Evaluation Question 5

The point of sale for my magazine would most likely be on the shelves of shops, possibly WH Smith, and if the magazine does well a future online. The reason I think that it could be sold in WH Smiths is that they stock a wide range of material, with many music magazines. Also, they already stock multiple Bauer published magazines, all of which are doing well, so this would allow the magazine to have a negotiating point and would help get the magazine stocked there.

When it comes to grabbing the attention of the reader, I chose to use the left hand third to list all of the features and the majority of the masthead. I have done this as most retail stores have the middle to right side covered by the next magazine, therefore the left hand side must grab the attention of the reader quickly. The eye also takes information from top left to bottom right, having the masthead here allows the brands name to be the first thing seen. The bright colours were used as red is eye catching, and orange isn’t used very often, this allows the magazine to be both eye catching and unusual, drawing the reader in. The contrast of the cover lines and the white background also allow each cover line and the masthead to stand out clearly and be very noticeable. The main cover photo has the model looking directly at the camera, but at a distance and looking slightly down. This creates the impression that the model is empowered and possibly more important than the reader, this would create an interest as to why this might be.

On the contents page and cover page second person pronouns are used. For example, the word ‘YOU’ in capitals is used often, this draws the reader to the word and also makes it feel as if the magazine was made specifically for you. Other words such as ‘BEST and Top’ are made larger to draw attention to these topics and make them seem important. Words like ‘sensation’ and the musicians name are in bold to draw a large amount of attention to it and keep interest as the reader tries to learn more.

The language used throughout the magazine is mostly informative and straightforward. This is done to convey a seriousness to the magazine and try to depict its target audience as smart individuals, even if they are stereotypical teens. This is most apparent in the double page spread. This is because it features a QnA, but never really features any slang words or abbreviations. While this has the opportunity to push the target audience away, I hope that it keeps their attention, but also gives the magazine the option of reaching the older target audience as it isn’t filled with terms they might not know and hopefully will read like the more serious, professional magazines.

The magazine itself is trying to portray itself as the top magazine for lesser known musicians. Therefore it is trying to be an expert in this field and because of this it takes a much more serious mode of address and tries to get straight to the point and comes across as a formal piece of writing. The attitude of the writing is peaceful and doesn’t take a stance against the musician, also trying to sell the musician and make them come off in a positive light, never talking about a topic that could be misinterpreted. To check that the magazine keeps within these guidelines I checked on multiple occasions with people that would suite my target audience, and they all seemed to find the writing style to be formal and informative.