Analysis of Q Magazine Front Cover

Target Audience- The primary target audience for Q magazine is for both genders aged 17-25 as this is the age range that is getting involved with current music and want to know what is happening now. The majority of people reading this magazine would fall in the audience demographic at band C1 down to E.

Masthead- This masthead is effective because with the use of red and white within a square it stands out against the image behind it, although because the image behind has a different shade of red incorporated the masthead doesn’t become too in your face. This bold masthead box makes it stand out to the reader so that it’s clear to them what they are looking at and makes sure that the magazine title is more likely to stick in their mind. The size of the masthead also makes it stand out to the reader as it sticks to the common convention of being 1/8 of the page so that it is one of the first things that the reader sees so that they know the brand this magazine has come from. The masthead also has a strapline that introduces the ideologies of the magazine and gives an introduction to what should be within the magazine. This links back to the target audience as they need to be attracted into reading the magazine and the best way is through a magazine masthead that grabs their attention.

Layout- The layout of this magazine is fit for purpose because it represents a professional magazine cover that has information on the contents inside without it looking too busy or in your face. This layout features the use of one main close-up image which sticks to the convention of a main image being used that is either a medium or close-up shot. The text is then overlaid on this close-up image which makes the whole layout fit together. As the text is overlaid in even spaces it makes the layout still look confined even if the text is over the image. The different sizes of texts add different areas of interest on the cover and ensure that the layout doesn’t look too busy or overpowering for the reader. This overall layout links back to the target audience as they want the magazine to look professional and appeal to their ever changing tastes.

Colour- The colour scheme on this front cover is effective because it remains quite simple with linking the colours to the image that is used. The masthead uses the colours of red and white which stand out clearly making this a main focus. The red also links to the colour of the models hair putting these two in a colour scheme together. The majority of the text is written in white making this clear against the image of the model which means the reader can see what stories are inside and their attention is attracted to these details. The other colour that is used slightly in the writing is a bright blue which is from the colour make-up on the models eyes. This idea of linking the colour of writing with the colours used on the model means that there is a flow with the use of colours on the front cover. This links back to the target audience as they want something to look good without looking garish while using colours that remain modern which is why these colours work because they aren’t too in your face.

Images- The main image used here is a close-up shot that adds a focus onto the model and makes her the centre of the magazine front cover. This works well because it means the reader only has one main image to focus on instead of lots of different ones that would mean the reader wouldn’t have a main focus losing the effect of drawing them in. The pose that the model is doing shows her staring straight at the reader this shows the image being used as a way to attract people in. Through the fact that she is looking straight at the reader it makes it a direct address for the audience meaning they might like the feeling of being involved and therefore continue to look at the magazine. With this magazine front cover as well you can again apply the theory of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze as although her pose is as apparent as the other image of desire on the Spin magazine front cover this pose still has that same image. As it’s almost as if she is staring lustfully at the audience as if to capture them in. This is effective on the target audience because of the use of direct address it means the audience member feels they are being spoken to personally.

Typography- The most effective part of the typography on this front cover is the fact that it’s all in white which links all the text together because it’s all the same colour. This also means that all of the text stands out clearly because the white is bold against the image behind it. The different size of text is effective as well because it means that even though the text is all the same colour the different sizes and slightly different font means that it looks different. The different sizes also show each different section meaning it is easy for the reader to look at the snippets of information they want to, so that they know what they will find inside the magazine. The different uses of typography add another element of interest to the cover that attract the reader’s eyes and make them interested in the stories featured on the cover.

Conclusion- Overall I think this front cover represents the needs of the target audience well through features such as the masthead, and use of imagery that show an up to date appeal to the magazine directed specifically for the target audience. Also the other aspects of the layout and colour scheme create the professional appeal that makes the target audience want to read it because it doesn’t look tacky or too busy but rather as something they actually want to look at. These all have the effect of making the magazine into a brand that they target audience are interested in.

Analysis of Spin Magazine Front Cover

Target Audience- The primary target audience for Spin magazine is for both genders aged 17-25 as this is the age range that are getting involved with current music and want to know what is happening now. The majority of people reading this magazine would fall in the audience demographic at band C1 down to E.

Masthead- The masthead here is effective because it uses the bright red colour to stand out against the white background. This makes it clear to the reader what the magazine is and makes the magazine title stick in their mind, especially with the fact that the magazine’s name is short and snappy. It also sticks to the common convention of a masthead taking up 1/8 of the page which makes it a decent size so that it is clear and easily readable. All these things make this masthead fit for purpose and appealing to the target audience. It is appealing to the target audience because it looks up to date and bold so that their eyes instantly are directed to it meaning they have a clear understanding of what they are looking at.

