My magazine represents basically the profiles of the people in my target audience, this is young people aged 14-17, which a strong interest in alternative music. In order to represent these people adequately I had to research into them and study their features. I had already research the profiles of the people who are represented in Kerrang! And NME magazine as these are the same kind of people who would read my magazine. In this research I found that these people are highly interested in fashion and like to look good. I also saw in some alternative bands, the artists like to wear leather and black clothing. I took this into consideration when styling my models for each photoshoot.

In my research into who read Kerrang! and NME, I also noticed that the audience spend a lot of money on audio and music equipment each year, and also like to watch live music. I found that most of these people own guitars, headphones, amps and drums/drumsticks. So I included instruments in some of my photoshoots.

Hayley Williams is the perfect example of someone I want to represent via my magazine. She is the right age range and likes the same rock/alternative style of music as the people I am trying to represent and appeal to. She is a strong and confident female which is the look I was trying to achieve from my magazine front cover. When I was looking for a model to live up to this image I immediately thought of Cara. She has the same edgy look as Hayley and has a confidence similar.

My magazine

Kerrang!

I compared my photo shoot with one done by Kerrang! as both feature a young girl who poses as a sort of rebel. The graphic wording on their tops suggest that these girls are quite outspoken and confident, implying they are in a social group who are quite ‘out-there’ and rebellious. The fact that they are young also echoes the stereotypical belief that teenagers are ‘trouble’, and how they look directly at the camera shows how confident they are. The girls are in an alternative subculture, with elements of punk. This stereotypically includes males with mohawks, leather and studs, so with Cara’s headband (left) connoting a bohemian vibe, a feel of innocence is portrayed. This reflects the target audience of young 14-17 year olds that I am targeting, as they are likely not to be as rebellious as a typical ‘punk’ but still in a social group that longs to be a part of that subculture without being too drastic; as they are still only young.

My magazine

Above is a photo taken from my contents page, next to one NME! Both feature an alternative girl band. The black leather that Izzy (right) is wearing, and the girls of HAIM (right) represents a rebellious, edgy social group of teenage girls that differ from mainstream teenagers. Helena in denim (middle) also reflects this 90’s punk vibe, where they wore that fashion. These outfit choices reflect the subculture of wanting to be in a punk/alternative scene but without going too drastic. This social group is the audience that I am targeting in my magazine, so this type of photo would appeal to them, as they would wear similar things. The style of posing is also quite similar, both looking quite cocky and confident, echoing the rebellious vibe given by this social group.

NME

My magazine NME

Another photo I used is this one of Sasha (left) compared to Chris Cornell from NME magazine (right). Their hair connotes standing out and not following mainstream trends for men to have long hair, this echoes the rebellious and truant vibe given off by the alternative social group. The fact that they both are holding a guitar simply enforces how this is a music magazine, and how people in that social group are dedicated to music as it plays big parts in their lives. It also shows their passion to the instrument, and how posing with a guitar shows how it is a huge part of them. This social group are a passionate and dedicated group to music, and are not afraid to show it- so are confident in themselves. This provides a good role model for my young target audience.