How does you media product

represent particular social

groups?

IntroductionI believe my magazine represents a particular social group well with

its similarities to other magazines such as Q, Vibe and Billboard. These similarities help to represent the social group of both the artist and the intended audience in a particular way so the reader buys the magazine as it appeals to them and follows conventions related to the intended social group. Below is a selection of magazines that I believe

have many similarities with my own as they are aimed at a certain audience, and represent the cover artists featured in a similar way as

they are within similar genres of music.

MastheadThe masthead for all the magazines is located across the top of the page so it’s easy for the audience to notice so can be easily spotted when in a rush as generally the social group live quite busy lives so want to quickly find what they are looking for. The fonts used for the

masthead are quite simple but have an urban modern feel suggesting the audience live in an urban setting and are quite young. The fonts use plain colours which contrast to the background so they stand out

and also the colours used are quite neutral so appeal to both male and females meaning the magazines can attract a large target

audience.

ImagesThe main images used on the magazine show the artists stood looking at the camera in

quite a plain pose. This suggests that this is what is seen as cool to the younger audience and represent them to be quite sensible and calm. The images use plain colours

throughout; mainly black grey and white which represents the colours often associated with the social group are seen to be quite dark and dull. The clothes the artist are wearing are seen to be quite cool and represents what a young middle/lower class audience wear

and what is cool to wear within this social group, therefore the audience can relate to them. It also helps appeal to males as if the artists are shown to be cool they want to read about the artist to find out how to be like them. Q and Billboard both feature their main image on the right hand side of the page creating space for the cover lines on the left so there is no overlap. The backgrounds used within the magazines are quite simplistic and use plain colours suggesting the artist is the most important part, and that the artist is the only thing the audience are interested in suggesting a younger audience who aren’t

interested in other more serious elements.

Colour SchemeBlack is the primary colour featured across the magazines which will appeal to a male audience as this colour is often associated with that

gender. It also creates a dark image of the social group suggesting other group’s views of the people within it. White is used across all

the magazines to create a simple approach suggesting that the audience don’t have many responsibilities and have a simple life. Red or yellow seems to be another colour used within the magazines as a secondary colour to make the magazine stand out and also relates to

the young social group who are often seen as lively, which is the image the colours are often used to connote.

TextThe cover lines are mainly located on the left hand side and use alternating colours. The different colours used represent the different social groups that will read it while

also making it easy to read by dividing it up so; it can be read quickly when the audience may have little time to look at it. The font used is quite modern and clean cut representing the young audience who are interested in modern music and also

represents the artists who are still current and creating this genre of music. The content of the text is similar throughout featuring all the main points so the

audience know exactly what is inside and can find this information quickly, as they are young and are unlikely to want to read more than the front cover to find out what is featured in the magazine suggesting laziness of the target audience. A banner is used across the top of all the pages to inform the reader about the

magazine briefly while also helping sell the magazine to the audience by suggesting the type of magazine it is.