Are Magazines Doomed?

DOOM?!

With the world constantly changing and developing, it is inevitable that we have to change with it. The ever increasing demand for faster internet or better technology has people split on the survival of the glossy and informative publications that are magazines.

 

Is it the end?

As consumers, we all strive for the best deal we can find. This has inevitably led to the question: why pay for something when we could get it for free? Before the invention of the internet and its allowance of mass information at our fingertips, if people wanted to get information on the latest music buzz, they had to buy a magazine. Physically go to a shop and spend money for information? How horrible.

 

It is universally known that we like to know things and access information when and wherever we want, and sadly the good old glossy publications just doesn't fit in anymore - we are world where no one has any time to spend on magazines, and multi - tasking is our way now. Why bother with any other media than a phone or computer because, well, don't they have all the answers? And better yet, its all in one place - how convenient.

 

Furthermore, how can magazines possibly keep up? The idea of FOMO (fear of missing out) is becoming ever apparent and people want to be up to date with everything - even the small stuff. This links to the point of no time and how we want things easier and faster, something that magazines are no longer good at. This is because magazines are costly to print and require lots of man hours to make. Granted, so do the latest technological devices, but magazines need high sales to survive and therefore need to advertise lots to make sure this happens - word of mouth isn't as reliable for them. Consequently, this all implies that magazines are in fact dying a sad and painful death.

 

Wait! Is there still hope?

Over the years, new technology has been expected to out live many other medias, and is predicted to out live us. Yet, they are still surviving. Before the questioning of the survival of magazines, people had questioned the survival of radios. Who would still listen to the radio when they have a TV? The answer - everyone. Even today, when TVs are getting slimmer, bigger, better pictures, people are still religiously tuning into stations like Radio 1 to learn the new hits of the week.

 

Furthermore, deny all you want, most people are materialistic, meaning that owning psychical copies of things brings more pleasure than a download on a mobile phone. This cannot be said for everyone, as lots of people are fans of things so they prefer to have the real thing. This explains why CDs are not dead and that now, people are starting to listen to vinyl, even though that was thought to be replaced by CDs. Also, it is said that most profits made in lots of industries still come from print and that there is still, and always will be money to be made from magazines.

 

In conclusion, this highlights how although this world is fast moving with little slowing down, people still value print. Granted, this cannot be said for everyone, and that magazines are probably now seen more as a luxury than a necessity (a necessity now being a mobile phone because we simple must communicated by texting now and is the only way to stay in contact). Therefore, as long as people still support and are fans of magazines, then they are seemingly sure to survive - their end is not near.

Minimalism

Why do I like minimalism?

Minimalism, to me, is perhaps more interesting than something being detailed and busy. Something that is clean and uncluttered is far more appealing to look at father than an explosion of colours that came sometimes be quite offensive to look at. Below are photographs that photographer Hengki Koentjoro has taken using the theme of minimalism. 

I personally think that these images are a work of art and are extremely captivating. Whilst I don't want my magazine to turn into a work of art, I would like it to be as nice to look at as a piece of art. I also believe that something that is simplistic an evoke emotion and is easier to convey emotion - and as music is all about emotion then I think that it is a good theme or idea to place my magazine around. 

Lastly, I think that minimalism will appeal to my target audience. It will conflict with the busy, colourful daily life that is experience in westernised culture and creates a place for the audience to escape to - the aim of music. 

Mock Covers

Mock Ups

Before creating my final cover, I have made various different mock ups. I did this in order to help me determine the look and style of my music magazine - when creating my final one I will use pieces that I like from all my mocks to create something that I will like and that will look good to my target audience. 

This was the first cover I made. I have mixed feelings on this - there are features about it that I like and others that I'm not so keen on. Firstly, I like the simplicity of it - that the colour scheme is quite basic and minimal, however the problem with this is that there is nothing that particularly stands out. This in turn makes it less aesthetically pleasing because it is so bland and boring. I like the image and the positioning, but I don't think it works as well as front cover - this means I might use it as part of my contents because I still want the image to be included in some part of my magazine, but the cover is not necessarily the best place for it to be. Furthermore, I like the fonts used because it is clear - so I will take this and use it for my final cover because I think less fonts is better as it doesn't detract from the main image.

