The document analyzes the target audience of a magazine based on its contents page. It finds that the contents page depicts mostly white, middle-aged to elderly individuals engaged in upper-middle class activities and styles of dress. This suggests the magazine is targeting a white, middle/upper-middle class audience. The sophisticated layout and easy navigation of the contents page further appeals to this demographic. References to different media formats and a "Subscriber of the Month" section indicate an attempt to actively engage the audience and address their needs according to reception theory.

1. Contents Page –
Codes and Conventions

3. Target Audience
Using people on the contents page also creates a direct mode of address by
having one of the models staring straight into the camera, drawing the
attention of the audience and helping to form a relationship with them and
draw their attention to the article it links to.
The contents page is also filled with people from different age groups, be it
children at a beach, a middle ages man doing archery or an elderly man staring
into the camera. The majority of the people are, however, men, are all white,
and are all dressed in ways or participating in activities that give the impression
that they’re middle classed. The subscriber of the month is also a white male,
making the magazine’s audience clear.
The clothing worn in the pictures, with the exception of the children on a
beach who are dressed for that setting, seems to be smart and formal, giving
an impression of wealth. The subscriber of the month has a collared shirt
suggesting formal clothing, the archer is dressed in an archery outfit, which,
although not formal, still gives the impression of a middle or higher class. The
man in the suit jacket and hat also looks to be well off, and from a similar class.
This sends the message that the audience reading are also middle/upper class,
as they’d read articles that relate to them, and in turn the magazine is also for a
white, male, mostly middle aged to elderly audience.

4. Media Forms
The magazine is also littered with references to the fact it’s available in different formats, and doesn’t
have a magazine copy as it’s only media format. The website links at the bottom of the pages help to
get the point across to the audience that they can find the magazine elsewhere, and that the
magazine is available in different formats for their benefit. Having a website for the magazine gives
the impression that it’s trying to do it’s best to provide for the audience, and is trying to address their
needs, following reception theory.
Reception Theory
Reception theory states the audience should be a part of the creation process,
helping it cater to them, as well as it being how they interpret the piece.
Having a section on the contents page with a ‘Subscriber Of The Month’ is a direct
way to involve the audience in the magazine, making them feel important and
involved, therefore more likely to purchase the magazine as it addresses it’s
audience and listens to them.
The subscriber is also a white, middle aged man, and you can see the edges of his
collared shirt, giving the impression he’s dressed in smart clothing. This gives out the
idea that he’s probably a wealthy man to be dressed like this, and is from a middle
or upper class lifestyle. This therefore gives the impression that the target audience
of the magazine is from the same background.

5. The pictures used in the magazine of places all depict bright,
beautiful images to try to entice the audience, as well as sell the
region as a whole as it’s a regional magazine. The pictures of
umbrella’s by the pool and a room with fancy chandeliers and
tables throughout give an idea of class, something running
through the contents page, suggesting a middle class audience.
The colours in the pictures and text also help the audience
receive an idea of the magazine being bright and happy,
correlating with the fact it’s an August edition, being the height
of summer. The colours in the text are mainly pinks and blues,
colours familiar with a summer scene, a sunset for example, and
this is continued through the pictures by the pinks and reds in
the dining room picture, the blue of the sky in the boat picture,
and the blues and greens in the pool scene. These all help to
convey to the audience an idea of the magazine being happy and
summer filled, helping to sell it to them, as well as continuing
the middle classed themes.

6. The style and layout of the contents page is
very structured and easy for the reader to
follow. Different sections are clearly marked,
making it easy to understand and find what
you’re looking for.
The coloured titles helps catch the audience’s
eye, and draws the attention of the reader.
The simple serif fonts helps the contents page
as it doesn’t have too much going on, and is
therefore easy to follow.
Having everything to the left side also helps to
make the contents look more professional and
sophisticated, appealing to the middle class
audience who’d want a sophisticated look.

9. Target Audience
Using people on the contents page also creates a direct
mode of address by having two of the female models
staring straight into the camera, drawing the attention of
the audience and helping to form a relationship with them
and draw their attention to the article it links to.
The contents page has a mixture of ages and genders,
however they all appear to be white and middle class. You
get the idea of their class due to their clothing, all appearing
to be very formal, the only exception being the adult male
and child, presumably father and son. Even though those
two are dressed in more casual clothing, the idea of a
perfect family being represented still echoes a middle class,
well off, stereotypical, perfect family.
The use of mostly women gives the impression that the
magazine is more for woman, however the fact there is an
adult male on there suggests it could go to any gender, the
main audience stereotype being that they’re white, middle
class, and in general middle aged to elderly.

