Final products (improved)

Evaluations (improved)

Original images (improved)

Construction Schedule

Survey Monkey questionnaire (improved)

To develop a better understanding on the typical conventional features, regulars, layouts and general appearance of my music magazine, I have sent out a questionnaire to 20 individuals, including both students and adults to receive as much feedback as possible to then create a reliable, envied magazine. The typical questions that included were their age, general interests, favourite genre of music and the typical price that they would be prepared to pay for a magazine of their choice, to name a few. 

From the feedback that I have collected, I have made judgmental conclusions to what I will definitely include in my magazine's final piece as well as discarding original ideas that I thought would be appropriate but later on found that the public would disagree.  

For my first question, I asked the public what their age was, giving them open minded answers, meaning all age ranges were accepted. With 20 people answering my questionnaire, I found that with 70% of the individuals being aged between 17-19, my original idea of aiming my magazine towards 18-25 year old's would be perfect when finding out more about people within this age range. 20% of people said that they were aged 20-23, whilst the other 20% said they were 16 or under. With this information, I know that the predominant age will be 17-19 and leaving/preparing for University. 

Having already acknowledged that my magazine will be acoustic based, I wanted to ask the general public what sub-genre I could include within the magazine and base it around acoustic music. I gave examples such as "indie", "pop", "rock" and "folk", hoping that one of my favoured genre's would be overpowered. As hoped, when calculating my results, 30% of the public chose "indie", "ska" and "folk", whilst 5% chose "pop" and the other 5%, "R&B". Having collected this information, I feel it is now up to me to chose one of the three favoured sub-genre's to acoustic music, knowing that the public will be pleased with any of the three. Considering my favourite acoustic based music is indie, I feel that using this genre will be ideal and appropriate. 

For my third question, I felt that I needed to gain more knowledge about the appearance of my front cover and what students tend to look for when they're purchasing one. By asking a simple question such as "Do you prefer simplicity or complexity?", I feel that I will get a better understanding on how much information to put on my front cover, the layout of my front cover, how many images to include and whether to have a lot of nauseating  uplifting colours or just a few admirable colours that will dominate the page. After collecting the results, I found that 80% of people noted that they liked a mixture of both simplicity and complexity on a front cover. From this information, I am planning to have three dominating colours on the front page, two images, a simple layout and write a list of many featured artists, without giving away too much information about them. By doing this, I feel that I am showing a mixture of complexity and simplicity, without dominating one more than the other. 

Question four was an easy question that meant I would gain more of an understanding on the contents of my magazine. For this question, I asked whether the individual was familiar with upcoming gigs/ festivals and whether they researched these festivals to find out more. By doing this, I would know whether to include tour dates, acclaimed festival dates and artists going, gig information including fashion and the latest trends as addition to including gossip and articles about celebrities. For this question, I found that the predominant answer was yes. To gain more knowledge, I listed another question beneath, asking what kind of hobbies the individuals had. By doing this, I had further knowledge on the typical student activities and interests that I could include in the magazine to gain more audiences to help the circulation of my magazine. The typical subjects that were included was playing instruments, shopping, skateboarding and listening to music.  

Questions 6 and 7 were two that were suited to be asked together. These questions included how much money they would accept on spending on each magazine copy and how often they would want to receive the magazine. Through the calculations, I found that £3 and £4 both had the highest percentages, 40% each, whilst £5 had 20%. Having acknowledged this information, I aim to sell my magazine between £3 and £4, at roughly £3.80. For question seven, I gave five options including, "every day", "every week", "every month", "every year" or "over a year". From this question, I learnt that 50% of people said every month, whilst 40% said every week and 10% said every year. From this information, I aim to sell my magazine each month. 

Question eight was another question that gave me more knowledge on the kinds of information to place within my magazine. Out of 20 people, I found that only 2 people didn't play an instrument. Out of the other 18, instruments such as guitars, pianos and drums were the most predominant. Information such as instruments that are currently being sold, their prices, music related shops that may be of interest to the public and posters that include bands and well-known celebrities playing instruments may be appropriate. 

