Audience Feedback

I asked a selection of people what genre they thought the magazine covered, the publication's purpose and intention and who they thought the target audience were simply by looking at the cover and contents page. In response to these questions, they were asked to consider features of my magazine front cover and contents pages and make remarks on aspects such as colour scheme, typography, photography etc.

How did they respond?

Genre: To the audience, the cover didn't seem to reflect 'indie' or electro music, as they suggested the colours and people photographed meant the magazine was about a different genre of music. They could only tell what the genre was by looking at the information in the contents. The response showed that I had not represented the genre well enough visually in the magazine.

Target audience (click to read my target audience profile): They felt that the colours and photography implied that it was aimed at a teenage/young adult and that the magazine appeals to all races as the cover suggested diversity in the music industry. This was intentional, because I felt that the magazine should have a wide appeal to ensure it is widely read. Only one of the people made a comment about the location of the magazine. I now feel that I should have emphasised this, perhaps the tagline 'London's ultimate new music monthly' was not visible enough.

The masthead colours seemed to suggest an older target audience, but the 'cartoon' pair of headphones appealed to a younger audience, thus making it appeal to a wider audience.

Purpose and intention: 

The audience felt there was an emphasis on concerts and gigs and that in general, the purpose of the magazine was to  inform the audience about music and popular culture and promote artists. The minimalistic layout showed that there was an emphasis on the information provided by the magazine. I wanted to use a minimalist layout so the magazine would be easy to navigate and read. I wanted to challenge the conventions seen in the music press by having lots of text and images on one page because the audience would be used to seeing this in the media, especially on websites. As well as being visually appealing, it would be more practical for the reader to see less text on the page.

Evaluation Question

Looking back at your preliminary task of designing the front page and contents of a school magazine what do you feel you have learnt in the progression of it to full product?

Comparison of the covers:

• Whereas the preliminary task cover only uses one font, the full product cover uses a main font (Helvetica) and a different one for the feature story
• The photography in the final product is also more suited to its purpose. The lack of objects makes the text more legible and the fact the audience can see the subjects' faces allows them to identify with them, an concept that relates to the uses and gratifications theory
• The full product also incorporates more magazine conventions, such as the issue number and date

Furthermore, the planning required for the final task was much more developed than the preliminary task planning. For example, I used a flat plan to make my production more efficient. Additionally, the knowledge I gained about photography (iconography, shot types) when making the school magazine helped me think about how I wanted the music magazine to look. Learning about mise-en-scène was particularly helpful when it came to arranging the lighting, backdrop and actors in my photography.
 I also became more discerning when selecting the photos for the final publication, despite not being restricted to using a certain type of shot on the cover.


I developed my skills in Photoshop during the process of completing the product, learning more about layers and other techniques which sped up the production of my front cover and contents page.

Feature article from NME, October 2010

Looking extensively at existing publications helped me recognise the features of a magazine that I needed to include in my final project. Continuity features such as a page footer on the contents page and feature article page allow the reader to easily navigate through the magazine. I also summarised the contents of each section on the contents page, copying this from the examples of the music press I looked at.

The magazine's page footer shows the page number, the publication title, the publication date and the logo

Evaluation Question

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Evaluation Questions

What kind of media institution might distribute your magazine and why?

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Evaluation Questions

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Evaluation Questions

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Evaluation Questions

Who would be the audience for your music magazine?   

This mood board gives some information about the target audience such as age, race, gender, location and interests

The magazine focuses largely on new music in the indie genre and other similar types of music. The style in articles would be quite informal without using colloquialisms to avoid being inaccessible for some readers, although it is largely aimed at people aged 16 to 24. The gender of readers would not be overwhelmingly male although this is a trend present throughout the music press. For instance, NME’s readership is 69% male and only 31% female.