10. Media Forms
The magazine is also littered with references to the fact it’s available in different formats, and doesn’t
have a magazine copy as it’s only media format. The website links at the bottom of the pages help to
get the point across to the audience that they can find the magazine elsewhere, and that the
magazine is available in different formats for their benefit. Having a website for the magazine gives
the impression that it’s trying to do it’s best to provide for the audience, and is trying to address their
needs, following reception theory.
Reception Theory
Reception theory states the audience should be a part of the creation
process, helping it cater to them, as well as it being how they interpret the
piece.
The contents page helps to address the audience directly and get them
involved in the magazine by having a section devoted to reader feedback. It
also gets audience attention and makes the reader feel involved and
wanted by having a section purely for the reader with offers and
competitions. By having sections devoted to the reader, it’ll make them
feel more involved and important in how the magazine works, therefore
more likely to buy the magazine as it listens to and appeals to them.

11. Style and Layout
The style and layout of the magazine is very
sophisticated, easy to read and easy to recognise.
This makes it appeal to the audience as the
sophisticated look makes it appropriate for the
middle class audience, the fact it’s easy to read
means someone is more likely to have a quick glance
at the magazine and choose to buy it, and the fact
it’s recognisable means it’s easily identified by
potential customers who have had a quick browse
through it and realise they know the magazine.
The serif font makes the writing look simple,
meaning it doesn’t cause too much of a distraction
from the pictures, but it still manages to look
professional for the audience.
The coloured titles help to draw the attention from
the audience, meaning they can easily locate articles
that appeal to them rather than wasting their time
trying to find things, meaning they have a more
positive view towards the magazine in general.
The use of columns for the text also helps make the
magazine look more professional, making it more
appealing for an audience.

14. Target Audience
Using people on the contents page also creates a direct
mode of address by having models staring straight into the
camera, drawing the attention of the audience and
helping to form a relationship with them and draw their
attention to the article it links to.
The contents page doesn’t have many people on it,
however it has a countertype of using only women in it.
Usually if a magazine had women, they’d be sexualised
and there as objects according to Mulvey’s male gaze
theory, however in this contents page the women are all
powerful and there in their own right, to tell their stories.
Looking at the clothing each of the women in the contents
are wearing, it’s clear they all give an impression to the
reader of being somewhat wealthy, most likely therefore,
middle class or upwards.
The downside to the females in the contents is the fact
they all follow the stereotype of being middle aged,
middle class, and white, meaning although it does appeal
females as a whole, it steal limits it’s apparent target
audience to middle aged, middle class, white females.

15. Media Forms
The magazine is also littered with references to the fact it’s available in
different formats, and doesn’t have a magazine copy as it’s only media
format. The website links at the bottom of the pages help to get the point
across to the audience that they can find the magazine elsewhere, and that
the magazine is available in different formats for their benefit. Having a
website for the magazine gives the impression that it’s trying to do it’s best to
provide for the audience, and is trying to address their needs, following
reception theory.
Reception Theory
Reception theory states the audience should be a part of the creation process,
helping it cater to them, as well as it being how they interpret the piece.
Having a section on the contents page with a ‘Subscriber Of The Month’ is a direct
way to involve the audience in the magazine, making them feel important and
involved, therefore more likely to purchase the magazine as it addresses it’s
audience and listens to them.
It also gives the audience an incentive to be a part of the magazine, to keep buying
it and to give feedback because by being featured in the contents page it acts as a
reward to the readers, giving them their own recognition and their chance to be a
real part of the real magazine.

16. The pictures used in the contents page are all depicting winter
scenes whilst still enticing the audience with beautiful images
and selling the region as a whole. The picture of the church
shows a bright blue sky with white snow, a pretty scene to
capture the audience attention, whilst the building is a solid
white colour with a pinky blue background. The colours reflect a
winter time, as it’s the January edition of the magazine, keeping
a winter theme. The blues are also used in the titling in the
contents, as well as the advertisement for the magazine website.
This helps to both draw the attention of the reader to those
areas, as well as keep a colour theme to make the contents page
look sophisticated and professional.
Having a church and a gallery also gives the idea it’s a middle
class magazine as those are places typically imagined as pretty
that do attract the middle class. This follows the idea the
audience of the magazine is middle class, keeping them intrigued
with what there is to read in the magazine.

