Magazine Double Page Spread

Magazine Contents Page

Magazine Front Cover

Audience Research Questionnaire

Instead of distributing a questionnaire I have opted for an online forum using msn and have added people in a group conversation and asked a variety of questions regarding their opinions on the music magazine that I intend to make. The reason why I did this instead of a questionnaire was because I believe my audience could be more open and give more comments and feedbacks instead of just clicking on multiple choice questions. As you will see from the questions I asked I have tried not to use multiple choice questions as this may limit their answers and therefore will be a disadvantage on me gaining their true opinions that would help me make a magazine that would accurately appeal to their needs and interests since they are my intended targeted audience.

As I used 'msn group chat' I was unable to gather up 30 different answers and therefore I have gathered up 4 teenage audiences who range between 16-18 of which are two boys and two girls so that the audience questionnaire wouldn't be as bias seeing as there are only 4 people involved. Looking at my results however I believe I have managed to bring together a fair balance of a variety of opinions and views and therefore will help me effectively- supported by the following print screened results.

GENRE

First of all I needed to see what type of music magazine I should make whether it would be rock, hip hop etc. Therefore by establishing the type of music they listen to I would make my chosen genre magazine the one which would deem the most popular within my audience. As they listen to a variety of music it seemed like a wise decision to make a versatile music magazine which consisted of the most popular yet urban genres

MARKET AUDIENCE

With my conclusions and assumptions of the first question I needed to make sure whether my audience would agree with me otherwise it wouldn't make a success and would be a waste and would only appeal to a niche market instead of a larger audience- of which would gurantee this music magazine popular and successful

MASTHEAD

Step two would be to officially create a versatile music magazine therefore the name of the magazine would have to reflect or connote this. Out of all my questions this one needed to be multiple choice as it would reflect my research instead of just making the audience think of one for me. Successfully, the name 'Infectious' seemed as a clear winner which they liked meaning that the name possibly wouldn't put the reader off and would instead attract them

APPEALS/ATTRACTION

Other apart from the masthead there are plenty more aspects which should draw the reader in and therefore I needed to have an appealing main image attached with a main coverline which will anchor the front cover as well as advertise the uniqueness of this magazine with the cover lines outlining what would be featured in it and therefore begs the question of 'why should I buy this magazine in particular'

COLOURS

The colours which will be used would have to be intact with the cover and as specified by my audience shouldn't be too overpowering yet at the same time bright in order to grab the readers attention. Looking at my research on professional front covers I gave my input on whether it should have minimal colours and therefore doesn't ruin the originality of the cover which they also agreed with stating what front covers are successful and why they are which I should consider

 

 BIG ARTIST NAMES

As part of the cover lines I was planning on dropping some names in therefore it would catch the readers attention for having a reason to read this magazine for a certain artist' story for example. I've left this question as an open one so that they could drop in certain names as each have different tastes in music as myself and each other therefore I wanted to see which artists they would look out for. Also as the magazine is versatile it really helped me out that they had particular artists in mind that is popular in their genre and being unknown to people like myself. What also worked with this open question was that it took me by suprise to hear about their responses on a particular artist like 'Tinie Tempah' which contrasted completely with my tastes. 


 

COVER LINES

Of course cover lines would be key on the front cover but also it gave me an idea of what types of topics they would want to read and therefore what I should put into my contents page

MAIN COVER LINE

For my main cover line it would have to be about my new artist who would be my main image and therefore would have to be something interesting for them to read about clearly stated on the front page

INTERESTS IN MUSIC MAGAZINES

Of course this would help me understand my target audience therefore I needed to know why they buy it or why they don't therefore I would have to try and persuade them to with my magazine

THE ART OF PERSUASION

Instead of losing my audience- using their opinions and reasons I would have to match that and provide them a reason- freebies as they claim, in order to get the audience to buy and read the magazine

FREEBIES

To my audience aside from the genre, masthead, main image and coverline, freebies seemed like the key factor or most appealing reason to gain many audiences. Therefore through my results I came to the conclusion that it was vital to include a puff no matter how tacky it may look or if it may tarnish the magazine, that freebies was an important aspect to my audience. Even after the questionnaire was coming to an end the idea of freebies was very popular amongst my audience. Aiming to see what types of freebies they would like, I was given a range of ideas which was a challenge as they have different or unusual tastes, or whether it would be possible to give these out for free as it would diminish the effect of a 'real' magazine.   

