Mock-Up One - Annotated

Mock-Up One - Annotated

For the first mock-up idea I created I decided to use influences from the magazine "Girl Talk". This was because the results from the question I produced said that girls between 10 and 14 read this magazine. 

The first influence I got from this magazine was the Masthead. As this magazine is called "Girl Talk", I thought I would name my magazine something similar and decided with “Girls Only”. I thought this name would appeal to my target audience of young girls as it’s quite childish. I tried to use quite a busy cover as I thought it would appeal to young girls. 

After creating this cover, I now think the main image is too big and should in fact be smaller. If it was smaller, there would be more room for more cover lines which I think this cover needs. However, the puffs used at the bottom of the cover page are interesting and relatable to the young girls the magazine is aimed at. 

I also feel as though the masthead on this cover does not stand out enough and I should have used a brighter pink. However, I think the layout of the masthead is in fact eye-catching. 

Furthermore, as the background to this magazine cover is white, I feel as though it is not appealing to the young girls that the magazine is aimed at. I think using a different, and brighter, background colour would make the cover page more appealing to these young girls. Also, I decided to only use pink and purple on this cover as I thought the young girls would prefer these feminine colours to more masculine ones. Furthermore, for the next mock-up I will try to use a wider range of colours. 

I think the font I used for this cover would make the young girls feel more mature and it is also appealing to the eye. I will be using this font for the final front page cover and two page spread I create. 

The free signed poster advertised on the front cover makes this magazine more appealing to the young girls it’s aimed at. It also makes these young girls think the magazine is great value for the price. 

Comparing two magazine covers

Comparing two magazine covers

I decided to annotate a magazine cover which is nothing like what I aim to create to show the importance of colours, the main image and the layout of a magazine. I chose two magazines which had the same model as the main image to show how the editors of the magazines portrayed the model differently to suit their target audience. The model used on both covers is Rihanna, known for being a solo pop star and having raunchy music videos.

The “Seventeen” magazine uses Rihanna as the model for this cover as the target audience of teenage girls inspire and idealise the pop-star. However, the “GQ” magazine uses Rihanna as the model for their cover in a very different sexualised way. They do this to please the eye of their audience and grab the attention of possible new readers. The “Seventeen” magazine presents the model in a fun manor. They do this by having Rihanna make full eye contact and smiling at the camera. This also gives a sense of familiarity. On this cover, the model is also fully dressed, which is unusual for Rihanna. This shows that the magazine is aimed at a younger generation. The teenage girls can relate to what the model is wearing on this cover. The “GQ” magazine presents Rihanna in a very different way. They have her basically naked (only wearing a leather jacket and no under-wear) and with very sexualised body language. This magazine also has the model making full eye contact, but this is in a very suggestive manor, and not in a friendly way like the other magazine.

As the “Seventeen” magazine is aimed at teenage girls, the cover uses a lot of feminine colours, such as pink and purple. The font used on this cover is quite basic to make it look more sophisticated and make the target audience feel more grown up. The “GQ” magazine uses more dull colours such as black and grey with a contrasting bright yellow. These colours are slightly more masculine than they are feminine. The “GQ” magazine also uses a basic font, but also uses block capitals instead of lower case letters. This makes the cover look more sophisticated.

Usually children’s covers are very busy and adults are very basic. As this cover is aimed at teenagers, it is neither basic nor busy, but in the middle. This would make the audience fee more mature. Furthermore, the “GQ” magazine has a very basic layout and isn’t very busy at all.

To conclude, when I create my magazine cover I will used lots of feminine colours and have a very busy layout as my magazine will be aimed towards young girls. I will try different fonts when creating mock-ups, but aim to use a childish font. The main image I use will be a photograph I take myself. It will be of a boy band as young girls care most about that. The image will be simple and friendly and not sexualised at all.  

Annotating Magazine - GQ - Rihanna Cover

Annotating Magazine - GQ - Rihanna Cover

The magazine "GQ"’s target audience is primarily men, aged 25-50. We can tell this by the layout of the cover. Furthermore, this cover isn’t very busy which shows the target audience is an older generation. Also, the colours used are quite basic, contrasting with a bright yellow. These colours are slightly more masculine than they are feminine. Magazines that are aimed at young girls are generally very busy and use very feminine colours.

On this cover, the masthead is placed under the image. This gives the impression that the magazine is popular and its audience will recognize it from the colours and layout used. The masthead is also big, bold and bright. The font used for the masthead is basic which makes the magazine look more sophisticated and upper class. 