I like most of this cover, but I think there is too much colour. The cover is really bright, this isn't what I was going for - so I will probably not use this image for my cover, although I think it is a good photo of Yasmine. The only text that really stands out is the name in pink, the rest of the text is obscured as the black doesn't stand out and he masthead blends into the hair. Consequently, I will strive to make sure that they stand out, the masthead especially - this is because it is what the magazine will be identified by. I'm also not too keen on the shadow because it makes the cover darker - which is not something that I was going for. With this mock I put the barcode and information in the left hand corner - I think I will end up using this on my final piece because I like it smaller because it is essentially more insignificant that the rest of the features on the cover. 

This is perhaps my most favourite mock up that I have made. Firstly, this is probably due to the fact that this is my favourite image that I have taken, although I am not so sure that it works as well as a cover. I like the large, bold masthead that cover the length of the top of the magazine - this is because I think it looks better than something small considering the image is a close up. I really like the font that I have used for the main 'artist' because it stands out and highlights what the magazine will be about - so depending on what image I end up using I'm going to make sure that I replicate this feature. I think the coverlines on the left hand side look a little basic - so I probably wont be using this font for my final cover. I have used the same barcode and price/issue informations as the previous mock up because it is something that I will be using so I have applied it to this one to see what it looks like. Lastly, I situated the sell line in the pug of the magazine and believe that it works well because the eye is drawn to it once it reads the masthead. 

This mock is my least favourite for a number of reasons. To start with I don't like the main image - I think that it doesn't look like it belongs on a magazine and looks really 'student made'.Also, I am not a fan of the shadow that I have created because, again, I don't think that it looks very professional. Furthermore, I believe that the combination of the listed coverlines and the basic sans serif font makes it also look bad. This is because they don't fill the page properly and go too close to the image that it obviously lloks like I was trying not to make it touch the person. Also, the colours don not work well together - the yellow looks bad against the grey and navy/black are not colours that compliment each other. I do however, like the way the sell line is placed under the masthead - something that if I have a short magazine name I will used. I think the biggest problem is that it i all too plain - there is nothing going on in the background so it looks less like a magazine and more like a badly made poster.

This is my final mock that I made when I created all the previous ones. I went back to using an image of Yasmine because I think that the ones I have of her are the most magazine cover like. The first problem I ran into however was where to put the coverlines. This is due to the fact that only one halve of the magazine cover is filled up with the image - leaving the rest of it a little bare. Here, I had the same problem as the previous one - the background is much too plain. I like the colour scheme, as I tried hard to match the artist name to the colour of the lipstick - something that I will try to do if I end up using a photo that I have taken of Yasmine. Furthermore, I think that the side of her face is a little dark - so this then effects how professional it looks because if it were done properly then there would have been no end of lights to make sure her face was properly illuminated. Lastly, the placement of the cover underneath the masthead just looks like it has been pasted on there - which it has - but the idea is to make it look as good as possible. Therefore, when I create my music magazine cover  I don't want the coverlines to look like an inconvenience - I want it too look like they are meant to be there, that they enhance the cover, not make it look worse. 

First Cover Mock Up

Work in Progress

Before making my final magazine cover, I have made a mock up of what look I want the magazine to have.

Firstly, I took pictures of my chosen 'model' - Yasmine - in various positions and shots, and ended up choosing the one to the right. The reason for having a younger model was because my target audience is a younger demographic that will be largely westernised - music magazines are a luxury for them. The inspiration for having the hands near the face was from the magazine Q, where on an issue with Florence Welch, she has her hands on her face - something I liked. The idea is to have a coverline that relates to this, perhaps her vulnerability or opinion of the spotlight. In regards to her face - I have used make up to enhance her eyelashes, eyeshadow on her eyelids and added some lipstick, which is less visible in this picture. Also, the beading above her eyebrows are stick on face art, which I thought would work well considering it is an indie rock magazine, so the style is quite unique.

The original image had a few blemishes in terms of under her eyes and the shining around nose, forehead and on the fingers, therefore I felt it needed 'touching up'. Consequently, I decided to use the photo editing tool Pixlr in order to make the image how I wanted it. I started by using a heal tool and smoothed some her skin where she had a few spots. Then I used a highlighting tool to brighten the shades under her eyes and then airbrushed it so it blended in with the rest of her face. Lastly, I removed the shine from her forehead, nose and her fingers so it looked more aesthetically pleasing to the audience. After editing, I was happy with the finished image and decided to move on to putting the text over it and experiment with different ideas to establish the overall look/feel of my magazine. 

