My Reader Profile

Reader Profile

What is a Reader Profile?

The magazine Kerrang has a reader profile about their audience who buy their magazine. 60% of the magazines audience is male and 40% is female with a general age of 19. The reader profile states that the audience consists of "sharp, intelligent" people who "rejoice in their individuality". Their hobbies are computer games and they are into media and fashion. They buy on average 31 albums showing they are very dedicated to their music and the bands in Kerrang.

Adult Circulation: Adult circulation is how many people have actually read the magazine, not how many that have bought it. 85,377 people have actually read the magazine.

The reader profile also includes a description of what the magazine is about, this implies that a reader profile can also be an advertising technique. If you are like the audience the magazine describes and you like what it is about, then it will encourage you to buy it.

Will a reader profile help me?

By creating a reader profile on my genre of magazine, it will give me a wider range of information of what the audience like which will allow me to adapt my magazine to their expectations making my magazine more successful.

What will my audience want?

Based on my research, my audience will want a magazine that includes album reviews as well as fashionable rock clothing and video game reviews.. They will also want gossip about their favorite bands and posters of them too.

Genre Research

Preliminary Task Evaluation Questions

What have you learnt from completing this task?

I have learnt what a media "text" is and what the conventions are for texts, like magazines. I have also learnt that all features om a text are placed in certain places and are coloured to make them appear attractive to a certain audience. I have also learnt how to see the connotations of different magazines and adverts and what message the magazine editors were going for. I have learnt how to structure a contents and double page spread, and how to select certain colour schemes depending on the genre of the magazine.
I have also learnt how to analyse a magazine and see the ideology of the magazine creators and publishers.
I have also learnt how to manage my time effectively as we had alot of work to do and little time to do it.
I have also learnt how to take effective photos to go on a magazine cover (must be a medium close-up)  

How have you used technology?

I have learnt how to use Blogger and how to make a blog look attractive and presentable by creating a colour scheme and customizing my blog's theme. I have also learnt how to insert images and how to schedule blog posts on blogger. I have also been working with cameras and learned how to create a depth of field to my pictures by blurring the background and focusing on the main part of the picture. I have also been working on the software Photoshop and have learnt how to enhance images for effect, for example, I can blur the background of the image to make the main attraction of the image stand out. I have also learnt how to make an effective masthead and how to make it stand out. 

What conventions have you used and why?

I used a plug for my magazine cover to advertise a competition the students could win.
I used a footer to include the price and date of the magazine.
I used a header to advertise what was inside the magazine.
I used a main image (medium close up) to make the magazine cover look presentable, and to relate to the feature story.
I included a feature story as it is an important convention to all magazine genres as it gives the audience an idea to what the magazine will be talking about. 

What would you change if you were to do this task again?

I would change the picture on the magazine cover as I feel that it didn't really support the headline and was rather irrelevant. I would have also taken more time with Photoshop to see what colour schemes would've worked better. I would have also thought of more content to put on my magazine cover as I only included a plug, main headline, header and footer. That made the cover look quite empty and boring. The cover needed to be more busy overall.  

Conventions Analysis

Secondary Images - To describe a feature story

Pull Quotes - Quotes from the artist. Interests reader (Normally a controversial story)

Barcode - so the audience can buy the product.

Footer - Balances the cover out, normally used to put alot of writing in a small space.

Main image - To help explain the Headline (uses direct mode of address to the audience)

Sell Line - Normally different font and size to feature stories.

Skyline - (Header) Normally used to advertise whats in the magazine. Also used to put alot of text in a small area of space.

Headline - About the main feature story, biggest font on the page (stands out so it catches the readers eye)

Masthead - The magazine title

Language 

The broken masthead implies to the audience that the magazine is a rock magazine as it is known that loud music such as rock, breaks and cracks things such as windows.

The main image of "Green Day" directly addressing the audience implies that the issue this week is for the "Green Day" fan audience, persuading them to buy it as it has their favorite band on the cover.

Violent words and phrases used like "killer", "chaos" and "Drop Dead" also imply that it is a rock magazine as the genre of rock supports the ideology of chaos.

Alot of red and yellow is used implying that the magazine is going for a fiery effect which will also   implies the magazine is suitable for a rock audience as fire is dangerous and so is rock. Fire can also be linked to the devil and the devil is mentioned many times in the rock genre.

Black is also worn on the cover which will also imply that the magazine is a rock magazine as many rock bands promote the colour black.

Band names like "Iron Maiden" are very sinister names which can be linked to the rock genre.

Ideology 

• That the genre of rock should be linked to the idea of chaos and fire (all dangerous things in society)
• That rock should be associated with killing and death as shown by the language used on the cover ("drop dead")
• That rock should be loud (supported by the cracked masthead)

Institution 

• The Bauer Media Group share this ideology.

Audience 

• Rock fans are targeted by this magazine as implied by the cracked masthead, and by the band names like "Iron Maiden" as this type of language represents rock ideology.
• People who are interested in dark ideology are targeted as they like the idea of "chaos"
• People who like to dress in Gothic clothing are targeted as many rockstars wear the colour black along with other Gothic clothing.
• People who like loud, violent music are attracted as shown by the words "drop dead" and by the cracked masthead.
• Suitable for both male and female audiences (female rockstar shown in footer)

Representation

• The magazine represents rock fans as violent people who enjoy music that talks about the devil and chaos.
• The magazine also represents rockstars as having dark ideology as shown by the pull quote: "Our band exists in chaos"
• The magazine also represents rock music as having dark ideology such as worshiping the devil.

Main Story - caption, picture, dominant feature (biggest picture)

Picture of relating story - a picture that describes / gives information about a story.

Summary of each page - summarizes content of each page.

