Preliminary task Magazine comparison

I looked at two different magazines and compared them by looking at the following: Layout, Font, Structure and language. When I looked at these two magazines I found that the style of language used was different as the magazine called fusion used colloquial and slang language as it aimed at a younger audience where as the magazine called George Stephenson


Fusion

Firstly I looked at a magazine called Fusion. The language used in this magazine is very informal using words such as: hottest, gossip and gigs etc. This type of magazine is targeting a younger demographic as the colours and layout are bright and the images used are also bright and colourful which again appeals greater to a younger demographic. The front page image is abstract and bold to stand out. The image is of a man in black and white with an open mouth. This is a gritty picture again appealing to teenagers. The language used on the front cover is very snappy and to the point for example: Snack attack, Festival funk 2007. Also the language on the front cover was all in lower case letters which again shows that it is aimed at a younger audience as it is informal. The bold background contrasts against the black and white picture of the male on the front cover which attracts the reader’s attention to the centre of the page.

George Stephenson

Secondly I looked at the George Stephenson magazine and compared it with the Fusion magazine. For example the front cover for this magazine was a total contrast in comparison with the Fusion magazine as with the Fusion magazine there was one main picture where as the George Stephenson Magazine had lots of pictures around the centre of the magazine. Also the colours used in the George Stephenson magazine were greens, reds etc where as the Fusion magazine used bold colours like red, black and white. The way the pictures are displayed on the front cover for this magazine in a circular manner suggests that it is informal. Also the use of pencils and a rubber suggest it is a creative fun type of magazine. The contents page in this magazine was very bright and bold which immediately draws the readers in. The bold white writing on each box was very effective as it linked each box together and the white stood out against the colour scheme used throughout.

When I compared these two magazines I noticed that usually magazines use mainly boxes and triangles to put information in. Also I noticed that mostly every magazine I have looked at had a colour scheme. I think the colour scheme is very important when it comes to your target group as the colours attract the reader instantly.