Male and female models were featured as a duo (Paradox) in my magazine, this is relevant to my target audience and models are also aged within target age range of the group. The media product i created is slightly more dominant of the male gender to represent the nature of hip hop as this is typical among the genre. (78% male target audience for XXL.) However the contents page has both the male and female artists from the duo as i wanted to appeal and cater for both audiences.
The male artist appears powerful and dominant throughout the magazine, this may inspire the audience and allow them to develop interest as this aspect would be suitable for the nature of stereotypical hip hop artists. Also, females may find the cover appealing as they may like the look of cover model and engage with the artist as he was captured looking directly into the camera, giving off a personal feel and potentially forming a relationship with the audience.
Including the female model on the contents page may attract and conform to Marjorie Ferguson's male gaze theory which is appropriate to the target audience age range as boys within this would be known to be developing/having lots of interest in females.
When on the shelve in a shop, masthead and image would be noticed firs and attract the audience. The masthead features contrasting, bright colours which stand out on the rest of the page which is kept to the simple colour scheme of black, white and grey; this is appealing and would be noticeable through its placement at the top of the cover page, to the left hand side. The font used (Bebas) is bold, sharp and clear, keeping the audience interested as they would be keen to find out more about the content of Base Junkie due to the vague font which does creates mood. Readers can develop brand recognition through the masthead and tagline (The Bible of Hip-Hop, Youth and Urban culture) being unchanged on every issue published and the magazine itself as its style is unique and edgy. I used a font style similar to XXL, Vibe and The Source in the way that it appears bold and chunky; these style models publish every issue with their branded, stylish and unique masthead which would allow the print media to stand out on the shelves and attract the audience as a result. The bulky lettering adds to the urban and edgy feel of my media product and is hard to miss, therefore attracting audiences, grabbing attention to the cover. The examples of pre-existing magazines I mentioned previously have target audiences which overlap in ways with mine and have similarities; XXL have a target audience age range of 18-44, i feel this is very broad and not necessary for Base Junkie as fashion and youth culture are strong and continuous themes which are more suited to a younger audience- hence my choice of 16-24 year old target audience age range. Despite this it does target ales and females, although at a male focused ratio of 78% male 22% female, each gender is catered for.
I used a series of conventions which the audience would be used to/ attracted to to gain the attention of my audience. After research on successful pre-existing magazines of a hip hop genre, i adapted the conventions used and made them unique on my media product through changing cover layouts, fonts, etc. to get a professional final product. As the style of the examples looked at are successful and popular among hip hop followers, i felt this was an appropriate direction to take as there was evidence of audience attraction.
Picking up the correct colour scheme was an important aspect of attracting the audience as they would make assumptions and base decisions around the appearance of the cover, possibly comparing my magazine to others on the shelve along side it. Therefore i ensured i followed a colour scheme (black white, grey and red) to create consistency and a professional design on the cover, contents and double page spread
Another way i addressed the audience is through the language used. After researching contents pages from XXL and Vibe, i gained ideas of how to engage with the reader; this led to my decision to include colloquial language and sayings taken by youths (real talk,etc.) These would be words which the ideal reader would be aware of and may use themselves, therefore the language would attract the audience of urban youths. When writing the article, i considered target ages, social brackets and themes which i intended to be carried throughout my magazine. I decided to use a more formal/ high language register frame for the article and avoided using slang/ colloquial language as this may deter the reader engaging with the meaningful content and i wanted to ensure the reader would take the artists seriously. I was aware that music magazines used a different forms of socialite to communicate effectively with the audience and i feel i achieved this to a good standard. Getting syntax and grammar correct was also important. If any spelling errors were made and published inside the article, this could deter the reader for continuing and also give the magazine a bad reputation is many notice the mistake; it is crucial for success and branding that mistakes are not made. Getting the balance of language register right was a challenge as too informal would seem humourous and lead to the reader not taking Base Junkie seriously and it would not suit the respected genre of hip hop; however too formal may be complex and difficult for the reader to understand/engage with and seem overwhelming to read. This confusion may put the audience off from purchasing a copy.
The models are dressed appropriately on each page, attracting the audience; the branded T-Shirt on the double page spread as well as the basic, casual style presented on both the cover and contents reflect the styling of my target audience; hip hop artists often take the style of baggy, casual and basic. This is something i wanted to present in my media product, however as i based my magazine around the mainstream hip hop genre, i felt it was relevant and necessary to include branded items which are associated with the majority (G-Shock Watch, etc.) I planned out outfits for each of the pages prior to the shoot to ensure i achieved correct and appealing styling which the audience would find attractive and finding out what would work well on each page. Personalities of the models are clearly brought forwards and presented boldly to the audience on each page through poses and positioning of the photographs- i designed the pages to each show something unique and different, providing variety and to ensure i keep the attention and interest of the reader on every page. Attitude is presented through the models looking directly into the camera, engaging with the audience with intriguing expressions. The female challenges stereotypes of gender as she presents a look of 'hardness' and bad attitude through her pose and expression displayed on then contents page: attracting the reader is this seems interesting and would encourage them to read on about the duo.
The contents page features a statement image of the two models looking into the camera using a mid angle shot. This grabs the audience's attention and is one of the main focus points on the page. Female artist, Khira Leigh's red lipstick stands out on the page due to the black clothing and pale skin. This is attractive as it fits in with the colour scheme. I featured clear and concise headings and brief descriptions which were all appropriately aligned and appeared professional at the same time as being useful for the reader as it gives them an idea of the content inside Base Junkie, encouraging them to read on as the description is vague and does not give much away, reader would be interested.
No comments:
Post a Comment