As part of my course for media, I had to compare a few magazine covers and layouts to help me decide which layout would be best for my target audience. This activity was also done to help me decide who my target audience will be.
This magazine is thick, which means there should be some form of quality within it. The title is white, which contrasts with the black background, making it easy to see. The red colour also somewhat contrasts the black background. The colour red is used to represent danger, and the theme of danger is also continued in the headline 'Murder and the media'.
The target audience is for teenagers as the magazine is based around the subject of sociology - a subject that a lot of teenage students are learning, or want to learn. The bloody handprint also sticks out to teenagers as a lot of them are interested in crime and gory things. 'Sex, lies and deviance' will also stick out to a lot of teenagers, as these are some of the main things that the majority of teenagers will/do experience.
This magazine is very similar to the last one in that it is also based around an academic subject with a similar target audience. The background is much brighter than the previous one however. There is a picture of a salmonella bacterium which is green and has some black around the cell, contrasting the really bright background. The text on the cover is white, which gives it an sophisticated, academic look to the cover.
The readers are also addressed on the cover, as they are asked for their 'Name, address, hair colour?'
This news article is different in that it's not a magazine, but a newspaper instead. This could make a big different in who the intended target audience is. However, while newspapers are normally presented in the media as being shown read by adults or elderly people, this media is an exception in that it's meant for 'young people' as shown at the top right (teenagers). The cover picture has a colour scheme of blue and white, and also has a picture of a kid with the Scottish flag painted on his face, and this links to the main topic of the newspaper, which is about the children's opinion on Scottish independence.
Compared to most newspapers, this one has more colour than most. This could be to appeal to the younger eye, as the intended audience is teenagers. The newspaper isn't as thick as most newspapers either, which could be to not put off teenagers from reading.
Like the previous one, this is a more patriotic magazine, being heavily based on the theme of anything American. The magazine is thick, which means there has to be some quality to it. The people on the cover are dressed in an old fashioned manner, and are sitting on a hat with the theme of the American flag. The slogan 'Land of grit and glamour' is used to attract readers into American culture. There is also a theatre theme, as the words 'drama', 'showbiz', and 'scandal' are also the main topics of the magazine. They are also all put in capitals and have an exclamation mark at the end to stress the gossip they have, along with making it easy to see. The magazine is also somewhat shiny, and this can be a bad thing as it can make them hard to read. Along with the white cloud background, it's still has to read, but the colour fades into a blue colour, which fixes it. At the top, there are titles, and are put into separate colours so that the readers can differentiate between them.
I also took pictures of some of the layouts within the magazines, so that I can get some ideas when it comes to the time where I have to make my own magazine page. The first magazine is a double page spread, and has the same colour scheme throughout. This could be done to not distract the reader, as these two pages are very informative.
This one is different in that it's not a double page spread, but both are somewhat advertising something different. This one is less text heavy, and it's a good thing as it's meant to be advertising, and not teaching.
This is the final one. This is a comparison between two sources. It seems that age has a significant impact on the type of layout, font, colours etc used. However, mood is also present on the Acton High School article as well, as it is formally informative, but also done to celebrate achievements in the school.
