Media Evaluation question 5

Evaluation Question 4 : How did you attract/address your audience?

DPS For my DPS I conformed to many of the common conventions. To attract the readers attention I used a large image of my model on the left hand side of the page which I edited on Photoshop with an effect called ‘pasteurize’ which reduces the visible colours. Next to that I added an enlarged quote from the interview on the following page. This allows the reader a sense of what the article is about in order to build their expectations and urge them to read on. On the following page I firstly used a mixture of fonts for the title, which relates to the article.

The mixed fonts also add to the sense of chaos that is often associated with the rock genre. The use of effects such as rusting also connote poverty and decay. The main body of texts consists of an interview with Nick Clark a fictional rock star whose rises from poverty to stardom. The language used is often informal and colloquial due to the large amounts of dialogue. The colour palet is limited but effective in creating eye catching.

Contents pageThe contents page of the magazine is slightly less refined than the DPS. The most notable difference is the colour scheme which contains more colours such as green than my DPS. Despite this the scheme of red and black is still prominent (like my DPS).

The three columns on the left hand side of the page are well organised and this will make it easy to read. The headings of each of the categories are highlighted red in order to draw the readers eye to them. The three subheadings are regulars for articles that appear often in the magazine, exclusives which contain articles specifically for that issue and the editors notes where he/she can comment on the issue, favourite article etc.

Both Regulars and Exclusive columns have a brief description of the article as well as page number for easy navigation. The thumbnails from some of the magazines articles are shown on the right of the page. They are all titled slightly to present the free flowing and often unpredictable genre. The large page numbers further to the right allow for easy and swift page selection.

The background image of big Ben adds to the theme of my magazine which is British rock as Big Ben is quintessentially British

Front coverThe front cover of the magazine is by far the most important as it is the first thing potential buyers will see. For this reason I have conformed to the accepted front cover conventions and added a large masthead that will be easily readable from distance in a unique font. It is also important than front cover conforms to the conventions of the genre as this will also attract buyers who enjoy the rock genre.The colours used are brighter than both the DPS and contents page ,blues and purples are preferred to the darker reds and blacks which are associated with rock. The text is positioned in such away that it allows the models face to be fully seen and not covered. Stories that appeal to fans of rock about well known artists would also help to attract readers. Important information about the magazine such the issue, date and price are displayed on the same line as the title of the magazine, this will allow people to make a decision on whether to buy the magazine based on the price.

The offer of free memorabilia such as posters of artist is also a good way of attracting buyers, it helps to show that the magazine is in touch with the tastes of the rock scene. The inclusion of brief descriptions beanth the sell lines encourages the buyer to read on.