17. Style and Layout
The style and layout of the magazine is very sophisticated,
easy to read and easy to recognise. This makes it appeal to
the audience as the sophisticated look makes it appropriate
for the middle class audience, the fact it’s easy to read means
someone is more likely to have a quick glance at the
magazine and choose to buy it, and the fact it’s recognisable
means it’s easily identified by potential customers who have
had a quick browse through it and realise they know the
magazine.
The serif font makes the writing look simple, meaning it
doesn’t cause too much of a distraction from the pictures,
but it still manages to look professional for the audience.
The coloured underlines help to draw the attention from the
audience, meaning they can easily locate articles that appeal
to them rather than wasting their time trying to find things,
meaning they have a more positive view towards the
magazine in general. The colour is also a blue, used
throughout the contents page in pictures and titles, meaning
it follows the colour scheme well.
The use of columns for the text also helps make the magazine
look more professional, making it more appealing for an
audience.

20. Target Audience
This magazine contents page seems to go against the conventions of others as it only
has one person on it, and even then it’s simply the back of a woman’s head and arms.
This goes against the usual conventions of having white, middle aged, middle class
people in the pictures, even though you can see this woman is white.
The use of pictures of gives an impression the magazine is aimed at a middle class
audience, as it depicts scenic views, country kitchens, art, and well made food, all giving
a depiction of a middle class lifestyle. The art and food are typically associated with an
intelligent middle class, hence having them on the contents suggests the magazine is
aimed at such an audience. Having these also suggests an older audience, most likely
middle aged as these aren’t activities or things young adults or the elderly would be
imagined to take part in as often.
The advertisement in the contents page of a company for financial aid also suggest an
elder audience, particularly as it mentions savings and pensions, hence a middle class
or elderly audience.
Due to the stereotypes of other regional magazines, it is most likely this magazine is still
aimed at a white audience, and the evidence suggests they’re still middle aged and
middle class.

21. Media Forms
The magazine is also littered with references to the fact it’s available in different formats, and doesn’t
have a magazine copy as it’s only media format. The website links at the bottom of the pages help to
get the point across to the audience that they can find the magazine elsewhere, and that the
magazine is available in different formats for their benefit. Having a website for the magazine gives
the impression that it’s trying to do it’s best to provide for the audience, and is trying to address their
needs, following reception theory.
Reception Theory
Reception theory states the audience should be a part of the creation
process, helping it cater to them, as well as it being how they interpret the
piece.
The contents page helps to address the audience directly and get them
involved in the by having a section purely for the reader with offers and
competitions. By having sections devoted to the reader, it’ll make them
feel more involved and important in how the magazine works, therefore
more likely to buy the magazine as it listens to and appeals to them.

22. Images
The pictures used in the magazine are all of sophisticated
locations or objects, for example the painting, which will both
appeal to a middle class audience as well as sell the region as a
whole to new people.
The pictures all use orange and purple tones, creating a colour
scheme that is also used in the titling in the contents. This makes
the contents look more professional and seem more
sophisticated to the audience. The oranges and purples are also
typical autumn colours, something the audience will
immediately have an association with as it’s the November
edition of the magazine.

23. Style and Layout
The style and layout of the magazine is very sophisticated,
easy to read and easy to recognise. This makes it appeal to
the audience as the sophisticated look makes it appropriate
for the middle class audience, the fact it’s easy to read means
someone is more likely to have a quick glance at the
magazine and choose to buy it, and the fact it’s recognisable
means it’s easily identified by potential customers who have
had a quick browse through it and realise they know the
magazine.
The serif font makes the writing look simple, meaning it
doesn’t cause too much of a distraction from the pictures,
but it still manages to look professional for the audience.
The coloured numbers help to draw the attention from the
audience, meaning they can easily locate articles that appeal
to them rather than wasting their time trying to find things,
meaning they have a more positive view towards the
magazine in general. The colours are also purple and
oranged, used throughout the contents page in pictures and
titles, meaning it follows the colour scheme well.
The use of columns for the text also helps make the magazine
look more professional, making it more appealing for an
audience.