Reflection on research into products and audience

Reflection on research into products

and audience

Daisy Tarrant

Front Cover Inspiration

I like how the mast head looks as if its

targeting a mass market, sophisticated

audience. I also like the clean white

background against the red which is

quite a bold statement. I have learnt

from this front cover that for a mass

market magazine, it needs to be very

precise and look immaculate. I will

probably take inspiration from this front

cover and I like this type of image even

though it isn’t as strong as it should be.

This magazine could appeal to any

music lover as it shows a new artist

that can be loved by both young and

old, who are into any type of music

genre.


This front cover seems to be targeted

at the mass market however ‘V

Magazine’ is actually quite a niche

brand. I like how this magazine seems

to be a mass market magazine, this

shows that it is made very well and

has good editors. I have learnt from

this magazine that if sometimes it can

be more effective with less information

than if it is squashed together. I like

how this cover can appeal to hip hop

fans even though it doesn’t follow a

stereotypical trend. I may take

inspiration from ‘V’ because I like how

big the mast head is and how

everything fits around it. I also like the

simplicity because it creates a sense

of surprise.


The use of bright bold colours

represents the stereotypical view of

the hip hop genre. This magazine

appeals to a young audience who

enjoy listening to new, up and coming

music. I have learnt from this cover

that a canted angle can really make a

magazine cover more interesting and

that plugs do not all have to be in

straight lines. I think these elements

give this front cover an edgy look.

Using an artist as big as Lil Wayne

shows that this is quite a mass market

magazine, which shows that even the

best magazines can break the rules.

Inspiration may be taken from the

canted central image as I think it

creates a new level for music

magazines in this genre.


The front covers I have taken inspiration from all have very different views

on how to appeal to a specific genre of music. ‘Q’ magazine is a very

mature, classy magazine whereas ‘XXL’ is much more urban and stylish.

‘V’ magazine seems to be on a different level, it doesn't have a tonne of

information to take in, nor does it have a strong central image, but working

with a mast head from top to bottom allows the front cover to be free of lots

of information. I want to combine all three front covers to make my own,

however as I have to focus on only one genre of music, I think I will

combine both ‘XXL’ and ‘V’ to create a very edgy, unique magazine cover.

Contents Inspiration

This contents magazine follows

conventions well. I could take

inspiration from the way that ‘Billboard’

sections the information. I like how this

is done as it creates a more interesting

contents page rather than all the same

background colour which may get

boring. I also like how they have a

‘No1’ section as this really reflects a

music magazine. Using this in my

contents page could be a good idea

because it would really emphasise the

genre of the magazine.


Honestly, I don’t really like this

contents page as a whole, however

there are some elements that I really

like. The mast head, I think is really

effective as it looks very classy. I also

like the stripe down the left side which

follows the colour scheme from the

front cover. I think this is important as it

shows continuity and looks more

professional. I don’t plan on using

elements like overlaying photo’s.


I love every aspect of this contents

magazine. It reflects a much more hip

music genre, while also using

sophisticated fonts and pictures. I think

most of my inspiration for my contents

page will come from this as I really

love everything about it. I have learnt

from this page that it is important to fit

in all of the information while making it

look good.


These aspects of certain contents

pages have given me a lot of

inspiration for my own. Unfortunately I

don’t think I will be able to use all of

these aspects on my actual page.

Maybe drawing up a few ideas will

help me to decide which parts I will

include.

Double Spread Inspiration

I like all the aspects of this double spread page because it works

really well with the music genre and what Nick Minaj represents. If I

was taking inspiration from these pages it would be from the picture

and the mast head. This is because I like how she is standing,

which makes it a strong image and I also like the fonts used for the

mast head. I maybe wouldn’t use as much writing on my pages as I

think this distracts from the opening page.


The bright colours on this spread look really good as it attracts a lot

of attention. However I am aiming towards a more hip-hop/rap

genre for my magazine so this style may not be good for my double

page spread, this obviously depends on the type of person I am

interviewing or what type of image I am trying to achieve


I like how this is quite simplistic, however it doesn’t really attract

much attention. I like the use of boxes to separate certain

information and might take inspiration from this. I also like the bold

coloured headings as I think this makes the question stand out and

split up the page.


I like the idea of taking inspiration from all

three of my favourite double page

spreads. I want to try and include all of

these aspects in my magazine because I

think they could work well for any genre of

music. Bold pictures that seperate pages,

and big headings that draw the eye are

important for a magazine double spread.

Reflection on research into products and audience

Education