Target Audience

This is Charlie and she is an example of my target audience. She is 17 years old and lives in the inner city of London. She really enjoys the loudness and chaos of a busy city. She is currently doing an art & media course at college as she really enjoys both lessons and has a creative personality.

On an average day she dresses for comfort and simplicity, such as wearing skinny jeans or leggings with a baggy top. However she brings a sense of uniqueness to her style and still looks fashionable. You could say she can be quite tom-boyish but when it comes to going out at night with her friends, she likes to dress up like most girls. She loves a good pair of high heels and statement jewellery. Her favourite shops are Topshop, All Saints and she also finds a few good buys online on Asos. She is not embarassed about shopping in charity shops either as it means knowone else will have the exact same clothes as her. Originiality is very important to her and she occasionally finds a lot of inexpensive, vintage style buys.

Charlie has a big passion for indie/rock music. She religiously attends the Reading Festival every year with a large group of friends. She also goes to a lot of gigs in the rest of the year which mostly consist of not well known artists that are making their way up in the industry. Her other favourite artists include Kasabian, Muse, Florence & the Machine, Kings of Leon, Paramore, Artic Monkeys, classic legends Greenday and many more. However, Charlie is open to other genres of music such as RnB, Dance and Pop as she loves something to dance to. She has a secret love for Lil Wayne's music since he has had a more edgey, rocky style.

Charlie is an outgoing person so it is more common for her to be out than at home. However, when she is home she likes to watch programmes such as Skins, Friends, Scrubs, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and other humourous programmes. Charlie would much rather watch a clever, well written and made thriller that makes you think rather than a soppy 'chick flick'.

Charlie is a perfect example of my target audience as she is a fashionable, quirky teenager that is passionate about music. I want to create a young, modern, unique magazine that will attract a person that has those features to their personality and style. I want my magazine to emphasise youth and rebellion which reflects the genre rock.

Aspect of theory to do with audience

Maslow's hierarchy of need

Maslow created a Hierarchy of needs (shown left) He believed it showed what people wanted from their job. He thought everyone starts as the bottom and works their way up to the top. The basic human needs such as food and shelter are represented at the bottom of the pyramid and the higher you go, the more luxury items. This is where my music magazine comes into relation with the hierarchy. My music magazine would be at the top of the pyramid as it is not a necessity to survive and would be seen as quite a luxury item for some consumers.

The triangle splits into:

- Self actualisation - fulfilment - learning new skills, challenges etc.

- Esteem needs - recognition of achievement.

- Social needs - frienship, contact - communication.

- Safety needs - job security and safety.

- Physical needs - ability to pay for food and shelter.

The main problem with Maslow's theory is that different people have different needs and not everyone will fit the same pattern.

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Uses and gratification theory

The theory is a reaction to traditional mass communication research emphasizing the sender and the message, stressing the active audience and user instead. Psychological orientation taking needs, motives and gratifications of media users as the main point of departure.

Uses and gratificatiom theory attempts to explain the uses and functioms of the media for individuals, groups and society in general. There are three objectives in developing uses and gratification theory:

1) to explain how individuals use mass communication to gratify their needs. 'What do people do with the media'.

2) to discover underlying motives for individuals' media use.

3) to identify the postive and the negative consequences of individual media use. At the core of uses and gratification theory like the assumption that audience members actively seek out the mass media to satisfy individual needs.

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Audience Demographics

Demographics refer to the charactersitics of the human population and population segements, especially when used to identify consumer markets. Demographics regard socio-economic factors such as age, income, sex, occupation, education, etc. Audience demographics are a very important aspect of media planning in matching the media with the market as industries/companies often define their target market in terms of demographics. For companies, identifying the demographic groups that will be most interested in their product, can mean the difference between success and failure.

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Audience Profiling

Audience profiling is a detailed description of consumers charactersitics (demographics) and there attitude and behaviour (pschographics) toward products. This allows a company to make the best decisions regarding their customers and the best marketing strategies to sell their product or service. Audience profiling allows a company to communicate and get involved with their target audience in an effective and sucessful way.

Analysis of Kerrang's double page spread

Colour: The main colours used are black and white which clearly stand out on eachother as they are a complete contrast. Black is sterotypically associated with indie/rock which is why it has been used on these pages. There are also elements of red and yellow which add vibrancy and therefore make the page look more interesting. As the rest of the page is quite plain, the use of red and yellow vividly stand out. Overall, the black and white make the double page spread edgey and serious but the elements of red and yellow make it young and quirky.

Design: It is very common for the main image to be surrounded by the text. However, on this double page spread the image takes up the whole of one page and then the text is on the other. The thing that clearly connects the two pages is the use of the border. The border does not split down the middle of the page which shows the two pages are connected. The border is in a ripped, jagged style which shows roughness and unneatness. This makes the page more quirky and modern. This reflects the genre and the young target audience. 'Meet the band' is in a unique, edgey style which relates well to the rock genre. The title is in slanted, bold capitals where each letter is tilted in different positions illustrating originality and fun. It rebels against the usual straight text which reflects Greenday's rebellious and unique image. The rest of the text is in a more formal font style making it easy to read and looking completely different to the rest of the text. Each piece of text has a different font style but they all fit in well creating a busy but somewhow still neat appearance.