NME reader profile January - June 2009

 The lifestyle of the readership would vary, from the younger readers attending school or college perhaps working part-time to slightly older readers in university or at work. The readership is informed on global matters and takes interest in issues more local to them like politics. They would have a low income due to working part time, relying on an allowance or working in low-level jobs as graduates. The audience access music in a range of ways; using the internet or music streaming programmes, listening to radio shows and television music channels, attending music festivals and gigs and downloading MP3s or buying CDs. They spend most of their disposable income on entertainment: music, video games, gigs and live events and films with the latter as social activities requiring them to spend money on clothes, food and transport. After entertainment, the audience spend most of their money on clothes. Other hobbies and interests may be performing in their own bands, volunteering, using social networking websites and playing sports. The type of advertising featured would mainly be promotions for albums and singles, films, video games and activist organisations as they are relevant to the readership’s interests. Inexpensive audio equipment such as headphones would be advertised due to their universality and relevance in a music magazine. 

 The uses and gratifications theory demonstrates how the content would fulfil the audience’s needs:

•     Diversion: The publication provides entertainment through its light-hearted articles and features. Also, it encourages its readership to enjoy music whether at concerts and festivals or in the comfort of their own homes.
•     Surveillance: Information about the music scene is offered in every issue’s news section and the gig guide is a listings page of events taking place every month.
•     Personal Identity: Interviews published in the magazine may affirm the identity of the reader, for example, an artist based in London (where the publication is solely distributed) may mention areas in it which a reader would be familiar with.
•     Personal Relationships:  Media such as magazines can be used within existing relationships, for instance, friends may discuss the content of ‘Sound’ with each other.

How did you attract/address the audience for your music publication?

In my article I attracted readers familiar with the type of artists featured in existing publications, such as NME and similar magazines that cover the same genre of music. I made it more relevant, satisfying the audience’s need for personal identity, to my audience through representation: the featured band is from London (the magazine will be based in and circulated throughout the city) and young. Descriptive terms such as 'eagerly anticipated' and 'innovative' are critical in captivating the reader, encouraging them to read on. The mode of address to an extent mirrors the style in which the audience communicate with each other, allowing them to relate to the publication better. The layout of the cover in comparison to very genre specific magazines such as Top Of The Pops or Kerrang! is rather minimal, making it appeal to a slightly older readership while the use of bright colours still will attract teenage readers. The typography used does not appeal to a niche market, but still reflects the style of music as exclusive and contemporary. 

The use of capitalised text on the cover demands the attention of the audience, with language such as ‘exclusive’ appealing to music fans in search of new music. Moreover, the competition sticker is a lure to appeal to music fans, regardless of age. The magazine would promote itself to the intended audience in advertising space on websites. It would also have a presence on social networking websites in order to relate to the audience.


The low cover price of £2.00 attracts readers from the target audience and widens the publication's appeal. I decided to price it slightly cheaper than established magazines (Kerrang!'s cover price is £2.20 while NME is priced similarly, both are published weekly) to persuade potential readers into buying it. My magazine is published on a monthly basis, priced lower than others published every week. This would appeal to teenagers who receive a small allowance from their parents or students working part-time jobs.

Feature Article

Feature Article

Music magazine cover and contents

Design and Layout

The above screenshot demonstrates how I have followed a conventional layout style in my product. I feel that the while the layout adheres to conventions instead of challenging them, this is necessary as the audience would be familiar with this kind of layout style as it is seen in a variety of existing magazines including Mixmag and NME. The bright colours are attractive and white, black and grey are used to add impact. I used a pale green colour for the background to make it easy to read against the black text. The typography, a mix of Helvetica in the body text and Geo Sans Light in the headline, byline and pull-quote, presents the content as non-traditional and interesting.

The sans serif typography seen in the masthead and throughout the magazine reflects the content as it has a contemporary feel. The headphones logo appeals to the target audience, frequent users of mobile phones and iPods which require them. I specifically used black, white and grey in the masthead as these colours could fit i with almost any colour scheme used in different issues of the magazine.