For question nine, I felt that asking the public what would attract them to pick up a magazine would be a great insight into the designing aspect of my magazine creation. My options included the genre of music the magazine includes, the celebrities included, the colours/ fonts/ layout of the magazine and the free give away's. Through this question, I found that most people found the genre of music and the celebrities included of most interest. Due to this, I feel that capturing my images will be important. Including an interesting setting, props and costume will be something that I will take into consideration when taking my final images. 

For my last question, I felt that the colour of my magazine will be a subject that I will find difficult in choosing. Giving many options for this question meant that the most predominant colour that is chosen can be taken into consideration. In conclusion to this question, blue, green, black and white were the four colours that were chosen the most. Having taken this into consideration, I feel that including these colours will be ideal as addition to showing that my magazine is not aimed specifically at one gender but both.

Final images - Locations, props, costume

Within my final magazine, I have captured and included specific images that help to define the typical genre of my magazine and have a certain connection with the contents within the magazine, helping to persuade my audience to purchase it. 

On my front cover, I have used six separate images including five of my vintage appearing model in Polaroids and one main image as a focal point filling the page. For my five Polaroid images, I used the location of Happisburgh clifftops. By doing this, I got perfect lighting for the images which added a country feel to them, linking into my folk/ indie theme. The costume for these images were not important due to capturing close up images of her face. Despite this, I made sure that her hair and make up looked vintage whilst intertwining a modern feel into the images. Despite using a prop of balloons, only one image shows this prop. By including this, I included a young, fun and free theme into the images.

The main image on my front cover was captured outdoors whilst my model was smoking. The costume for this image was not important either due to the close up framing, however included sunglasses and a cigarette as props to link in with my young target audience. Editing this image into black and white meant that although the appearance of my model proved to relate to younger people, the black and white could also make the image appear sophisticated. 

On my contents page, I included two images in the same style as my Polaroid images on my front cover to create unity. Both of these images were taken on different days at different social events. Both being taken outdoors, I made the lighting bright and contrasted in parallel with the rest of my magazine. No props were included in either of the images taken although in the image of myself and my friend, my straw hat adds to the festival theme. The costume of this shoot was equally not important due to the close up framing, although my models all suited the shoot due to their age.

For my last page, the feature article, I used an image that was then spread across one half of the double page spread. For this image, I photographed myself and a friend together by setting my camera on a timer. To take this photograph, I went outdoors to enable as much day light and sun to shine onto the image and create an atmospheric, appealing image that resembled festival weather. No props were used in this image; however a particular costume was used to further show the festival outfit including hats, flowered headbands and polka dot tops. The general image of the models in this image was to have large hair and natural make up.

In conclusion to all of the images used, I managed to capture both males and females to show how my magazine was targeted for both genders. All images were focused around the festival/ indie and folk theme and were all planned beforehand.

Original feature page ideas

Original contents ideas

Original front cover ideas

Publishers

IPC media company, 1890, is a Time Warner company that specialises around mass market brands, engaging around 26 million UK adults a year. When calculating the UK statistics, IPC is predominantly targeted towards UK women whilst almost two thirds of UK women are said to purchase brands published by IPC and just over 40% of UK men are said to do the same.  When researching into the typical magazines that were published by IPC, I found brands such as “Marie Claire”, “NME”, “Now” and “Woman’s weekly”. Overall, as a media brand, IPC sells over 350 million copies each year.

IPC is divided into three separate publishing companies, “IPC Connect”, “IPC Inspire” and “IPC Southbank”. IPC Connect is a mass market magazine that is aimed towards women, including women’s gossip, TV entertainment, tradition and real life. The typical magazines that are published from PIC connect include “Now”, “Chat” and “Woman”. As oppose to this, IPC inspire is a brand that is directly aimed for men. Having over 30 brands, all dedicated towards music and mass market men, IPC inspire design magazines that focus around Sports and leisure, country life and rugby world. The last IPC category, IPC Southbank, is a magazine brand designed for women in the upmarket division. These magazines include the typical appealing news such as fashion, home interests and lifestyle.