BUYING A MAGAZINE

This question would just further negotiate the reason for the magazine to be attractive and unique against the competition of others when buying it in a shop

PAYMENT/AMOUNT

Instead of asking 'how much would you pay for a music magazine' I didn't think this would be an effective strategy as they would say either 'nothing, 50p, £1, £2' which when compared to other music magazines is too unrealistic and they would firmly state that they wouldn't pay for something larger than that. Therefore by asking them the maximum amount they would pay they might consider it as a reasonable amount seeing as proffesional music magazines tends to be quite expensive being £3.99 or more perhaps

 CONTENTS PAGE LAYOUT

A good example of me having this questionnaire as an open forum would be in this case, as one of my audiences asked about the contents page where I assumed that I had enough research and feedback from previous comments so it was good that I took in their questions so that I could get more answers which I would use to my advantage.

IMAGES VS. TEXT

This question was originally intended for my double page spread but it could also help me with my contents page and maybe the front cover. From the results it turns out they would like a balance of the two so that you'll be provided with a mix of the two 
 

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD LAYOUT

In many of the magazines that I analysed there was a range of different layouts whether the interview flowed into the text like an essay or if it was arranged as a typical interview with the questions followed by the answers underneath. I personally liked the second layout but I needed to take the opinions mainly from my audience who also agreed with me

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

This was just to see if I missed out any vital information that I would need that they might have picked out on or to see if there was anything that they think was something especially important which was of course the freebies.

From this questionnaire I will take all their opinions into account to produce an effective music magazine which will appeal to them- my target audience. Each individual played an important part for my reasearch as they all had different ideas, appeals and opinions which connotes all the different groups of teenagers out there. 

With the two male audiences, 'Tuan' was the type of audience who would be attracted to the aesthetic look of the magazine as well as being a loyal fan of an artist. Whereas 'Lee' was the type of audience who was devoted and dedicated to the music industry.

With the two female audience, 'Nhung' signified the type of audience who goes for the popularity of the music, artist and magazine as a whole, whereas 'Hazel' resembles the audience who has a keen eye and attention to detail regarding the look, the connotations and therefore has the understanding and knowledge of what she thinks makes a successful magazine in a competition.  

Profiling Your Audience

I have created an image board to help identify the demographic profile of my target audience for the music magazine which I am going to produce. Looking at several magazines and analysing the type of audiences they appeal to, I have used this information and gathered together several images of what I believe shows my intended target audience.

I have used many images that relate or stereotypes a teenager for example their style, music, interests and expressions. I have used the typical images that the majority of the teenagers would be seen through such as the gadgets they use which gives them a sense of contact at all times through social networking. As well as that they tend to form in groups and I have therefore found many images that promotes their activities, their moods and what they want others to see them as.

In order for this moodboard to help me research my target audience for a music magazine I have used many images of the sort of genre's they all listen to instead of just one specific ones because there are a variety of different teenagers and therefore I have chosen to create a versatile genre for my magazine which will include most of the genre's and therefore will appeal to a much larger teenage audience.

The use of bright colours and energising or optimistic pictures connotes that teenagers want to express freedom and are full of life and therefore I have used this mood board to connote the type of personalities that could be shown through an individual for my magazine

Textual Analysis: Music Magazine Double Page Spread

This double page spread consists of one large main image which takes up half of the A3 sized page of a three member group-band with two captions or boxed information in the corners. The other side has the page split in two allowing an insert for the article of ’The Teenagers’ and the other quarter for some type of review.

