Magazine anaylsis's

1. Withmagazines,designershave tomake the frontcovervisuallyappealingtotheirtargetaudience in
order to attract and anchor readersinto wantingtoread the magazine.Thisisdone by designingthe
front cover to appeal the intended target audience, for example upcoming films will most likely be
featuredonfilmmagazineslike Total FilmandEmpire.InthisanalysisIwillbe analysingtwomagazines
from differentgenresbyusingthe Guttenbergdesignprinciple,withthe helpof this I will be able to
distinctivelydescribe why these magazines appeal to their intendedtarget audience and with this
information, I will be able to define the target audience for both of these magazines.
Dark Knight (Empire) – Film Magazine
The first magazine comes under the film magazine genre
due to the distinctive front cover, the cover features the
Joker from the film, The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008) which
appeals to film readers due to the use of a highly popular
filmforfrontcoverof the magazine.Filmmagazinestendto
have a broad demographic since they try to appeal to all
readers when it comes down to demographics however I
believe this directly appeals to certain areas of the target
audience rather than all of it due to certain aspects of the
poster, for example most of the films which are promoted
on the front cover appeal toyoungeradultsand above due
to the genres. These films all feature graphic content,
whether that be blood or violence, you can’t always assign
film magazines such as Empire to broad target audiences
since every film doesn’t always appeal to them so it is not
always possible to categorise readers to film magazines.
However,inthisanalysisIwilljustbecoveringthismagazine
along with another magazine of a different genre.
For the target audience,Iwouldsay that thismagazine appealsto a much olderaudience howeverI
don’tbelieve thatmagazinelikethiswouldappeal tothe upperclassdue tothe formof contentthese
films include. Stereotypically upper class readers are not interested in the likes of super hero and
zombies which makes me suggest that this poster does not appeal to upper class readers but more
lower and middle class since these style of movies mostly appeal to these audiences. With the
presentationof the frontcover,such as the dark formatbut vibrantcolours I wouldsuggestthatthis
coverappealstomale readersasopposedtothe femalereadersdue tofemale readersstereotypically
being interestedby bright and colour front covers with female centred content, The Joker from The
Dark Knightis not female centreddue tothe portrayal of this character on and off screen. One thing
that visually appeals to me, as it would do to many other readers is the contrast between the dark
colours and vibrant colours I believe it shows readers what to expect with the release of the Dark
Knight.
The use of font on this posterwas effectivelyusedtoportray the character as it is stylisedasgraffiti
whichshowsaudiencesthe aspectof anarchy withinthe filmwhichsymbolisesviolence andhelpsto
target audiences into reading the magazine, this font is also supported by the use of graphic design
which in my opinion helps support the theme of anarchy. This makes me think that the font has
adopted an informal look due to the cartoon/graffiti styled writing since this is usually symbolised
anarchism which the poster is trying to present. As well as that, I believe along with the use of the
graphic design, the poster helps appeal to the readers along with the use of vibrant colours which I
believe appeals to their target audience due to how it stands out from other film magazines.

2. Magazinestry and get theirfront coverto stand out, whetherthisbe somethingthatis easilyvisible
or attracts the reader due to the creative aspect, all magazines use different ways of luring in
audiences and I believe this was an effective way of luring in readers on empires behalf. One thing
designerswouldneedtotake note of howeverisif the fontiseasytoreadbecause therewouldbe no
point using a font which looks nice but the audience cannot understand. All but the “He’s a cold
blooded,massmurderingclown”standoutperfectlywiththisfontbeingslightlydifficulttoread. On
the subject of colours however, there are always magazines which effectively choose colours which
suit the front cover with this magazine being a prime example. The use of vibrant and dark colours
workeffectivelyinmakingthe magazineenjoyabletolookat,readersdon’twanttolookatmagazines
which disgust them due to the design and fortunately this is not an example, there is a wide use of
coloursrangingfrom the Dark Redof the EMPIRE logoto the colourpalletusedto portraythe Jokers
character. These together come together to create an interesting blend of colours which help this
poster stand out though what I would change about this poster is balance out the bright and dark
colours as the dark background overpowers the bright overlay in my opinion.
The GuttenbergDiagramsuggestshow readersinterpretcreativedesignswiththe use of the reading
gravity, how we start from the primary optical area (Top Left) and terminate at the terminal area
(BottomRight) asourmindssweepthroughtheposterinordertofindimportantdetailswhichappeal
to the reader, I will now apply this theory to the my chosen poster.
Primary Optical Area
Startingwiththe mainfocusof the design,the Guttenbergdesignsuggestsreadersstartfromhere as
the readinggravitymovesthe audience’sattentionfurtherdownthe page,thissectioniswhatwould
include keyrevealinginformationwhichwouldappealtoaudiences. Itisa way of understandinghow
culturesreadfromlefttorightdue tothe visual navigation.Inthiscase,we have the filmsnamealong
withthe logo whichisin the centre of thisand the strongfallow area(Top Right) whichhelpsignifies
what franchise the filmisa part of since the Batman logo is well recognisedwithinthe filmindustry.
Soinordertoattract readers,choosingtoincludethe logowhere readersare mostlikelygoingtostart
is an effective way in establishing your audience, this is also supportedby the filmsname as well as
antagonist on the front cover which shows audiences what to expect with the film. Lastly, as many
readersmay not be aware of the filmor what theyshouldexpectwiththe film, Ibelieve the filmhas
managedtocoverthisjustwiththe Primaryopticalareabyincludingthe picture of the antagonistand
the name “Joker”alongwiththe“He’sacoldblooded,massmurderingclown”whichshowsaudiences
whattoexpect.Inchoice of design,Ibelieve alltheseelementsblendtogethertocreate aninteresting
sector of the poster which keeps audiences engaged and wanting to read more.
Strong Fallow Area
The strong fallow area on the other hand is different as it features enough content to keep the
audience engagedhowevernotincomparisontothe mainfocal points,thesefocal pointsincludekey
details which keep the audience engaged however the strong fallow area uses the assistance of the
readinggravitytokeepthe audienceoccupiedastheynavigatethroughthe page,forexamplethe use
of the words“World Exclusive”keepaudiencesengagedastheywouldnotbe able to findthisin any
other magazine making it exclusive to Empire which in the long run would grab the audience’s
attention and keep them interested, at first glance readers wouldnot be able to notice the website
beingpublicizedhoweverif readersare stillreadingtheywouldbeabletonoticeitthereforeattracting
userstothe website.Ibelievethatthiswouldonlystandouttothosereaderswhoare keenonreading
more of the magazines, therefore making them overall readers of the magazine and not just this
specific one.

