3. The media pack from „Elle‟ has
revealed that the rough/median age
of buyers is 36 years old. However
we do also see that the age range of
this magazine is very varied and
covers a vast age range as it covers a
lot in one product. The percentages
were extremely close together for if
the readers are married, single and
have children. The category of
owning your own home appeared to
be slightly higher than the others
which just shows that the majority of
the readers may be in their late
20‟s/30‟s and higher, as by this age
many people have their own home
and possibly a family. We can also
see that 67% of the readers are
employed and 29% are in a
professional/managerial role in their
career. This shows that the audience
are working class and higher
4. Layout - cover
The layout of this particular front cover
shows that they have filled most of the space
with the image of a model with some of the
text overlaying on top of it. The image also
goes over the top of the title of the iconic
“ELLE” band of text across the top of the
cover. This could show that the readers of this
magazine don‟t need to see the title as the
readers already know and also shows that
readers should also possibly know already.
For the main image on the cover „elle‟
magazine uses a well known celebrity or
model to be on their cover so all of their
readers know exactly who it is, this image
takes over the majority of space on the cover
and always features some sort of story or
interview on this person. The layout of this
cover isn't particularly busy or crowded
which I feel helps the audience to read the
magazine with a lot more ease even with
some of the image being put underneath. I
feel that this layout is quite unorganised
which gives it more of a relaxed feel for the
reader, this also sets the style for the rest of
the magazines layout and also their style as
we now know that this magazine is most
likely not going to be overly formal whilst
still sticking to quite a sophisticated look.
Layout - inside
The layout of the pages inside is
consistent with the cover as it doesn‟t
seem too overcrowded and busy as
some other magazines layouts are.
They have also included their big
main images in the center of each
page and shaped the text around
these images, I feel that this
highlights that main centered image
as the text is all linked in with it. They
have also included some smaller
zoomed in photographs which give
more detail for the reader and also
help if the reader is looking to
purchase this particular item. This
layout is fairly messy and really
relaxed as the format isn't overly
structured as the images have been
placed at random around the page
and also overlapped in some places.
5. Images –
The images featured in „elle‟ all show the reader exactly what they are talking about
allowing the reader to understand easily. From looking through the pages of Elle we can
see that the majority of images they use are large and also close together, usually
scattered around the page in an informal manner. There aren‟t many black and white
images as most of them are fairly bold and colourful to catch the reader‟s eye, this style
has been chosen by the editor/producer in order to draw the reader to these images and
in some cases also make them aspire to be like the models in the images. This is a popular
method used in many magazines which attracts the reader and lets them have someone
to aspire to be like. The images are very edited and airbrushed to highlight the models
best features, this is a clever marketing technique used by the media producer as the
reader may think that by buying the things in that magazine and wearing the makeup
they feature will one day make them look the same. – this method is especially effective
with their younger readers. Every issue published by Elle include a famous model or
celebrity posing on the cover, this can draw many different readers if they like that
particular person as they will always feature someone that is well-known in this
particular industry. The cover image on this issue is very prominent and bold as it‟s a
close up shot of the model Candice‟s face, for people reading the magazine that like this
model this issue will stand out for them.
Inside the magazine there are many images used in order to show
what they are talking about and trying to explain to the reader.
The images on these pages in particular are quite bold and large in
size which allows the reader to see them in more detail. These shots
Are also of models straight from the runway which shows the
images are official and also shows the magazines professionalism
as they can get these images from well known designer runway
shows. Towards the bottom of the page we then see many images
Of models all clustered together that have been overlapped and
Feature the different hairstyles and colours that the text includes.
6. Words –
The cover has the name „ELLE‟ across the top of the page, this has become an iconic
headline due to it‟s fame and popularity which draws potential readers to the magazine
straight away as it‟s very big and bold. The words “shoe”, “best hair” and “what to wear
to go out” are all bold and a lot bigger than the rest of the text. This helps these particular
words and sentences to be highlighted and stand out from the rest, also these words
happen to be related to the magazine as they all include things about beauty and fashion.