Using Pages

I used Pages to create my feature article. Using feature articles from NME and Mixmag as references, I included elements seen in existing publications such as a title, subheading, a dropped capital and a pull quote. I used a combination of fonts to make it the title, subheading and pull quote look stylised. For the body text, I used a simpler font that would be easier to read.

For continuity, I also included a footer made in Photoshop with the magazine's logo, the issue number, date and page number

Yet another continuity feature was the use of colour. The colour scheme of pink, green, grey and black was used throughout my publication.

I created a pull quote using the text box function on Pages and included a photo of the artist on the page opposite the text, a layout seen often in NME. The colour background was made using a shape moved to the background and I changed the placement of the title and subheading in the final version.

Publication Photography

Publication photography

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Using Photoshop

For the cover photography, I simply made a few adjustments in the photograph's contrast and brightness. It was also cropped to fit the cover.

The image on the contents page was made by selecting the actors as shapes from individual photos taken of them and transferring them onto a transparent background and then on to the contents page. I also used the layer style function to add shadows for extra impact.

Preliminary Task: Front Cover Analysis

The strapline shows the reader the issue's highlights and the masthead is personal yet creative. The bright colours draw attention to the text and are eye catching for a younger audience. The tagline is brief enough to fit under the masthead, while including enough information for the audience to understand what the magazine's about.

The main image is appropriate as it relates to the feature. It demonstrates how students learn actively at Acland Burghley school. The cover stories have a wide appeal to ABS students, La Swap students, teachers and parents alike. 

The shape hints at the magzine's coverage of the arts and the web address engages a young audience.

Forming ideas and flat planning.

Brainstorming ideas for my publication: price, name and masthead font, target audience, magazine format and size, content, circulation, how frequently it is published etc.

Flat planning for the contents page. I also experimented with different font styles on paper.

A flat plan is a simplified version of a magazine which indicates what goes where which allows magazine editors and designers to visualise the features of the publication.

Publication Typography

As well as commenting on typography, I've also experimented with ideas for a masthead using different font sizes and colours. I think the third one is particularly effective as I can also use it as a logo (three letters on each line is the 'magic number' in  branding) inside the magazine, too.

However, I decided to change the masthead font upon receiving some early audience feedback. I was told that this font would have been more appropriate for a magazine like Mixmag which focuses on dance and electronic music.

Target Audience Profile

Target Audience Full Profile:

• Age Group: 16-25
• Gender: Slight majority of male readers perhaps 55% male and 45% female 
• Level of Education: Sixth form, college, HE or university students
• Level of Income: Low, from allowance or part time jobs
• Disposable Income: Most of their money is spent on entertainment (music, gigs, video games, films), clothing, transport, food, mobile phones and other similar technology 
• Interests/Current Lifestyle: Attend gigs and festivals regularly, also spend money on other forms of entertainment and clothes, phone bills/credit. Mainly full time in education, some may work part time or do voluntary work
• Aspirations: Want to go to university or if already in university want to graduate and enter professional careers
• How do they communicate with each other? Social networking webistes, blogs, texting and phonecalls via mobile phones
• Where do they live? Greater London, with a smaller number of readers living outside the area but working/going to school or going there on a regular basis

Original photography for the preliminary task

The cover photograph was given a contrast boost, brightened and cropped in Photoshop to make it a mid shot image.

This photograph in the contents was also brightened and resized smaller to make it fit the page.

The top of this photograph was cropped and it had greater contrast added in Photoshop to make the colourful artwork stand out against the white background.

Comparative analysis and evaluation of two music magazine covers

Q and Kerrang! magazines

Similarities

• Masthead
• Features placed centrally
• Mentions other features
• Colour scheme limited to less than 5 colours including black and white
• Banner showing other features
• Taglines
• Issue no, date, cover price, website, barcode     

Differences

• Q has less pictures, main focus is on featured artist
• Kerrang! has names and pictures of other artists in the edition
• Kerrang! has more images than text and three different fonts are used on the cover

                                                             

Kerrang!

