Task 3: Magazine and Audiences

Task 3: Magazine and Audiences

15 Key Words

1. Target Audience - The people that the magazine is aimed at to attract
2. Niche - A small target audience
3. Differentiated - How magazines are different due to their different audiences
4. Masthead - The name of the magazine
5. Pull Quote - A small quote from an interview with a celebrity that is featured in the magazine
6. Codes - How we make sense of things e.g. blood=death
7. Conventions - Rules followed by magazines
8. Ideologies - A powerful idea
9. Left Third - The most populated section of the front cover due to how they are stacked
10. Plugs - Extras to attract the reader to select the magazine e.g. competition
11. Puffs - How the front cover is attractive
12. Anchor - A caption that fixes the meaning of an image
13. Archetype - A character that is often repeated and is instantly recognisable to the audience
14. Composition - How the front cover is laid out 
15. Genre - media products classed as being similar

500 word analysis of a magazine front cover

The pink colour scheme suggests this magazine is aimed at the female audience and with the addition of yellow, also gives the impression of a summer theme. The age range is late teens to 20’s because of the fashion ( the ‘bralets’ that are advertised) that is show in both a plug and puff format. Furthermore, the use of Jessie J also suggests a younger audience because her career as a modern pop star makes her appeal to the market that would stereotypically listen to her music. The main coverline has a black text box with white writing to make it sound out. There is also two pull quotes’, one in the bottom left corner reading “It’s a festival-express yourself” from a stylist, suggesting an element of fun to this addition. The other quote is in the top right corner “Shoes=my 9-5” “I’m paid to shop”. This also adds a sense of relaxation and fun. The main image of Jessie J in a colourful playsuit with shoes that are not colour coordinated and her hair down in its ‘natural’ state also shows the theme of fun. Furthermore, the advertisement ‘Composure joins Team Jessie’ also advertises the TV show The Voice, on which she was a celebrity coach, and is implying to their audience that they are supporting Jessie by buying the magazine. The relaxed font that looks like someone’s handwriting also adds to the idea of fun, which ties in with the summer clothing range that they are trying to promote. The price of £2 suggests that this magazine is aimed at all audiences, and not a specific class as it is a cheap magazine. The price is also more obvious than most magazine prices (which are mostly in small print around the barcode), again giving the magazine an inclusive feel. The circle of clothes at the bottom of the page (a puff) advertises a taste of the things mentioned in the magazines main article, and implies that there is more information on clothes inside. The left third in this case contains the main story (an interview with Jessie J) and ‘nail arts gets sporty’ in bold writing, also implying that it is a main story. The highlighting of the words ‘sporty’ and ‘#dreamjobs’ in bright yellow also makes them stand-out, showing that they are main stories in the magazine. Conventions of the magazine cover include the use of pink, which is typical to a female magazine. The concept of the fashion clothes displayed is also typical to a female magazine.

Task 2: Getting to know Blogger

Task 2: Getting to know Blogger

Things I can do on Blogger

Information received from http://www.blogger.com/features:

Blogger allows users to create and customise their own free blog. It can be translated into 41 different languages and users only have 1 ID, as Blogger is linked with Google+ and Google Mail. More recent features include group blogging and posting on the go, as well as traditional features such as adding videos and photos, as well as receiving feedback from readers. There is also a way to make money from the blog, which is putting ads onto the blog through AdSense.

 Information received from http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/how-to-use-blogger:

This document was created in 2008 and is aimed at teachers in educating them on blogs, specifically Blogger. The author tells the advantages of a blog, being that it was free and easy to maintain, with simple templates that can be customised. He also talks about how a blog is easier way to get a message out to people instead of through pamphlets, as well as it being easy to update and add to. The powerpoint then has step by step instructions on how to set up an account with Blogger, as well as a screenshot of the tool bar, and showing what each symbol means.

How I think Blogger will be useful for my coursework

Blogger will be useful because it is relatively easy to add new entries without the hassle of saving it or having issues updating it at home because it is an online software. I can also add images and customise the blog, so that I can make the colour scheme compatible with any files I upload. It also allows readers to feedback on any drafts I decide to post so that I can get an audience response. It can also allow multiple audiences to read it as it can be translated into 41 different languages. 

Task 1: Skills Audit

Task 1: Skills Audit

The first task of today's lesson was to complete a skills audit, which basically evaluated the skills we had that would be necessary to completing this coursework. My results concluded that I'm inexperienced with macs', but can use Microsoft programmes successfully:

Skills Audit Photographed from Booklet