Take a break’s:Fate and fortune.

Existing magazineResearch.

KatieWalshaw

MediaStudies

Introduction.

I have been given a task to analyze magazines that are currently on the market, and produce a detailed research presentation on my findings. We were told to pick a magazine similar to the one we would like to create, in my case this is

take a break’s fate and fortune.I will pay particular attention to the front cover, contents page, a selected article and forms of

advertising in the magazine.

From doing this task I will learn how magazines are produced and laid out to satisfy the

audience. I will also learn how to produce my own magazine using the same methods and

techniques.

FRONT COVER.

Title:The title uses red as its main background colour, with white contrasting text. This makes the title look bold and stand out, attracting the audiences eyes. The font used is also basic and easy to read, it is important to make sure the fonts used are readable. I will use the similar methods of contrasting colours and bold text when designing the title for my own magazine. The magazine is titled ‘Fate & fortune’ this gives me the impression that the magazine would be categorised in the paranormal and psychic genre.

Colours:The colour use on the front cover is interesting, they have used primary colours as the front cover colour scheme. Making each article and sub title stand out from each other as they are the highest contrasting colours. They also used a basic blue background attracting most of the attention to the image and anchorage. Also the background almost gives the impression of a night sky when in contrast with the yellow anchorage and ‘starry’ effects. When making my own magazine I will remember to use bright contrasting colours to make the front cover attractive and appealing.

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Price :The price is shown on the front cover. It is located toward the top right of the page next to the face on the dominant image. This makes the price easy to identify and the bright yellow background makes it stand out. They have cleverly used the word ‘only’ in the price tag, giving the audience the impression that they are buying the magazine at a ‘bargain’ price. I will try to make the price tag as appealing as possible to the audience using methods such as these.

Front cover continued..Layout:The layout is very neat with the anchorage and images in an ordered form. This makes the magazine look attractive and catches the audiences attention. It also has evenly balanced the text from the images stopping the audience from being overwhelmed by any large chunks of text and adding extra interest to the front cover. The title is placed toward the top which enables the audience to quickly identify the brand of magazine and further appeal to the target audience. When making my own front cover I will remember to keep my layout neat, ordered, bright and attractive to make it as appealing as possible.

Target Audience:Looking at the way in which they have designed, priced and written the magazine I would say this is an adult read, for audiences interested in the world of the psychic and paranormal.

Anchorage & Articles:The anchorage is very informative of the main articles within the magazine. They use a catchy sentence to gain the audiences interest and back this up with an image or photo for further informing of the nature of the article. The text used is large and bold with a basic font enabling the audience to read the articles easily. They are also brightly coloured using the same primary colour technique. This enables each article to stand out from each other and catch the audience’s eyes. They are laid out in a ‘parallel’ order making the front cover look neat and attractive.

Dominant Image:The dominant image is placed toward the top right side of the front cover. The rest of the content on the front cover is arranged around the dominant image. The image looks like a mid-close up showing the models facial expressions.

CONTENTS PAGE.

Colour:Again the colour’s used are largely primary colours which add a high and interesting contrast. The contents page however is mostly in yellow and red. These are highly contrasting colours which makes the contents page stand out for the audience to easily identify. There is very little ‘blank’ space and most of the magazine is coloured like this throughout. This makes the magazine colourful and attractive which appeals to the audience.

Layout:I feel the contents page is too small and cramped. With the text being so small It discourages the audience from reading it. When making my own contents page I will make the contents section larger and maybe add some images to make the contents page more appealing.

House style:Looking through the magazine I can see that the have used the same basic font throughout. This must be a set guideline used in the making of the magazine. I cannot see any similar features that would create a ‘house style’ to the magazine. Each page has different layouts, borders and colours. I think this is a good method to use as it adds variety and uniqueness to each page.

Contents page continued..

Words And Images:They have evenly balanced the use of words and images on the contents page. This makes the contents page look more appealing and interesting to the audience, encouraging them to read it. When creating my own contents page I will remember to evenly divide images and text in the content. Making my magazine more appealing and interesting to the audience.

Editors letter: There doesn’t appear to be an editors letter as such but there is an article for the readers to have an opportunity to post their stories in. This is a good idea as it promotes more interest in the magazine. I wasn’t disappointed to see that there wasn’t an editors letter however when I create my own magazine I will write an editors letter on the contents page to cater for all the audiences interests.

Headings:The headings used on the contents page are large and brightly coloured. This is so the audience can easily identify the titles on the contents page and look appealing and attractive to them. The use a quick catchy phrase that will put the point across and interest the audience. When making my own contents page I will make sure that my headings are large and brightly coloured making them attractive and noticable. I will also take note of how I word my titles, trying to make them intriguing.

ARTICLE.

Images:The use of images is in balance with other content in the article. The images further inform the audience and make the article more interesting. For this particular article they have used a mid-shot composition for all photos. This enables the audience to see a clearer larger picture and any facial expressions upon the persons pictured face. When creating my own article for my magazine I will remember to include images in my work. I will also choose the shot composition wisely as photos with a long shot for example wouldn’t be suitable for a small image.

Layout:This article is laid out neatly therefore I find it easy to read and understand. Each article has a title and, in some cases subtitles making it easy to locate the content I need. The images have been placed next to the content they represent, making an obvious link between the two. This helps the audience understand the article. The main title has been placed toward the top of the page and is larger than the rest of the content making it the first thing that is noticed when looking at the article. When making my own article I will use similar methods to make it as interesting and simple to read as possible.

Article continued..Language:The language and writing style used throughout the magazine appears to be plain English. This is because they have used simple vocabulary in the magazine and have not used any complex words. The vocabulary used needs to be simple when writing for different audiences in order for them to understand the article. The writer also talks directly to the audience making the audience feel connected to the article which interests them more. When writing an article for my magazine I will use similar methods to make my articles easy to understand and interesting to the audience.

Font:The font used on the articles page is very basic, making it easy for the audience to read and understand it. It is also bold on the titles and sub-titles making them stand out from the other text and content. They have also darkly coloured all text on the contents page, this makes it easy for the audience to read without straining their eyes. When making my own contents page I will use these similar methods to make reading as easy as possible for the audience.

Style:This particular article is a review, I as part of the audience can tell this because two volunteers have been given a reading and are commenting on their services, like a report. Other styles of articles could be an interview, a feature etc. I will try to put a variety of different styled articles in my magazine, catering for the audiences different interests.

ADVERTISING.

All forms of advertising are linked to the spiritual genre of the magazine, this makes the adverts more appealing to the audience as they are the appropriate target market. They are laid out on the same page and do not integrate with any articles or other content in the magazine, making the magazine appear neatly laid out and attractive. Each advert is bright and appears to use one dominant colour as the background, making the advert seperate itself from other adverts and stand out. They also use one dominant image as a way of further ‘informing’ the audience as to the adverts nature. The image appears to normally be a mid-close up enabling us to see the psychics face and emotional features.