The generic music magazine conventions employed by Kerrang! suggest the target audience are 'alternative' males aged 15-21. This is evident in the fact that the title's name comes from a guitar noise heard in alternative rock music. The grungy, distorted typography on the masthead and other text gives the publication personality, an edge that shows they cater to the needs of a niche market; young fans of  rock music.

The mode of address implies that the magazine's readership is young. Informal, non technical language is used on the cover and the offer of free posters in most editions confirms this as they are imperative in the young fan's adoration of their favourite rock stars. Aggressive language, e.g. 'crush', 'storm', 'uproar' demonstrates that it is aimed at young men in particular, as it is linked with traditional notions of masculinity.

Q

Q magazine aims to provide its readers with "outstanding writing and photography, unparalleled access, extensive reviews" and this is evident from the above issue's cover. It promotes the feature article by name dropping industry figures which demonstrates that the magazine is targeted at older music fans who have some knowledge of the music industry and well established acts.

The masthead is simply the letter 'Q' in a white serif font inside a red box. This type of font infers that the publication has an authoritative stance on the music industry while the colour white has connotations of exclusivity. The use of red is to allow older readers to be more familiar with the magazine, because older publications like Melody Maker, NME and Rolling Stone all at one point utilised the colour on their mastheads. Indeed, Q's masthead has changed little since it was founded in 1986.

It is unclear which gender the magazine is marketed towards generally, although this issue's cover includes phrases such as 'girl powered' and female artists are well represented on the cover. Despite this, it is obvious that this is a special edition and there are far more older male entertainers listed on the cover as features. Also of note is the fact that the featured female artist is covered up, suggesting the publishers wanted to specifically appeal to women readers for this edition.

Preliminary Task: School magazine cover and contents page

Preliminary Task: School magazine cover and contents page

This is the first stage in creating the required preliminary task for my Media Studies coursework. Using Adobe Photoshop, I have begun to produce a school magazine cover. On the left, I have used typical conventions such as a masthead, strapline, earpiece and website link. These expected features alongside the use of bright colours make the publication appealing to a universal audience, for example students, parents, teachers and governors of a school. For both the cover and contents I have used the primary colours for continuity, making my publication more cohesive. The handwritten script font also gives the magazine a casual, friendly feel.

The next stage included taking photographs for the magazine at school, one of which had to be a mid-shot of a pupil for the publication's cover. Using Photoshop, I cropped the image, changed the contrast and, colour balance and saturation of the photo before I pasted the image onto my cover. Finally, I added some text about the feature article of the issue, a cover price and a barcode. I gave the masthead a little more impact by creating a shadow under the text, using the layer style option.

 For the contents page, I copied the masthead onto the top of the page and added the page's title. To make the page look more interesting I used the 'splodge' shapes with the text. These had to be grouped (using the shift+link function) to make a single layer so I could move the shape around, deciding on its placement on the page. The photographs used were manipulated before being placed behind the text, also.

This is a mockup magazine cover I created on Photoshop. I intended to explore how existing publications create the effect of having text behind the subject's head, like in the picture below.

3.1 Textual analysis of codes and conventions

Activity: Studying reader profiles

1. Summary of music consumption in NME readers

The majority of readers buy physical copies (CDs or LPs) from record shops which are mainly major chains rather than independent retailers, but the difference in percentage is small. They have extensive music collections (they are described as 'music completists') who purchase single tracks, b-sides and live/remixed versions. Nearly all of the readers surveyed owned a CD player, although the survey was carried out in 2004-5, so it is imperative that one notes the revolutionary impact of mp3 downloads and iPods or other mp3 players.

Fewer readers recorded in the survey bought tracks or whole albums online, had records copied onto their computers.

Masthead Research

This task was completed using Photoshop. Using the command+shift+4 shortcut, I printscreened the mastheads and pasted them into a Photoshop document and inserted text, commenting on the colour, shape, typography and language of the individual mastheads.