Not only does IPC focus around fashion, reality and leisure, they also provide magazine entertainment that explores all of the newest, favourite shows on TV whilst accessing news about celebrities and their shows. These brands include “What’s on TV”, “TV Times” and “TV & Satellite week”.

“Bauer”, 1875, is a privately owned media brand that is well known in fifteen countries worldwide. Having 6400 employees, the typical magazine brands published by Bauer include “Closer”, “Garden news”, “Grazia”, “Kerrang”, “More” and “Q”. Bauer media group’s magazines circulate 38 million magazines per week whilst attempting to suit a wide variety of different people’s needs and influencing others to read the magazines. Similarly to IPC magazines, Bauer publishes TV listings magazines such as “Take a break” and “BRAVO”.

Still, equally as successful as before, in 2011, Bauer published 53 new magazine brands all including subjects such as food, golf and science.

The last magazine company that I chose to depict was “Conde Nast”. Conde Nast, 1909, is an American magazine company that caters for middle class individuals who are predominantly employed. Having a median age range of 52, Conde Nast publishes magazines such as “Vogue”, “Easy living”, “Traveller”, “GQ”, “The New Yorker”, “Glamour” and “Vanity fair”. Each year, it is said that the magazine circulation is as high as 811,754 people catering for both males and females. Statistically found, 42% of the purchases are down to males and 58%, female.

Conde Nast is a company that is specifically owned by the “Newhouse family” and has been since 1959. Within each magazine, subjects including food, home, culture, travel and most dominantly, fashion are included, .  To gain publication and circulation, Conde Nast uses a wide range of electronic gadgets including Ipads apps, websites and magazines to entice people from all ages to look into their magazines and other brands that they have designed and published.

In 2013, it was said that “Conde Nast, college of fashion and design” will be opening in central London, offering two different courses consisting of a 10 week “vogue fashion certificate” course and a year long “Vogue fashion foundation diploma” course. Known for their wealth, admiration and envied clothing designs, magazines and models, Conde Nast is an upper class company that is predominantly targeted towards elder individuals ranging from people 20 years and up. For this reason, when comparing this company to my magazine, in reality, I would suggest that this company would be more likely to publish my magazine than Bauer and IPC. 

If I were to compare "Bauer magazine" company to "Conde Nast", It is visually clear that Conde Nast is a stronger, wealthier and more envied magazine company. Despite Conde Nast targeting their audience towards elder people, it is statistically obvious that it still manages to reach a higher circulation, overpowering Bauer's magazines such as "Practical Photography" and "more!". Bauer magazine company offer other media related brands including radio stations "Mojo", CFM radio" and "heat" and websites including "aloud.com" and "box television". Due to having a variety of different brands that alter from music, fashion, pregnancy, cooking and films, Bauer caters for a lot more people, meaning having more predominant, well-known brands than Conde Nast.  

Original magazine ideas

By February, I am aiming to have planned, drafted, designed and completed my final music magazine. To accomplish my intentions, I have made assumptions and planned the outcome of who my target audience is, what colours I would like to include in the magazine, the pricing, the title of my magazine and the style of font, to name but a few.

To begin this task, I studied the current music magazine trends and their techniques of producing a product that is worthy of purchasing. By virtue of the magazine industry being either aimed for males or females, I decided to state my magazine as suiting both genders to enable as much circulation to occur as possible. Suiting both genders meant that the genre of music I chose has to entice both without overpowering one predominant gender. I felt that understanding what age group my target audience will be would help me choose the genre of music. After acknowledging that I knew more about my generation, I felt aiming my magazine at 18-28 year old's would mean I would know more about their interests and be able to create a reliable magazine. As addition to this, I chose to focus my magazine around a specific genre of music that I am most familiar with. Having acknowledged that I play two acoustic instruments, guitar and ukulele, I felt that my magazine would be acoustic based, including indie, pop and folk music. 

Including colours that are most striking will mean that the young audience will find it most persuasive to pick up the magazine and open it up to view other features. I plan to include one bold colour that will dominate the page and then use other, easily read, less illuminating colours such as white and black to show professionalism and and help to show  the social class that it is targeted towards as addition to still being visually appealing. Designing a magazine that looks sophisticated, clear and simple is my main aim. 