Image: The only image is a large one of Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead member of Greenday. The majority of Kerrang readers will recognise him as he is a 'legend' but to make it clear next to him is his name in a very large font. The image is a long shot making it able to see his whole body and it dominates the page. The image is surrounded with a border with tape on it which again illustrates roughness as tape is usually used to mend things or put things back together.

Pose, hair, style, make-up: Billie Joe has a very powerful pose that dominates the whole of the page, reflecting his powerful position in the band, the main member. He has a plaim expression which relates to the laid back, cool attitude of rock. It would be unusual for a rock band to smile as it would ruin their image of being cool. His expression makes him come across quite sexy and mysterious aswell. The majority of his clothes follow a theme of black which is associated with rock and they make him stand out on the contrasting white background. You can slightly see his red socks shows his fun side and is a complete contrast to his plain facial expression. Greenday are well known for their laid back attitude, not taking life too seriously and living life to the full so showing his red socks shows he actually has a fun personality outside of his passion for music. Billie Joe makes a boring suit quite trendy by having an out of place tie, studded belt, skinny short jeans and casual shoes. The target audience will think he's cool and aspire to be like him. Greenday are well known for being role models as they are seen as 'legends'. Billie Joe's rough, dishevelled hair again creates a trendy and laid back attitude. You can slightly see his tatoos on his wrist which again the target audience would see as trendy. This contrasts to his smart jacket, tie and shirt combination. This again illustrates their uniqueness and rebellious attitude towards conventional things.

How are words used? The title of Billie Joe Armstrong takes up half of one page making it clear who the story is about and it doesn't leave a lot of space for the rest of the text. There isn't a lot of text but this page is only supposed to be a little summary of meeting the band because most readers are probably already very familiar with Greenday. By using 'Billie Joe Facts' it outlines important facts in a small space which gets to the point. The use of 'The boss...' relates to Billie Joe's position and again gets to the point with only a few words. Without even reading the text you know that he is the main member of the band. The text is then separated by a scribbly line which realtes the the scribbly handrwriting style used on the front cover and contents page. The rest of text is alligned in neat columns creating a neat appearance which is easy to read. Parts of the texts are highlighted in yellow to show they are interesting and important parts. A large letter to start off the text is very common but this 'A' is quite unique as it's on a red patch that vibrantly stands out as it the biggest element of red used.

Language: By reading the article you can see that a very laid back, informal language style is used which makes the article easy to understand and the readers can realate to it as they are not intimidated. You also get a very clear sense of humour from the band, especially on one of the highlighted sections. For example it is talking about Billie Joe's fondness of hair dye and if it extends to the contents of his underwear, by asking him if 'the carpet matched the curtains' to which he answered 'Actually I'm running hardwood floors.' This shows that the band have a fun personality which is seperated from their serious passion towards their music which is also made clear in this article. For example his music represents to him as 'ultimate freedom and a sense of individuality.' The title 'meet the band' is very simple and straight to the point, eliminating any confusion. This straight forwardness language runs through all the text used on the double page spread. A short quote, 'punk has always been about doing things our own way' has been used to outline Billie Joe's attitude and passion towards music. It is a powerful and blunt statement that subtlely persuades readers to read the whole article.

Overall impression: This double page spread gives you a brief but informative summary about the lead member of Greenday, Billie Joe Armstrong. The title does what it says, 'meet the band'. Overall, these pages create a modern, edgey, simple impression that will attract the young target audience, definitely Greenday fans. The pages include a lot of unique features such as the font styles used, highlighted sections, use of fake tape and a brief fact file. Even though the double page spread is youthful and quirky, it still looks professional and classy with the use of colours and neat structure of text.

Analysis of NME's double page spread

Colour: Interestingly, these pages do not have the same colour theme as the front colour of black, white and red. Instead there is use of light pastel colours such as green and blue. These colours portray a feeling of youth, fun and laid back. This relates to the hip-hop artist featured, Kid Cudi. The decision to not use the same colour scheme as the front cover could be because Kid Cudi is associated with hip-hop, unlike NME which mainly focuses on rock. Also, Kid Cudi isn't the main cover feature so the different colour scheme establishes this. There are elements of black which make those particular parts stand out as they are a complete contrast to the other light colours. The background has a stained, marble effect which portrays a modern and unique style. Most double page spreads just have a plain white background or other block colours. Overall, the colour scheme creates a young and fun mood which is clearly different from other stories as it is not associated with the genre rock.

Design: The image dominates the pages by spreading across both pages. The text surrounds the image in neat columns which is commanly seen in double page spreads. This makes the text look neat and professional. The title is in a large bubble writing style which is funky and young. Interestingly, the rest of the text is in a more formal style. However, it is still more modern than the classic times new roman style.

Image: There is only one image which is obviously of Kid Cudi as this article is about him. It is important to have a large image of him as usual NME readers may not be familiar with him as he is not associated with rock. This is also why it is a close-up. The image is taken where there is a chaotic, vibrant background with use of many different colours. The colours relate to the rest of the page, as there are mainly green and blue elements. The background seems to be slightly out of focus which means that even though the background is quite busy, you still focus of the most important thing, Kid Cudi. The grafitti background is stereotypically associated with hip-hop which Kid Cudi is involved in.

