Question 2

How does the media Product represent a particular social group?

My magazine is primarily designed to represent 16-40 year old and a most importantly, consumers with a passion for music nostalgia. I feel that by creating my magazine pages, I feel I have successfully portrayed my target audience and social groups. 

I preliminary designed my magazine to cover to look similar magazine to that of the Rolling Stone magazine. Rolling Stone is targeted towards a more intellectual type of consumer, so I wanted to create a cover that would try and attract consumers, who were intellectual readers. Similarly to the Rolling Stone cover below, The main image on the cover is on a different layer to that of the masthead; hence overlapping the masthead. I felt this was necessary in making a magazine of the similar audience of Rolling Stone. The subsidiary artists (left and right of the main image) try and engage with consumers when they are browsing for magazine's. Similarly to the Rolling Stone Magazine, I have included a Top 50 Albums article inside the magazine; and also situated a reference to it on the front cover of my magazine. I felt this was essential to attract my social group, because my target audience would want to find out a subjective view on "The Top 50 Albums of the 20th Century" and engage and infer with other readers, via my magazine multi-platform format. 

The contents page of my magazine is also has a similar design of that of the contents page of Rolling Stone: Issue 968. 

Both of the contents incorporate the issue number on both of the magazines. I used this because its a useful device for members/collectors to use when collecting or just simply to remind the audience of the quality and longevity of the magazine. Similarly to the rolling stone contents page, I have incorporated two images on my contents page two images, I felt this would give the reader an insight on to who would feature on the magazine and make them see who the magazine would focus on in this particular issue. At the bottom of the page I have incorporated a website address, this would help the technophile members of my target social group interact with other members of their social group and view exclusive content from their favourite artists. 

The double page article of my music magazine is based on a different magazine that the prior two pages. My double page article is based on an article from the punk/metal magazine Kerrang! One page (left) has a main image that predominately takes over most of the page, (sparing the footer bar and the main title). The attire of both of the artists (from both of the magazines) are representative of the social groups of the target audience. The attire of the artist that appears in Helter Skelter is representatives of the younger members of my target audience.  Both of the main articles contain a sell line at the top of the page, which gives my social group a view into the "extraordinary" lives of the artist in question. The font that is used on my title of the article is similar of that of the contents and cover page. This would appeal to the conservative members of my target audience social groups.