Q5
- 1. 5. How did you attract/ address your audience? Average Overall Score: 31.7/40
- 3. Layout When I asked my focus group about the layout, they felt that while it followed conventions of a magazine, they were divided on whether it looked too cluttered, with half of the group thinking it did a bit. They felt this could have been improved by removing one of the left-side coverlines to make the page more attractive. I followed genre conventions for the layout to not disorientate readers from what they're used to seeing on a front cover -subsequently attracting them to the magazine. I placed the coverlines to the left in conjunction with J McKay (2000), who strongly suggests to 'put the emphasis on the left-hand side, as this is the part that will show when the magazine is on the average newsagent's shelf'.
- 4. Coverlines My focus group said that the coverlines were interesting enough and did/ would interest them if they were into that genre of music. They felt that that they were very 'band- specific' as the audience's interest interest in the magazine would depend on 'personal preference' –as, if they didn't like any of the bands featured/ they didn't gain their attention, then they wouldn't feel inclined to buy it or flick through. J McKay (2000) suggests that the 'coverlines should be legible from two to three metres', and using the floor test, my focus group were still able to read it without difficulty, proving effective in able to attract my audience.
- 5. Colour Scheme For the whole magazine, I used a white, black, yellow and pink font. My focus group predominantly found the colour scheme quite suitable to the genre, as they stand out and are attractive to those who are interested in the genre. One criticism was that parts of the front cover would blend into the shelf of a newsagents stand; that the grey background didn't stand out enough. However the suggestion of a brighter colour proved problematic in the group, as it would 'lose their faces', as the grey made them clear/ stand out. On the other hand, they felt that the title is eye-catching, along with the Stones of the Crown font.
- 6. Artists The focus group felt that the artists featured on the front were relevant to the punk genre to the best of their knowledge. I did this to attract my readers using my initial questionnaire results, which revealed the most popular punk bands that my potential audience listened to. I included new and old bands to appeal to both sides of my target audience, and 'big names' such as Green Day and the Sex Pistols to fullfil my media pack’s mission statement.
- 7. Overall My focus group said that they would pick up my magazine, if they were interested in that sort of music, because of how it looked and used genre conventions/ colours associated with punk. They found it easy to read, with good artist choices and eye-catching features. The page's strengths were that the genre stands out, so is attractive to those who are interested, while it's weaknesses lied in the choice of colour scheme due to connotations, the plain background and wording choice in the insert, as it could definitely be more. The title is clear and decipherable, to exclude groups who conform to conventions, and gain the interest of those who do not because of the unconventional yellow, black and pink colour combination. Maslow’s (1954)Hierarchy of Needs can be applied, as the name of the cover ‘Punk’ in enlarged letters will appeal to my target readers and make them feel safe, that they belong and that their particular lifestyle is appreciated in a published medium.
- 9. Layout I used a conventional layout so that my readers can navigate the pages easily, with the listings on the left-hand side. Furthermore, this wouldn’t disorientate readers from what they’re used to seeing in J McKay suggests to ‘create strong links to the contents page’ as readers can become frustrated if they can not find the page that’s been so broadly featured on the front. My focus group felt that I had stuck to genre conventions that they had seen before in other magazines and that the page didn’t look too cluttered.
- 10. Colour Scheme I continued the yellow, black, white and pink colour scheme as part of the house style to attract certain readers by infusing the connotations of punk within the magazine, that have continued on from the front cover. I used white for the descriptors to highlight the interesting part of the story to attract the reader to that particular page.
- 11. Artists I have aimed for all of the artists I included in the contents page to relate to punk. I used the most popular artists from my initial questionnaire to appear in the contents page as a way of attracting readers, by using artists that they want to read about and are interested in. My focus group agreed that the bands related to the punk genre, with new and old bands to appeal to everyone within my target audience. I made sure that the photo I used on the contents page for the main feature related directly to the front cover as the band members were wearing the same clothing and in a similar position to that on the front cover, to help them navigate to that particular page.
- 13. Layout I followed a conventional layout style to not disorientate readers from what they’re used to seeing on a double- page spread. I put the photo on the left-side with the main article on the right after researching into existing magazines where this proved effective, as readers could flick back between the photo and article while reading. My focus group felt that the page looked slightly cluttered, with the text-to-image ratio unbalanced with possibly ‘too much writing’ especially on the left, where one participant felt they wanted to see the band clearly without the sidebar covering them.
- 14. Wording I used the same Myriad Pro typeface for the main features, with the same ransom fonts being used for headings to continue a house style My focus group felt that all of the information was included in the main article that they’d expect, with the suggestion that I could have included what bands inspired them in their music, allowing a stronger mode of address through being able to relate with the members in music taste and thereby building a relationship. I used technical lexis under the semantic field of ’music performance’ to address my readers; for example: ‘fans’, ‘stage antics’, ‘rifts and lyrics’.
- 15. House Style My focus group said that: Continuity was employed through choice in font, colour scheme and the particular font for ‘Stones of the Crown’ was carried over. They noted the police warning-tape associated with the yellow and black colours helped build the magazine’s identity which they linked back to the other two pages.
- 16. Overall This page got marked an average of 31/40 Strengths: -The sidebar colour-co-ordination -Fonts are distinctive and easy to read -The extra information given in the sidebar Weaknesses: -Edges have a visible yellow outline from poor editing -Sidebar takes away the focus from the photo of the band, preferring it to replace the left-hand sidebar -Importantly noted that the pull-quote shouldn’t be the same size as the main heading of the band; the size should be reduced to keep the attention on the band.