2. I have looked at a range of regional magazine feature pages,
and the main the codes and conventions of regional magazine
features are:
Articles which have a link with the local area- e.g. interviews
with celebrities/locals, articles on local are, questionnaires,
etc.
There is a main image, which helps the target audience to
understand what the article is about
The colour scheme’s tend to be bold, and the colours contrast
with each other
The title establishes the focus of the article
The font used is a ‘sans serif’ font, which is easy to read
WHAT ARE THE CODES AND
CONVENTIONS?
3. THE SOURCE, JULY 2013
The simple and bold stating title of this
feature page allows the reader to gain a
clear understanding of what the page is
about, without reading into
connotations and other underlying
meanings.
The subtitle is there to show who wrote
the article and therefore allows the
audience to identify whether or not they
want to read the article or not.
The image used in the article is
relatable to the reader and important to
the article as it implements and aspect
of cultural pride into the reader, as they
may be proud to be living in such a
beautiful place. This relates back to the
uses and gratifications theory, as it
makes the magazine feel personal to
them.
The connective, informative yet simple
writing style allows the audience to read the
article and not feel intimidated by the
complexity of the language. This therefore
means the articles more approachable and
accessible, therefore increasing the amount
of readers.
The font and colour scheme are
important as they are clear and basic,
keeping to the house style. The black and
white colour scheme is not only easy to
read, but it also emphasises the colour in
the image of the Brighton seaside,
making the feature more important and
more appealing to the reader. Similarly,
it can reflect the reader’s interests, as the
audience may find the easy-to-read
article more accessible,
The layout of the magazine is
symmetrical and reflective, all the text is
layed out in a simple and effective way. It
relates to the uses and gratifications
theory, surveillance, as the reader can
scan the article and read one of the many
stories that may interest them.
4. ABSOLUTE BRIGHTON
The simple and bold stating title of this
feature page allows the reader to gain a
clear understanding of what the page is
about, without reading into
connotations and other underlying
meanings. Similarly, the alliteration in
the title allows us to be intrigued about
the article and makes the idea of
reading it seem more rhythmic and
appealing.
The use of images to create a
sort of collage like affect is
effective in this article, as it
relates both back to the title and
target audience. This is because
it emphasises the fashionistic
aspect of the image, however, it
also appeals to the arty and indie
students who like to see unique
and clever images. This means it
therefore reaches a larger
readership.
The subtitle is there to show who wrote
the article and therefore allows the
audience to identify whether or not they
want to read the article or not.
The used of personalised language within the article
means that the reader feels like they are being spoken
to and feels as if the text is directed at people like
themselves. This relates back to uses and gratifications
theory.
The variety of font and the style
of font is intriguing and can be
seen as appealing to the reader,
this means they are evidently
more likely to read on as the
text is more visually attractive.
The colour scheme and
house style of the article is
important in creating the
style of the magazine. The
use of contrasting colours
with the text and background
are conventional, however,
the vibrancy and colour
within the images is
appealing to the audience of
the Source as it emphasises
the uniqueness the audience
like.
5. ABSOLUTE BRIGHTON, CONTINUED
ANALYSIS
The title of the article is labelled as “Street
Style” which is evidently an attempt at
sibilance/alliteration, this attempts to make
the text seem intelligent and intellectual, as
well as being catchy on the tongue. Similarly,
the bold and caps locked font is important in
terms of bringing out an eye-catching nature; it
also could be appealing to the younger
audience as the dominant reading has
fashionistic connotations, relating to the
cultural demographic.
Positioning of images is vaguely
conventional, as it often either the
image(s) are based down one side of
the page or is based directly in the
middle. This is the former and the
images are layed out in a unique and
eye-catching way. The conjoinment of
many different images (almost
collage-like) to create a larger original
image is unique and arty, this could be
aiming to attract the wide cultural
audience that live in the unique city of
Brighton.
The basic and consistent house style used in these feature pages is one that appeals to
me and most likely the rest of the younger audience. This is because the layout is
simplistic yet arty at the same time, therefore every feature is easy to access, however it
abides the theme of modernity at the same time. For example, the text is clearly layed
out in columns and is not dotted around the page.
The main image itself is an important part of the article. The
simplistic portraits of these models wearing eccentric and
fashionable clothing relates back to the text and the title, as it
attracts the reader, especially ones who are interested in art and
fashion (this is large for the Source).
The target audience for this magazine
tends to be a younger demographic.
This is clear due to the highly image
saturated page, with the text left as
minimal as possible, it means the
reader has what seems to be not much
to read and they can gain the
information they need from the images.
The layout of the text is vital in terms
of connecting with the readership.
Like I said in the previous point, the
modern young reader tends to prefer
lighter texts. The thin columns of text
emphasise this idea, as due to the
narrowness, it doesn't look like there
is much to read and therefore the
audience is more likely to be engaged.