Layout- The overall layout of this magazine is fit for purpose as it sticks to common conventions such as the use of one main image as the focus with text fitting around this image. This layout ensures that the front cover doesn’t look too busy and keeps a professional feel to it. The text that is overlaid on the image is effective because it is all laid out in separate sections so that it doesn’t look overpowering for the reader and the different font sizes adds another element of interest. Also the fact that there is a slight border around the model herself so that none of the writing is too close to the main focus of the image making it all look confined and in the right place. All these aspects to the layout link to the target audience as it looks appealing to them because the layout looks professional without looking busy, but remaining the different aspects of interest with the different stories featured.

Colour- The colour used on this front cover is just a simple colour scheme but it’s effective because it again keeps the professional aspect and stops it from looking overpowering with garish colours. The simple colour scheme of having the masthead red and white makes this the focus so as to inform the reader of the magazine and keep this fixed in their mind. While the rest of the writing is black and light blue standing out nicely against the background giving the cover a theme and separating the sections of writing without using colours that seem to in your face. This overall simple colour scheme links back to the target audience and the fact that they want the magazine they read to look current and up to date. This colour scheme links into this idea with the fact that it remains modern looking and appealing to the eye of the target reader.

Images- The use of one main medium shot image on the front cover here sticks to the common conventions of magazine images with usually one main image either being a medium shot or close up shot. This is effective because it means the reader has one main image to focus on rather that lots of little ones all put together and making the front cover look too busy. One thing that can be noticed about the actual image itself is the fact that the female model is presented in little amount of clothing creating an image of sex appeal. This links into Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze with the idea that women are presented in the media for just two reasons either as an object of desire for the other male characters in the image with them or as an object of desire for the audience that are going to be looking at them. I think in this case it’s the latter as they aren’t any other characters in the picture with her but from the clothing and pose that she is doing this certainly implies an object of desire for the audience looking at this front cover. This links back to the target audience but it mainly puts a focus on the male side of the audience. As the connotations of this image could be that it’s trying to attract in this male audience by presenting a women on the front in a desirable manner.

Typography- The different uses of typography on this front cover are effective for giving different areas of interest for the reader and make them look at all the different stories that are going to be included in the contents of the magazine. The main masthead itself uses bold typography and is a larger size which makes it stand out separately from the rest of the text. While all the snippets of information to get the reader’s attention into actually reading the magazine are all different sizes and slightly different fonts. The use of different sizes means some areas can catch the reader’s attention more than other while also being used to give a slight title or introduction to each little section of text. This means that the reader might see a large title maybe about an artist they like then read the bit of information underneath to see what it is about them. Also the use of different fonts works well because it separates each section but as they are all similar it still keeps a flow going between all of the text.

Conclusion- Overall from looking at this magazine front cover I have noticed that the use of common conventions assists the look of the magazine therefore making it fit for purpose. This is demonstrated through the fact that these common conventions create a professional and current magazine that meets the need of the target audience. The things that I have found that work most successfully here are the use of one main image so that the reader has something to focus on easily and the image needs to attract their attention in some way. Another thing that is effective is a simple colour scheme that adds to the professional aspect of the magazine and fixes the brand identity further in place continuing from the bold masthead.

Main Task

For my main task I need to create my own music magazine sticking to a certain genre of music. For my magazine I need to create the front cover, contents page and a feature article. To be able to do this to the best of my ability I need to look into the magazine institution and which company's control the majority of magazines. Also to ensure that my front cover, contents page and feature article stick to the conventions of magazines that are already out there I need to look at examples of these and analyse them so that these key aspects are within mine. Then to be able to create these I need to look into photographers to produce original images then look into the new media technologies surrounding the print industry so that I can involve these within my practical process. To be able to do all of these I can use the skills that I gained within my prelim task that gave me an insight into being able to create a realistic magazine that is suiting to the target audience that I will profile.

Genre Conventions:

The genre that I have decided to focus my music magazine on is Indie music which refers to independent music, meaning music that doesn't form from the mainstream music business. The typical indie style of music has elements of classic rock, garage, folk and acoustic instruments. Some of the most popular artists currently in the Indie scene are Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Laura Marling, Los Campesinos, Foster the People and many more. Some of the current popular indie music magazines include Under the Radar, Paste, Magnet, Alternative Press and some bigger magazines that also cover indie musicians include Q, NME and Spin. From finding out these main facts surrounding the Indie scene I need to look into the kind of thing that they produce for their target audience to get them interested as this will assist me with my target audience. Something else I do need to look into surrounding the Indie music scene is the huge impact that fashion has on it. As the independent fashion the target audience member has can be a big factor I can use to get them  interested in reading my magazine.

