Audio Addict Magazine - A Critical Analysis

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Audio Addict is a music magazine produced entirely by Southampton Solent University second year students. Throughout its twelve issue run, and with the ruthless work of the students, the publication has bagged world exclusive interviews with acts such as The Prodigy and Kasabian and a first class reputation as a publication with a very impressive readership.

The twelfth issue of the magazine, an ‘Underground music special’, features interviews with the bands Cardinals and Cancer Bats.

As Audio Addict is a student magazine, it makes sense that the target audience for it are students. Audio Addict, according to theorists, has outdone themselves journalistically in catering for its audience. It has been quoted that young adults want “searchable, effortless, shorter, more local, anytime news” (Zerba, A. 2009), with “an abundance of images and graphics” (Currie, H. 1999). As Audio Addict is a web-zine, it is the definition of ‘anytime’ news, as It can be accessed anywhere if the reader has a computer, making it searchable and effortless to find. The magazine also champions itself on its aesthetic qualities with an abundance of high quality photography and easy to read text. The only complaint I can find with the magazine is the ‘rhythm’ of the front cover. ‘Rhythm’ when put into the context of the principals of design allows designs to develop an internal consistency that makes it easier for your customers to understand. The front cover displays a large image and title of the band Cardinals, who are presumably the main feature in the magazine, however, there is a small, ambiguous, image of Cancer Bats in the corner of the magazine cover, with no information on who the band is or what the feature is about. If I were to design the magazine I would make sure that there is no ambiguity on my front cover, other than that, this issue of Audio Addict is extremely successful as a stereotypical student magazine.

References

Currie, H (1999). Girl Talk: Adolescent Magazines and Their Readers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 49.

Zerba, A. (2009). Re-thinking Journalism : How young adults want their news . UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations . 1 (1), 12.