Question 5How did you attract/address your

audience?

Feedback for my front coverHere are some quotes from my classmates, aged between 16 and 18 of both genders:•“I really like the magazine, it’s obvious that it’s a country music magazine and I like the relaxed and laid back connotations it gives off, I would definitely buy it!”•“Aww I love it, it’s very pretty!”•“The masthead is really cool and makes it unique to other magazines I also like the colour scheme used as it is sophisticated, but more appealing than just using black, which is commonly used to make something look sophisticated.”Here are some quotes from various country music fans:•“It’s clear to me straight away that this is a country music magazine, I like the mise-en-scene used and I think it looks really professional and similar to real media products.”•“The front cover is really well produced and looks really good, especially as includes a lot of country related things such as the guitar, denim jacket, country scenery etc. However, I wouldn’t really buy this magazine as I think it is more suited for females.”•“This is a really appealing and modernized country magazine. And although I may not be considered the main target audience of a young female I would still buy this magazine as all the stuff included is the sort of stuff I’m interested in e.g. fashion, gossip and the main one being country music.”

Here are some quotes from my targeted audience of female country music fans of mainly younger females, who are students so roughly 16-30:•“I love the mainsell used, the props used and the clothing really fit in with the country style and as she is of similar age to me a can relate to the model.”•“The language used and the context used for the coverlines is really appealing for the likes of myself as it talks about what is included in the magazine and everything that is in it is the sort of stuff that I am interested in and stuff that would appeal to me and grab my attention to buy the magazine.”•“I would definitely buy this magazine, it’s a country music magazine that I actually wouldn’t be ashamed of or embarrassed about picking up!”

Feedback for my contents pageHere are some quotes from my classmates, aged between 16 and 18 of both genders:•“It’s really pretty, I like the decorative font used for the title and the flower shapes in the background!”•“I love the picture used, it’s really nicely edited and I like the flowers and the boxes used, but maybe there could’ve been some more photos?”•“I like the fact that you’ve based the colour scheme on the front cover’s and by dong this it makes the magazine look a lot more sophisticated and professional as it flows throughout the magazine and is very appealing.

Here are some quotes from various country music fans:•“ This magazine is really nicely lay out, making it look really professional. I also like the font for the heading and the flower shapes used as it continues that country vibe and because of the flowers and the boxes used, it makes the magazine look a lot more appealing.”•“This is different to normal country contents page, because of the contents headings, as it includes more exciting things, so I really like this magazine as it contains what normal country magazines do, such as reviews, gigs etc and more!”•“I think the contents page looks amazing, but it’s definitely just suited for females.”

Here are some quotes from my targeted audience of female country music fans of mainly younger females, who are students so roughly 16-30:•“This is different from other country music magazines but in a good way, it’s so much more modernized and is really appealing! Also the context such as the headings, are all things which I'm interested in and would look for in my perfect magazine,”•“This contents page is really nicely presented and everything can easily be read, it’s not busy with lots of pictures, but is fairly plain, yet it is still really appealing and eye catching. I love the flowers used as they continue the country vibe and I love the colours used as they are sophisticated, but not boring.”•“ It is clear that there is a lot of attention to detail and every detail has been thought about, it looks really good and is definitely up to the standards of other country music magazine contents pages.

Feedback for my double page spread Here are some quotes from my classmates, aged

between 16 and 18 of both genders:•“This is a really nicely presented double page spread, the images used are very high quality and everything is lay out really nicely.”•I like the fact the flowers used in the background are carried out throughout the magazine, it makes the pages look more appealing, everything just looks really good!”•“This is a really good page, the context is good and interesting and so is the double page spread as a whole, well done!”

Here are some quotes from various country music fans:•“The pictures used for the double page spread definitely represent and give off the country looks and feel, maybe there could’ve been more, or the ones used made bigger and less text?.”•The interview is really interesting and the images used of a model and the images used in the background add to the appeal and interest of this double page spread”•“ It’s is really girly and feminine, but is a really high quality piece of work.”Here are some quotes from my targeted audience of female country music fans of

mainly younger females, who are students so roughly 16-30:•“This is really different from normal country music magazines, but is defiantly what is needed in gaining more interest into country music magazines as it is more modernised and a lot more interesting. I could see this being really successful as it is different to other country music magazines and is aimed at the newly found country pop music audience of young females.”•“ The colours and the shapes used again continue the country theme and add to the appeal of the magazine, it looks really good and the context is appropriate and very interesting, maybe the text could’ve been a bit bigger?”•“I would definitely buy this magazine!”