Pose, style, hair, make-up: Kid Cudi is wearing a light green hoodie which again relates the the colour scheme and also hoodies illustrate his 'bad boy' image. A bad boy image is commonly associated with the genre hip-hop or rap. His watch comes across as being quite expensive as it looks like gold which shows his success and fashion. He is also wearing geeky glasses which are very fashionable nowadays and despite his hoodie and swearing, it makes him more friendly and approachable. His outfit portrays him as being young, funky and very fashionable. Kid Cudi is shown sticking his tongue out which makes him look cheeky and rebellious. It shows that he has a laid back attitude and doesn't take life seriously. This also relates to him swearing with his finger which is again rebellious and quite disrespectful. Again it is portraying a 'bad boy' image. Swearing shows that he doesn't care what people think and he thinks he is better than other people. He isn't shown as being a good role model. This relates to his selfish and arrogant mentor, Kanye West. Again, his cheeky attitude along with his geeky glasses still make him lieable and not intimidating.

How are words used? The title 'The arrest is history' is a clever pun as it is a play on words of the famous phrase the rest is history. The word arrest is used again as it relates to situations Kid Cudi has been in and it clearly outlines parts of his personality. Again this fits into the 'bad boy' image. Arrest and history are in bright different colours as they are the most important words in the title so they clearly stand out. There is then a few short sentences that are larger then the text underneath it. The few lines give a summary of what the story is about and they leave it quite open without explanations to make you want to read the rest of it. An example is 'she almost got shot' which is very shocking, blunt and interesting so you want to know how this situation happened. People that know of Kid Cudi wouldn't expect anything less than a drama. 'Here's what happened...' provides a flow between the summary and the rest of the text. Kid Cudi is in bold which makes it clear who the story is about as it actually doesn't say it in the title and the target audience of NME, young rock fans may not recognise him from the image. It is common in double page spreads for a large letter to be used to start off the text. The K is in the same style as the title and it also relates to the artists first name Kid.

Language: A quote is used which is very common for double page spreads. It gives you a little insight of the article and the persons personality. It is a technique that grabs your attention and subtlely persuades you to rread the rest of the article. It clearly stands out due to being in bold and capitals. The quote includes a question, 'do I feel like king of the world?' This is not classed as a rhetorical question as there is actually an answer. The answer uses humour and shows immaturity which relates to Kid Cudi's laid back and and rebellious attitude. In various parts, the text is in capitals such as 'TURN SLOWLY TOWARDS ME!' showing shouting and a serious moment. These parts clearly stand out which make them appear interesting. The whole article is explaining about a journalist's journey when going to interviewing Kid Cudi so the language is normal everyday speech and has quite an informal tone. This makes the article easy to read and not intimidating. The whole story of Emily Mackay's journey is very exciting and interesting which reflects the language used to make the readers get a clear image of what it was like and feel involved within the story.

Overall impression: This double page spread attracts quite a wide audience because obviously hip-hop fans and Kid Cudi fans, will be very interesting in reading it. But also usual NME readers might be quite interested in reading this as they are probably not too aware of Kid Cudi. This article gives a good insight of his personality and music. Overall, the double page spread creates a young, modern, quirky, rebellious mood. Rebellion is one major thing that both genres, hip-hop and rock have in common. This feature is clearly seperated from the rest of hte magazine, mainly due to the different colour scheme that is not associated with rock.

Analysis of Q's double page spread

Colour: In keeping with the front cover and contents, the colour scheme of red, black and white is used again. This maintains a flow through the magazine which makes Q seem professional and of high quality. Again the use of black and white would not be as powerful on their own but the slight elements of red make such a difference. Red adds virbrancy, passion and drama to the page. The background is white which makes the black and red elements stand out. It would be unusal for a rock magazine not to include the colour black as it is stereotypically associated with the rock genre. Like the front cover and contents, the colour scheme creates a classy, dramatic and bold impression about the double page spread.

Design: One of the images dominates a whole page expressing importance and power. The other image is on the other page in the bottom right hand corner surrounded by the text. The text and images are clearly seperated making the page smart and neat. The text is in ordered columns that reflect a newspaper style. This makes the article appear formal and mature which relates to the older target audience and the magazine itself. Also the times new roman text style stays within the theme of maturity. The line at the top seperating the article from the title and the thicker line at the bottom seperating the article from the page number, again create a smart appearance which expresses high quality.

Images: The main article is about Cheryl Cole so it is obvious that the main image is of her. The front cover shows a more personal image of her face but on this page it is a long picture. This enables the readers to see her clothes and body which the men in particular will be interested in. It also allows the image to take up a lot of blank space. The white background makes the reader entirely focus on Cheryl Cole as nothing else is happening in the background. The image is harsh and powerful. The other image relates to the one used on the front cover due to rain. All of the images of Cheryl Cole in the entire magazine follow the similar pattern of dark colours and seriousness.

