How did you attract/address your audience?

Cover page
I think my cover page attract my audience because it had a minimalistic look with white
space and a simplistic colour scheme with a pop of colour that acts as a selling point, which
will subconsciously cause interest from my audience. The image of the all-girl indie pop band
is deliberately made the main focus of cover that is instantly seen as abit different due to the
fact in the indie pop world its men that are usually seen as the band such as The 1975 and
Coldplay and the female are the sole artists like Halsey and Birdy therefore having a female
band is abit different and acts as the magazines unique selling point. I think this is a key
technique as it means that it will stand out and stick to the conventional images used with a
slight twist in the way it looks on the cover.
The bold whitehead located at the top of the pages follows the conventions set by other
magazines in the industry however because it has been coloured in a colour that matches
one of the pinks from a model jacket on the cover which may be seen as unconventional in
comparison to other mainstream magazines however based on my audience liking the idea
of being original and breaking the boundaries. It also means that by having that coloured
masthead it means that it will be seen on a shelf allowing my target audience to see it no
matter how it is placed. The pink in the title will attract the female audience as it is seen as a
more feminine colour however I have tried to neutralise the overall cover through the use of
monochrome colours to add contrast. I have tried to make the image the centre point of the
cover therefore the cover lines are informative without causing distraction nor will it be seen
as messy or crowed which will attract my audience. From the way it has been set out it
means my audience will be able to identify the bands mentioned on the front and feel the
obligation to open the magazine to see the other stories inside as it reflects the genre they
are interested in.
I decided to make the main cover line the name of the band featured The Violets that
overlays over the image in a white colour and a totally different typeface than the other fonts
and colours featured on the cover. This is so it will stand out on the cover and cause the
readers eye to divert to the cover line leading to them reading the magazine to find out this
band out of interest. The white adds contrast to the page as it stands out as means the
consumer is able to see everything clearly so they become intrigued by the visual
representation of WAVES magazine.
I took inspiration from magazines like CLASH, Fader and Oh comely when making my cover
page due to the fact it wanted my cover to look like a poster as well as just a cover, and the
conventions set by these magazine are creative and successful therefore it will ensure my
magazine will have a level of success if I use those types of magazine as my inspiration.
They each use colours to represent their genre and what type of magazine whilst remaining
minimalistic with how they layout certain things out which was something I wanted to achieve
upon making my magazine. Each magazine found ways of allowing the text to work with the
image rather than allowing the text to distract from the image which was the best suited style
for the audience I wanted to catch the attention off.
Contents
My contents page attracts the attention on my intended audience because of the fact it
consists of a detailed summary of my cover star The Violets which allows the consumer
when browsing the contents to get an idea of what the band is about working as a marketing
technique as the reader will have their interest triggered by this caption of information. Large
subheadings are used to visually separate each part of the content into sections so the
reader is able to personalize what they want to read from the simple headings. The
synchronicity of the WAVES magazine repetitively placed at the top of the page means the
reader instantly makes that connection between the cover and contents and become more
familiar with the magazines name so they become attached instantly. The minimalism white
space theme is carried on into the contents page as it works well with the theme and makes
the magazine look more realistic. The colour scheme is again very similar to my cover with
the salmon pink from the masthead, the pinks from the bomber jacket and the monochrome
shown adding a contrast on the page. I made sure that my contents had a clear link to my
cover and want to enhance that for my audience to feel they are looking at an aesthetically
pleasuring page that links to the indie pop genre whilst ensuring it is informative and follows
the conventions of all mainstream magazines such as page numbers and clear headings.
Through my research I found myself drawn to the contents page of CLASH as it like the way
it was set out in a way that used negative space as a way of adding depth to their magazine
rather than feeling the need to make their text too big for the page or add images that would
ruin the aesthetic they have made, also how they informed the reader slightly of what the
content entailed without being too informative and filling the page for no reason. However
due to the fact I wanted to incorporate white space throughout my magazine I made clear
alterations to ensure it was attracting my audience more directly than CLASH did based on
the contents I analysed from them therefore upon reflection I adapted the layout to combine
my ideas and CLASHs so I could catch my readers attention. I added photos similar to my
covers so there was an iconography link between my images which was conventional and
coordinated with my magazine so it look professional. I added a small text coloured text box
below my last column featuring a picture of the magazine editor and a brief evaluation of this
issue for the perspective of someone in control of every aspect, I added this to positively fill
the negative space that would be left and reflect the professionalism on the magazine.
Through adding an editorial note it became a unique selling point as these notices are
usually found at other sections of the magazine but I have combined a sector which adds
uniqueness to me magazine attracting my audience. I added borders to make the picture
prominent on the page therefore it became a trademark for WAVESmagazine to have a
boarder around each photo as though it was a Polaroid which is typically linked to my target
audience because of the Polaroid trend thanks to the release of the Nikon Polaroid camera
in 2015. The boarders seemed to find with the genre and intended audience very well
therefore as a marketing technique I chose to accentuate that in my double page much like
Fader does in their contents.
Double page spread/ double single page spread
Firstly to attract my reader I looked at magazines like Oh Comely and Loud and quiet in
order to decide on how I could incorporate my image into the double so it looked as realistic
and visually pleasuring as possible much like how my target audience preferred for their
magazine to look like. From the feedback I received from fellow students and teachers a key
issue was how to position my image to stick within the conventions whilst still being able to
maintain the minimalistic, clean look I was try to keep consistent throughout my magazine. I
split the page in two added the image on the left hand side in a black border so it was a key
focus upon first glance accompanied by a short column introducing the interview, artist and
giving an outline for what the interview would entail to draw the my audience in within the
first few lines through written personalisation that cause the reader to feel the urge to read
on. The altercation of column boxes being aligned with one another and made to match
width wise equally made it look more realistic and seamless to read in comparison to in my
draft where an inconsistent sizing issue cause major problems meaning my double page
didnt look very attractive to the desired audience. I made my cover line the saying Painting
the town Violet as a play on words from the popular saying Painting the town red as firstly it
adds a level of humour and creativity to the piece and relates the band the interview is based
upon The Violets, by having the cover line in the text Arial and a violet colour to make
creative links to everything on the page. From the images I again added a border to my
image much in the cover and contents to highlight the theme and create a clear impression
is synchronised. My images featured a different mise-en-scene than the cover and contents
as the outfits are different showing another style and side to the band because of the darker
lighting, darker colours worn and varied camera shots that show the group individually
looking directly at the camera creating a visual attachment to the consumer as they open the
page. Two of the members of my band have the letter V drawn onto their hand with blank
marker pen in order to act as a selling point as it is a unique way of capturing someone plus
it adds to the iconography. Because my images correspond with the text it means my
audience will be attracted to read the language register I used-an interview with The
Violets. I found that myself personality fit into the target audience therefore I used what type
of things I would like to hear from a band when writing the article, and because of my
questionnaire asking my target audience what language register they preferred I meant it
could create contents that attracted and interested my demographic the best. The layout is
simple yet informative and effective therefore it is simple to read and understand whilst
incorporating humour and real interview features so it remains looking like a genuine double
page.
I followed the conventions of CLASH and Oh Comely because I liked how they set
everything out as it attracts the reader with colour and images whilst providing quality
contents that has relevance and reflects the audience they intend to attract.