Including this text on the cover advertises what is going to be included in the magazine
and attracts readers to the magazine as it‟s as though they are promising „the best hair‟
for you and also what you should „wear to go out‟. This will help as it also will make
younger readers in particular aspire to be like the models they see and that this
magazine is going to help them to be like them. They have also used quite exaggerated
statements about what their magazine can offer and give to their readers with things
like, “the only shoe to buy now” as it looks like this style or type of shoe is the only one
available for their readers. They have also put text saying “get the best hair of your life”,
including this kind of text and highlighting it for the reader is a clear exaggeration as it
may not actually be the „best hair of your life‟. This is a way to attract more readers as
they feel that the magazine will help them, especially if they have insecurities in
themselves.
Inside the actual magazine some of the words have been
highlighted again just like the front cover as they have kept the
layout and the way they use text and words consistent
throughout. Words such as “closet” have been used and kept in a
larger font to the others as this word in particular will attract
the reader as this whole magazine is based on fashion and beauty.
They have also used the word “confidential” next to „closet‟ to
create an alliteration and make the words more catchy and
highlight what this article is going to be discussing. The word
„confidential‟ also makes this article more mysterious for the
reader and possibly exciting to read what they have to say.
7. Colour –
The colour used on the cover of this issue of „elle‟ is all very co-ordinated as the background is
pink and also the model has been styled in something pink, this all links together and shows the
magazine is going to have consistency. The writing of the title has been put in white along with
the rest of the text on the cover, I feel that this still stands out and is bold even without a bright
colour. This again shows the consistency of the magazine and shows what we can expect to see
inside, this could also show that the magazine isn't going to be very formal and will have more
of a relaxed feel to it as they haven't chosen to do it in a plain colour and have gone for a bright
pink for their cover. However they have included some of the text in black, such as the date,
price, the text “world exclusive” and the name of a designer where inside our can receive a
discount card for. I feel that the text in black is the more formal text and also the things that need
to be mentioned and printed such as the date the magazine has been published and price of the
media product. “Elle” magazine always chose a colourful theme for their magazine inside and
out and I feel that this shows the magazines relaxed approach and also gives the magazine an
informal style, which makes it more appropriate for the large target audience they appeal to.
Inside „elle‟ there is still a lot of colour throughout the pages as
They have kept consistent and showed their relaxed approach to
magazine whilst still achieving a sophisticated look. On this
particular two page spread there is quite a lot of colours that
have been used but the colour that is used most frequently is blue.
For example they have made the word “shop” stand out from the rest
by changing it to a blue colour font in contrast to the other black text.
This word will appeal to the readers as it is a fashion magazine and
this may be one of the reasons that they purchase the magazine, so they
can then get ideas and tips on what to „shop‟ for. They have also made
some of the other text blue such as their website address, a quote
and they have also underlined the word „ever‟ with a blue line from
“for the first time ever”. I feel that they have used the blue colour as a
highlighter for some of the text as it will draw attention to what they
are saying. This page is also all about shopping at Elle's online website,
this will advertise their website and also gain them more money if
people chose to shop on here.
8. Font –
The font for the front cover is very varied which shows contrast to the usual consistency
throughout the magazine, they have also shown their relaxed approach and feel as they
haven't stuck to just using one font throughout and not changing. The main title “ELLE”
is the same in every issue of the magazine and the only thing they change is the colour,
this font is very iconic for the magazine and has always been done in capital letters
which gives it a bold and striking look. The font of the highlighted words is the same on
two as “shoe” and “best hair” is the same, however the line “what to wear to go out” is a
different font which I feel really stands out and is highlighted. The font for this particular
sentence is very casual and not a font you may usually expect from a magazine as they
usually stick to more easy and simple fonts, especially regarding the cover. All of the text
that they have felt has been more relevant has been enlarged in comparison to the rest
and also some has been put in bold or in capital letters. However the font for the smaller
text is a slimmer font and a lot less bold and eye-catching, but still has been but in capital
letters so the text is still readable and can be noticed on the cover. The name of the
designer “Kurt Geiger” has also been put in a really bold font that sticks out as it has
been put right at the top of the page even though the size of the text is still small. This is
highlighting the designer as they are trying to draw attention to the 25% off they will get
from this designers products when they buy the magazine. This will be very appealing
for the readers as they will see this as a reason to purchase the magazine, this is a very
clever advertising technique as more people will be attracted to this issue.
Inside the magazine I have selected a page where there has been
many different fonts used as they have used a different font on
some of the letters in some cases, this shows they are clearly
trying to draw attention to this page as it will be found very eye
catching for the readers. “The new mood” is the title of this page
in particular and is the main focus along with the many images
that have been used on these pages as the font are varied through
these three words. They have swapped between three different
fonts which add different thickness to the writing and also have
been put in different sizes as the word “new” has taken over a lot
of space on the first page.