Pose, style, hair, make-up: Cheryl Cole has a very seductive pose in the main image where she has her hand above her head and she isn't looking directly at the camera. She looks sexy which will attract men and women will aspire to her. She has a very serious expression which relates to the target audiences serious attitude towards music. Not one of the images has shown Cheryl Cole smiling but that would not make sense as the article is talking about the serious issue of her not knowing who she is anymore. She is used to putting on a fake smile for the cameras covering up her feelings but that is masking her true emotions. The main image shows her wearing the same outfit as in the contents. This consists of studs, slits, wet looking clothes and the main colour black which all are sterotypically associated with the genre rock. She is wearing revealing and provocative clothes that make her look sexy. This will particularly attract the male target audience. In the smaller image she is wearing a top hat which creates a shadow over the top half of her face. This cleverly links to the quote beside it 'I don't know what I look like any more'. This creates a mysterious mood. Both images show a wind swept hair effect which accenuates her brilliant features, particulary her defined cheekbones and jaw. So many women would dream about looking like this and so many men would want a girlfriend looking like her. Cheryl Cole's make-up consists of sexy smokey eyes, perfect pale skin and alluring seductive red lips. The colour of her lips really stand out and relates to the red elements on the page and the famous logo of Q.

How are words used on the cover? There is a large C in red which dominates the first page. The red and size really grabs the readers attention but it is still able to read the text underneath as it is in black. Obviously C stands for Cheryl which the readers will easily be able to recognise. Cleverly, there is another C beside it but in much smaller which refers to her surname, Cole. The large size and vibrant red signifies that her first name is far more important than her surname as it is actually her married name. She doesn't want to be known for being Ashley Cole's wife, she wants to be seen as an individual and have her own sucessful career which she cleary has. Interestingly, nowadays she is far more famous than her husband. The title 'Cheryl Cole' shows two different things as Cheryl is in itallic and Cole is in capitals. The itallic style shows a more girly and feminine side which Cheryl Cole is more known for and the harsh style in capitals portrays a much more strong and serious side. The title expresses the many different aspects of her personality. A quote is used which is very common in double page spreads. It is sectioned off from the rest of the article and clearly stands out due to being in red capitals and a larger font compared to the rest of the text. A quote gives the readers a little snippet of what the article is about and they are normally left quite open so the reader will have to read the article to understand it.

Language: The quote includes a rhetorical question, 'do you know what i mean?' which makes the readers think and therefore makes them feel more involved. It creates a more personal relationship between the reader and magazine. There is a short line on the smaller image saying, 'Best looking 'Slash' kissogram ever steps out.' This adds humour which completely contrasts to the serious story and Cheryl Cole's serious expressions. Humour eases the mood and adds a bit of fun. The language of the article is a bit higher than everday language but not to the extent that younger people will not understand it. The language is not intimidating but will especially target an older, maturer audience. There is a lot of text which shows the images and text are equally as important. A younger audience would be far more interested in the images than text.

Overall impression: The double page spread is kept quite simple and plain but it is still effective. The small elements of red and the powerful images make such a difference. The older target audience would not care about the simplicity as they're far more concerned with what the actual article is about. The double page spread is classy and mature, much to the taste of the target audience. A younger audience would possibly not like it as much because there is nothing quirky or fun about it, it is too formal for their taste. The overall impression you recieve from this double page spread is a serious but classy mood which reflects the target audiences serious attiutude and passion towards rock music.

Anaylsis of Kerrang's contents page

Colour: There is no clear colour scheme because the majority of the page is taken up by numerous images all involving different colours. However the text is in black and red which relates to the colour scheme used on the front cover. There are a lot of black elements on both pages which is stereotypically associated with indie/rock so it is a conventional colour to use in a rock magazine. The background is white which makes the contrasting black and other colours stand out. There is a collaboration of different colours which add vibrancy and excitement.

Design: The contents spreads over two pages which shows the magazine involves a lot of information and the pages look neater as it isn't cramped all into one place. The images and text are on a plain background which make the colours stand out, especially the main colour black. The images are in a neat order, none of them overlapping and then followed with neat columns of text underneath. However, the use of a scribbly handwriting style, similar to the style on the front cover, makes the page seem more youthful and fun. This relates to the young target audience. The neat order of pictures would be too old fashioned and boring but by using interesting fonts, the contents is quirky and young. Each heading has a different and very unique font style which clearly separates each of them from the rest. Again they are modern and edgey which will attract the target audience. The uniqueness makes them stand out.

Images: The majority of the images are of the main cover feature, Greenday. However there is one image that is not, instead it it is John Lydon from the Sex Pistols. Sex Pistols would be classed as 'legends' along with Greenday so they fit into Kerrang's Legends Special Edition. Sex Pistols relate to Greenday as they were highly influencial to Greenday. There are a lot of images used in the contents showing stages through their career which shows how long they have been around. The biggest image showing them very young in the boot of a car, illustrates youth, rebellion and fun which will attract the audience. The target audience are influenced by Greenday which is why they look up to them with respect. There are only individual images of Billie Joe but that is to be expected as he is the lead member and the target audience will also know and expect this. There are 4 album cover images in a neat column which express Greenday's success and achievement. In summary, the images are illustratiting that Greenday is worthy of the title 'Legends'.

