Textual analysis
Researching
textual analysis of current magazines helped with my pre-production as it
showed different features that are included on a magazine cover. I researched
textual analysis of VOGUE and LOOK magazine which showed me the main features
on their magazine covers and what I should include on mine to make it look of a
similar style.
The masthead
is the visual branding of the title and is often done on a specially designed
type face. Knowing this made me think about how I wanted the magazine to be perceived
and similar magazines that I wanted it to look like.
The central
image can be what draws people into buying a magazine so it has to stand out
and be relevant to the target audience. By looking at current fashion magazines
with a similar target audience it helped with my pre-production by showing me what
type of images they have used and what type of clothing and facial expressions
were used on their chosen model. To take my photography for my covers knowing
what type of images were already on magazines and how the person on the cover
had been positioned and clothed helped by showing me what is relevant and
attracts their target audience.
The purpose
of cover lines is
to entice the reader into picking up and/or buying the magazine. Generally
there's one main larger cover line and then a few (or lots of)
smaller ones. By researching magazine
cover lines it showed how they link to the magazines target audience because
some topics mentioned would not apply to certain ages or genders.
Surveys
The survey I
did helped me with my pre-production as it showed me what people were looking
for and what they liked when buying a magazine. All of my magazine survey responses
were from women which helped me because they are the target audience of my
magazine covers. The survey showed me that the articles people want to see in a
magazine is celebrity interviews, fashion tips and celebrity gossip this helps
me to decide on the type of covers story’s to place on my magazine front
covers. It also showed me that the responders though that the main image on a
covers is the most important. This showed me that the images I am taking for my
own front covers need to stand out as they would on a normal magazine. Pink was
also chosen as the colour that most draws people in to reading and buying a
magazine showing me that it should be included. It also helped me to choose a reasonable
price that readers would not find too expensive. The questionnaire results
showed that people were willing to spend anything between £1- £4 for a
magazine.
Target audience
The target
audience for my magazine is women aged 25-45 because that is the target
audience for the magazines I am basing mine on which are LOOK and VOGUE. The
cover stories will be based around women’s fashion and beauty which is why it
will be targeted at women. I am also aiming my magazine at the socio economic groups
A (Higher managerial, administrative,
professional), B (Intermediate managerial, administrative, professional)
and C1 (Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial).
