How did you attract/address your audience?

By Mitchell Turner

Introduction

From my research I was able to find out what were the best ways of enticing my target audience and making them want to purchase my magazine. I used a wide range of media conventions which were put in place to engage with the audience. There were four main methods which I used to make sure that the target audience of my magazine would be enticed and they were the font styles which were used, the images which were selected, the layout and the mode of address. These were very important to get right as they were the basis of making sure that my magazine would have a strong customer base.

Font cover – Font stylesI firstly used a consistent font style in order to make the front cover look as professional as possible, by doing this my target audience would be more inclined to look at the magazine and look more closely at what was on it. A range of different font colours were used to make more important items stand out, the main article in the magazine in a dark red colour which makes it stand out very well on the black background. This is also the case for the cover lines as they adopt the same method, the cover lines use a bright yellow colour which makes stand out very well from the dark background. The cover lines also use a different font style from the mast head and main article heading.

Front cover - ImagesThe front cover only uses one key image which is there to engage with the audience and make them want to pick up the magazine. This method has been used in order to obtain to biggest the audience and also because it portrays ‘Gaze Theory’. Firstly the person in the image is looking directly at the audience of the magazine which will therefore engage with them.

Secondly the person in the image is wearing clothing which is suitable to the genre of EDM, this would more noticeable if he was not wearing suitable clothing as he would stand out in a wrong way.

Thirdly there is use of iconography in the image as he is wearing headphones which are strongly related to EDM. The target audience will be able to pick up on this and make the connection.

Finally the hairstyle of the person in the image is more than suitable for the genre as it is very up to date and fashionable. This will tell the audience the magazine is fresh out and maybe even entice them to purchase it.

Front cover - Layout

The layout of the front cover is very simple and therefore makes it very easy for the audience to read the cover lines without being overwhelmed by lots of information being thrown at them. The front cover uses a symmetrical layout as there is an equal use of cover lines on both sides of the image, this not only makes the magazine look more professional it also makes it much easier for the audience to differentiate between the different cover lines. The front cover uses a formal layout which makes it easier for the audience to find what they want without wasting time.

Front cover – Mode of address

The mode of address for the front cover is very formal as it provides the audience with lots of information about what is in the magazine and what they are purchasing. The front cover also addresses the audience in third person so it’s talking to the audience and persuading them to purchase the magazine. The front cover also uses abbreviations to save space and allow the other cover lines to breath, this also helps the audience to distinguish between the different articles in the magazine.

Contents page – Font styles

The contents page uses a range of different font styles which are put in place for various reasons. Different font styles have firstly been used in order to separate the headings from the numbering and articles. This makes it easier for the audience to correctly define the two. The contents page uses a sans serif font style because it will appeal to the target audience much more and it also reflects the style of the magazine. There are only use of three different colours which are red, black and white. This is the house style of the magazine and is used throughout.

Contents page - Images

The images used on the contents page are all suitable for the EDM genre and will appeal to the target audience of the magazine. Once again like the front cover the contents page uses iconography related to the EDM genre such as headphones and turntables which the audience will be able to make the connection between. Although none of the images are engaging with the audience they still effective as it means that the audience will not be distracted and they will be able to find the article which they want to read.

Contents page - Layout

The contents page uses a very formal layout as it is there to inform the audience about where the different articles are. The layout of the contents page makes it very easy for the audience to find the article they want as the contents page has been split into multiple sections such as ‘Features’ ‘Comin’ Up’ ‘New Music’ and ‘Technology’, by doing this the audience can easily find the article they want.

Contents page – Mode of address

The contents page addresses the audience in a colloquial language as this will suit the young audience very well, for example rather than “coming up” “comin’ up” has been used as its a sort of slang which will be appealing to the target audience. This type of language is used throughout the contents page as it will be found appealing to the target audience of the magazine. The style of the contents page is also able to indicate to the audience what the magazine will be like, how it will addressing the audience and how it will provide them with information.

Double page spread – Font styles

The double page spread uses multiple fonts which helps the audience to break apart the different sections of the article. The main heading uses a dark red bold font, this has been put in place to entice the audience. The sub heading uses a much smaller font but uses the same colours, this is there to tell the audience a brief summary of what the article is about. Finally the main bulk of text uses a consistent sans serif font style as it will appeal to the target audience while being very easy to read.

Double page spread - Images

There is only one image used on the double page spread because it leaves much more room for textual content to be added. The one key image is very effective as the person in the image is engaging with the audience. The image has also been edited so that the person in the image stands out from the background along with the iPad he is holding. The background has been blurred out so that text can be easily added on top which is more appealing to the target audience.

Double page spread - Layout

The double page spread uses a formal layout which is put in place so that the audience is able to obtain enough information, by separating the text from the image it makes the double page spread much nicer because it means there is not lots of text being placed over an image. Furthermore by placing the app information inside a separate box it makes it much easier for the audience to differentiate between the article and the information about the app.

Double page spread – Mode of address

The type of language which is used in the double page spread is colloquial because this is the sort of language which will appeal to the target audience of my magazine. As my target audience is quite young so the language which has been used contains lots of slang words which should be found appealing to the audience.