Three font experiments

Vintage Hummingbird For my first font idea, I chose a sans serif technique “Lucida Handwriting”. Due to the artistic flicks at the end of each letter, I feel this font creates a unique, adventurous appearance at the same time as looking professional with the neat, joined up handwriting. I feel that this font will suit my target audience well due to it not suiting a particular gender more than the other. As a result of the bold font, I feel placing this overlaying onto the main image will be clear and easy to understand.

VintageHummingbird For my second choice, I decided on a similar sans serif font, “Bradley Hand ITC”.  Although this font is slightly too thin, which may be hidden by other overpowering elements on my front cover, I particularly like the curved, flicked style that emphasises the “individual” people for my target audience.

Vintage Hummingbird The third font that I experimented with for my front cover was a serif style, “MV Boli”. Due to the large, bold letters, I felt that this font would suit my magazine well, considering it was very much similar to my other two.  As addition to this, I feel that this font is much easier for the audience to read, whilst still being eye catching and enticing for a young target audience.

Overview of the magazine industry

In the magazine industry today, publishers, editors and directors are creating unique, interesting, enticing and exciting magazines for society. After 14 years of extreme concern with the magazine industry, publishers were suffering from lack of circulation purchases. Beginning in 1996, with the “Stamp sheet subscription decline” and “Wholesaler Consolidation”, the chaos followed on with the “tech bubble”, “Audit Bureau Rule Changes”, “The Competitive Threat of Search and Social Media”, “The financial bust” and “A shift towards female publications” to name but a few. Due to this, the magazine growth fell by 14% in 2006 and since then has had a large effect on the availability of magazines.

In the UK, it is said that 3.7 million magazines are sold per day, having 2,400 sold a minute. Due to magazines such as “the stool pigeon”, “Properganda” and “DIY magazine” being given to the public for free, the original circulation has decreased to the point that it is having a sudden effect on the magazine industry and the amount of magazines sold. In 2009, magazine publishing became a popular career whilst bigger magazine titles were being introduced to society, over powering the older, smaller brands. Through much disagreement, smaller brands began to create more appealing magazines that included all of the latest, important information, pictures and gossip to entice their target audience.

Having four major classified labels including "consumer", "business", "customer" and "newspaper supplements",  the magazine industry also provides the public with smaller labels, "part works" and "academic journals".

Through research, I have found many top listed magazine companies with the different kinds of magazines they published. Some of these companies include “Bauer”, “Conde Nast”, “Hearst” and “Time Warner”. Along with the companies, magazines such as “Cosmopolitan”, “Marie Claire”, “Entertainment Weekly” and “Soaps in depth” were created. It is said that in 2012, the most popular music magazines are both produced from the same company, Bauer. Both Q magazine, 1986, and Mojo, 1993, have a circulation of over 80,000 people each year, whilst producing magazines focusing around the latest music, radio, film and reviews.

Director of Bauer magazine mentions, “Bauer's influential music brands continue to dominate in the UK, underlining the loyalty of our highly engaged audiences and our commitment to delivering the best content in a 360 experience. Our magazines sit at the heart of our multi-platform music brands, which have never been more connected with their passionate and influential audiences in print, online, radio, events, TV, podcasts, social media and our world renowned awards."

Since the upgrade of technology, magazine publishers have had to create magazines that include unique, valued information to keep the circulation going. Other technology such as mobiles, radios and social networking give the target audience the information that is likely to be written within the magazine for free, acknowledging the fact that the magazine will lose their likely fans. The popular magazine, NME, has said to have decreased its circulation by 14.3% in the first half of 2011 to the circulation of 29,020 people. Although the magazine brand is being published in many different methods such as mobile, TV, radio, live events, social media and the magazines, “IPC” have mentioned that it is still recognised as a multi-platform media brand.

For the future, it is said that due to the sudden rise of magazine producers, new technology and bigger companies, methods such as organising structures, improving the “Circ quality”, improving app technology due to the rise in people purchasing smart phones, investigating in data development and becoming more familiar with the target audience are ways in which magazine companies can become stable.