Research and Planning
Magazine Analysis
The 4 F's
Format:
This includes what the magazine looks like in every issue, and the design used which defines the magazines overall look.The things that should look the same in every issue include the logo,cover lines, the size of the magazine and department headers.
Formula:
The formula is what actually goes inside of the magazine which is known as the editorial content.Things that contribute towards this are the articles, their length and departments that are in the front and back of the book in every issue, these all contribute to the formula.
Frame:
The frame is the standard size for gutters and outer page margins, however this can vary in different types of magazines,some use the same margin width throughout the magazine;others may vary the width used in certain features in the magazine. The rule of using margins allows consistency in every issue made.
Function:
The function is what the magazine is what the magazine is trying to achieve and the message they're trying to send.
Consistency and unity:
This is very important for a magazine to keep consistency in what the magazine looks like, the content and layout so that it appeals to the readers. If the magazine isn't consistent it wont appeal to readers as the look/layout isn't the same in every issue.Unity is also important in a magazine, for example the font and style of the master-head should be same in every issue so that the magazine is recognisable to the readers. Also the frame should be same in every issue and not change throughout the issue as this could make the magazine un-popular.
This includes what the magazine looks like in every issue, and the design used which defines the magazines overall look.The things that should look the same in every issue include the logo,cover lines, the size of the magazine and department headers.
Formula:
The formula is what actually goes inside of the magazine which is known as the editorial content.Things that contribute towards this are the articles, their length and departments that are in the front and back of the book in every issue, these all contribute to the formula.
Frame:
The frame is the standard size for gutters and outer page margins, however this can vary in different types of magazines,some use the same margin width throughout the magazine;others may vary the width used in certain features in the magazine. The rule of using margins allows consistency in every issue made.
Function:
The function is what the magazine is what the magazine is trying to achieve and the message they're trying to send.
Consistency and unity:
This is very important for a magazine to keep consistency in what the magazine looks like, the content and layout so that it appeals to the readers. If the magazine isn't consistent it wont appeal to readers as the look/layout isn't the same in every issue.Unity is also important in a magazine, for example the font and style of the master-head should be same in every issue so that the magazine is recognisable to the readers. Also the frame should be same in every issue and not change throughout the issue as this could make the magazine un-popular.
Existing school magazines:
What Uses and Gratifications do people get from reading magazines?
One of the main gratifications in magazines is ritual pleasure and becomes a routine in peoples lives, and buy the same magazine brand every time a new issue comes out.Also for your entertainment as you may really enjoy that genre of magazine e.g fashion.
Also all magazines give information for example when a specific band are touring or when a new album is going to be released, adding to that you can read reviews of new album releases and if you should buy it. By reading certain magazines it allows you to be knowledgeable in that certain genre for example music which makes you feel powerful and gives you a identity of what type of music you like and dislike.
Another important gratifications in magazines are freebies and competitions for instance in this issue of NME, by buying a magazine and getting something included like CD'S,posters etc, makes the magazine even better as you're getting something free as well as your favourite magazine.
Another good use of magazines is that you can take it anywhere at any time and can read it all the time instead of looking at TV or website which makes it more special.Adding to that unlike iPad's,iPhone's or computers you can feel a magazine which is another gratification, as most high quality magazines like Vogue and NME have a glossy front cover which is nice to touch and looks beautiful wherever you put it as a lot of magazine buyers collect that certain magazine.
Finally, magazine brands like NME feature some very popular bands but also some less popular bands that aren't as well known to the public, which are less likely to be featured on the TV so allows their fans to read about a interview with them and other information for example in this issue 'PEACE' are featured on the front cover they're are known to some but aren't super popular which is a another gratification as not most well know magazines would feature them.
Social identity:
The meaning of social identity is a persons sense of who they are based on their group membership and gives us a sense of belonging in the social world.
Henri Tajfel and John Turner proposed a Social Identity Theory as a way to explain intergroup behaviour.Also that the groups we belong to are important source of pride and self-esteem, there is in-group(us)and out-group(them).There are three mental stages involved in evaluating others:
Categorization-We categorize people in order to understand the social environment.
Social Identification-We adopt the identity of the group we have categorized ourselves as belonging to and this defines who you are. We also give identify other certain social groups in the way they dress and act.
