Becky Tye AS: Uses and Gratifications

Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Uses and Gratifications

Uses and Gratifications is about what people do with the media, instead of what the media does to people. This theory assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting the media into their lives. This theory also states that the audience are responsible for choosing the media to suit their needs.

Blumler and Brown (1972) stated 4 primary factors for which a person may use the media:

Diversion - Something similar to escaping from reality and problems involved

Personal Relationships - Using the media to discuss with friends, such as TV programmes will be talked about among friends.

Personal Identity/Individual Psychology - Defining yourself through your media texts

Surveillance - Finding out about the world, your favourite bands, e.g. finding out tour dates, video shoot dates, new merch etc...

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Magazine Terminology

BALANCE - the design principle that one side of a layout must be given equal weight compared to another. Balance is achieved through the placement of type and graphic elements.
BANNER - the place where a magazine's logo (and its MOTTO or SUBTITLE) appears.
BODY COPY - the main text of an article.
BRAND - the magazine is a "brand", in the same way as GAP or Levis is a brand. With the growth of SYNERGY, a magazine might have spin off products such as a radio station, TV channel, clothing line or merchandise.
BULLET - a circle or dingbat before each item on a list.
BYLINE - the name of an article's author.
CALLOUT - explanation of a specific area of an illustration or diagram.
CAPTION - also called a CUTLINE.
CONSISTENCY - the principle that a magazine should retain some elements throughout an edition of a magazine and also from month to month. Inconsistency in typeface, design, layout etc. can confuse and alienate readers. See also: UNITY
CONTRAST - the principle that important elements are given emphasis on a page through the use of size, colour, texture or placement whilst less important elements are minimised.
COPY - the written text.
COVER - divided into OFC (Outside Front Cover), IFC (Inside Front Cover)
COVER LINES - also known as SELL-LINES. The lines on the front cover that will advertise the contents.
CROP - to cut or trim an image.
DECK - text below a headline that summarises or provides a lead-in to the article.
DISPLAY TYPE - type that is larger than the body copy, such as sub-headings and pull quotes.
DROP CAP - the large letter, like illuminated writing, sometimes found as the first letter of an article.
FONT - all the sizes and styles of a typeface family.
FOUR F's - Format, Formula, Frame, Function.
Glossy - a magazine with glossy pages. Also refers to a magazine that is the standard magazine sizes of 8 by 11 inches to 10 by 13 inches, or 20 by 28 cm to 25 by 33cm.
GRAPHIC - the visual elements of the magazine like illustrations and photographs, as opposed to typographic or copy which refers to fonts and words.
GRID - an invisible structure that guides the placement of graphics and text on a page.
LOGOTYPE or LOGO - the name of the magazine, also known as the FLAG. Found in the banner space, but often repeated elsewhere, like on the CONTENTS page.
MARGIN - the measured white space at the top, bottom, left and right edges of the text. If anything goes over the margins, it is said to BLEED.
MASTHEAD - a box, usually about a column wide, that lists the magazine's editors, designers, business staff and information about the publishing company, subscriptions and contact information.
MATTE - a dull, unglossy finish on a page.
MONTAGE - the assembly of several photos or illustrations into a single piece of art.
PAGINATION - the process of creating complete page layouts and putting them in order using DTP (Desk Top Publishing) software.
PALETTE - a set of colours that can be used in a magazine, defined in advance to ensure a consistent look and brand from issue to issue.
PULL QUOTE - an excerpt from an article, often a quotation from an interview, that has been pulled out, enlarged and used as a design element to break up body text.
SANS-SERIF - a font without feet.
SEQUENCE - the design principle that the designer can choose the order in which readers look at items on a page, using size, colour, shape and placement.
SERIF - a font that has feet.
SLAB-SERIF - a typeface using heavy, even serifs
SUBHEAD - a heading beneath the logotype that acts as the magazine motto.
TYPEFACE - a style of font or type.
UNITY - a consistency in design style throughout the magazine.

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Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Uses and Gratifications

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