3. Weak Fallow Area
The weak fallow area on the other hand is where audiencesare presumed to not take interest as
stated with the reading gravity from left to right. This poster can be seenas a prime example of this
since no informationhasbeenincludedinthissector,justthe barcode.It can also be statedthat this
sectionof the posteriswhat featuresthe leastamountof detail,asthe posteronlyincludesasection
of the floor and the characters foot which is not appealing to readers.
Terminal Area
The terminal area is where the audience stops reading, whether this be overall or just to look inside
the magazine so this is the section which has to grab the audience’s attention and highlight the
magazinescontentswhichcan be seenhere as new releasesare brieflynoted.This showsaudiences
what to expect with the magazine which in the long run would either attract or draw away the
audience’sattentionsoitisessential formagazinestogetthisright.The reasonIbelieve ithasworked
in favour of this magazine by choosing magazines of the same genre, or similar to that of the Dark
Knight. Another keydetail to note is the use of the word “First Look” which targets the audience by
suggesting that the content which is available in this magazine is exclusive to just this magazine
meaning they wouldn’t find it anywhere else, I believe that is the effective way of grabbing the
audience’s attention to make them want to read more.
There are codesandconventionswhichaudiencescome toexpectwhenlookingatthrillermagazines,
by analysingthe codesandconventionsIwill be able to match themto thisposterto see whetheror
not the poster follows these codes and conventions. Firstlyis the use of colour, usually with thriller
magazines audiences come to expect the use of dark colours however this poster varies as it as a
contrast of bothwhichcould signifythe battle betweengoodandevil withinthe film.The picture on
the other hand is different, usually with posters they feature a main character whether this be the
main antagonist or the main protagonist however it can vary with different issues since one poster
may feature the mainprotagonistforthe firstpartandthe mainantagonistforthe secondpartwhich
I believe is an effective way of attracting readers by encouraging them to read both parts. Low-key
lighting on the other hand is used to symbolise the mysterious and tense atmosphere in which
audiencesshouldexpect,thisiscommonwithinthrillersandthisposteris no exceptionas,it is used
to create enigma codes in order to make audience question what happens in the plot, for example
how did the antagonist get arrested? In conclusion, I believe that this posters designis effective in
drawinginaudiencesfromthe use of contrastbetweencoloursandthe keywordsinordertodrawin
the audience’s attention.
Deadmau5 (Vibe) Music Magazine