Social Comparison-Once we have categorized ourselves as a part of a group and identified with that group,in order to increase our self image the in-group will discriminate against the out-group.
Mods v.s Rockers
One main examples for this theory is Mods and Rockers.These were two conflicting sub-cultures of the early 60s-70s in Britain.The Rocker subculture was centred on motorcycling and this was represented in the way they dress e.g.black leather jacket.Music was another main influence in the way they acted and dressed,Rockers listened to Rock and roll.However the Mod subculture was centred around fashion and music,Mods wore suits and a much more clean-cut outfit compared to Rockers.They mainly listened to soul and blues.They are two very different subcultures meaning a lot of conflicts and fights due to them discriminating each other to make their social group look better.
Representation of gender in the media:
The meaning of "representation" is the description or portrayal of something or someone in a certain way.Miss Representation is a American documentary which was produced in 2011.It looks at mainstream media and how women are portrayed in politics,film and television.
One of the main points throughout the documentary is how women are body props for male viewers and throughout the media women's bodies are sexualised unlike men who are seen as strong,funny and in most films their bodies aren't sexualised for the audience.Only 16% of protagonists are women but even when a female is a main character in a film their life revolves around finding a man.
Miss Representation shows us how we still live in a patriarchal society this is where the society is run by men for men.Mainly men have the top jobs in media and only 16% of women comprise of all writers,directors,producers and editors.So for magazines and films to attract a male audience they make the female an object of "desire" by sexualising their bodies on the front of male magazines but also female magazines.This however makes a female audience measure themselves against this unrealistic standards and men then judge other women against this unrealistic image.The model on the front cover of magazines are represented as weak,not independent and finally in some aspect their bodies have been sexualised.Men are presented as brave,strong and independent this also causes problems for boys and men as these certain behaviours are seen as "manly" traits and if these aren't followed for example expressing emotions they are seen less of man because of these standards.
For example GQ, straight away you can see the difference of how Miley Cyrus and Jay Z have been presented. Miley's showing off more skin in a invitational pose which shows mystery in a sexy pose also she is presented as weak on the other hand Jay Z is face forward in a smart suit and he hasn't been sexualised at all and he looks strong and independent.
What issues to magazine editors face:
The problem for magazine editors is that today in 2015 people are more aware of feminism and equality between genders.Magazine editors try not to downgrade women as this can cause big issues however in a subtle way women are still sexualised so that the magazines still attracts a male audience, they try to get a right balance between this.They always try not to offend anyone and represent people in a correct way.However, magazine editors still mainly sexualise women as they want to sell their products which shows their is still a huge issue.
In my magazine:
Overall in my music magazine I will represent gender equally as in my opinion its a correct way for gender to be presented.Neither gender will be sexualised as I would want my target audience to buy the magazine because its good quality and professional not because a certain gender has been sexualised.I don't want to involve the Male Gaze theory and i don't want my audience comparing themselves to the image i have on my front cover.Finally, I would like my magazine to appeal to most ages, both genders and all social classes.
Two theories that support Miss Representation:
Male Gaze theory:
Laura Mulvey developed the theory of Male Gaze in 1975.The theory shows how the media puts the audience in a masculine position including women and the women shown on the screen or magazine are shown as a object of desire.
The camera lingers on the curves of the female body and sexualizes the women's body for a erotic impact from the audience.By editing and framing the females body is cut into pieces creating a object to be gazed at.The events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events.
Why is the audience gendered male?
Still in the 21st century our society is patriarchal this is where the society is run by men for men, meaning film makers tend to be male thus presenting a 'male' representation of their subject. Finally viewers are encouraged to identify with the protagonist of the film who is often men.
How is gender represented in media?
Throughout media women are seen as objects of desire and are sexualised which men look at but also women however they compare themselves to this unrealistic image.However in most films you don't see men in little clothes but instead men are represented as strong figures and are mainly the protagonist in most films also arent as sexualised as women are.
Marjorie Ferguson(1980)
Marjorie Ferguson identified four types of facial expressions which are commonly used the cover photo of women's magazines.
Super smiler:
Super smiler facial expression shows a arrogant 'look at me' attitude to the audience through a care free toothy smile.