9. Captions –
There have been many captions used on the front cover as they have tried to advertise
what the reader will find in the magazine when they buy it. They have used the line “the
only shoe to buy now”, this shows that they are going to be advertising some kind of shoe
inside and this will appeal to many of the readers as they will want to have this shoe that
they are recommending. All of the captions are very bold and exaggerated as well as
they are trying to excite and appeal to their target audience, they all also relate to the
contents of the magazine as they all speak about beauty and fashion which is why the
readers will be purchasing it. They have also selected some of the captions to be very
large and eye catching for the reader mixed with some of the smaller captions that
possibly don't have as much space and coverage in the magazine. They have placed all of
the captions circling around the main image of the model which highlights their main
focus of the image but also highlights the meaning of the captions as they could be
linking with this image. Mixing the fonts on these captions has also made them stand out
as they look different and show the relaxed and informal look of the magazine, this also
sets the audience up for what they will see inside the magazine. The use of all of these
captions link in with the contents of the magazine and let the reader know what they are
going to be reading, it is a way of advertising what's inside which can be a way of
appealing to the potential readers and audience.
The contents of this magazine includes lots of captions which help
the audience as they read through the magazine, they also tell
the reader what the images are meaning and what they are going
to be talking about on this page in particular. They have also
put the title of their website across the top of one of the pages,
this is a way for the magazine to advertise their website as well
as their print product which will all make them a profit. On the
left page of this spread in particular has the caption „snapshot‟
and this has then been surrounded by images around it which links
in with the contents of the text.
10. Anchorage The anchorage that ELLE magazine use on their pages is quite specific to the image
which helps when reading the magazine as it allows the reader to follow the magazine
easily without confusion. All of the captions they have used on the cover directly link
with the contents inside the magazine and helps the reader to understand what they are
going to be reading inside. For example they have used the caption „get the best hair of
your life‟ on the cover, this is a link with the pages inside that talk about different
hairstyles and colours that they feel will give their reader the „best hair‟. This helps as it
uses anchorage for what the reader is going to see inside, instead of not including this
and those pages being random to the reader. They have also mentioned that inside their
readers will find a 25% voucher off kurt geiger items which draws the reader in and
appeals to them, this is also mentioned again inside the magazine as they actually have
the voucher inside. They have also included the small caption at the bottom of the cover
page „the high street edit‟ this is showing the reader that there will be some affordable
high street fashions available for the reader and links in with the pages inside as they are
going to be showing more images of the fashions and what their readers ould buy from
the high street, this anchorage helps the reader as they then now what's going to be
inside.
Inside the magazine there is a two page spread that features the
article they had previously mentioned on the cover regarding hair.
This helps the reader as it links well with the cover and shows that
the cover includes some of the main articles that will be included
and featured inside the magazine. Also on this page there is the
big title of „colour‟, this helps as it uses anchorage for everything on
these two pages as they are discussing a variety of different hair
colours that can help their readers to ahieve the „best hair‟. They
have also included the caption „cinnamon red‟ which links in with
the picture above it as it is talking about the hair colour the model
has and also discusses this colour in more depth in the text below.
11. Codes & conventions colour scheme
The colour scheme used on the cover is very co-ordinated as they have used a bright pink
for the background and linked it with the models clothes as she is wearing a pink jacket,
they have also gone for a simple and plain colour for the text as they have used white for
all of the text on the cover, this pairs with the top that the model is wearing. I feel that
this all shows consistency in the magazine and sets the readers up for the consistency
that they will later see in the magazine. I feel that the colour scheme for the cover
changes all the time on each issue, this shows the difference the magazine has and also
the relaxed attitude they have as they always change the colour scheme but not too
drastically as they always keep the font of the title the same and in the same position
which avoids confusion and also shows that they keep their consistency with the cover,
yet they dont stay the same all the time as they make slight changes sometimes.
The colour scheme of the front cover is slightly different from
the pages the reader sees inside as they havent stuck with the
bright pink colour theme inside the pages and have decided to
change it and show originality. For these two pages in particular
they have used the main colour as blue and have used this to
highlight some of the words and text to help the reader to see
whats important. The magazine has not chosen to stick to one
specific colour scheme as they have included many images
inside which show bright and bold colours that can catch the
readers eye. However they have used some pinks on this page
that could possibly link with the cover as they have stuck to
bright colours throughout the inside of the magazine and have
used colours such as blue and pink.
