Title Votes

College Life 1

Southdowns Voice 111

SDC News 111111

Southdowns Today 1

Life At Southdowns

Initial Ideas

Teen Girl Magazines

Teenage girls read these magazines and are influenced by them to do things that they say will make their skin better or clothes that would look better on them.. or even how to get a boy they like. On the magazine cover above it says 'Look Pretty For Free' - This is put in the biggest font and put in a different colour to the rest of what the magazine says to emphasise that somebody could look pretty for free. This attracts teenage girls to read the magazine as every teenage girl just wants to feel pretty.

On this cover it has Beyonce on it, who is a massive role model and so many girls look up to her. Many people want to be her and a lot of girls are envious of her and her looks. This magazine cover says 'Best Body' which tells teenage girls that there is such thing as the 'Best Body' - when we know there isn't. It draws in the reader because they want the 'Best Body'. Once again in this magazine says about how to be pretty so girls read this because they want to be pretty like all teenage girls want to. This magazine has a very pink theme which is a very girly colour.

This magazine cover also has a pink theme going on. It also involves some blue which is not stereotyped as a girl colour but is a lot of girls' favourite colour. Taylor swift is a role model for teenage girls, as winning 'Ultimate Choice' at the Teen Choice Awards 2011, she is an inspiration to many many teenage girls. It shows a section about hot boys which attracts readers. It also says about fashion on the front which could attract teenage girls as younger teenage girls would have started to think carefully about what they wear and how they look, so may go to this magazine for advice.

This cover of Sugar magazine shows Vanessa Hudgens. Yet again another role model for teenage girls. She has starred in various movies and is a very talented singer so there is no reason for teenage girls not to like her. Many teenage girls are jealous of her because of her relationship between her and Zac Efron. Many teenage girls will read the magazine to find out about the two. The magazine also advertises high street shops' clothes. This is because many teenage girls cant afford to buy designer clothes and splash out on anything they want, most of the time their parents pay for their clothes so it has to be affordable. This magazine will show what is hot and what's not so these teenage girls know what to buy in the high street. The section which says 'Flirting Secrets' will attract readers as many teenage girls want to learn how to 'flirt' with boys. This magazine could be a bad influence though - it says about pregnancy, gossip and dating teachers; all three of these things being things that teenage girls shouldn't do. Just from looking at the front cover of this magazine it shows that the magazine could be influencing teenage pregnancy.. But then again it could be telling these teenage girls to avoid teenage pregnancy, it is hard to tell from the front cover.  

The last of the magazine covers i am analysing has a cute girly theme. 'Your Best Body' tells teenage girl readers that there is such thing as a 'best body', but then also says to love your curves and states that the magazine reveals some celebrity self confidence secrets. This will make teenage girls feel better about themselves if they know that celebrities have the same worries as them. One section on the front of the magazine says '54 perfect valentines gifts' - This might not be a good idea as it could get teenage girls' hopes up for expecting one of these gifts. 'Beauty Under $10' is good for teenage girl readers as many teenage girls cannot afford to spend a lot of money and usually their parents buy them most things. This means that the things they want and the things that are being advertised in the magazines they read aren't over priced and are affordable.

All of these magazines have a similar theme and layout which is very girly and attract the right target audience - teenage girls. The girls on the covers are all role models for teenage girls and are big influences on their lives. Everything on the front cover of these magazines is about beauty and being good looking - everything girls want to be.  

Magazine Cover Analysis

 

The magazine cover that I have chosen to analyse is MGMT's cover on NME magazine. I chose NME magazine because it is one of my favourite magazines so i can relate to it.

NME stands for New Musical Express, I think that it is shortened on the front cover of the magazine so that it can be easily recognised and not to look too formal. This magazine is quite an informal magazine as it is aimed at teenagers/young adults mostly. The first thing that shows that this magazine is informal is the image. The image of MGMT looks as if they are in a normal room as you can see the radiator behind them, they are not very posed and it doesn't look like an amazing photo shoot like usual celebrities have. It's very casual and relaxed. The second thing that makes the magazine informal is the language. The language used on this cover isn't very formal - all the words are very relaxed and words that you would use on a day-to-day basis.

The colours red, white and black relate to the magazine well and it's target audience. The type of music that NME usually includes is rock, indie, garage, etc - and the colours relate to those genres well. A stereotype of people who read this magazine and like this type of music wear red and black clothing. Obviously not all readers will wear these colours but most readers can relate to the magazine due to the colour theme. The design and layout of the magazine is very simple. Teenagers/young adults are more likely to read things less complex.. and less means more. If less is on the front cover you want to know more about what is inside as you don't know the full story. Simple layouts will attract NME's target audience as younger people tend to like this.

The picture used on the cover, is of MGMT.. but they look like they feel very insecure. Pictures like this show to readers that a lot of celebrities/bands are just like normal people (not all of course) but people like MGMT have insecurities just like everyone else. NME's target audience will be able to relate to this well because teenagers/young adults tend to have insecurities.

The competition advertised just below the NME logo attracts their target audience as when they look at the NME logo you immediately see the competition. Some people may buy the magazine just to enter the competition. It is not in a large font but it is quite emphasised by exclamation marks.

The puff in the top right corner of the front cover emphasises everything inside it even more than it was already. It advertises 'Musics 20 greatest unsung heroes'. This will appeal to their target audience as it is aimed at teenages/young adults who are into music, and this article will really appeal to the readers, so it is good that it is shown in a puff on the front cover for the target audience to see.

Glossary

Media Terminology


Barcode - A machine readable image which contains information about the object it is shown on
Font - The design of the way things are written.
Typography - The art of setting and arranging types and printing them
Target Audience - The audience in which the product i aimed at.
Formal - Something done with rules of convention, suitable for something like an office.
Informal - Opposite of above, something relaxed.
Drop Cap - The first letter of a sentence of an article is bigger than the rest.
Tagline - i.e. The best magazine
Coverline - A line of text on the front cover of a magazine.