How are words used? It is clear from the domination of images that they are more important than the text. The text is structured in neat columns which makes it easy to find pages. Putting the page number in red followed by the page title in black also makes it easy to find pages and seperates each page from the others. The red stands out which attracts the target audience. The most noticable piece of text is the big title, Greenday. It clearly stands out due to size and the unique, youthful bubble writing style. The title refers to the images making it clear what this edition is focused on. The word contents is the only text on a red background establishing what this page is. It is quite small but the red background makes it stand out enough. The headings follow in a pattern, either being black text on a white background or white text on a black background. This makes the headings bold and brings attention towards the different sections of the magazine. The use of scribbly handwriting with arrows show specifically the images that relate to the pages, giving readers more of an insight of what is inside. There is a special dedication to the people that construct the magazine which is clearly seperated from the rest of the page as it's on a black background. The special dedication makes the magazine appear professional and respectful.

Language: Each page has been put into small categories which is a neat and smart way to show readers what the magazine will include. The headings are short and blunt, not being longer than 3 words which makes it catchy, simple and memorable. The page titles are also short and simple followed by a a short sentence giving more of an insight about the page. Without the summarising line, the pages would make no sense to the target audience, for example pages include 'California Screaming' 'Having a blast' and 'Burnout'. However, the use of musterious words make you want to read more about the situation. The text is in everyday normal language which diffuses any confusion and is not intimidating to the target audience. There are uses of subtle persuasion such as using the word 'Classic' instead of just stating interviews. This makes the interviews sound of high importance and special. Also one of the headings are 'Plus' which again sounds special and is very inviting to readers as they are getting a lot for their money.

Overall Impression: The contents looks very smart and professional due to the neat order of images and text. It expresses high quality and it seems that a lot of time and effort has gone into producing work of this standard. This is very important as this is a legends special edition so it has to live up to the name. The structure is mature and smart but the use of fun images and quirky font styles bring back the youth and uniqueness to the magazine. This relates to their young target audience. It is neat but shows a lot of things going on which adds excitement and vibrancy. It is clear that the page is targeted towards a young audience but Greenday's long career and the image of John Lydon enables an older audience to relate to it. The magazine attracts a wide audience as it is focused on 'Legends' of rock. Overall, the contents page creates a youthful, loud, quirky impression which relates to familiar elements of rock.

Analysis of NME's contents page

Colour: There is no clear colour scheme because the majority of the page is taken up by the image of Blur. However the text is in black and red which relates to the colour scheme used on the front cover. Black and white are stereotypically associated with indie/rock but they can be quite boring used on their own. With use of red it adds vibrancy and it stands out on the other block colours. The cololur scheme creates a modern and classy look.

Design: Firstly, it is apparent that only one page is needed for the contents, unlike other magazines that sometimes use two. The contents is clearly seperated from the image by a dotted line to make the page look more neat and professional. It is almost like the list of pages is the only contents part and then the rest of the page is like starting a new page as there is a random story placed there. The list of pages is in a neat column beside the image but there is also some text ontop of the image. It is on a white background because it would be unclear to read otherwise. This makes the text stand out aswell. The majority of text has a similar font of a modern and informal bold style. It is young and quirky much like the target audience and magazine itself. The only exception is 'Blur, London 14/01/10' which is seen to be in a more formal style, similar to times new roman. Another reason why it is different from the rest of the text is because it is on a red background. They have done this to make it look different from the rest of the text and therefore stand out.

Images: There is only one image on this page and it dominates the majority of the page. Interestingly, it is not of My Chemical Romance, who was shown to be the main feature from the front cover of the cover of the magazine. This is unconvential for a music magazine which again relates to the uniqueness and rebellious style portrayed from the genre rock. The target audience, young followers of rock tend to want to express their originality and not follow rules. Instead, there is an image of an old rock band Blur, not on a photoshoot but them pictured on red carpet. Blur still fit into the category of rock so the target audience can still relate to them and since this is their first public appareance together in a while, readers will find this interesting. The members of Blur are wearing very laid back and informal outfits for the red carpet which expresses their coolness and attitude of not caring what they look like or what people think of them. This will be seen as aspirational to the target audience.

How are words used on the cover? Instead of listing the contents in page order, they are listed alphabetically with their corresponding page number. Again this is unconvential and unique. Also the contents is only a list of bands/singers included inside and there is no stories mentioned. This mysterious list doesn't give a good indication of what is going to be inside but the target audience will only care about what acts are featured and will be impressed with the amount in the list. The long list shows that the magazine is going to be filled with lots of things so readers are getting a lot for their money. The contents list is the only text in red which makes it stand out and makes it clear that it is important. The page numbers are in a black font to clearly seperate the band and page so readers will find it easy to understand. 'What's inside' and 'Snapshot' along with the bottom strapline, are the only text in capitals which makes it clear they are either titles or very important. They are purely in capitals to stand out. There is not that much text used on this page but as I've mentioned numerous times, the target audience is more concerned about the music.