Evaluation

As stated by Bentley the creative process is “The making of the new through the rearranging of the old” (Bentley 1997). I applied this to my media production by looking at the common conventions of magazines before I started working on my front cover and contents page. This meant that I had a better understanding of things that would look good and things that wouldn’t. I started the research into these common conventions by looking at the Bodmin College Magazine. By looking at this particular magazine I found that it didn’t fit it’s purpose as it didn’t appeal to the target audience because overall it looked too busy and not very professional. Due to this I decided to challenge and break the conventions of this magazine when making my own by using the results from my survey monkey to produce a magazine that would appeal to my target audience. My target audience preferred the style of Vogue but with Kerrang and NME coming close second so I decided to incorporate these styles in with vogue to create a simple style but with a slight edge that my target audience would like. On my front cover I did follow some conventions such as the masthead being 1/8 of the page so that it’s clear and stands out although this wasn’t something that was shown in the Bodmin College Magazine. I also stuck to the layout convention with the use of one main image that is a medium shot being the focus and writing overlayed in different sizes, I used this because it means that my front cover doesn’t look too busy but still looks professional. I also stuck to the convention of a tag-line underneath the masthead which again wasn’t shown in the Bodmin College Magazine. These common conventions link to my target audience as these aspects will make it look aesthetically pleasing and stand out more which will catch their attention and make them want to read it. 

My product represents the particular social group of students aged 11-19 as these are the students that attend the college I want it to appeal to them because it’s their magazine and so it should be about things they are interested in. Although from the results of my survey monkey I found that the most popular age range of people that would read the magazine is 17-19 so I wanted to appeal to this age range slightly more as they are the ones that are more likely to read the magazine. As the students I am mainly representing are in higher education this goes against Adolescence in 2 volumes that Stanley Hall wrote in 1904 where he came up with the ‘Storm & Stress Model’ that states ‘Adolescence is inherently a time of storm and stress when all young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioral upheaval before establishing a more stable equilibrium at adulthood’ he also thought that ‘common mood in teenagers was depressed’ and ‘criminal activity would increase at the ages of 12 & 24’. My magazine disrupts this theory because it is showing these students as not going through this upheaval as they have continued with education and my magazine is recognizing these achievements. Also as the target audience are ranged 11-19 but the most popular readers are going to be 17-19 it shows that these students haven’t become depressed and haven’t gone into any form of criminal activity as they are staying on to further their studies. I want my magazine to show that youth can be shown in a positive light rather than the negative light that is so often aligned with them. I think the cover and contents page that I have created stick to this ideology that I want to get across as it has a positive tone to the magazine through the colours used and the stories that are going to be involved in the magazine. 

The target audience for my product is primarily the students that attend the college as the content is about things that will involve them. The age range of these students is from 11-19 so the stories need to appeal to what they will actually be interested in so that they will want to read the magazine. Although from the results of my survey monkey I found that the most common age range to read the magazine will be students aged 17-19 so there will be more content that appeals to this age range. The secondary audience for my magazine will be the student’s parents/guardians as they will be interested in what is going on in their son/daughters school and will want to know about it. This means that the content needs to appeal to students while giving their parents information on what their student is doing. From this I ensured I attracted my target audience through an appealing colour scheme that didn’t have contrasting colours and looked aestically pleasing. I also made sure that my cover page wasn’t too busy with a simple layout that made it clear to read and didn’t overwhelm my audience, I think this was effective as it had the common conventions of how a magazine cover should be laid out. I also ensured that I addressed my audience by featuring stories that would appeal to them and involve them, such as the Bodmin College ‘Speak Up Speak Out’ Holocaust Memorial day which can appeal to all age range of students as anyone can be involved in it. Also the story about ’30 of the best tips for your university application’ appeals to the narrowed down target audience of students aged 17-19 as this will help them with their further studies and will make them want to read the magazine to find out these tips. My magazine also has the features of ‘New plans coming in for the college’ and the ‘Note from the Principal’ that appeals to the secondary audience of parents/guardians. 

“The view that the internet and new digital media as an optional extra is replaced with the recognition that they have fundamentally changed the ways we engage with all media” (David Gauntlett 2007) I think this quote represents the process that I have gone through with making my magazine front cover and contents page as the engagement with new media technologies has changed the way we can construct magazines. As this process has made me more confident with Photoshop and I can see how the layout on it is easy and simple to use which makes it the best way to construct my magazine front cover and contents page. I think what I have found from making these it supports Gauntlett’s theory because it is showing the way that we engage with new media especially through the use of ‘Blogger’ which shows an engagement with every aspect of my preliminary task. As it shows each process in an easily updatable way which also makes it a lot easier for changes to be made and different things to be added in. 