4. My secondmagazine onthe otherhandcomesinthe formof a music
magazine knownasVibe whichisanAmericanmusicand
entertainmentmagazine whichprovidescoverageof urbanmusic
and electronicgadgetswhobesttofeature thanelectronicmusicstar
Deadmau5as he iswell renownedforhisuse of gadgetsandhis
signature mau5head.Since the musicmagazine isbasedinAmerica
that givesreadersanunderstandingof the intendeddemographic
and a clue on whatsort of contenttheyshouldbe expectinghowever
regardingthe socio-demographicIbelievethisaimstowardsthe
middle tolowerclassdue tothe headline “ChrisBrown’sEx tellsher
side”whichsuggestscelebritynewswhichdoesnotappeal toupper
classreaders.Since the magazine isrenownedforbeingcategorised
underthe urban genre Iwouldpresume thatthismagazine isaone
off to coverthe worldof electronicmusicsince itmentions“Ultra
Music Festival”whichisahighlypopularelectronicmusicfestival,alongwithdeadmau5whois
featuredonthe frontcover.Thoughthismagazine doesn’tsingleouttheirintendedtargetaudience
by includingcontentwhichappealstothemsuchas promotingthe risingband “Fun.”Asthe new
kingsof pop.
Startingwiththe fontwhichwas chosenforthismagazine cover,Inmy opinionIbelieve its
minimalisticandsleekdesignworkseffectivelyinanchoringthe audience due tohow simple and
easyit isto read. The representsthe magazineinaformal perspectivedue topresentationof the
font,whichwouldsuggestthata magazine like thisappealstomiddle classreadershoweverwhat
contradictsthisisthe title “ChrisBrown’sEx tellsherside”makesme thinkthatthisisjustanother
celebritymagazinelikeOK. There isnopointincludingafontinwhichviewerswouldn’tbe able to
read,the choice of colouron the otherhand couldhave beenimprovedasitis far toosimilartothe
back groundwhichmeansreaderswithpooreye sightmaynot be able to distinguishthe fontfrom
the backgroundwhichmay be a problemhoweverthisdoesnotapplytoeverywordon the page
since the title clearly standsoutdue toboth the size andthe colour.I thinkthat usingthe colour
yellowonagrey backgroundworkseffectivelyandjustblendsinwell,itdoesn’tmake the font
appearto be outof place. One thingthatI thinkworkseffectivelyisthe colour scheme andhow they
useditto portray the urban genre,since urbanmusicisrenownedforbeingstreetmusicyouwould
associate thiswithurbansocietyhoweverthisisjustinmyopinion.
Primary Optical Area
The primaryoptical area iswhichaudience’s firstlookwhenglancingata magazine soyouhave to
include contentwhichwouldgrabthe audience’sattentionandadesignwhichisstunningtolook
whichI believe thismagazinehasaccomplishedeffectively.Whatcaughtmy attentionwasthe use of
one of myfavourite artists,Deadmau5andI believe thatwouldbe akeypointformany other
readerswhentheysee theirfavourite musiciansonthe frontcover. The designappealedmyself due
to howwell the coloursblendedinwell together,whenitcomesdown todesigningamagazine you
wantto make a frontcoverwhichis stunningtolookat and appealstoreaderwhichIbelieve they
have done,anotherkeypointisthe fact theyhave managedtomake title boldandstandout
whereasmanyothermagazinesjustsimplifyitorsometimeshideitbehindcharacterslike Empire
for example.Lastlyisthe use of the headline whichdistinctlyvariesfromthe restbyusinga different
colourfor the fontso it standsoutmore to theirreaders

5. Strong Fallow Area
Similartothe previous,the strongfallow areaincludescontentwhichisusedtograbthe audience’s
attention.The use of “Fun.The newkingsof pop”anchors the audience intowantingtoreading
more whetherthisbe ina positive ornegative outlooksince readers maytake offensesince Michael
Jacksonwas referredtoas“King of Pop” thoughthisisjusta matterof opinionhoweveritdoes
attract readersintowantingto knowmore. The designstaysthe same byappearingsymmetrical
fromthe otherhalf whichIthink is an effective ideaasitstays true to the original designwithout
goingof course.
WeakFallow Area
The weakfallowareaisthe areaof the magazine withthe leastinformationandwhere the readeris
leastlikelytobe interestedinlookingwhenitcomestothe Guttenbergdesigndue tothe reading
gravitywhichcan be seenonthisposterdue to the fact thatthere isnot much inform of designor
information,there isthe textwhichstates“The reignwon’tletupQueenMary”whichmaynot
appeal toreaderssince theymaynot be aware of what thismeanstothem.
Terminal Area
Thissectionisa make or breakareafor the magazine,thisiswhere eitherthe audience isinterested
or theyare turnedawayso inorder to appeal toaudiencesthe magazine must include content
whichgrabs andanchors the audience’sattentionliketheyhave done here since theyhave included
headlinesonwhatthe magazinesinorderto keepthe readersengaged.Readerswouldbe able to
make a judgementwhetherornottheywant to keepreadingif the magazine appealstothem, thisis
whymagazinesusuallywaittillthe terminalareatoinclude keyheadlinesforwithinthe magazines
as theyknowthe readingterminateswithinthisareaandtheywantto keepthe readerinterestedso
theywantmore.However,inchoice of designIdon’tthinkthisworkas effectivelyastheywould
have hopedsince the backgroundjustfeaturesthe starscoat alongwithtextwithsimilarcolours
(excludingthe yellowone)sootherthanthat,I thinkthe terminal areawasusedeffectivelytokeep
audiencesengaged.
In conclusion,Ithinkthe magazine helpsappeal totheirtargetaudience byusingstarsandkey
nameswhichbestrepresentthe genre aswell astheiraudience,the designcouldhave been
improvedhoweverthisdoesn’timpactthe view of the magazine overall.