MOOD BOARDS SECTION

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OVERVIEW

 The information I have learnt from completing my textual analyses is that now I understand different codes and conventions of the magazine industry for example I am aware magazines usually use around three or four colours on their front cover as if they used anymore the cover would become less appealing and overcrowded. I have also learnt what kickers are used for and the code and convention of the layout on the feature article for example; magazines usually use six to eight column. I have learnt about the idea of white space and how it is used effectively and the importance of a drop cap. More code of conventions I have learnt are as the following; amount of images used on the contents page and the front cover, the masthead style (it is always in the same front size and colour) and the style of the drop cap (always in a larger and different colour font) I have become familiar with images used on different magazines and how that gives you an insight to the target audience. I now know that another code and convention of this industry is that magazines normally use the same colour font and style of fonts throughout the magazine to keep a sense of unity and to give the magazine a unique style. I understand that once a magazine becomes popular it does not need to masthead to be In clear view for it to be identified, I am also aware that magazine mastheads are used almost as a signature which should appeal to the magazines target audience. Finally I understand the different styles of the magazines I have analysed and how that varies their target audience for example Kerrang's target audience is mostly males that are interested in rock music whereas MOJO’s target audience are mainly men but are of a higher social class than the readers of Kerrang magazine. 

MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS

PLANNING POST

MAGAZINE INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

There are more than 8000 titles published in the UK which are categorised for example; consumer which is general magazines which are sold in the newsagents or online, staff magazine which are magazines which inform staff about their company and academic journals which are magazines for people in things such as university which are at a level of discussion of all sorts of arcane topics. The largest magazine publishers in the consumer category are as the following; Bauer which owns 25% of the magazines being published in the UK, IPC MEDIA which is now known as Time Warner who own 20% of the magazines being published in the UK, the BBC who own 7.8% of the magazines being published and finally Hearst who own 7.3% of the magazines being published here in Britain. In the UK today there are over 3,200 different consumer titles where in 1980 there were only 1,383 consumer titles, from this we can see a massive rise in the publishing industry. On average 1.4 billion magazines are sold each year where in the 1970’s 2.1 billion where sold, this shows us due to technology magazines are easier to access meaning there is no need to go out and buy one. 85% of the population in Britain reads magazines spending 2 billion pounds on magazines yearly. Advertisers spend over 700 million pounds on magazines which were recorded in 2008 and on average 500 new magazines are launched every year for the past 10 years. A brief history of the magazine industry looks as the following; Playboy magazine was launched in the 1950’s, which at the time was the first magazine to mix high commerce sex and glamour. Then in the 1970’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan where published these magazines offered women a sense of freedom in a man made world, finally in the 2000’s magazines such as Heat and Hello where launched which offered a new culture in depth information on Celebrity life styles. 

FULL MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

The magazine Kerrang was first set up on 6 June 1981 by the fonder Alan Lewis, the publisher they used is called Bauer Media Group which was founded in 1875. The magazine Kerrang has over 30 years of heritage and claims to be the biggest music magazine produced weekly in the world. The magazine also is said to reach more young readers than any other music magazine in the world which shows clearly they have been as a magazine able to reach their target audience. As well as music releases this makes Kerrang perfect for film and games, and also mobile technology and government messages as they know how to get messages through to the younger generation. Kerrang is the original multimedia platform boasting magazine, online radio and podcast sales. Kerrang readers are the heaviest consumers purchasing over six albums per month on average this is 53% more than the national average. They are also eight times more likely to spend over £200 a year on albums; the readers are 5.5 times more likely to attend a rock gig. On survey the average reader of the Kerrang magazine is a male aged 15-24 as 56.1% of the population reading Kerrange magazine are aged this. However Kerrang magazine also appeals to women with 45.3% of the readers being female. The magazine has a 51% ABC1 Profile which means they appeal to upper, middle and lower middle class, meaning therefore they get more sales as they appeal to more than one class. The Kerrang magazine isn’t only a magazine it is a brand with its website selling merchandise and the magazine having its own radio station, other extensions to this brand include Kerrang TV and Kerrang awards. Kerrang claims to have over 172,600 unique users and have 505,912 page impressions. The magazine also has its own social networking accounts which on twitter they have over 540K followers and on the social networking site Facebook they have 712851 likes and counting. From this we can see that Kerrang is a very popular magazine which has been able to branch off in different industries.