Research on blogs

Eye magazine blog, an extension of the magazine which focuses on graphic design, illustration and photography. I think that although it uses bright, attractive fonts and graphics, there is too much content on the page, for example 10 articles where there could be fewer. Articles are categorised under several headings, there is a search function and a drop-down list of blog contributors which the reader can select their writer of choice. These features as well as an RSS feed, list of 'noted' blogs and links to article comments make the Eye blog easy to navigate and interesting to read.

French artist DJ Mehdi's blog. This is an example of a 'journal' blog. The illustration (background, title, links) reflects the content and  makes it seem more personal. Unlike the Eye blog, it is heavy on pictures and videos, but posts are filed under different tags and the blog contains a monthly archive making for easy navigation.

The New Yorker is published weekly in print form and this blog's purpose is to mainly promote the content of the publication. An aspect of the blog that I like is that it uses a variety of media, including photos, cartoons/illustrations, podcasts and videos. Furthermore, it is enhanced by its use of the interactive features that the platform Tumblr offers. For example in this post, a Tumblr user can answer the quiz question. On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend this blog to users unfamiliar with the platform. The New Yorker has other blogs on its website which allow users to share the content and comment without logging in, yet the layout is very dense with little colour. The use of a small serif font (on both    this blog and the New Yorker's website) actually makes the text less legible in my opinion.

The Selby, an interior design blog showing "creative individuals in their personal spaces". The header and links (designed by Akiko Stehrenberger, who uses traditional illustration techniques like watercolour painting and pencil drawing in her work) give the otherwise rather bland design an element of fun and creativity.

The Guardian: Music Blog

The Guardian's music blog is informative, easy to use and uses a combination of written articles, music videos, playlists and audio clips. The design is very minimalistic, with a limited colour scheme of grey white and varying shades of pink suggesting it is aimed at adults, particularly those who already read the newspaper's film and music supplement.

The graphic above demonstrates the variety of genres (hip-hop, jazz, rock, classical) that the blog covers. The Guardian also uses similarly styled illustrations for its other culture blogs. This continuity is a feature that gives the blog its identity and status as the paper is well known for its journalistic merit.

Content Analysis and Target Audience

So far, we have been learning about the media concept of target audience (using demographics and psychographics) and the uses and gratifications theory.  By analysing the content of Top Of The Pops and NME, I will comment on who the target audience is and why they read these publications, linking this to my research.





Top Of The Pops
The publication is aimed at girls aged 10-15. This is evident through the type of features and advertisements throughout the magazine. For example, adverts for toiletries have been placed to appeal to pubescent readers, with the regular item "Boys Revealed" also included to engage the audience. Moreover, it is appropriately priced at £2.35 monthly with the promise of posters and other free gifts, luring in readers with only pocket money to spend. The covers generally feature photos of artists and actors familiar to the readership, using bright colours (pink, white, blue, yellow) and stylised typography. Pull quotes from the featured articles are utilised to grab the reader's attention, also. Top Of The Pops is acessible to its audience largely because of the informal style and colloquialisms used in the magazine's writing.
The ratio of advertisements to articles and features, however, is low as the magazine is produced by the BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the BBC.

The readers of Top Of The Pops:

• are in the age group between 11 and 15, mainly preadolescent
• are largely white and female, arguably as this group has the greatest representation in the publication other than white males whose presence is to serve as a 'pin-up' for the readers
• are in mainstream education (attends school, the problem page mostly deals with issues readers face in school)
• have a small potential spending bracket (to spend on high street clothes, cheaper brands of makeup, cinema tickets, albums, video games etc. Spending pocket or earned money on these commdities may be seen as a hobby as it is done socially)

BBC data for the publication demonstrates that it has a large readership of mostly girls in the 11-15 age bracket.