I began with placing the masthead - UNDISCOVERED - I am still unsure if this is what I want to name it, as I think its quite a long name. However, the sell line 'Discover Great Music' goes better with it because it almost explains the meaning of the name. I think that I have placed the text too high, however I didn't want it to be covering too much of the image, so I am still not sure if I will end up using this image as my final piece. I then placed a few made up coverlines around the image in various fonts, but careful not to make it to busy - I believe having the name in a handwriting font makes it stand out more and indicates what the main focus of the magazine is. I tired to have a little text as I could because I am going for the simplistic look, something that the results of my survey agree that I should do too. The colour scheme of the text is white - this is because it has to be seen against the dark background, so I have limited choice. Although, for my final piece I would ideally like it to have a colour scheme of black or white, with little bursts of colour. This is what I have tried to do here with the pink text, and the idea was to have it match up with the pink of the lipstick. I have placed the barcode and the issue/price in the left hand corner, making it small, because I don't think it is something that needs a large focus. I took the idea from the fashion magazine VOGUE, because it has the price really small - but I think this is because it is so expensive. 

To conclude, I am relatively happy with how my mock up turned out. This is because I think it shows what I want the overall look of the magazine to be - simple and unique. However, I have still not made any final decisions on the name of the magazine, or what image I will choose - my aim of making this mock was to practice and experiment, something I think I have done well. 

Bad Examples

Worst Magazine Covers

Sometimes magazines can get their covers incredibly wrong - whether it be bad airbrushing or just silly placing of coverlines. I have picked some of the worst magazine covers I could find and evaluated to help me make sure my cover doesn't turn out like them.

Town & Country

The Town & Country magazine cover is bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, the image of Roger Federer does not match up to the background - it looks almost as if he has been pasted onto it. The colour scheme doesn't compliment each other well either - the yellow doesn't suit the red of the masthead which was used to compliment the colour of his jumper. Also, his position isn't natural - it looks like he doesn't want to be there. This then gives the cover a fake quality, like everything is too perfect. Therefore, for my magazine I will aim to edit it so it doesn't look like I have clearly removed my model form the original background. 

Sunday

What immediately stand out about this magazine cover is the bad image. Kirsten Stewart looks like she has just slumped onto the photo shoot - so the problem with this images is that unlike the magazine before, it is not too natural to the point where she looks like she is trying to hard. Furthermore, it also looks like not much time has been taken to make her look good - he outfit is quite basic and she almost blends into the background with her pale dress and skin. Also, the coverlines look as if the designer just decided to list them instead of trying to make them look better by placing them around the image. Lastly, I personally don't like the shadow of the image - so this is something that I would like to avoid having for my magazine cover. 

Todateen (star)

Like Sunday, the most strikingly obvious mistake with this cover is the image. Either Justin Bieber has as much make up on his face as possible or it has been edited to the point of looking completely unnatural - he looks like a wax doll. This instantly portrays not only the magazine in a bag light because of its amateur editing skills, but also him as an artist because how can anyone look at him and take his music seriously when he gets made up like that? Also, the colour scheme and coverlines just scream pop - which in a way follows its conventions, but the placement of them is shocking. Consequently, for my magazine I will strive for my model to real and for the coverlines to look like the belong there. 

How does this help me?

As I've mention above, by evaluating these magazine covers I know what not to do. What I have learnt is to not airbrush it to perfection - something that I wasn't ever going to do because indie rock music tend to be more raw than polished like pop is. Also, I'm going to try to make sure that the colour scheme works with the image and the coverline compliment it.

Mood board

Mood board

noun

plural noun: mood boards

An arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, etc. intended to evoke or project a particular style or concept

As part of planning the look and contents for my magazine, I have made a mood board to show what I would like to have. I have included aspects like what artists will feature, certain magazine covers that inspire my look and I have based my ideas around (INDIE magazine). I have also included colour palettes, which follow the same style as what bands/contents ideas/cover ideas, and different types of shots to use for my cover and double page spread. Furthermore, I added different types of fonts that will help me decide what the house-style of my magazine will be. 

