How does Plumline construct and reflect its intended audience?

Plumline; a girls school magazine that keeps students up to date on events, news, information and trips that are happening in and around school. The magazine has to appeal to a wide range of students and create a sense of identity within the school; they achieve this through different layouts, colours, texts and images.

The school's uniform colour is used with the title along with other conventions; the significance of this is the students identifying themselves with the colour and wherefore the magazine. The symbols and logos are all things that are associated with Plumstead Manor School, adding to the overall individuality of the magazine. The name of the magazine is also a pun on the name of the school, making it an inside joke, creating a sense of shared experience. Stereotypically the colour pink is tied with females, the use of the colour may try and connote feeling that the girls can relate to the article, while also creating block colour suitable for the layout of the magazine. The colour is also very bright and vibrant, which reflects the positive mood of the article and the school.

Plumstead Manor is a performing arts school, so featuring an article on art caters to the interests of many student reading the magazine. The images used on the cover are all very warm and welcoming, this connotes the feeling of happiness and harmony within the school. The large images make the article approachable, and display items of interest. The images also feature important people within the school like Ms Flanagan, Headteacher; these are people that outside readers may not recognise. The images feature only women, mirroring the school set up. The inside of the magazine shows action images eg students working. Not only so these images show people current affair in school it could inspire younger students to go on work experience placements like the one presented in the article. Most obviously linked to the school are the images of the students wearing the Plumtead Manor uniform.

The consistent font used is easy to read meaning it is accessible for the majority of reading levels. Also it is a natural font, appealing to both males and females of any age including students  parents and teachers. The text is presented in articles, like an official newspaper. This layout provides students with a sophisticated layout that may be new to some students.

Inside the magazine there are many different articles divided by different colours, i feel this represents all of the different cultures we have in our school. As well as this they are all lively colours that brighten the page. There is more text inside and less emphasis on the images, giving more information. The articles are all written by students from the school this allows the reader to relate herself with the articles, and it also makes for a relaxed sounding magazine.

Overall the magazine uses familiar colours and conventions to identity the magazine with Plumstead Manor School. As well as this the images, articles and layout create a sense of shared experience. Plumline is a magazine run and read by students and caters fr their needs and their interests and reflects its audience.

NME double page spread

Best selling indie/alternative music magazine 'NME' represents their audience in a variety of ways. Lily Allen is a well known face in the industry, and has  large fan base. Because she is closely linked to this genre the audience can identify what genre the magazine is portraying. The font used creates a rebellious tone which links with the topic of the article. The writing is really bold, which represents the artists personality. Simplistic colours are used to appeal to both male and females, and makes the photo of Lily Allen stand out more. The article is not based on music which is not typical for NME, however music may be more of a feature in the rest of the article. The article seems to contain quite a large amount of text which is typical of this type of magazine which is aiming at an ABC1 audience.

Because my magazine is of the same genre I will hope to have some similar conventions to the article above. I will have to have quite a lot of text, however I would like my article to be music based to appeal to my audience.

Vibe double page spread

This is a double page spread from Vibe magazine, the colour scheme is simple, with the main picture being bold and vibrant. The woman is the main feature of the double page, standing out as the only image in colour, being central to the page and large in comparison to the text and surrounding images. The woman is pictured in a short dress, this type of wardrobe is typical of the hip-hop genre. The woman appeals to the male readers as well as woman through not making the dress too sexy. Because the colour scheme is so simplistic it is suitable for both genders Indie/alternative music magazines usually show the artist with an instrument or something linking it to music, however hip-hop is different and a lot of focus is placed on a artists appearance compared to indie musicians. The name of the artist is clearly displayed in the contrasting blue text. Fans of Solange Knowles would be attracted to the magazine and therefore expanding on the magazines readership. There is quite a lot of text on the page which is not very typical of this particular genre, this may imply that they are discussing a more serious topic than usually printed. The layout is modern which is familiar to other magazines in this genre.

Because the magazine i am creating is an indie magazine i have to make sure the images i use do not focus on appearance too much and try and make sure music is the main feature.

Kerrnag! Double page spread

This Kerrang double page spread appeals to their audience through the colour scheme. Black and red are colours often linked with rock music and are also key colours linked with the featured band, My Chemical Romance. Kerrang address their male and female readers by using neutral colours. The font used is very simple and easy to read, everything being in capitals gives the impression of them rebelling and shouting, something that is stereotypical of the genre.The band shown is very popular in this genre, by focusing on such a well known band it may be more likely that more readers will like the magazine, as well as appealing to the bands huge fan base. The majority of images featured are of band members singing and holding instruments, this immediately coveys the genre the magazine is trying to portray. Compared to NME magazine this double page spread has a lot less text, and larger photos. This shows the difference in the target audiences, NME targeting educated,affluent people who are quite serious about music whereas Kerrang are targeting a younger audience who may be into image rather than information.