The dateline on this cover states the magazine is the December 2012 issue which indicates this magazine is a monthly issue as it doesn’t have a specific date of publication. The font used on the dateline is usually small, but here it is very small. This gives the impression that the audience knows how much the magazine is, or that they don’t care. Furthermore, this magazine is $5 which shows that the “GQ” magazine falls onto the social economical model at C1 and/or B (teachers, managers, junior managers etc).

The main image on this cover is very sexualised. The model is Rihanna, who is known for her raunchy songs and sexy music videos. The model is only wearing a leather jacket in this image, with no underwear. The image is a long shot to ensure every sexy part of the model’s body is view-able. Her facial expression involves inviting eyes and a sexual mouth. By this I mean the eyes are suggestive and the mouth is slightly open. Furthermore, the main image for this cover is representing women to be sexual objects.

Usually on a magazine cover, there is one main cover line which grabs the audience’s attention. However, on this cover there is no main cover line. This insinuates that the main image is enough to draw the target audience in.

Furthermore, on this magazine the cover lines, otherwise known as puffs, are around the main image and very little overlap with it. If the main image doesn't suggest the magazine is for men, the cover lines definitely do. With lines such as 'men of the year', the cover suggests the magazine has articles about inspirational and even relatable men. This may intrigue the target audience and even convince them to buy the magazine so they can work on their personal identity and become more like their ideals. The cover lines also state about books and gadgets which are things that older, more sophisticated men can relate to and would be interested in.

The slogan states "Look Sharp, Live Smart". Again, this suggests the magazine is for the older generation and higher class. 

Annotating Magazine - Seventeen - Rihanna Cover

Annotating Magazine - Seventeen - Rihanna Cover

The target audience for this magazine is girls around the age of 17. This is clear as the magazine is called “Seventeen”. We can also tell this as the colours used for the magazine are very feminine and it is also evident from the cover lines used. For example, "Back-To-School" shows the magazine is aimed at girls of school age. Cover lines such as "Find the perfect jeans for your butt.." and "Flirty Dresses" would suggest Seventeen magazine is aimed at an older age bracket. However, in todays society it is normal for young girls to worry and care about their appearance and want to look nice. Another point is that the magazine is quite busy, this shows that magazine is aimed at a younger generation. However, magazine covers aimed at children between 5 and 8 years old are usually very busy and very colourful, and magazine covers aimed at an older generation are usually very basic with not a lot going on. The fact that this cover is not incredibly busy indicates the target audience is in fact teenage girls and not a younger generation. 

The masthead for this cover is placed over the image which suggests the magazine is not that well known. The masthead is also big, bold and bright. This is usual for a magazine as the masthead is needed to grab the target audiences attention from the new-stand. The font used for the masthead of the "Seventeen" magazine is always the same which makes the magazine recognizable. However, the colour used isn't always the same, and isn't always very bright. 

The date line for this magazine is just like any other; small, black and a basic font. The magazine states the issue date is September 14th 2010 which suggests the magazine is a weekly issue as monthly issues don't have a specific issue date. Like other magazines, the date line also presents the price. For "Seventeen" magazine this is £3. For a teenagers magazine, this price is quite high. "Seventeen" Magazine would fall into the E category on the social economical model as they do not yet have an occupation and would be classed as students.

"Seventeen" magazine only uses women for the main image of their covers. For this cover, "seventeen" has used Rihanna, known and idealised for being a solo pop star. She is also known for her sexualised songs and raunchy music videos. However, this cover is very different from others she has previously done; this main image isn't sexualised and the model is in fact fully dressed. Furthermore, the model is wearing basic, but colourful, clothing that the audience of teenage girls can relate to. The model's make-up is also basic so the target audience can relate again. For most teenage magazines, the model tries to look fun and Rihanna does this for "Seventeen" magazine. Just like every other cover, the model is making full eye-contact, this gives a sense of familiarity.

The main cover line for a front cover is usually bigger and bolder than the other cover lines. However, on this cover, there is two main cover lines. These cover lines use bold, feminine colours  to engage and attract teenage girls. The main cover lines present topics that the target audience of teenage girls can relate to, such as fashion and going back to school.

Other cover lines state other topics the teenage girls can relate to, such as hair styles and make-up tips. The teenage girls can relate to these cover lines as they are at the age where they're starting to care about how they look, but need some help to look good.

