Reporting back to my target audience, again using msn where I could display it and therefore get direct comments from them, I got to see how successful it was with them and to see whether it could pass off as a genuine magazine.
For the front page what worked really well for my audience was the masthead as it pops out and is easy to look at and the connotations that the font gives gave it an almost ‘dangerous’ look. Although it was thought that the name seemed to long for the font as it wasn’t ’snappy’ enough however I thought it worked quite well as it needn’t be seen as snappy but more striking.
They seemed to like the theme colours of black and yellow and liked the colour scheme which was simple and minimal yet effective. With the yellow it helped bring out the vibrancy as they were bright against the dark background. Another contrast they liked was the different uses of boldness, cap and non-cap locks and also the italics where the fonts were clear and easy to read. However there was a slight distraction given due to the different fonts used which I think works as the fonts don’t clash too much against one another and it also needs to give the connotations of a versatile look that I was aiming for.
The main image drew them in as there was a good contrast of the soft photo and the sharp masthead. They really liked the main image due to its close up and the colour in the image and the NVC that the model gave giving it a subtle look however what a particular individual suggested was that perhaps it would look better if there was eye contact as its connotation doesn’t look like its saying ‘oh look at me’ and instead more of a ‘oh good song just came on’ which I totally agree with as it would bring the boldness of the magazine out more as it is indeed stated as the most ‘wanted’ magazine and therefore should reflect this.
What was successful also were the cover lines especially the ‘don’t miss’ one as it was a clever way to grab the audiences attention. The layout of these cover lines were deemed as pleasant as it framed the main image’ face nicely unlike other magazines which crowd them too much. The ’free’ seemed to attract them easily too however it was suggested that the poster images should stand out more perhaps with a border. I didn’t think that it needed a border as it would take the impact away from the main image and more important cover lines on the left side more
The first thing they noticed on the contents page was the consistency in colours given from the front cover so that they match although there was a particular individual who wasn’t a big fan of the colour. Perhaps I would have changed it too but I wanted it to match the main models jumper so that there was a clear match with the images and the colours so they wouldn’t clash too much which would work best in the double page analysis and therefore would need to be consistent for the front cover and contents page also.
There were components that made it seem like a genuine magazine to them with a miniature version of the magazine in the corner, the distribution of pictures and its sizes and the clean cut easy layout which made it easy to follow although the minimal free space there was, was easily spotted because of the cosiness of the rest of the texts.
The image of the band created a rift between my audiences where some liked the fact that the photo ‘breaks’ the theme and the variations of facial expressions and the contrast in light and dark as well, yet others found it a little confusing because of the mix of totally contrasting models. However they did like the idea of the mixture even if it didn’t seem right, although that was the connotation that I was trying to put across to my target audience
My double page analysis appeared to be the most successful page out of the three due to the overall impression it gives which is catchy making you want to read it due to the dominance given by my model which shows her personality nicely. Again the consistency of the colour scheme and the evenness of text and images (although a particular individual would have preferred more images than texts which I wouldn‘t change due to the dominated one taking up one whole side already), the layout of the interview which makes it seems easy follow which flows with the article and the middle quote which made it easy for my audience to want to actually read the whole article which looks trendy. My chosen informal lexis in my captions and my quote seemed popular with my audience as they liked the slogans and jibes provided which made it seem funny and more chatty. For any recommended improvements it was suggested that the title needed to match the whole article as it was a little plain and needed to be more out there. Also it may be better if it was on the left page so that if you turned the page you would instantly know the article is about ‘Annabelle’ although I think it would work either way
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