12. Codes & conventions photography
Elle magazine always stick to the same layout for the cover as they have used an image
of a well-known and famous model as their cover. They always use a celebrity that can
be recognised by their readers for their photography on the cover and then feature more
images of this person and also include articles or interviews with this person. This is the
only photography used on the cover as they keep it very simple and sophisticated looking
by not using lots of photography which can give the impression of the magazine being
too over crowded and busy. I feel that just using the one image gives the magazine more
of a sophisticated look even though it‟s a lot simpler than other magazine covers that use
several different images. This however doesn‟t link with the rest of the magazine as they
have used lots of photography throughout to guide the reader through, to advertise and
to show the reader what the text is describing.
Inside the magazine they have used many different images as they
have showed exactly what they are talking about and also used
one main image of a model from that issue‟s cover. On the left
hand page they have used lots of images of „snapshots‟ that link
in with all of the text which helps the reader to guide them
through the pages. They have also used many different images at
the bottom of the page which are a lot smaller than the „snapshots‟
as they possibly don't have as much relevance as the others. There
is also some images on the right hand page as they have used four
captions and then used some other photographs underneath these
captions as they all link in with them and relate with what the
words at the top are talking about.
13. Codes & conventions writing style & language
The writing style and language used throughout this magazine is very different as it
changes, whilst still keeping the relaxed feel for the magazine which makes it easier and
more comfortable for the type of audience they are targeting. On the cover they have
used many different captions as they have tried to advertise what the reader is going to
find inside the magazine. They have used the words „shoe‟ and „best hair‟ to advertise
what is going to be inside and have also shown their relaxed attitude as they haven‟t
made it look too formal and plain and have made it look a lot different and also more
relaxed. Using this kind of language has made it a lot more comfortable for the audience
to read as it isn't very formal. The writing style has been really relaxed throughout and
this even shows on the cover as they have used really easy to read language and vocab,
this links with their target audience as they haven't got a particularly older audience as
they have the majority of them being quite young, this links because older people may
prefer a formal looking and structured writing style.
Inside the magazine they have stuck to the informal writing style
as they have used language like; „closet confidential‟ on these
pages. This language shows the key theme throughout the
magazine as fashion as it shows what they could have in their
closet and the language of „confidential‟ makes this more
mysterious and exciting for the reader as they get to see what
this article is going to be discussing. This writing style has made
the article a lot easier to read due to the language they have used
and the layout of the page as they have spread the text out whilst
still keeping it in columns as you would usually see in every other
magazine.
14. Codes & conventions text & picture ratio
On the cover of the magazine they have used the only image of the model as the only
image on the page and also spread it across the whole page instead of using several
images etc. They have also used many different captions on the cover to advertise what
they are going to be talking about in the magazine, i feel that the ratio of image to text is
quite even as they have used lots of text across the image and also used a large font
which makes it look more even instead of using a really small font size as then it would of
looked like the image completely took over the page. I feel that this ratio works really
well as they haven't made it too busy with the text and also haven't made the image too
small so that the image is unrecognisable or too hard to see. The ratio of this cover is
exactly the same as most of the other covers available as they usually stick to the same
kind of layout, they have also kept the same one image that is enlarged to fit to the whole
page on nearly all issues of the magazine and is only changed a small amount of times.
However the text on the cover is different a lot of the time as sometimes they can use a lot
and other times they keep the look of the cover as very simplistic with the image taking
over even more.
Inside the magazine there the ratio wasn‟t exactly the same as it
was for the cover as i feel that the images out weigh the text as
the text is so small in comparison to the large size of the images
on each of the pages, along with the smaller images that are
zoomed in images of the main ones. The text appears to be a
lot smaller that the photographs which makes it look slightly
off balance in the ratio between the two. There is also only
two collumnns on the page along with the smaller bits of text
for the captions, this adds to the smaller ratio of the text adding
to it looking quite off balance. This two page spread is a lot
different from the rest of the pages inside the magazine as
all of the pages are different in their layout and all the text to
image ratio varies throughout.