Annotating Magazine - Tiger Boat - Justin Bieber

Annotating Magazine - Tiger Boat - Justin Bieber

The “Tiger Boat” magazine’s target audience would be young girls aged 9-13. We know this as the language used is a bit more advanced than the magazine I previously annotated, but it still has a busy cover with lots of pictures and captions. Also, the majority of the celebrities featured in the magazine are or were Disney channel stars. The target audience of young girls would also watch this TV channel and would know who these celebrities are. The colours used within this cover are quite feminine and it uses a childish font (using hearts as the dot on the i) which shows the target audience are young girls.

The masthead for this cover is very bright and bold. It is placed under the image which gives a sense of familiarity and the impression that the target audience is familiar with the layout of the Tiger Boat magazine.

The dateline, like many other magazines, uses a small, black font. As the dateline shows, this magazine was published in October 2012. As there is no specific date of publication, the Tiger Boat is obviously a monthly magazine. This read, is $3.99, which is quite a lot for a child’s magazine.

Usually, on the cover of a magazine there is a big image to grab the target audience’s attention from the new-stand. However, the main image on this cover is not as big as main images are on other covers. The model, Justin Bieber, known for being a solo pop-star and Canadian heart-throb, is making full eye contact with the audience which again gives the sense of familiarity. Furthermore, Justin Beiber is very popular with young girls and is used as the main image on this cover to entice these young girls.

The main cover line on this isn't as big as others; however, it’s still bright and colourful. It doesn't really stand out as much as it should. The main cover line asks a question, which most magazines don't. It is also about something young girls would be interested in - Justin Beibers love life.

A magazine cover usually has quite a few cover lines to inform the target audience what the magazine is about, however, this magazine has lots of them. The cover lines are about people the young girls inspire, or fancy, which would encourage them to buy the magazine.

This magazine would fall on to the social economical model at an E as the target audience are young girls that do not yet have an occupation. 

Annotating Magazine - Girl Talk - One Direction Cover

Annotating Magazine - Girl Talk - One Direction Cover

The target audience for the “Girl Talk” magazine is primarily girls aged 7-11. We know this as the language used is very childish. The magazine itself is named after a childish saying; “Girl Talk”. Also, the colours used are very feminine and the cover is very busy, both showing the target audience is young girls.

The masthead for the magazine “Girl Talk” is placed under the main image. This shows a sense of familiarity as the audience must recognise the magazine without seeing the whole masthead. A masthead is usually roughly 1/5 of the cover. Although this masthead is big and bold, it’s not as big as other mastheads on other magazine covers.

The dateline shows this is a weekly magazine by the issue date which is August 8th 2011. This magazine is priced at £2.99. I find that this is the average price for a magazine for young girls; however, I think that it’s quite expensive for the younger generation. Furthermore, this magazine would fall at an E on the social economical model because the audience is young girls and therefore don't have an occupation as of yet.

The main image on a magazine cover is usually big enough to grab the target audience’s attention from the new-stand. However, on this cover, the main image is not that big. There are many cover lines on the top of this main image which makes the cover look very busy. However, the main image is in fact a boy band which young girls would be interested in.

The main cover line on this cover is big, bold and very bright. It also uses the feminine colour of pink. This main cover line states that the boy band is featured within the magazine. It also states the word "fun". The main cover line appeals to the target audience of young girls and would make them want to buy this magazine.

The other cover lines include topics that young girls can relate to, e.g. fashion. These cover lines also advertise the inside quizzes and the chance to win things. On this cover, the cover lines are short and snappy. However, there are lots of them.

All the models/people used on this cover are smiling which shows a sense of being a fun and being a friendly magazine. The fact there is a free charm and diary makes the young girls believe the magazine is a good price and would make them want to buy it more.

Questionnaire - Evaluation

Questionnaire - Evaluation
After getting 10 completed questionnaires from girls aged 10-14, I now have a better understanding of what to include in my magazine. Furthermore, I now know what magazines these girls read, which will give me influences when creating my own magazine.
Each of the girls that completed the questionnaire stated that they often read 'Girl Talk' and 'Seventeen' magazines. This is why I have chosen to annotate them. I will also gather influences from these magazines.
Furthermore, 75% of these girls said that they would usually spend between £6 and £10. As my magazine will be a weekly issue, I have decided to price it cheaply, at £1.99.
Each of these girls said that their celebrity crush is One Direction. This proves that boy bands are very popular with young girls, and therefore, I will use images of boy bands in the mock-ups I produce.
I will also use celebrity gossip, quizzes and lots of images on the cover of the mock-ups I produce. This is because the results from the questionnaire show that this is what the majority of the girls want to see.