The saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover" is only partially true, as many publishing companies strive to prove in attempting to appeal to the targeted audiences of their different magazines through cover art, advertising, and content. This paper will examine HarperÆs Magazine, volume 308, number 1847, April 2004, analyzing the layout of the magazine, advertisements and content to prove that those targeted are college-educated, in the upper-middle class, are liberal, and most likely have a family.
College-educated is defined as someone who has graduated from a four-year university. Upper-middle class means those who are economically secure enough to have the extra income it would take to purchase, for example, nicer homes or cars. For the purposes of this paper, liberal means someone who would most likely vote Democrat in an election and, for instance, be environmentally and socially conscious. Finally, family is defined to include any combination of people (adults and children) who make a home together.
The layout of the magazine is straightforward in trying to appeal to its target audience. For example, the cover has the picture of a drought stricken area in the Midwest, while it also happens to be an original piece of artwork that has been donated to the Dallas Museum of Art (3). This picture helps to illustrate the leading article in the magazine on politics on the Great Plains, and appeal to someone who is accustomed to seeing artwork in museums. It is meant to attract someone who has been educated to appreciate art and understand the social commentary. Another example is the "Folio" section, which has an article about finding wild panthers in domesticated places (49). First it appeals because it discusses environmental issues (49). Next, it is titled "Aslan Resurrected," using the name of a familiar animal from the Narnia story series, typically read by children and to children in educ
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