The mise-en-scene in the image of the three men consists of them relaxing on a bed assumed by the fact that their legs are spread on the bed with the man in the middle having his arm on the back of his head looking directly at the camera in a high-key lighting and mid-long shot of them looking directly at the camera in the setting of a bedroom assumed by the props of the bed and images of revealing and nude young women on the walls. The fact that they are looking directly at the camera connotes that they do not feel intimidated and that they are focused. Their NVC is one of neutral faces where they are not smiling nor are they frowning which connotes the music they may produce as being persistent and firm through the way they are selling themselves for the readers to see. All their costumes are different yet promotes the youthful look due to the written shirts, polo shirt, sleazy jacket, jeans and trainers, which connotes what type of audiences they would attract perhaps teenagers who like rock music because of the way the setting and costume stereotypes their life- guys who are young with several nude women posters on their bedroom wall. All their hair styles are different whether its straight and short, mid-height and curly or long and wavy could connote that they aren’t just the typical monotone band but also each individual is diverse and versatile who have more to offer combined together through their music. Although there is high-key lighting there is also some low-key on the left hand side but also with a hint of a bright orange light drawn to the centre of their faces which could also connote that they have many sides to them but mainly their music will be in the limelight

As well as the connotations of the main image, ‘The Teenagers’ which is the name of the band is in a large bold black font against a blue rectangular shape which dominates the page and connotes that they are making a huge impact in the magazine and music industry. The sense of domination could also represent not only their band but also the readers who would be teenagers themselves and therefore draws them in to read about them. The subheading or caption alongside the title of ‘young, dumb and full of … filthy tunes’ could also relate to the readers as these semantic fields are descriptions of the stereotyped teenagers. The use of the ‘…’ connotes that they are full of surprise or mischief which makes them seem intriguing.

The layout of the text are aligned neatly in two columns which allows the page to look aesthetically pleasing but also easier to read and follow therefore it won’t intimidate the audience who should give it a chance and read on. The use of the quotes displayed on top of a blue rectangle like the title makes it more interesting to read and look at as well as the use of another small image hedged into the text alongside a little caption.

With the extra details added on the page like the large, bold, white ’RADAR’ and the little spiked shape with ’nme loves’ and the ’need to know:’ box in the corner; they all anchor the image and text to make it look more intriguing and appealing to read. The use of minimal colours of blue, white and black allows the page to have a subtle look which isn’t too vibrant and overpowering which could also connote with the band as a relaxed simple band unlike a heavy metal act, of which would use a ray of colours which would disrupt the page

At the bottom of the page NME have advertised themselves at the end of the text which enables them to promote themselves consistently throughout the magazine pages as well as having it’s iconic masthead or symbol seen constantly.

There is also another insert on the right hand of the page consisting of a review perhaps, alongside some texts and a few images so that there is more of a variety to read rather than just the main article. There may be a few drawbacks to this where readers might only be interested in this column although they may give the main article a chance as it’s on the same page and looks appealing and simple to read.

Case Study of a Publishing House

‘Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group’ Bauer is a tremendously successful magazine publisher claimed as the ‘largest privately owned publisher in Europe’ due to its publishing in various countries such as France and Germany but also globally in the United States. Originally founded in 1875 by Johann Bauer as a printing house, it is now known for its worldwide publishing empire publishing 323 magazines in 15 countries with an annual turnover of 1.79 billion euros and in 2010 with 2.03 billion euros.

With its links to various promotional brands Bauer media is able to reach millions of UK audiences through their multiple media channels through online, TV and radio. It’s accomplishment in the media is due to all its influential media brands which allows a range choice of interests including, music, fashion and celebrities.

All the different choices enable Bauer to target many different audiences where MCN attracts men interested in bikes. Kerrang! attracts audiences interested in the music industry especially rock. Heat provides the nation with the latest celebrity gossip through their radio and magazines and GRAZIA for their take on the fashion industry.

