown in the magazine, along with a response. However, people can have a reply sent to their home address if they would rather receive it in person. The readers of the magazine can also send in “Embarrassing Moments”, and these are then rated by the editors.
Another magazine was released after readers said that they wanted more of the stories and celebrity gossip that Shout has to offer. This magazine is called "Shout Secrets", and the reviews for it whilst it has been on trial have been positive. The price of this is £3.00.
The current editor of Shout is Maria T Welch and it was launched by Jackie Brown.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Introduction
For my AS coursework I am required to create either a magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread or a 2 minute film, so I have chosen a magazine. I need to use programs such as Adobe Photoshop which will help me to edit the magazine and make it look good. I think that creating the magazine will help with my writing skills as that is what I like to do, so it will support my stengths better when combined with the images I take. This blog means that I can show evidence of my research and the planning for my magazine.
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