Invitational:
The invitational pose shows mystery and mischief to the reader and normally the model is turned slightly with their head over the shoulder, with emphasis on the models eyes.
The Romantic:
This pose involves a two-some normally a female and male, the pose is very sexual and there is normally contact between the two models.It shows availability to the target audience.
The Chocolate box:
The chocolate box involves a half or full smile with the lips slightly parted.It gives off the image of innocence to the audience because of the warmth the model gives off to the reader.
Circulation and readership:
The meaning of circulation is the number of papers sold on a average day through subscriptions and news-stand sales.
Readership is how many people read the magazine either in the shop or reading someone else's magazine.
National readership survey:
The NRS is a useful survey as it gives information on a range of publications in the UK, it shows how many people read a certain magazine and their social grade.The NRS covers over 250 of the major newspaper and magazines, which shows how large the company is.
For example from these results of music magazines we know that a total of 156,000 people read NME and 93,000 of them are in the ABC1 group which are in the upper class meaning they are all in well paid jobs.
However, there are some downfalls with the NRS. Their age bracket is too big for their audience.The age range of 15-34 year olds is too large as it isn't specific enough and there are big differences between these ages.Also the age bracket of 35+ is also a large age bracket meaning more difficult to know how accurate their results are.
David Carson
David Carson was a art director of Ray Gun,Carson's style of typographic experimentation influenced the magazines style of not following the conventions of other magazines at that time.The deconstruction style of design he used allowed the magazine to be very unique from other magazines and every issue involved a different style.The style of magazine was abstract,chaotic but sometimes illegible for the audience. Ray Gun was based on music and pop-culture in the 90s and a source for new artists.
These are two separate issues of Ray Gun magazine, by the front cover you can see that already it doesn't follow conventions of other magazines.The format is different in every issue, they don't use they same font for the master-head which other magazines do for example Vogue uses the same font and size in every issue produced.Unlike other magazines where there are several cover-lines in the same font and easy to read,Ray Gun uses unique fonts which aren't very illegible and are placed randomly on the front cover.
In my opinion, I like how conventions aren't followed in Ray Gun as it makes the magazine unique and artistic unlike NME,Vogue or Q that all follow these conventions for magazines however this allows the magazine to have consistency in every issue. I will like to try and not use all of the conventions in magazines to make my magazine look unique however I don't want to go too far into trying to make my magazine not conventional as this could make my magazine not look as professional.
Magazine names:
Rolling Stones:
Connotations of Name:Rolling Stones references to one of the most well known bands of all time the "Rolling Stones"."Rolling" suggests always moving forward so in this case moving forward with new artists that are popular at a particular time and it can also imply rock'n'roll."Stone" has hard connotations as rock is very heavy music but also drug connotations e.g stoner/stoned.
NME:
Connotations of Name: NME stands for "New Musical Express" which shows that the magazine is always up to date with new artists and upcoming music. The bright red font connotes danger at first and shows that the music they are showing on the magazine is "dangerous" and gives a rebellious spirit to the audience.
Connotations of Name: The word clash represents an onomatopoeic sound of a loud noise also has connotations of fighting and riots suggesting that the genre will fight against other genres of music.
Wonderland:
Connotations of Name:The logo is very simplistic and the name of the magazine "wonderland" properly has the opposite connotations than what you would expect from the word wonderland.The word has connotations of fantasy but the master head is very simplistic and bold which shows that the magazine isn't just what it seems. By using a full stop in the master-head this is very unusual to use punctuation in a master head which shows that wonderland magazine is a powerful and strong magazine that stands out from the rest.
Magazine Publishers:
Publishing in the media is where you prepare and issue magazines,books and other material for sale.Magazines are produced by institutions(companies that produce,market and distribute texts).
Bauer media is a part of Bauer media group and is Europe's largest privately owned publishing company.It offers over 300 magazines in several different countries.Some of the brands include 'Q','kerrang!' and other non-music magazines like 'Grazia'.By being a large magazine publishing company it means more copies of that magazine sold making the the company even more successful. This is shown as there are 2.5 million people who read a title published by Bauer media.