Analysing Names

Potential Magazine Names

I have analysed and explained the meanings behind the names I have as options for my magazine. With each one I have stated my thoughts as to why it would be a good name for a music magazine. Also, the names are in different fonts because I am still trying to decide which would be best for my masthead on the cover. Hopefully this will help me decide which name to use for my magazine because I am currently unsure.

My Magazine

What does my magazine have to offer?

Function

The function of my music magazine is to inform the audience on Indie Rock music - for them to appreciate the unique. This means that it will feature things that are important in the genre, rather than gimmicks like freebies. The audience is older teen/young adult, but essentially anyone can read it, there is no preferred gender.

Format

The aim for the format is for it to be spacious and clear with a continuing housestyle. I don't want it to be crowed and complicated to read - this was also what the audience don't want as it was reflected in my survey. However, I still want it to be conventional - conventions work for a reason and straying from them is not always the best idea.

Frame

The magazine will have a house style and will follow the same margins and layout. My aim is to have each page with the same sort of layout, rather than having them completely different as it ends up being quite offensive to the eyes. If it were to be published properly, then the cover would follow the same pattern in terms of where things are on it, except that the information would change - an example of what not to do is the magazine RayGun.

Formula

The magazine will contain anything that is relevant to Indie Rock. It focuses on topics like the best ever bands, what gigs to go to, and is tailored to suit the preferences of people who want to know about the genre rather than just know who to listen to be seen as 'cool'.

Unique Selling Point

The USP of my magazine is that it is about the music. I want it to be like a guide to the genre - so it will include articles like best gigs to go to, up and coming artist, in depth reviews of albums or the songs we recognise, but don't know who sings them. It will feature the most important topics of the genre - Indie Rock - and will be specific to the genre.

Magazine Names



Name ideas for my Music Magazine 

I have come up with a number of different names for my music magazine - some of which I don't think that they would make a good name because they don't follow my ideas. For example, 'Sole' - I came up with the idea that the magazine would be independent and by its self, however would have worked better if my genre was Soul as it would have been a kind of play on words. 

Some of the names that I am considering are;

• Undiscovered
• Riff
• Beat 
• Chord
• Peace
• Rhythm

Shindig Magazine

Shindig!

What is Shindig?

Shindig! began in 1992 as a photocopied garage - punk fanzine called Gravedigger.

According to the official Shindig! website, it describes itself as;

"A publication put together with genuine understanding, sincerity and utter belief. We seek to end mediocrity in music magazines... to bring the scope and knowledge of old fanzines and specialist rock titles to a larger readership: quality journalism, columns, music and film history; exciting new bands and culture. From the most far-out ’60s sounds through country-rock and folk to soul and electronic experimentation. It's all there.

We have already inspired every major music mag... so let us inspire you too."

Publisher

Shindig! was originally published by Volcano Publishing, but has recently signed a deal with Silverback Publishing. Both are fairly independent and less well known. 

Audience 

Shindig!'s audience is focused on a niche audience. 82% of its readers are in the ABC1 group, with men making up 83% whilst 17% of women read it. The magazine achieves a worldwide circulation of 26,000.

Publishing

Publishing Houses

All magazines need to published if they are to be bought from shops - two of the biggest publishing houses are 'Bauer' and 'Time Inc UK' .

 

Bauer

Bauer Media Group is a large European based media company founded in 1875. They portfolio around 600 magazines, within this are 2 of the most popular music magazines - Kerrang! and Q.

 

Time Inc UK

Time Inc UK, previously International Publishing Corporation and IPC Media, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc. I was founded in 1968 and its headquarters are located in London. It is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the UK, with a large portfolio that sells a range of over 350 million copies of magazines each year. Within their large portfolio, they publish 2 music magazines - NME and Uncut.

 

Independent Publishers

As well as the large companies, there are small, independent publishing houses that portfolio magazines by printing them or publishing then digitally. An example of an independent magazine publisher is Volcano Publishing, and a digital publisher is ISSUU.

 

ISSUU

This publisher is a free, electronic publishing platform with over 25 million publications and 85 million active readers. It portfolios many different magazines and features leading and emerging titles in fashion, culture, the arts ect. Some of its partners include The New York Times, Vice and V Magazine.