How I attracted my audience…

FontsFor the masthead and other headings throughout my magazine I used a font

called angelic war. This font was a decorative font. By doing this I was able to make my masthead act as a logo for the magazine Fleur. Also the decorative font made the headings look more appealing and suited my magazine as it is a more modernised magazine aimed at younger females, this is because younger females are interested about how everything looks and whether it’s pretty or looks nice etc. As the font was curly and patterned it gave connotations of feminine, girly, pretty, delicate, elegant etc. All connotations, which are associated and thought about by my aimed audience.

For the subheadings and coverlines of my front cover I used a basic serif font, this gave off connotations of maturity, sophistication, elegance etc. These are again connotation, which my targeted audience would like to think they are associated with.

For the text used throughout the rest of the magazine I used a sans serif font so my magazine seemed less formal and gave off more informal, laid back, relaxing connotations. By using this font all the text was clear and could easily be read by my audience.

Colour schemes

From researching existing music magazines there is commonly the use of a running colour scheme, which is used throughout the whole of the magazine. This can also be known as a house style. My main colour scheme was, purples, blues and blacks. All these colours were quite pastel colours, giving off connotations of tranquillity, relaxation, a laid-back atmosphere etc. I felt this connotations suited the country genre and were suited for my target audience as this is the atmosphere I want to create when they are reading my magazine, a nice laid-back stress free environment. These colours still allow to keep clear of making my magazine look tacky and keep that sophisticated edge and classy look. This again attracts my audience as they feel they are growing up and are more mature. Finally, one of the main points of this chosen colour scheme is the feminine connotations and appeal it gives off.

Context/ language used

The language used throughout my magazine is very colloquial and fairly informal as it does not use big fancy words, but is still sophisticated enough that there is not a lot of slang used, only on the odd occasion where titles may have been abbreviated e.g. Goss, instead of gossip. By doing this it helps to get the reader more involved and they are able to relate to the language used. Also the use of colloquial language makes it less formal and again creates a more friendly and laid back atmosphere. The context used is also appropriate as I have included things, such as fashion and gossip as well as country music as this is the two main other things, which my audience is interested in. I also advertised gigs and festivals, activities and events, which would appeal to my audience and be of interest to them. Although the majority of the feedback on context was good, one problem that came up a couple of times was the size and amount of font used, I will definitely take this on board and into consideration when I am next creating a magazine, but i do feel as if the amount of text was acceptable and to fit all of the interview on this size was necessary.

Images Photos- I thought very carefully about every detail when taking my photos,

to ensure it would be suitable for the genre of my magazine and the chosen audience. I made sure the photos were situated in a suitable area, so I chose the most obvious scenery for a country magazine, the countryside, this created a mise-en-scene of tranquillity, relaxation, and fresh as it gave off these connotations. I also had to think about what my model was wearing, so I chose clothes which are country related, but also up to date with fashion nowadays, as this is what my audience would be interested in. As well as the clothing I chose to use the prop of a acoustic guitar as this is commonly associated with country music. I also edited the photo’s so the model looked her best, so she could act as an idol for my audience as they will most likely look up to her as she is one of the top country music artists. Also I chose this specific model as she is of similar age to my targeted audience so this enables my audience to be able to relate to the model herself. I also made sure that the scenery and colours from the image such as the clothing tied in with my chosen colour scheme used throughout the magazine.

Symbols/patterns- In the background of my contents page and my double page spread I used flower patterns to make the page look less plain and boring and instead more appealing. By using the pattern of a flower, it again continued the country theme and also emphasised on the femininity of the magazine.

Conclusion

After receiving feedback from I wide audience of non country music fans and country music fans, I felt that I was successful in attracting my target audience. This is because when I showed my country music magazine to my class mates and specific country fans the responses were very positive. Almost everyone recognized the genre straight away and they were able to spot the similarities of my music magazine with real media products, such as NME, Q, etc. They were particularly attracted to my front cover and loved the modernized approach of my magazine to country music. This was really good to hear as the aim of my media product was to challenge the view that country music is for old folks and country people only. From my early research I was able to identify that there was actually a wide audience, especially of young females nowadays that are fans of country music, especially country pop, hence why I had updated the usual country music magazine layout and style, so as it would appeal to my targeted audience. The fact that so many of the audience took the Preferred reading of my text was also very gratifying.