Shindig magazine is example of a magazine published by an independent publisher 'Volcano Publishing'.If there is a narrow and specialist appeal in the magazine its likely its published by an independent publisher for example Shindig magazine "60s sounds through country-rock and folk to soul and electronic experimentation". Even though the sales will be lower compared to main music magazine publishers;independent publishers can focus on an area that wouldn't necessary be covered by major publishers. Shindig although does have 82% readers in the ABC1 category and 83% of men read the magazine.Which shows there are dedicated readers to this magazine and achieves a circulation of 26,000.
Questionnaire for my music magazine:
We had to create a questionnaire for our music magazine and looking at our target audience.I asked a set of 20 questions to help build my customer profile.I asked people aged between 16-18 which were mainly females as i wanted to target this gender because normally its mainly men who buy music magazines.
My results showed that my target audience enjoys mainly the genre Indie because of this I'm going to focus my magazine on Indie music as I know my target audience of 16-18 will buy my magazine.Adding to that I'm going to look at sub-genres of Indie music and mainly female artists due to my target audience being mainly female audiences.
I looked at how often my target audience bought a music magazine I found that mainly people either bought magazines monthly or never, I would like to change this because the percentage that never bought a magazine was the second largest which means the music magazines around at the moment don't interest them.I will publish my magazine monthly so that its more likely people will buy my magazine at every issue published.
I asked my target audience who they would rather be on the front cover after they picked what genre they prefer.I found that most people picked a band instead of a single artist or celebrity.I will look at indie bands on the front of music magazines and see how they are dressed and set out to allow every member of the band to be seen.
As my target audience is 16-18 year olds,I expected that they would rather the price of the music magazine being very reasonable, must people would pay £2.51-£3.50 I think this is a reasonable price for a magazine as it will have lots of content and good quality.I will keep the pricing of my magazine at a low price as I want my audience to actually buy my magazine.
The most popular colour scheme for my magazine was bright/vibrant colours which I will use throughout my magazine to create a house style.By using bright and vibrant colours it will allow my magazine to stand out compared to other music magazines which normally have a monochrome colour scheme. Also bright/vibrant colours fit my genre of Indie because they are very unusual colours to be used on music covers and Indie music is very unique and different.
For my double page spread I needed to know what to include.I asked my target audience what they would like to see in the magazine the most popular was a interview with the band who is on the front cover, this would be good as people who are a fan or new to the bands music can learn more about the band or learn what the band is about. The next popular is photo shoots so im going to include extra photos from the photo shoot with my band on the double page spread so it has a mixture of written text and images.
I also asked my target audience about how they want the magazine to look.I asked whether they prefer a cluttered or minimalistic look on the front cover, most people said they preferred a minimalistic front cover as it looks more professional but also looks much better compared to a cluttered magazine. I also asked if they would prefer conventional or unconventional magazine because of the Ray gun magazine.The results for this was equal so im going to use a mixture of conventional and unconventional as if I go to far trying to make my magazine look unconventional it won't even look like its a magazine. Overall, this is going to help me produce my music magazine.
What makes a good magazine front cover?
A good magazine front cover depends on every viewer of the magazine and what they like and dislike.Some people like front covers that are very minimalistic but bold as they look much more professional and stand out compared to others. However other audiences may like covers that are very cluttered which shows it just depends on peoples style and opinion.
This issue of Rolling Stones in 1981 is seen as an good front cover as there is only a master head and image and no cover-lines making the front cover very minimalistic however the image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono is very bold and shows vulnerability as it is showing his affection towards Yoko. Also you would normally see the women nude and the man fully clothed but in this case its the other way round showing how much Lennon is willing to do for his love.
This magazine is so iconic as at the beginning of the year Olympic champion,Bruce Jenner came out as transgender. The image itself is very bold and iconic as it shows her revealing her new self.The image shows her as a strong and beautiful manner.The cover is very minimalistic however bold because of the image and the only main cover line which is very iconic and reveals her new image.
Finally, this magazine is very iconic as it is portraying Kanye West as Jesus Christ which is a very bold idea as we all know Kanye sees himself as a very important figure. This image caused alot of controversy however this made it a very memorable cover as its unlikely any other artist will portray themselves in this way.Unlike the other magazines, the cover is quite cluttered with all of the sub-headings however when you look at this cover your eyes are drawn straight away to the image.
