HOW I APPEALED TO MY TARGET AUDIENCE

COLOURS- Front Page

I have used a selection of masculine colours on my front cover. The red, black and white colour scheme which I found in my research had male appeals are good as they also contrast against each other well so the text and other key features on the cover stand out and are eye appealing to my audience. The red brings an element of brightness to the page and it looks colourful and not boring so therefore is found more appealing to a younger age group. The colours that I have selected are also conventional for the indie genre. I found this out in my research into similar products; NME commonly use bright colours such as red, yellow and blue. By including red onto my front cover, it becomes more appealing to the demographic and psychographic of my primary target audience.

COLOURS- Contents Page

I also included a blue, black and white colour scheme on my contents page. These colours have masculine appeals and by using them again I create a house style which adds to the brand identity of my product. The audience can become familiar with this house style and can relate to the colours used.

COLOURS- Double Page Spread

Again, I use masculine colours that contrast one another. The black and white stand out and make text and images stand out on the page. This page also follows the house style of the magazine thus building on its brand identity.

FONTS

I use serif fonts especially on my contents page and double page spread as it brings a formal approach to the page. Serif fonts have professional connotations and make the page look ordered and sophisticate. This is useful in appealing to my target audience as they can clearly and easily interpret information on the page such as the main article of the double page spread.

Sans serif fonts are most commonly used on the front page. This is used because it looks informal and fun. This especially appeals to a young demographic of audience so therefore fits my target audience.

I use a mixture of both font types to create a contrast on my page. This makes the product seem more visually appealing.

IMAGES

All of the images used are of males. This will appeal to my target audience as it is a mainly male audience I aim to appeal to. By using male imagery my target audience can relate to the magazine thus finding it more appealing.

In my images I have made my artists look conventional for the genre. I do this through the use of mise en scene. This is evident in the way they dress, they look like indie artists, and the use of props and backgrounds. For example, on my double page spread I place the artist propped up against the wall. This looks quite urban and fits the demographic and psychographic of my target audience.

LAYOUT

Throughout my magazine I use an ordered layout, this contains masculine connotations. I use this to appeal to my target audience who are mainly male.

The use of an ordered layout also helps the magazine look professional and provides easy reading for my audience and this might encourage them to buy my magazine.

MODE OF ADDRESS

In my magazine, in terms of language I use a quite laid back informal mode of address. I do this as it fits the psychographic of my target audience. I achieve this through the use of colloquial language and sans serif fonts which also appeals to their demographic.

CONTENT

The content that I include appeals to the primary target audience of my magazine. I achieve this by including content that is suitable to my target audience so therefore they can relate to it. One example of this in my magazine is the content included on my double page spread. It discusses addictions and reform which I found out is appealing to my audience in my audience research. Another example of using relevant content is on my front cover, I use coverlines displaying information of bands and gigs that would certainly appeal to my audience. I also include a twitter feature, this is found especially appealing to my target audience as my research told me that they are heavy social network users.