November Homework

After conducting my research into high end fashion magazines, I have found out various things that will influence the way I precede with my pre-production. I have found through my questionnaire that my target audience 16-30 like to look at high end fashion, their favourite type of magazine to read is fashion and beauty and they are most likely to read magazines such as Vogue and Elle. This influences me to create a high end fashion magazine, much like Vogue, as this seems to be a very popular magazine amongst my target audience. Furthermore, I found that the majority of my target audience are more likely to spend £2-£3.99 on a magazine; therefore I will price my magazine during pre-production at £3.99. This pricing fits with my magazine genre as Vogue and Elle are both priced at £3.99.

I also found in my textual analysis that fashion magazine covers have different conventions depending on the time of year. For example, I looked at two December and June issues of both Vogue and Elle and found they contrast greatly. Even though they stick to the rule of thirds, various things about the magazine covers are noticeably different. The colours used on the magazine depend on the time of year. December issues use festive colours, such as gold and red, connoting Christmas. Moreover, on the June issues, colours such as pink, white and pastel blue are used as these colours are associated with summer as they’re bright. They also portray the target audience as they’re colours that connote the female gender. The message this gives to the audience is that the magazine is up to date and on trend for that time of year and it also portrays that the contents of the magazine relate to the time of year. The masthead colour also changes with the colours of the cover lines. This shows that these magazines are so well known, they’re easily recognisable, even if the colour of the masthead is different. The main image also portrays the time of year. The clothing worn by the woman in the main image connote the time of year. On the December issues, the clothing is glamorous and also fits with the colours of the season. They look like clothing for the party season. Whereas, the clothing on the June issues is more summer-like. Furthermore, the women on the covers are current and are respectable women in the public eye, again showing the magazine is current. The cover lines portray what is in the magazine and also connote the time of year. For example, on one of the June issues of Vogue it says ‘Sensational Summer’ which indicates the contents of the magazine relate to the time of year. All of this has led me to create a high end fashion magazine, one for December and one for June. My research has helped me find the connotations used for the months and how they portray the season. This is helpful for my pre-production as I know I need to base the cover around the season.