Analysis of 24/7 Magazine

 

24/7 is a regional magazine that is aiming at a younger audience from all different areas of the UK through fashion, music, films and even places to eat. I think from the original look of this front cover you can see clearly that it is aimed at young people. The main image that is used has the main effect because it’s a popular band on the front cover so that will attract the audience into the magazine. The actual image of the band is effective because it shows almost the characters of the band through the facial expressions that they are making. This idea breaks the mould of general studio shoots of artists because this is showing them in a way that is personal rather than the usual posed image that doesn’t give the audience any insight into the actual characters. Another aspect to the image that is good is the colour appeal with the flags around the neck this takes away from the image being too dull and makes the colour subtle. As well this can also make the masthead more interesting by taking this focus to place it intertwined in the masthead to add a flow to the magazine and create a colour scheme linked in the image. This means that the rest of the colour scheme can be neutral colours to ensure that the front cover doesn’t look over the top or garish. From the content of the typography we can also see that there is a main focus of music in this issue but what’s interesting from the typography is that the focus is on where the artists are from and where they are playing. This shows us that the sale of the magazine is based around whether the audience member can associate with where the artist is from or where they are playing. This shows us that the focus of this magazine is still very much on the idea that it’s regional and is showing people what is going on in their local area. 

The contents page of 24/7 magazine has an abnormal structure in the way that the image takes up most of the two pages while the writing is only small to the side. I think that main image on this page isn’t very effective because although the quality of the image is good it doesn’t actually make it clear to the reader which feature this links into because there is no bold title. I also think that the idea that the magazine hasn’t stuck to conventions because rather than having a variety of image to give the audience member an idea of what’s to come they have just made the focus on one. I think this doesn’t really attract an audience member to want to read any further because there isn’t an image for them to be attracted into reading that specific feature. I also think that because the typography to the side is so small it doesn’t stand out to the reader and it doesn’t give any detail as to the content of the pages it simply just states the pages of a couple features and the regulars. Overall I think this contents page has a very cheap look and seems as though no time or thought was put into producing a good outcome. In order to attract in the target audience of a younger age group they needed something to stand out and more images in order to see fully what is in this magazine but without this it just looks dull and badly put together. 

One thing that is prominent within each issue of 24/7 is that they have a few pages on the news from the past month this is as well as the contents page. This is a clear detailed overview of the best things the reader should have seen or should go and see in their local area. I think this section is good because it has something for everyone on it and really gives you the feel of what this magazine is about and leads to what else may be within it. I think the layout of these pages is effective because it ensures that each section has a clear divide as well as making it all link together well in the latest news. The layout also ensure that you can fit as much information and images on the two pages so that the reader can gather as much information possible. I think the way the photographs are placed works well as it breaks up the text to make sure that the reader isn't put off by this and ensures that the images will catch the readers attention to draw them in. The slight uses of colour on these pages is also effective as it doesn't make it look garish yet it still makes the titles of each article clear to introduce you to them and to make it not boring like it would be if it was all white. As well as the actual articles it has a section to the left that is made completely clear that it's separate and this involves information about the production, advertising etc. of the magazine to ensure that this is in here somewhere. 

Both of these features are also very effective as the imagery covers the whole background and the writing is on top, this makes the two pages flow together and makes it interesting for the reader because its full of colour. The one to the right is also effective due to the amount of images that are layered on top of each other to add lots of areas of interest which is needed as it's a fashion feature so needs to show the variety of the trends, this is something I need to be clear of for my fashion features. While the music feature to the left shows the band in aninteresting location to appeal to fans. As of this full background the typography on top needs to still be able to be seen without taking other, this is done well on both of these as the typography is done in neutral colours to ensure it sticks to both of these things. One thing that follows on each feature I have looked at from this magazine is that they all have a 24/7 section at the top for example the fashion article has 'retail24/7' at the top which clearly sections each part of the magazine off to make it clear to the reader. This is something that I may incorporate into mine as it really creates an identity and structure to the magazine.

I think the layout of this magazine is suitable to the young target audience as it is interesting yet not over the top. I think the strict layout with the adverts on either side and the main information in the middle then with the website link sections on the top makes it simple yet easy for the reader to use. This is the type of layout I would like for my magazine as it would appeal to my target audience well and be in keeping with the theme by being able to add a variety of content. An interesting feature of this website is that it has an online version of the magazine making it accessible to everyone and showing that it's moving with the digital changes that the magazine industry is facing.