How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The type of magazine that I was looking to create was of the same genre and style of NME but with more of a focus on mainstream bands and not with the ‘Under the Radar’ feature that highlights the less well known bands. I lead my magazine down the more mainstream route as I believe that this is a market which can appeal to many people’s needs as the market is broader, therefore offering more opportunity for success. My magazine will also include the latest reviews from gigs and festivals that both include the type of artists that are going to be expected in my magazine by the audience, but also our views on them that will either adhere and persuade the readers to see them for themselves or inform the audience on our views. Moreover, my magazine will also include the latest interviews of the most recognised artists in an attempt to make my magazine unique from the rest of the similar products, but also to signify that I am going to keep my audience entertained and up to date with the latest changes and stories from the music that they are interested in.  Additionally, the writers of my articles will be retired musicians or recognisable faces from the industry as this will make their opinions be more valid and reliable to readers.

          Firstly, the house colours of red, black and white are used on my magazine in order to highlight that it is off-the-wall and vibrant because of the connotations of red, but also that it is sophisticated with the white and black. This clearly relates to the social group as these are the characteristics that they are most likely to have as a person. The readers will also be reading my magazine out of their interest for rock and indie music, therefore the use of loud, bold fonts will appeal to them as they like to be outrageous and different from the crowd and this is exactly what my magazine is.

       Next, the masthead for my double page spread was: “Our National Hero”. This relates to the audience as they are most likely to want to read about talent coming from Great Britain. This therefore implies that my magazine represents the nation, and all the social groups included which share an interest of rock and indie music. Additionally, I made sure that the artist was wearing clothes that are common for this genre, as the social groups viewing my magazine are more than likely going to want to look to my magazine for fashion tips and clues on what to wear.

        Finally, my cover model constantly looks straight down the lens of the camera and has  little or no emotion on his face. This is a generic factor of most indie or rock magazines but it also highlights the seriousness of my magazine and how the purpose of the magazine is greater than their individual star image. This will appeal to my target audience as they will be looking for answers to why the artist looks in this way, but they will also be lured in as they are used to seeing expressions like this from other magazines and therefore highlights how the image used on my cover will explain the genre to the audience without them having to read it.