Language: The traditional word contents is not actually used on this page. Instead there is 'What's inside' which is a much more younger and unique way of saying contents. This again reflects the modern nature of the magazine and readers. It also relates to the style of writing it is in as that is also young and funky. 'Snapshot' is again another funky word that is more traditional than other words like photograph or image. This page gives an impression that the magazine is using young vocabulary to relate to the young audience and come across cool and modern. The bottom piece of text is subtlely persuading readers to subscribe to their upcoming issues by making them think they are saving money in the long run. They do this by using the words 'sale' 'save' and 'now'. This is persuasive language that immediately makes you think of saving money. This is very important to the young target audience as young people are known for not having a lot of money so saving is vital, every little helps. They even give you their website and a hotline to make it easy to subscribe. Also they give you a small image of the next edition which gives you a taster of what is to come. The text explaining the image is very similar to a story in a tabloid newspaper. The writing is simple, everyday language that is easy to understand and even includes some funny elements. This is very important to the target audience because they will not want to read something that is untimidating and hard to understand.

Overall impression: The contents page is very basic and gives off an impression of a laid back attitude, similar to the stereotypical view of teenagers into rock, the target audience. It doesn't really give the magazine justice as not a lot of what is inside is explained on this page. However, it does show the very long list of acts featured inside, which is most important for the target audience to know about. This means they are not concerned with anything else, therefore it is a bit pointless putting additional things on the contents other than bands and singers. This shows that NME clearly know who their target audience is and what is most important to them. This idea emphasises the passion and love that the target audience feels for rock. The main impression you get from this page is the sense of youth and a current style. This is mainly due to the style and language of words that a older audience might not get or can relate to.

Anaylsis of Q's contents page

Colour: The colour scheme of the contents is inkeeping with the scheme for the front page, red, black and white. The most dominationg colour is red which adds vibrancy and passion to the page. The masthead, Q has always been red so the use of it in the contents relates to their famous logo. When regular readers look at the contents it will unconciously trigger in their head that the colour red is associated with Q. The colour scheme creates a vibrant mood but is still classy and sophisticated.

Design: The contents spreads over two pages which gives the impression that a lot is going to be included in the magazine. It shows the readers will get a lot for their money, their purchase is worthwhile. Everything is on a clean white background which makes all of the other elements stand out vividly. The writing is in a structural order surrounding the images whilst the images seem to be packed together overlapping eachother. A lot of information is placed in a small place but it still looks professional. It is far more interesting than having a neat row of precisely placed images. The overlapping style adds youth and fun. The words keep in theme with the colour scheme of red, black and white but the numerous images include all different colours. The clash of colours actually work and it makes it the contents page stand out more. All of the text is in quite a formal style, similar to times new roman. This illustrates that the target audience is more mature compared to young, modern magazines such as NME and Kerrang.
Images: There are a lot of images used in the contents to show you the different stories. Instead of writing the stories, the images have been labelled with a page number. This means they didn't have to list every page which would be very long and dull as Q is a big magazine. This makes the contents far more interesting and unique. Obviously the largest image is of Cheryl Cole as she is the main feature of this edition. She dominates the majority of the first page with a sexy pose that will attract the target audience. She is seen to be wearing dark reavealing clothes with slits, studs and spikes which create a dangerous, dark, edgy mood. This emphasises the genre indie/rock. Interestingly, it is the only image that is in black and white which stands out and clearly shows it is the main feature. There is also an image of the front cover which again reminds us of the focus on Cherly Cole. The images are completely different to one and another, mainly due to the difference in age. There are several images of bands with the use of guitars emphasising the genre rock. But there are also images of older people including Dean Martin. This shows the range of the audience and that the main target audience is likely to be of an older age because a lot of young people will not recognise Dean Martin or Holly Johnson. The images express the different generations of rock.

How are words used? The word contents really stands out as it is large and is the only text on a red background. Issue 283 is also very large which shows how the long the magazine has been around for, percieving a impressive and professional view. There is a lot of text used in the contents which again relates back to the main target audience, and older audience. A younger audience would not be interested in words and more about the images and music itself. The amount of writing shows the large content of the magazine. The text is in a quite structured order. On the first page, the text is all the features and on the second page it shows the regulars and the Q review. This structure makes it easy to know what is inside and what category it fits into. The large page numbers on the images again make it very clear where everything is. Every heading is boldly underlined in red which seperates the story and makes the page look quite classy and sophisticated. Again it is inkeeping with the colour scheme. The headings itself are in bold and capitals which make it clear they are the stories. They are then followed with a brief description of what the story includes.

Language: The headings are short and straight to the point making it clear what the article is about. By emphasing the regular features of the magazine by actually stating 'regulars', it creates a more initimate feeling between the reader and magazine. It relates to the audience aswell as some of them are seen to be regulars. There is use of exciting words such as 'special!' which is actually isolated from the rest of the text as it is in a red font, making it look important and interesting. The language is a bit more high class than everyday words but it's not to the exteme that it makes the magazine intimidating. It is just outlining that they are targeting a more mature, older audience and that it may not be to the taste of younger rock fans that usually read magazines like NME or Kerrang.