Bauer is also the face of the UK’s largest consumer magazine providing its purposes for women’s weeklies, interest, lifestyle, TV listings, puzzles, men’s lifestyle, music and film and specialist magazine markets

The first magazine published by Bauer in the UK in 1987 was ‘Bella Magazine’ which consists of real life editorials which reached across to the women’s market. In 1990 they launched another magazine ‘Take a Break’ which also appealed to millions of women for its take on real life and competitions and therefore gained its status as Number 1 selling over 1 million copies a week. We can see through the different types of magazines that their target audiences are presumably middle aged women due to the messages and stories they seem to be spreading in these specified women titled magazines.

 

In the same decade the company published TVQuick, that’s life! and TVChoice, all of which are TV magazines. With the launches of TV magazines this is bound to attract the majority of the nation since it is the most successfully selling magazine for both men and women.

Due to their various titles, Bauer is able to pull in a large audience thanks to the size of their organisation with its branches of different themed magazines.

To make it into a successful publisher, the magazines on promotion must attract as many people as it can therefore Bauer’s achievement is due to their expansion of a range of magazines that can attract different niche markets and large markets at the same time. For the magazines such as ‘Bella’ and ‘Take a Break’ it is obviously aimed at women. These women are targeted in particular possibly because women tend to buy magazines more often than men would and with its appeals to emotions it’s a great way to get women into buying these magazines every week as Bauer newly invented a magazine directly aimed at real women unlike the magazines about celebrity life.

For the TV listings this is bound to be the most profitable magazine as it can target both men and women because it will provide a lot of information and special notices about what will be shown on the TV before it can be seen and also because it’s a weekly magazine.

The reason why I think Bauer tries to target different audiences with each of their magazines is so that it is widely spread to a large market on a whole without losing specific audiences as each type of magazine can easily connect with the audience whether they are youth, men or women.

Although some of Bauer’s magazines may be similar especially the ’women’s weeklies’ they all have a uniqueness which sets them apart and therefore the magazines from the same publisher won’t have to compete with one another too much and instead is able to become as successful as the other. Also because of it’s wide range of different magazines whether its ‘women’s weeklies’ ‘TV listings’ or ‘puzzles’ whichever deems more of a success than the other Bauer will still profit no matter what as they are able to take in a large audience who are targeted through the different magazines.

Because of the large access of media sources and also the range of topic interests and its other connected companies, Bauer would try to target all different audiences with each of their magazines to gain the success of distributing all their magazines otherwise if they only relied on one magazine- meaning one targeted audience, they would struggle because of the limited targeted audience.

Page Layout Drafts

For my first idea I have named the magazine as 'Infectious' as it has connotations of being able to infect the audience into reading this magazine and also it could connote that the music itself is infectious and is everywhere targeting everyone and therefore you should read it and infects or targets all genre'. The infect'ious' could be a warning stating how good it is and how strong it revolves around the music. I've added the key aspects of a music magazine with a selling line at the top therefore it would be seen on the rack amongst others. Also the issue number and price can be easily seen directly underneath the masthead. The model for the main image is posing with her hands to her head wearing headphones as it is a stereotypical look related to music with everyone being able to connect with it where she is in her own world listening to her music. Again this could connote her 'infection' to the music.

 

For this draft the genre I was going for would be rock, indie or heavy metal due to the main image of the model losing his control and barely able to handle the music because of the 'noise'. I wanted the masthead to be in the font/form of wires with the 'i' as a mic as it is the typical prop related to music. As it is a rock, indie or heval metal genre I tried to make the front cover look like mayhem and 'loud' which connotes the type of music that it produces. To further promote this idea i've arranged the main cover line in his mouth which is wide open as though he is shouting or screaming the words out to the intended targeted audience. I would also have him wearing a suit as many of these rock artists' tend to wear suits. The cover lines and the barcode would be at the bottom so that it would anchor the main image too much.