Title - similar font to masthead, biggest font on page.

Letter from editor - makes that magazine personal to audience.

Column layout - makes it structured for audience eye-line.

Secondary feature story - smaller picture with a caption,

Subscription - advertising magazine company.

Subheadings - categorize the stories of the magazine,

Language

• Alot of black is used ion the contents implying to the audience that the magazine is a rock magazine.

• Alot of the text is broken which also supports that the magazine is of the rock genre as rock is commonly represented as loud, violent music.

• Pictures include the typical rockstars - skinny jeans, sleeve less tops, guitars , stages , leather jackets, black clothing, mostly all with scruffy hair.

• Includes bands with dark names e.g "Bullet for my Valentine"  
• Includes a message from the editor making the audience feel like they have communication with the magazine and a personal link.  

Ideology

• That a rock magazine must include clothing associated with rock. (Must include the stereo typical rockstar to show that it's a rock magazine)
• That a rock magazines should be for both females and males. (Includes alot of female rockstars)
• That rock needs to associated with dark colours like black.

Institution

• The Bauer Media Group share this ideology.

Audience 

• People who take interest in the music industry and want to see how bands are doing politically, financially, along with their success rate. This is shown when the editor is talking about what is inside the magazine: "King Blues are no strangers to the front line of politics" , "After loosing their record deal" 
• People who love dark ideology and share the same fashion sense as rockstars.

Representation

• The magazine represents rockstars as dressing a certain way.
• The magazine also represents rock as unisex.
• The magazine also represents the audience of a rock magazine should like the colour black, and wear it.

Title - Pull quote from main body of text, draws reader in. Allows them to understand what the story is about without reading.

Images - Main image takes up most of one page.

Interview / Story - content of double page spread.

Stand First - Summarizes what the main article is about.

Columned text - always at least 2 columns.

Page number - used to locate double page spread.

Writer + Photographer - to give credit to the main creators of the double page spread.

Drop Cap - Large letter to look nice.

Language

• The title is in a bloody masthead which appeals to the audience because rock is related to violence.

• Red and black and white is the main colour scheme which also attracts the rock audience as it is the stereo typical colour scheme for a rock magazine (These colours stereo-typically associated with rock)
• The Stand First explains to the reader what the article is about which will attract audiences interested in the specific band or just the gossip that is happening in the rock industry. This is also presented in a black banner with red text)

• The Pull Quote wants you to read the article as it intrigues you( "why would the singer enjoy dancing and screaming") The Stand First makes you wonder what controversy the band is creating in the rock community.

• The main image also intrigues the audience  as it is very unique and strange. The main image also implies the article is suitable to for rock fans as it shows violence which is a part of rock ideology.

• Fonts used are very scratched implying violence which is a rock magazine convention.
  
   

Ideology

• The magazines ideology is that rock bands should be represented as violent and controversial in the music industry.
• The magazines ideology is also that the rock audience should support this controversy and should look up to the violent behavior of the bands.  

Institution

• The Bauer Media Group and the band involved in the article support this ideology.

 Audience

• Fans of the band in the article are targeted as they will feel accustomed to buy it if it is about their favourite band.
• People who want to know the controversy of the rock music industry are targeted.

Representation

• Represents bands as violent and trouble causing in the music industry.
• Represents fans of rock to support this controversy. 

Magazine 2

Language

The main colour of the magazine is black which is a conventional colour you would associate with rock, giving the audience the implication that it is a rock magazine.

The main image is a man in conventional rock clothing, this also gives the reader the message that the magazine is a rock magazine.

The line "sidetracked by memories of car crashes, bad drugs and wild women" implies the magazine is for rockers as rockstars are commonly associated with drugs, danger and women. Hence the phrase: "sex, drugs and rock and roll"

The main image of the rocker with his hands on his hips is directly addressing the audience as if to signal that he expects them to buy it. This implies that all the people who recognize the rocker will feel obliged to buy it as they are his fans and don't want to be unfaithful.

The name Classic Rock implies that the magazine is about bands of the Classic Rock sub-genre.

The colour scheme is black, red and white which is a conventional colour scheme for a rock magazine, giving the audience the message that it is a magazine of the rock genre.

Ideology 

The magazine's ideology is that true believers in rock and roll should do dangerous things, take drugs and treat women like objects. This is implied by the Rolling Stones member on the front who will be very influential to fans of the Rolling Stones, admitting to doing all three of those things. This might encourage members of the audience to copy him because they might want to be true rockers like him too.

The magazine's ideology is that rockers should have a particular fashion sense (leather jackets etc)

The magazine's ideology is that as long as rock music is being produced, they don't care what the rockers get up to in their spare time, hence the pull quote: "I don't care if you're snorting god, as long as you get the job done"

The magazine think that the rocker's type of behavior is acceptable. That is okay to treat women like objects.

Institution

Team Rock support and promote this ideology.

Audience

The magazine's audience will consist of fans of the bands mentioned in the magazine as that is what tempts them to buy it.

The magazine's audience will consist of all ages seen as some of the bands mentioned like the Rolling Stones are quite old but are still loved by today's youth.

The magazine's audience will consist of lovers of the classic rock genre seen as the magazine is titled "Classic Rock" and that there is a CD being given away with many classic rock tracks.

The magazine's audience will also consist of people who are interested in a rock-star's life style and who wear the conventional rock clothing. If they see that the main image is wearing the same type of clothing as them, they may be tempted to buy as they will think that the magazine is suited for them.

Representation

The magazine represents rockers as party animals who do drugs, do dangerous activities and treat women like objects.

The magazine represents their audience as people who accept this irresponsible behavior rock-stars commit.

 

   

Main Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.