15. Codes & conventions fonts
The fonts used on the front cover vary slightly as they have used different fonts for some
of the different captions, they have also kept an easy to read and simple font to allow the
audience to read to cover with no issues or problems. The font of the title „ELLE‟ is in it‟s
usual font and is being covered slightly by the large image of the model, this is on every
issue which makes it very recognisable for their regular readers. They have also used a
different font on some of the fonts in order to highlight these words in particular such as,
„shoe‟ and „best hair‟ these words have been highlighted so the reader can see exactly
what is going to be inside the magazine. This shows difference from the rest of the text as
the font of these words in particular are in a very bold and larger font from the rest
which draws more attention to them. There is also a completely different font that has
been used on the bottom left hand corner of the cover for the line „what to wear to go out‟
this font is really different in comparison to the rest as the other fonts used were earsier
to read and also a lot more plain, much like a sans serif style font. This font however is
still fairly easy to read but draws a lot of attention to the words as it is different from
any of the other fonts on the cover. This also links in with previous issues of elle
magazine as they regularly use a different font to highlight a certain article that they
wish to focus on.
Inside the magazine on these two pages in particular they have
used a variety of different fonts which show difference and also
originality from the rest of the issue. For the main title they have
used a really large font that is spread across the page and also
used different fonts for some of the different letters. I dont feel
that they have done this in order to highlight that letter in
particular as they dont have any relevance, but i do feel that they
have done this so it will draw lots of attention from their readers.
They have also used a large letter „T‟ at the start of the article on
the other page which is how most articles start in a number of
other magazines and news papers which show that they do
like to keep some formalities.
16. Codes & conventions modes of address
I feel that this magazine doesn't use many actual terms of address that are directly
speaking to the audience. They typically use „the‟ to address or start the sentence with
their sentence without addressing their audience, „what to wear‟. I feel that this shows
that they are clearly talking to their audience as they are telling them what they should
wear without question, however they arent actually saying „you‟ and directing the
statement at them directly. I feel that this contrasts with the rest of the friendly and
relaxed style of the rest of the magazine, it also makes the magazine feel less personal as
they are targeting such a wide range of people. This also makes it more as a statement as
they arent just directing it at you they are just are just saying that this is what they have
to offer their audience which could potentially intrigue them even though thay arent
being acknowledged as „you‟ . However there is one caption that addresses their readers
as they have used the line „get the best hair of your life‟ this looks quite informal and
relaxed as the rest of the layout etc has previously shown. It also shows that the
magazine can make it more personal for the reader and also that they arent just making
bold statements.
This theme has continued throughout the inside of the magazine
as they still dont directly address their audience, they start their
sentences without any address for their readers but instead use
the word „the‟ as a bold statement for their readers, telling them
this is „the colour‟ they have to have. This again shows the
magazines originality and uniqueness as they arent sticking to
the usual theme of talking to their audience in a way that sounds
as though they are speaking to them directly. However just like
cover they have addressed the audience in some parts as from
previously reading issues of this magazine they directly address
their readers in the articles instead of in their titles.
17. For companies and media producers it is really good to get feedback from their target audiences, this enables them to
make possible changes to their media product if they find that their audience would prefer something a little different.
Feedback also helps if the company needs more inspiration or ideas for their product as their target audience can
possibly recommend certain things in some cases. A companies audience can also control how succesful the media
product is as they can decide whether to recommend it to others or even buy it for themselves, in order to help the
media producers and companies avoid negative reactions from their consumers they can participate in audience
feedback which can help companies to avoid situations like this from occurring.
There are several ways in which a company can gain feedback from their selected target audience including;
Focus groups - this is a good way to gain feedback as this is when the company gathers a group of people
from their target audience, allows them to sample their media product or talk about a potential product and
ideas then these people give their honest opinions about the product and all this information is recorded and
will be used to help design the product.
Audience panels - this is when a group of people from the companies target audience are selected and are
regularly contacted about a particular product, this lets the company understand peoples thoughts on the
product and the people can then be contacted for a couple of months or even years regarding the product until
the company have all the information they will need.
Trialing - Trialing is when people from a company's target audience get to test out a sample of the companies
product, this allows the people to try out the product and then feedback their honest opinions and thoughts on
the product so the company can make any changes before it it then released into the public.
Complaints - this is possibly the least positive way to gain feedback from their audinece, however it can be
very useful in some cases as sometimes it can be the reason that a product isnt selling because everyone has the
same complaints and thoughts on the product. Social media also allows the audience to gove feedback in a
variety of different ways.