From this I can see that it doesn't matter if the cover is cluttered or minimalistic,it's mainly about the image and what that image is telling the reader for example that Kanye seems himself as a religious figure.This is what makes a cover good and stand out to other magazines.
Bad Examples of magazine:
This front cover of a parents magazine is obviously a terrible front cover because of the placement of the womens head which has covered up a part of the master-head which was meant to be "parents" however ended up looking like "penis". Which is obviously hilarious to the audience but would of caused a lot of problems for the magazine brand.
Everything is wrong with this cover.It features a suspect for the Boston Marathon bombings.One question every reader or someone who has seen this magazine is why would you put a criminal on the front cover of a magazine? Another problem with the magazine is that the image isn't good quality and definitely not at standard to be used as a front cover because one it looks like a selfie and second of all an image of a terrorist.
Are music magazines doomed?
YES:
Less and less people are buying print magazines due to the popularity in social media and the internet being such an important factor in our lives. We can now look at photo-shoots,reviews and articles online meaning no point in actually buying a printed magazine when we can look at similar information online for free. Adding to that magazines are much easier to find online then finding shops that stock the magazine you're interested in.
NO:
Although magazines may not be as doomed as we thought. 87% of the population actually do buy printed magazines and don't read the magazine online.Magazine create peoples identity and relate to what they are interested in, so by buying their certain magazine it can give them a certain pleasure of actually owning the magazine.So many things have been predicted to be doomed for example cinema when people could own their own TV yet the cinema is still popular in most towns. So there is still hope for magazines.
Genre of music magazine:
I have decided to chose the genre of INDIE for my music magazine as I am very interested in this genre myself but also I like the layout and style of Indie magazines for example the magazine "NME" I would like to add aspects from other music magazines however add a unique twist to my magazine for example the colour scheme I would like to use are vibrant colours.
Audience profile:
Demographics:
Gender:Female
Age:16
ABC:C2DE (parents fall into BA)
Religion:Atheist
Education:6th form student studying english,media,textiles and
psychology
Occupation:Part-time job at HMV
Income:£400 a month
Status:Single
Nationality:British
She is very interested in indie music and enjoys a variety of bands and solo artists in this genre.Is very quiet however has a very unique outlook on life. Enjoys fashion and especially brands like zara but also vintage clothing as its very unique and represents her personality. Loves classic films like fight club and Romeo and Juliet.Enjoys going to a variety of concerts and enjoys festivals during the summer. She enoys going out with her friends to parties or food. She is a regular buyer of indie music magazines and enjoys reading reviews of new albums and interviews with her favourite artist.She enjoys travelling,running and singing.Finally she has strong beliefs on the equality between the two genders especially in the media and likes to see an equal role in films and doesnt like the front covers on magazines sexualising women's or men's bodies.
Mood board:
Magazine Names:
This is one of the names i may use for the brand name of my magazine.Narcotic means "an addictive drug affecting mood or behaviour" however in this case the addictive drug is the music people enjoy for example Indie music which makes them feel good when they listen to it.Also "Narcotic" has connotations of drugs which relates to my genre of Indie music as songs written by artists normally relate to drugs.I was inspired by the bold simplistic font because of "Wonderland" magazine and their use of very plain font which however looks very professional and minimalistic.I would change the colour in every issue so that it fits in with with the colour scheme of the image.
Draft magazines:
These drafts have helped me decided what photos I would like of my band and the positions and angles so that the images will look good on the front cover.
POP identity:
Photo-shoot Images
Here are some images from my photoshoot with Xylia. I used a variety of backgrounds for my photoshoot as I didn't know what colour scheme looked best. I had two separate photo shoots with my models as I didn't have an image that i wanted to use for my front cover so I took some pictures in front of the green screen so that i could easily change the colour of the wall. The only problem with this is that it will take much longer due to the fact of having to remove the background which is much harder and you have to be more precise. I like all of my shots from my photoshoot as they are good quality and because i took inspiration from other magazines of how the models were placed it helped me when placing my models. The problem I found with my photoshoot that eve though i had taken some good images they were the right layout as i took them landscape instead of portrait which meant it was harder to use these images. To get round this i had to take another photoshoot so that i could get several images that were portrait for my front cover.
