Preliminary and Planning Tasks
- 1. Preliminary Task I decided to do a children's magazine which would be distributed to primary school children so the age range would be 4-11 year olds. Because of this intended audience, I felt that the cover should be bright and vibrant; this way, it gains a young persons attention and engages them to read the magazine. It has this cover story because it also shows the parents that their children are attending an achieving school and shows the schools standards so has benefits on the school plus it also engages the adults to read the magazine too. There is an advertisement on this page because it can easily be seen and also, I chose to use a circus since it is for the family and so appeals both to the younger and older audience as it is family welcoming. The mini contents gives a slight highlight of what they’re going to find in this particular issue of Primary Eye.
- 2. I decided to put the contents on page three because when the reader (be it a child or parent) opens it, they will have photos on the left page since it is the September issue and so it will be a contribution of a selective few pupils photos from over the Summer and then they are likely to be engaged in this so the page is open for longer. Then they read the next page which tells them what’s where, etc. I decided to put a welcome back message from the head teacher since it allows the parents to read important messages. I also put the term diary at the top because it’s vital to the pupils and the parents to know when they aren’t in school, when they break up for half term and Christmas, when not to wear uniform, charity event and fundraisers, etc.
- 3. NME is a well known When stacked in a shop, the magazine so to have its top half is seen, so name behind the cover therefore, to have this box at artists isn’t likely to the top shows its importance. affect its sales. The white writing is However, it is brightly considerably smaller than the coloured since when it’s black on the red and so it stacked on a shelf, only allows “BLUR EXCLUSIVE” and the top half is seen so to “JOHNNY MARR” to stand out have it in red, it will grab to people who are looking at the readers eye. the magazine in the shop. “Arctic Monkeys” is This rhetorical question doesn’t clearly written across the allow the reader to answer it but page so the buyer knows the positive effect it does have is what the main feature is that a person in the shop who that they’re getting with picks the magazine up and reads their money. Being in red it will see this and will want to answer it so the only way to do stands out in contrast to this is to find out what the the different shades of question is referring to by buying blues behind it. it. The background picture shows a harder and more The three “boxes” along the bottom help give an insight rebellious side to the Arctic Monkeys. This picture of what else to expect in the magazine giving a short takes up the whole of the front cover so it shows highlight of what the buyer is going to find. With the their importance to the magazine. The rebellious “PLUS” underneath, it gives us an idea of what to find side helps shows the ideology of the magazine in the magazine; with just words, we have to buy to and an idea of its contents. find out what.
- 4. “INSIDE THIS WEEK” is As we saw on the front centric and in capitals, with cover, there was a Blur the date printed below. This exclusive in this magazine. Not is purely to show it’s a only was it bold but it stuck out contents without writing the and showed that it was an word “contents”; it makes it important matter. The centre more sophisticated and puts picture of this contents page is a twist on it. of Damon Albarn with a quote which he said during the The use of having 6 separate interview. The page number is photos of artists and bands also on this picture, plus being around the centre picture shows those things which on page 6 is near the front so is have importance and the going to be found fast if the publisher thinks the reader magazine is being read will be keen to read. The chronologically. Plus it shows page numbers are bold on it’s important. “Blur exclusive!” the picture so they are easily is written again so reinforces accessible and the reader that it cannot be found can find them quickly. anywhere else. By separating this “Plus” column into twelve different This page will be page 3 usually so it’s one sections, it allows the reader to find exactly what they’re of the first to be seen. To put an looking for. If they know an artist or band has performed live advertisement here, the publisher will and want to see the reviews, photos and comments, then know it will be noticed when the reader this allows them to find it under the “LIVE” header. They opens their magazine. This particular know where to find features and where to find reviews, etc. advertisement is making the readers aware This layout tells them exactly where everything can be that they can subscribe to this magazine found. and it will allow them to save money.
- 5. This double page spread is of the Arctic Monkeys (the band on the cover). The top two thirds of the left page is of the whole band. Below, we have the article. The article is written like a story of the interview between NME and the monkeys. The style and language of the writing is very intellectual. The style of writing is as if the interview was fictional and The red column on the right hand side is rather colloquial and seems someone has written the relaxed as well as jokey. The title is in a different font so stands out. The events, just like a story. answers are in white and names are written in black so it helps break up In the middle of the the speech and who says each bit. This sis separated so that the reader can article, there is a large, bold read this before the whole interview and it allows them to get a taste of and striking quote from Alex what to expect from the rest of the interview. Turner (lead singer) with eight stars below; this seems The rest of the page on the right is of different pictures of the Arctic to show like NME have rated Monkeys. There are little captions which are red with white writing this is what he has said. This so you get an insight of what was happening if you weren’t to know. highlights what the interview consists of.