I think overall my front cover and contents page came out well because they stuck to certain common conventions which ensured that it looked appealing to an audience. I also feel I came up with a newer and improved version of the Bodmin College magazine that would appeal more to students as it wasn’t too busy and also didn’t have any contrasting colours used that would have looked too in your face. I still think improvements could be made to my magazine in my main task. I think this could be done by creating a more original magazine idea and creating my own company that has an original image that will attract a readers attention easily. I also thin k by creating a magazine that fits a certain genre it will be easier to make it look more professional and if it is a proper magazine. On the main task as well I will need to make the colour scheme is more gender neutral as the one on my preliminary appeals more to female audience than a male audience so I will stay away from this in future. 

My Contents Page

My Magazine Front Cover

Original Images

I liked this image because it shows the idea of five students that represent my target audience, also the different colours show a different and interesting aspect to attract the readers attention. Although the photo isn't fully focused and is slightly blurry so I don't think this would work well as my front cover because it won't look very professional. Also it would be quite hard to work with as it has five students there isn't much spare background space to fit writing in, and the writing would look too busy overlayed on the image. 

I like this photo because it sticks to the convention of a close-up shot for the front cover and I think it looks better than the one above because it doesn't look as blurry as it is in better focus. I also think this would work well at appealing to my target audience as the image could be used easily for referring to a story about art or photography which proved to be popular with my target audience. 

This photo also shows the common convention of a medium shot for the front cover but it again is out of focus and is slightly blurry which makes it look less professional. I think if I used this photo the target audience would be put off by the fact the cover photo is blurry because it makes it look as if there hasn't been a lot of effort put into making it. Also this is something I pointed out on the Bodmin College  magazine cover that the photos used were blurry and it didn't look good so this is something I will ensure I avoid on my cover. 

I think this photo is the best one out of these because it looks like how I wanted it to in my flat plan design, and it also represents the common convention of a medium shot which is something I wanted to include within my front cover. I also think it would work well as my front cover because there is clear space around the model in the image where I can place the writing without it looking too busy. I think combining this image with the writing fitting around it would look the most professional and look best for a college magazine. 

Flat Plans

This is my idea for my college magazine front cover I think it would work well as there is a nice balance between the image size and the amount of writing. 

This is my idea for my contents page which I think would work well as it sticks to the structure of other contents pages. 

Audience Research

The target audience for my college magazine are going to be students aged 11-19 as these are the ages of students that attend the college so this is who I want to be reading it. The content of my magazine is going to appeal to this age range with stories that they will be interested in reading. The gender of my target audience is going to be open to both sexes as the stories will be for both genders to be interested in without it being biased. I think my target audience would be interested in events that are happening at and around the college, so I will include some stories to do with this as well. Also I think they would like to know changes within the school including the curriculum. Another thing they would like would be photos and information about things that have happened as it may involve them or their friends so it would interest them as something they would like to see. The secondary target audience for my college magazine would be the student’s parents/guardians, so I think they would also be interested in events that are going to happen or have happened as they may involve their son/daughter. I also think this secondary target audience are more likely to be interested in the changing direction of the college as they are interested in what is going to be happening within their child’s education. 

From the results of my survey monkey I found out further information about my target audience which narrows down what stories I should include in my magazine. The further information I found out was that my target audience age range is mainly 17-19 with only a few ranged 14-16 and a few 20-29 and only one 40-49. This extra insight into the age of my audience means I know which age range will mainly be reading my magazine so that I know to cater for their needs further. 

I also found out that more females read the magazine than males but only slightly more which means I should still keep the magazine quite even on the gender content. 

I also found from my survey that not many people actually read the college magazine which means I should change their views on this by making mine more interesting for them, in order to attract more members of the audience. 

Although from my survey monkey I also found that the majority of people think the current college magazine front cover does represent the needs of the target audience which goes against what I said about this magazine front cover. So from these results I will make changes to the current cover to make it better and stick to common conventions further but will try and keep certain aspects that my target audience will like.  

My survey monkey also showed me the types of stories that my audience would be most interested in and the ones that came out as the most popular were Music and Drama. With Sport, Art, Photography and Debating coming up as the second most important. From these results I know which kind of stories would be the most successful with my target audience and would attract their attention to my magazine. 

The results of my survey monkey also showed me that the main reason people would read a college magazine would be for information so this needs to be represented in my magazine as a main ideology for my readers. As I want my target audience to know that they will be able to find any information surrounding the college in this magazine.

Another thing from my survey monkey that will assist with making my magazine front cover and contents page is that my audience said they most liked the style of vogue for my magazine. With Kerrang and NME coming a close second, so from these results I am going to incorporate all three of these styles to create a magazine that appeals to everyone in my target audience. 

Common Conventions of a Magazine Front Cover