As  the magazine I am creating is more similar to NME I have to be careful about how many images I use in relation to text in order to appeal to my intended audience.

Denotations and connotations of a magazine front cover

Magazine use both images and text to appeal to their audience. Whether we realise it or not there are connotations and denotations within everything we see on the cover of a magazine, that speak to us with few or no words.
The eye level, close up of Carl Barat displayed on the cover of NME magazine is very intense. The singer is pictured on the same level as us and makes a connection between the magazine and the reader. Also, because he is in the centre of the frame we know he is  the main feature of thee issue. The focus in the image is blurred around his face but the eyes are clear. It is as if the picture is saying, 'look at me' or 'i want to speak.' The simplistic, primarily black and white photograph turns the focal point to Barats staring eyes. His facial expressions are very serious, this reflects the tone of the article.
When you look at the magazine as a reader you are drawn to the large bold text reading Carl Barat it draws attention to the main focus of the whole issue. The font used for the text above the headline appears to be hand written, this ties in with the idea Barat telling 'my story'. There are many other bus headings in very bold and clear text, emphasised against the pale photo used on the cover.
The magazines front page uses the colours red, white and blue. These colours have connotations of the Union Jack; symbol for the Libertines, Carl Barats band. The rest of the bands mentioned on the cover are also British. The use of the red on the page could connote danger, anger, passion or l emotions expressed within the article are portrayed through the colour.
The famous music magazine NME (new musical express) is one that is recognised by music lover all over the country. When said aloud it can be mistaken for the word 'enemy'. Some people would tie this with NME being a rock/alternative/indie magazine with a rebellious and sometimes controversial writing.
The style of the magazine is modern and simplistic. Sticking to a set colour pallet and using the same font in a range of sizes and colours creates a clean, organised looking cover. I believe that the magazine appeals to male and females, this issue especially, but targets a youthful audience with minimal text and sometimes complex and interesting photographs.

NME Contents Page

NME magazine is aimed at music lovers around the country, normally from ABC1 families. There is quite a lot of text included on the page compared to that of an RnB magazine. This may show they are more educated, and want to know information rather than look at pictures. The images that are shown show artists with instruments meaning the reader can relate with the magazine and know from first look what genre is being portrayed. They have featured popular artists such as 'Oasis' on the contents to attract their huge fan base and display the genre to the readers. The magazine is aimed at an older audience; quite a lot of text is used, including features of older bands, sophisticated layout including index. The band index is a feature unique to NME magazine, you normally link index's with book, showing how they are trying to appeal to and affluent, educated audience. The colour scheme is simple, highlighting heading and subheading to make key information stand out. Colours and fonts are quite neutral to appeal to both male and female readers, who are all fans of the genre.  

Vibe Contents Page

This contents page is taken from the RnB magazine 'Vibe'. Women are a main feature of the RnB genre so having a woman on the front immediately fits the criteria. There is only one image shown so we know she is the main focus. The magazine is appealing to a younger audience, we know this because there is minimal text and large images. However they could also be aiming at an adult audience as the woman pictured is in minimal clothes and in a suggestive pose. This would appeal to male audiences, but would also make female readers aspire to look like the model. This particular magazine focuses on appearance, fitting with the genre RnB. The theme of appearance is also carried over into the context page text with a whole feature on fashion.Also the colour scheme creates a modern look to the page appealing to a wide audience who are interested in the newest things. The magazine appears relaxed and different fonts in a range of sizes, arranged in different ways reflect the laid back characteristics placed on the genre. They  have used Ciara, a popular artist from the genre, to attract her fans as well as the usual reader who would be interested in this artist. Overall the magazine appeals to its target audience and represent the genre through images, layout and text.  

Kerrang! Contents Page

Kerrang magazine has used a large image of a tatooed man, the man looks very similar to the stereoypical reader of this particualr magazine, meaning the audience can relate to the magazine. The majorty of images are of men, who are the dominant sex in this genre. Many of the images featured are bands, showing the genre they are portraying. The effect of all the images being grouped together, creates shared identity between all the images. Also because some of the images are groups it creates a relationship between the images and the reader feeling they are included in this gang.Images are the main focus of the page, showing that they are aiming the magazine at a younger audience. Because we read left to right, you immediately notice the images before the text on the right side. The text is clearly displayed, sub headings are written in yellow with the black background. This conflict of colours means the eye is drawn to the key information.