Overall impression: The contents pages show a lot of things happening in a small space but still manage to create a sophisticated look due to the neat structure of the text and the use of colours. The contents pages give a very good indication that a lot is going to be included in the magazine and that readers will definitely get more than what they paid for. The images show different generations which enables the magazine to be attracted by a wide audience. However, it is specifically targeted at a more mature audience and the classy, sophisated appearance of these pages reflect the personality of the readers. Also the contents pages emphasises the passion of rock which again relates to the target audiences music view.

Analysis of Kerrang's front cover

Colour: The main colours used in the front cover are black and white. There are also elements of red, green and silver. There is the stereotypical view that black and white are associated with indie/rock and because of this are often used on front covers of music magazines. They also contrast to eachother so it makes the images and words stand out. The elements of red add vibrancy and make the front cover look more interesting. The elements of green obviously relate to the band in the main feature, greenday. Combining all these colours it creates a vibrant, quirky young mood that reflects the genre rock itself and Kerrang's target audience, teenage hardcore rock fans.

Design: On most magazine front covers the words surround the image but as the image stretches across the whole of the page, the text is on top of the image. The image is mainly black which means even though the text is on top of it, it is still clear due to the contrast of colours. The masthead is in a metallic loud silver font with cracks in it and patches in areas. This gives a young, edgy, quirky style to the magazine. Also the masthead has this cracked style for every magazine so it is inkeeping with the theme but the only difference is that it is in a silver colour. They have done this to separate it from usual editions because it's a special edition. The cover line for the main feature is a style of bubble writing roughly coloured in white. It is trying to give an impression of an hand drawn effect. The line underneath also looks hand written. The rough and unique style reflects the rock genre and the band itself greenday. There is also sruffy hand written style text behind the main image on a white background. This again emphasises youth and uniqueness very similar to the genre rock.

Images: The main image is a mid shot of the band Greenday. They are a typical rock band that the target audience will recognise and enjoy their music. The target audience for Kerrang will classify Greenday as 'legends' which is why Kerrang has used them as the main feature for their special legends edition. Greenday are very popular which means they have a lot of people that aspire to be like them, especially the main target audience. Greenday have been around for 20 years which means this could possibly attract an older audience aswell.

Pose, style hair, make-up: Billie joe (band member in the middle) obviously stands out as he is seen to be infront of the other two band members. This is because he is the leader of the band and due to this is the most famous out of the three. He also stands out due to his big jet black hair, white skin and dark make-up round his eyes. This style is usually associated with a person into hardcore rock music so Billie joe relates to the target audience. You can see that he has his hands pushed down on the top of his legs which gives an impression that he is leaning forwards. He seems closer than the other two members because of this and also his face is larger. This attracts the audience as this creates a more intimate feeling. Billie joe has a very plain expression which creates a mysterious mood and he actually looks quite attractive when doing this. He is definitely more attractive than the other two band members but they are 'legends' so the target audience is more interested in their music than their appearance. The band member on the left has a funny, sarcastic expression which shows the humour of the band and a very laid back attitude. The band member on the right has a very serious expression with his arms folded creating a powerful impression of the band. Having a mid shot of the band enables us to see that they're all in black and leather which again is related to the genre rock and the target audience. Even though they are wearing similar things they all have unique features which makes them stand out. Rock is known for uniqueness which means it is unlikely for all memebers of a rock band to have the same look. Overall, the band gives an impression of a young, cool, laid back style which a lot of the teenage fans will look up to.

How are words used on the cover? There is only text about greenday on the cover so you cannot tell who or what else is going to be included in the magazine, However, greenday are popular enough for the audience to buy the magazine solely for them without knowing who else is in it. There is not a lot of text used on the front cover as the main image dominates the cover. The longest line being 'How three punks took over the planet!' explains that there story and journey is going to be explained inside. The words are in capitals which make it stand out and specifically three punks as it's in bold. Underneath that are short but straight to point statements talking about stories, interviews and photographs, all emphasised with exclamation marks. Using exciting words makes the statement more powerful and interesting. For example stories would be quite boring by it self but by saying 'Untold stories!' makes it so much more attractive. This is the same for using words such as classic and exclusive. Kerrnag has used a very clever technique by writing Greenday's well known songs behind the image in a hand written style. The target audience will immediately recognise they are their songs and again it emphasises them as 'legends' due to the amount of their well known legendary songs. There are several plugs on the page which stand out and attract the audience mainly because the text is on vibrant colours. This magazine would definitely stand out on a shelf due to the large text, large image and clash of harsh and vibrant colours.

Language: The strapline at the bottom expresses how you can 'win a greenday platinum disc!' which is a persuasive way of attracting readers. Greenday fans would ovviously want to win this so it is making their purchase even more worthwhile, they are getting more for thier money. The audience will clearly be able to see this as it is in capitals and the white text stands out on the bright red background. The language is blunt and bold so gets to the point clearly. The words used are in an everyday style of language which doesn't make the magazine seem intimadating and the target audience can relate to it. There is not a lot of words used but in fact they don't need to use a lot of words because the target audience isn't interested in them. They are entirely focused on the band itself and their music. It would be pointless using a lot of words because it wouldn't attract the target audience.