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

college magazine analysis

The name of this magazine is “college lifestyle” therefore it is clear who the audience aimed at is. In the photo present on the front of the magazine there is a young male holding several books against a dark background. The male himself looks around a students ages and the fact he is carrying books in plies he is a student. This magazine has used 3 different colours when it has come to the text present on the front cover. The main colour used is yellow, I think they have done this as yellow is a bright eye catching colour therefore catching the attention of the targeted audience. The other colours present on the cover are white and grey I think they have done this so the yellow stands out more making the magazine more eye catching also because the colours all interlink. One of the books the student is carrying relates to law and the rules of society this clearly links to the student being well educated and respected. The clothes the young man is wearing also links well to the target audience and at the same time gives the impression the student is once again respected and well educated with a bright future ahead of him. The young boy is also wearing a cross this could symbolise his religion or link with the upcoming fashion. On the right hand side of the magazine there is a pink blob with some information in it, I think they have done this to allow the information to stand out and to indicate that the certain piece of information is more important than the rest. The bright colour also grabs the reader’s attention and brings a burst of colour to the magazine. The magazine consists of about 3 different texts I believe they have done this to grab the audience’s attention but at the same time deliver a well present, modern magazine. The words “bright future” are in the same text colour and boldness as the name of the magazine I think they have done this to inspire they’re readers but at the same time imply what their target audience is. 

research questionnaire results

Questionnaire Results:

1.      65% of the college students we surveyed were female and 35% were male. Unfortunately the percentage is not 50/50 however that does not mean I cannot make my magazine appeal to males.

2.      95% of the students surveyed told us that they do not read the current college magazine. This tells me there is a big market for my college magazine, it also tells me that the current magazine does not target their audience well and that the product at the moment doesn’t work well.

3.      The college students we surveyed would prefer BLUE, BLACK and WHITE as the main colours on the magazine however if a forth colour is needed then it should be GREEN, YELLOW or RED.

4.      85% of the college students surveyed said they would pay either nothing or 50p therefore we can’t put the price higher than 50p.

5.      70% of the college students surveyed said they would like the magazine to be published either monthly or every half term meaning monthly 10 issues would be produced but for half termly only 6 issues would be produced.

6.      50% of the college students surveyed said they would like the magazines house style to be informal however 40% said they would like it mixed therefore my college magazine house style will be mixed but mainly informal to address both percentages .

7.      40% of the students surveyed said they would like a student on the front cover of the magazine however 30% said they would like nature and the other 30% said they would like a celebrity therefore from this information I can conclude that for every issue I should change the image presented on the front cover to address all the students.

8.      100% of the college students surveyed said they would like a jobs page in the college magazine informing them on upcoming job placement.

9.       

10.  The college students surveyed said the front cover of the magazine should include MUSIC COLLEGE TRIPS and FREE GIFTS however either SPORT TV/FILM or FASHION should also be present on the front cover of the college magazine.

research questionnaire

College Magazine Questionnaire:

1.      Are you Male or Female

(Please circle appropriate gender above)

2.      Do you read the college magazine yes/no?

(Please circle appropriate answer above)

3.      What colour scheme would you like the college magazine to be

(Comment 3 below)

4.      How much would you be willing to pay for the college magazine?

50p              £1.00               £1.50               £2.00

5.      How often would you like the magazine to be published?

    Weekly               fortnightly             monthly             every half term

6.      What house style would you like the magazine to be in?

      Formal                   informal                  mixed

7.      What image would you like on the front cover?

      Nature                student                ex-student                 celebrity

8.      Would you like a jobs page yes/no?

(Please circle the appropriate answer above)

9. Would you like to be able to contribute to the magazines content yes/no?

(Please circle the appropriate answer above)

10.  What type of content would you like to see in the magazine?

(Please tick 3 of the following boxes)

Sport           College Trips           Tv/film             Quizzes               Problem page                          

Music             Competitions           Fashion           Free Gifts               Technology 

magazine front cover

magazine contents page