- 6. The magazine name and logo This magazine is a collectors takes up approximately1/6th of edition, as stated. When stacked in the page; this is predominantly a shop, the reader will read the red with “Q” written in white. “25th ANNIVERSARY ~ COLLECTORS This style shows sophistication EDITION” without even picking up and a sense of a contemporary the magazine. This will lead them style. When stacked on a shelf in to pick it up and find out more a shop, the readers eye only sees since collectors editions are special the top half of the magazine, so copies of the magazine. to read “Q” so largely and The lay out on this is thought brightly, it will grab the eye. about deeply. The content is minimal compared to NME plus The words ‘Arctic Monkeys’ is the picture of the Arctic Monkeys written across the picture of is a lot different since it doesn’t them in pink. This is eye grabbing have that rebellious sharp edge since it spreads across the white that NME did. The lay out and background too and their darker positioning of the singers were trousers; the contrasting colours considered since Alex Turner (lead make it stand out. vocalist) he is at the front with the On the right, it says the right, it says “ #21 of 25 covers to collect”. The back other three behind showing that ground fill is on a 3D box and this style is used again on the left where it says “ he is more important. Music that changed my life” and so we know the two are linked. Below this, it says “By 25 artists including” which is followed by a few of the 25 names. The The magazine is generally focusing link is that the people who are in this list are on the cover of the different on the 25th Anniversary since it magazines. This list feature shows us that we are going to get content from the says it at the top, plus there is also following inside plus if we don’t want an Arctic Monkeys cover (maybe if a a part which says “#21 of 25 covers person was dedicated to a particular singer and collected their cover) then this to collect’’. would give them the opportunity to find out if it is worth buying this one or their intended artist/band.
- 7. The list on the front which mentioned a few of the 25 artists are all listed on the left hand side. The artists which appear in the issue of “Q” aren’t named, yet is just a picture of each person or band. For example we aren’t told that the girl in gold is Florence Welch, or the Ray Bans man is Tinie Tempah. This is because the ideology of the magazine has a target audience and the intended audience are likely to know who these people are because they are among their music taste. The main and biggest picture of this page would have to be Coldplay on Q magazine also has its subscription The featured artists the left. This is because they appear advertisement on the contents which are highly known centric and are a lot larger than the page. This is because the page is are represented and other artists; this may be because likely to be looked at since the directed via their photos they are a big group with a large fan reader wants to find what to read of themselves. The other base and are well known across many or what page the Florence and the bits of information which different music tastes. Machine gig is reviewed on, or the is less popular or smaller Jessie J interview is, etc. By looking and contains less detail is Along the bottom quarter of the left for that, they’ll see the advert too. listed under the page, there’s a section of the ways to Plus, being central helps aid this. “regulars” column. interact with Q magazine.
- 8. This magazine issue never had a full double page spread, because of it being the special edition copy. All the pages were interviews and pictures of the artists. The page on the right was a full photo of the artist (Jessie J) and then on the bottom right was a quote. This is eye- grabbing so you read the quote, taken from the interview and since it’s interesting, the reader will then read the rest of the interview, regardless of The top left has the title “THE MUSIC THAT whether they are interested in the artist CHANGEED MY LIFE” which is fluent throughout this because the quote which is chosen is issue and is also present on the cover. “Jessie J” is probably nothing personal, but more large, bold and spread across the centre so those about another artist or an opinion on who are flicking through will see this and will stop if someone or something. they like her or carry on flicking if they don’t. The layout has a column of CD’s relevant to the artist through the middle with the interview laid out either side. If there are any names dropped, then they have been high-lighted in yellow to show the connection. There is a red line under the title which sums up the artist and is a few words from the interview.
- 9. Ideology When I began reading music magazines, I’d find some of the reviews, interviews and features appealing, but then I may flick by 60& of the magazine in hope something else would be in its place. However, if I failed to find a specific band or artist, I’d have to go and buy another magazine to make up for what I was missing out on. I believe that a publisher should make you want to indulge into a magazine like you would a novel. Since I’ve been put off because of the many advertisements and other material which I’m not attracted to, my magazine will be the same each week yet different each week. The reader and buyer will be buying the same artists but new information for them and so they know exactly who to expect instead of buying a rock magazine and finding other artists from a different genre, such as Cher Lloyd, Nicola Roberts, etc. The title of my magazine is “Indie-Go” this is because it is an indie magazine and can be read on the go. The interviews and reviews wont be reams of pages but more shorter, to the point and since I aim for it to be an A5 magazine, it’s more comfortable in a persons hand and can be carried around so is company on the lonely train journey home from work, etc. Without thinking about myself too much yet this magazine is due to my own experiences, I will take into consideration the artists that my research found so I know what’s going in and what’s not. The pages that were being turned without being read will not be featured in my magazine, my magazine will be read from cover to cover
- 11. The majority of my participants were females and were below the ages of 24. A high percentage of these people were White British/Caucasian. One of the most important questions in this survey was how often they buy a magazine. More people buy magazines monthly than weekly, however there was a lot of people who didn’t buy a magazine at all; since the majority that did read/buy magazine s was on a monthly basis, then I think I would consider this to be how often my magazine is released. My question about how much they would pay for a magazine was canalled since if they were willing to pay a pound a week then that must mean approximately four pound a month for a magazine. The average a person would spend a week works out at £1.75 so therefore to sell it at £7.00 would be going with what they’re asking. However, since I want to gain their trust and them as a buyer, then I’m going to have to need to knock off some of that average cost therefore, they get better than what they asked for and I still get a decent profit. My research showed that people listen to music daily so therefore music is a big part of most young peoples’ lives. This research has shown me that I need to consider what my target audience are into. Since there is only three people who listen to Indie, I’ll have to combine it with another genre. I can’t really combine it with R’n’B nor Pop, however if I were to do rock, it would work well with some of the new and current artists and bands on the indie-rock scene.
- 12. IPC Media distribute their The IPC Media Limited’s magazines worldwide and they registered office is in are also available over the Southwark Street, South East internet. London. The IPC Media group is comprised of over 2200 team members while IPC Media publish two music providing to 26 million UK magazines: NME (New Music adults monthly (as well as Express) and Uncut. Both of 20 million online users). these are of a similar genre.