In terms of psychographics, they are chiefly apolitical, still in the process of forming their ideals and values. They use the magazine and other media such as television, music, computer games, films and radio as a source of entertainment as a diversion from the stresses of school life. They also have high aspirations, demanding the latest fashions and mobile phones, wishing to emulate the celebrities featued in the magazine. People of the targeted age group are usually being given some form of career advice at school, although celebrity culture may have an impact on their career choices.


Top Of The Pops readers read the magazine for the following purposes:


Surveillance: the magazine puts an emphasis on the celebrities it imparts information about. For example, the cover shown claims the issue has the latest entertainment gossip. It also has advice columns, horoscopes, fashion and beauty tips, entertainment listings and a 'Real Life' story in every edition.
Diversion/entertainment: other than the articles, the magazine contains games and quizzes.

Personal identitiy: in the magazine, celebrity interviews are conducted in a way to relate to the issues readers may have faced growing up, for example facing bullies at school. In addition to this, readers are encouraged to send in letters to the editors and the problem page.

Personal relationships: this is fostered by the idea that the magazine's content may be discussed among readers or perhaps they may share the free gifts and posters Top Of The Pops offers.

NME

This magazine is aimed at no specific gender, with the age range of the audience between 16 and 30. Its full name 'New Music Express' suggests an emphasis on covering upcoming acts, although in an attempt to attract older readers, they often feature artists more familiar with music fans in the 25-30 age bracket. An example would be the 6th October 2010 edition with a cover photo of Marcus Mumford, a contemporary folk rock musician, while it offers 'free classic' posters of Bob Dylan, an artist whose peak in popularity was during the 1960s. While the inclusion of the latter in the magazine may seem incongruous, some artists with 'classic' status in the music industry are perceived as having universal appeal- in this case to 20-somethings.
  The 25-30 demographic is percieved to have a much higher potential spending bracket rather than the teenage demographic, yet the magazine is still cheaper at £2.30. NME occasionally includes a covermount CD as an attractive offer, but relies on an established readership who read it for its authoritative stance on pop music. Furthermore, the publication's recent redesign (April 2010) has been seen as an attempt to portray the magazine as "much more mature and aspirational", with " content which focuses on being in-depth, opinionated and above all knowledgeable".


NME's 'new' covers contain a variety of slick studio photography and shots taken 'on the road'. The more informal photos affirm NME's status, showing that they are an elite publication that has good relationships with the musicians featured. The font style varies, conveying the magazine's tone. It alters between a capitalised bold sans serif which has a contemporary feel, a 'personal' handwritten font and a traditional serif type which has connotations of authority.

Examples of text from NME showing the variety of fonts used in the magazine.

The casual language present in NME's articles suggests it caters to a young audience despite other inconsistencies.

The readership of NME:

• are in the age group between 15 and 25 largely white and male, due to the fact that this group has the greatest representation in the publication.
• are in secondary or teritary education, living in urban areas (the gig guide focuses on concert dates in cities).
• have a small potential spending bracket as they are mainly students, but they may have an income from part-time work or pocket money from parents. The readers spend their money mostly on entertainment: on records, gig and festival tickets, video games, films. Some, as musicians themselves, may spend money on equipment and instruments, suggested by the band adverts towards the back of the magazine.

NME readers read the magazine for the following purposes: 

Surveillance: News stories are reported in the first few pages of NME. There is an emphasis on 'new' music, allowing readers to have all of the latest news on upcoming acts. Furthermore, finding out information about album releases and tour dates is imperative for the passionate music fan.

Diversion/entertainment: Readers use NME as a source of entertainment as well as information. The articles are written in a humourus tone and the publication features quizzes and rants on the last page.

Personal identitiy: The use of colloquial language allows readers to relate to the journalists and even the artists who give interviews. Like Top Of The Pops, readers can send in letters to the editing team.

Personal relationships: NME features a listings guide and concerts are a social function as well as giving fans an opportunity to enjoy live music. Readers can share opinions about the features in the magazine in its online forums.