Reader Profile

My magazine readers are avid music fans, interested in the latest music news, bands and gigs. The readers are sociable people who enjoy going to concerts and generally being out with friends. They use the latest technology to be on the cusp of the hottest fashion and music. Because of these interests the affluent young audience are very open to influence when it comes to advertising; wanting to look like the latest band. Our audience are intelligent people, 70% saying they read books regularly, and 90% read music magazines weekly.

· 60% female

· 50% 16-25

Their favourite bands include people like Arctic Monkeys, Mumford and Sons and Florence and the Machine. They buy from brands such as Levi, Urban Outfitter and Topshop, some prefer vintage shops. This is all gives great opportunities for advertising within the magazine.

Media Questionnaire

Indie cover





My indie cover features a stereotypical looking indie band; boys in skinny jeans, the girl dressed in vintage. This immediately informs the pubic of the genre of the magazine. Indie fans are meant to be 'all about the music' so the image incorporates this idea by including the piano in the photo. This theory is also reflected in the language, quite formal and always full English because the reader of this genre is typically ABC1. The colour scheme is red, white and blue. I chose this due to all the bands featured on the cover being British and the colours reflect that. The colours also appeal to both men and women of quite a wide age range. The title of the magazine is taken from the iconic Clash song 'London Calling', this identifies the genre on the cover along with the images and text. Features on the rock/indie festival Reading also show the genre and the target audience. Featuring bands such as Pulp on the front appeal to their huge fan base, meanwhile attracting more readers. The band Pulp are more of an older band targeting the over 25's whereas below there are a list of more current and up coming bands that may attract a younger reader. The magazine is more colourful compared to the metal one to reflect the more upbeat music, but not too colourful to make the magazine seem immature. I feel the magazine appeals to the target audience, however if I could change anything I would have used a different image that was more stereotypical and would have featured advertising that would interest a reader of this magazine. Overall I would also attempt to make the cover more professional through editing.

Hip-Hop cover

My hip-hop/RnB magazine is more contemporary looking compare to the metal magazine as this magazine is targeted towards a younger audience. The colour scheme is based on military, a trend which is very current in aut/win 2010. I featured very popular artists within this genre such as Lil Wayne to appeal to their very large fan bases, and also displayed iconic hip-ho figures like Eminem to portray the genre to the public immediately. The image used on the front is very similar to those seen on the covers of magazines such as 'Vibe', the woman's styling and pose conveys a very powerful and stylish woman which is an image that appeals to the hip-hop audience. The genre is typically seen as very relaxed and informal and I tried to reflect this in my language; not using full English. I chose the title collaboration because in this genre collaborations between different artists are very popular and I felt it was something the readers could relate to. As the main image is black and white is was perfect to make the headings and sub stories stand out on the cover. Stereotypically men in this genre are quite aggressive and at times violent, I tried to incorporate this idea by making the two smaller images at the bottom the shapes of guns. This could also represent the fierce competition there is in the genre at the moment. The magazine is meant to appeal to both men and women, using neutral colours and incorporating both males and females on the cover. I feel the magazine looks quite professional and slick, and I done the best I could with the resources. I would have liked to add some advertising, and use more effects to improve the overall effect of the magazine.

Metal cover

My metal magazine has a black background as this is stereotypical colour linked to heavy rock music. This colour also served as a good back drop to the bright yellow and red. The bright colours are meant to appeal to both males and females and draw attention to features and bands included in the issue. The bands advertised on the front are all well renowned in their genre and have a very large fan base, therefore appealing to a wide audience.  I tried to keep the stories very music based as this is what appeals to the reader, also incorporating that idea into my photo choice of always keeping the music involved throughout. I chose the font because I believed it looked quite Gothic, yet still remaining easy enough to read and met the theme of the cover.The title 'metal head' is a slight play on words of the iconic heavy rock/metal band 'motorhead', this meant that fans of the gene could relate to the name of the magazine and understand the magazines message.  If I could do anything differently I would have worked more on making the overall magazine look more professional, filling in empty spaces with advertisements and more stories featured inside. I also believe if I had used a different software I could have achieved a more professional looking magazine cover by having the opportunity to use more effects and have a wider range of fonts and colours. Overall I believe my metal magazine 'metal head' appeals to the selected audience however could have looked very different had a better software been available.