Overall impression: Kerrang has a very specific audience of hardcore rock lovers so they make it clear on this front cover that any other type of music fans would not be very interested in this magazine. I think this magazine front cover is great and will certainly attract a lot of readers mainly due to Greenday. The legends themselves give a good indication of what is going to be included in this special legends edition. They are a perfect band to attract readers for this special edition. The front cover gives off a very loud and powerful impression much like the genre rock itself. The clash of colours and amount of different things happening on the page actually works and would definitely stand out on a shelf. Overall this front cover creates a quirky, loud and unique impression that addresses a young and cool audience that are passionate about rock.

Analysis of NME's front cover

Colour: The main colours used on the front cover are black, white and red. Black and white are typical colours associated with indie/rock but the red makes the cover more vivid and interesting. As black and white contrast eachother they clearly stand out. The NME logo has always been red so that has been taking into consideration when creating the front cover. The overall mood the colours create are a classy but edgy style.

Design: The words and image have the same colour scheme so they tie in very well. It is clear the main story is about chemical romance as it is the largest text and there is also a picture of the lead singer. This story dominates the first third of the cover whereas 3 other stories are one after the other down the right side. However, they all have a common theme. Firstly they have white thick text on a red background which gives a little summary of what the story is about. This clearly separates each story from eachother as the red stands out, making it look like there is a lot of different stories. Also the red relates to the title of the magazine. Underneath, there is the title of the story in a white bold font standing out when put on the black background. That is then followed by a longer line giving an insight of what the story is about. It is also in a different style, similar to times new roman. It is obvious that my chemical romance is the main feature mainly due to the noticable larger font but also the third line is in red whereas on other stories they are white. Also the text is in capitals whereas on the other stories they are in lower case.

Images: It is common for most music magazines front covers to have a close-up image dominating the majority of the page. However, in this edition the image shows the whole body of the lead singer of my chemical romance, Gerard Way. NME is a young, quirky, popular music magazine similar to their target audience, teenagers passionate about rock, which is why they have not followed popular conventions of music magazines. This relates to the indie/rock genre as it is associated with wanting to be different and some would say rebellious. The target audience will recognise Gerard Way as My Chemical Romance is a typical band that they are into. He would not be seen as famous to older people which is why he and his band is ideal for NME. Also it is about their comeback which will be very interesting for their fans to read. Gerard Way is very appealing as girls will be attracted to him and boys will aspire to be like him mainly due to his music talent but also to his cool charm.

Pose, style hair, make-up: He is dressed quite smart but still scruffy due to him not having his top button done up and a thin tie. His scruffiness makes him come across more attractive because a lot of girls are turned off by boys that care too much about their attitude. He is portrayed having a laid back attitude which is very welcoming. He is wearing very fashionable clothes that the target audience can relate to, smart fitted long coat, faded skinny jeans, big black boots and a thin tie. It is a popular style for people that are into indie/rock. The majority of his clothes are dark colours, black and grey, which are sterotypically associated with indie/rock. Even though he is dressed quite smart, he is not intimidating to the audience which will attract them. His pose of standing with is hands in his pockets and a straight face portrays a mysterious and quite sexy impression. He has a typical rock look, jet black scruffy hair, pale skin and emotionless which again the audience is very familiar with.

How are words used on the cover? The masthead is in the convential place, top left, clearly standing out in a chunky red font. This makes it clear what magazine it is and as it is always the same the target audience is very familiar with it. Gerard Way even covers part of the E with his arm but as NME is so popular it is easy to tell what magazine it is. My Chemical Romance is shown in a large bold font which attracts readers as they are a popular band for their specific genre. The text surround the image but are in a structural order, instead of being put anywhere. This makes the stories clear and neat. It is actually quite a sophisticated format which contrasts to the free natured, rebellious sense associated with rock and their fans. The word rock is mentioned on the cover several times which expresses the interests of the readers and gives you a clear view of what the magazine is going to entail. It clearly defines that the magazine is aimed at indie/rock music fans. The bottom strapline shows other bands that are going to feature in the magazine such as maccabees which again gives readers an idea of what the rest of the magazine is going to include. This magazine would clearly stand out on a magazine due to the large fonts, image and vibrant colours.

Language: The language grabs the readers attention as it is bold and blunt. There is not a lot of text but enough to give an idea of what is inside. The text uses normal everyday language which attracts readers as it's not intimidating. The readers are more interested about the music than a high use of special vocabulary words. Two of the stories use rheotorical questions which are "But where's Bernard?" and "The messiest duet ever?" This is a very clever technique as it is a subtle persuasive way of making the audience read the magazine to find out the answers. Also the main feature uses a quote "no more rock opera" which again is very intereseting as it gives readers an insight of the story and makes you want to read it to find out about the rest of the article.

Overall impression: It is clear that the front cover is targeted at a young teenage audience that are passionate about rock music. The image of Gerard Way supports this because the majority of adults will not know who he is. I think the front cover is very appealing as it portrays a modern, punky, edgy style. However, it still comes across quite classy as it has a structured format and a mature colour scheme. It gives you a good indication of what is included inside as a lot information is compacted on a small space. Everything on the front cover is done in a particular way to portray a indie/rock style to attract the target audience which I think is very well done here.