Qu5) How did you attract/address your audience?

Language:
As my magazine is targeted at teenagers I decided to use informal language.While researching I noticed  certain vocabulary which was frequently used, words like reveal and exclusive, which makes the potential readers curious and as if 'RECKLESS' is offering them pieces of information that no other magazine has.
Bands included:
I believe that teenagers would be attracted to my magazine as they get free posters of Blink 182, a popular pop-punk band which some of my readers will listen to. 'Reckless' also features an array of diverse bands that create alternative music, thus I believe that my target audience will want to find out extra information about these bands as it is apparent that they listen to this type of genre.  .

Audience research: 
I asked Andrew Robinson, an 18 year old from Sunderland, his opinions on my magazine.
What draws your attention to the product?
A consistent colour scheme of black, purple & pink for the font makes a consistent layout for the magazine, and really catches the eye. High quality, professional photograph are also very appealing, as they are well placed within the magazine, and they don't overlap any text or the house style
The front page is consistent, with a black and purple font colour. The main image of the model is not obstructed by any text, and allows me to see the whole picture.
The logo of 'Reckless' is also very simplistic, appealing, and easy on the eye, and thus making it very distinguishableWhat genre is it and how do you know?
It is a music magazine aimed at teenagers & young adults, I realise this because bands such as 'blink182', The Summerset', You Me At Six' and 'Paramore' are commonly enjoyed by teens & young adults. Also, the front cover features a teenage model, which will appeal to her numerous teenage fans.
What do you consider are the strengths of this product?
A consistent colour scheme; high quality images; very easy to read font styles & sizes; contents page is easy to understand & locate; easy to determine which texts are headings, sub headings, body text, and header & footer
Would you purchase the product and why?
No, because the colour scheme seems to appeal more to female teenagers/young adults, and the content seems more geared towards emo rock/screamo. Also, the front page, although contains a distinctive yet simplistic logo and a high quality of images, but it does not look professional due to poor alignment of text & text boxes, and some easy-to-spot spelling mistakes
How would you improve the product?
1) Spell-check the text
2) Use less font styles
3) Assign a font style, colour, size and emphasis for each heading, sub-heading, body text, and header & footer for the front page, contents page, back page and any other pages used
4) Include captions below images to help describe what is in the photo/state where it was sourced from
5) Use a more professional looking font than Calibri on the front cover


I asked Channon Fowler, an 16 year old from Sunderland, her opinions on my magazine.

What draws your attention to the product?
The colours and the model draws me to the product.
What genre is it and how do you know?
It is an alternative magazine as the bands advertised are alternative.
What do you consider are the strengths of this product?
The strengths are the colours and how well everything is laid out, it also seems very informative
Would you purchase the product and why?
I would purchase the product as I like the bands that are featured
How would you improve the product?
I would change the lettering in certain areas

Comparisons to 'Kerrang' magazine:

Similar to 'Kerrang' I used unisex colours in order for 'Reckless' to attract both male and female buyers to create a wider auidence. I took a lot of inspiration from 'Kerrang' when designing my masthead, I wanted a font which had a grunge like, eye catching appearance which would reflect the music's genre. I believe that my model also reflects the genre of my magazine as she is a teenager herself and adopts an alternative appearance. I challenged the typical convention by not adding any sub images as I discovered when analysing 'Kerrang' that they detracted the focus away from 'Oli sykes

' who is supposed to be the main feature of 'Kerrang's' front page in this particular issue.

I also decided to include an editors note in 'Reckless' as I believe that it creates a relationship with the magazine and buyer, I made sure that I used informal language as my primary audience are teenagers. I though that categorizing certain articles featured in 'Reckless' was a good idea as it organised my magazine and emphasised how a variety of diverse articles were featured. The convention I also followed was to continue the colour palette as it made my magazine appear professional .

I followed the typical convention regarding layout when creating my own double page spread. I had the interview on the right while a dominating photograph of the artist being wrote about was situated on the left. I believe that this will attract my primary audience as the artist featured has an alternative appearance and is also a teenager herself.