 

My Magazine

The genre of my music magazine is Indie Rock, part of the alternative genre. It isn't as popular as the genres Hip - Hop or Pop, so for this reason I think that it would be best to publish it with a large and well known publishing house rather than a smaller, independent one, or a digital one. This is because I want it to reach the target audience - and there is more chance of this if it is a bigger publisher because it will be more widely distributed. Consequently, the readership of it will be sufficiently bigger, which as a result will create a larger profit. This means that with more money, the magazine will get better because it can afford to look better and can be advertised because the publisher will be well known.

Existing Music Magazine Names

Existing names

Before I could decide on a name for my music magazine, I evaluated what existing magazine names meant and their connotations. This means I can understand why they were named what they were and the impact that it has on the look and context of the magazine.

Look of Magazine

Questionnaire

In order to help determine what my music magazine should look like, I made up a questionnaire and then asked a number of people the age of my target audience questions about the font, colours, magazine titles ect;

Results 

The results of my questionnaire showed that people want a magazine that is simple, un crowded and uses sans - serif font. The cover image should be a BCU and colours should be black, white and red. 

The preferred magazine title was Undiscovered, but Beat and Noise were also popular. Furthermore, the sell line should be 'music matters'.

Lastly, the contents page should be simple, with a structured layout with a few images and the double - page spread should have 1 page photo, then 1 page text with drop caps and columns.

Evaluation

In order to visualise what people want, I decided to do a mock up of the magazine cover based on the results I had collected. To the right shows what my magazine could potentially look like, however it is only a rough copy - my end product will look more professional. 

The layout is conventional but spacious - this is something that I will experiment with, because I am not overly keen on it - but straying from conventions has had a detrimental effect in the past, so I will need to work on what I want the overall magazine to look like. 

I like the use of a BCU for the cover image - this is something that I ideally want to keep and build on. However, although it is what people wanted, because of the lack of space around the image, it makes it hard to position coverlines and not spoil the images simultaneously. 

The colour scheme of the magazine is red/black/white. This is something that is hard to do, because it can make the magazine look quite dark, and I didn't think about using this combination of colours when creating my prelim because I don't like them. Having said that, they do work well and compliment each other, but I am still unsure if using them is something I want to do, even though that is what my questionnaire suggests.

By having a sans serif font throughout the magazine cover, it makes it quite boring to look at. There is no variety - this follows the idea of keeping it simple, but I like the way most magazines use 2 different fonts (serif and sans - serif), so this is something that I will endeavour to use when creating my final piece. Furthermore, I like the idea of the masthead being in a big, bold font at the top - this is something that is conventional and works well. It is simplistic, but recognisable, rather than having it it an obscure place like in the centre of the image. Having the sell line in the pug of the magazine works well and looks good - this is something that I plan on keeping for my final piece. 

Lastly, keeping the price/issue/barcode small is something that I want to keep because I think it doesn't detract from the main image and it is only a feature that is more important to the shop that sell it, rather than the customer, meaning that they wont be looking at it for longer than finding out what the price is.

Overall, I think that my questionnaire was successful. It provided me with constructive feedback that I can use when creating my magazine. Some of the results I didn't necessary imagine when I was thinking about what I want my magazine to look like, and I still don't like what some of the outcomes. Therefore, when creating my music magazine, I will use bits and pieces of the results, but things like the name, colour scheme and layout I am still unsure about.

David Carson

Who is he?

David Carson is an American graphic designer and art director. He is best know for his crazy and innovative designs for Ray Gun magazine in the 90s. His  deigns were different to say the least. They used unique typography and it defined the 'grunge typography'.  He challenged the conventions of magazine design and his layouts are extremely creative. Not every sing one of his designs is completely readable, but are instantly recognisable.

RayGun

Every single issue of this magazine was different. There was no set housestyle, was completely abstract and became known for its ever - changing style. The magazine experimented with every convention, which only resulted in the publishing 74 unique and very different issues.

What do I think?

These magazine covers are great in theory - they challenge conventions and offer something different, however in practice, the result is not so magnificent.

 

They are very abstract and artistic, but this is part of the downfall. This magazine would only have attracted a certain type of audience - and would undoubtedly become more of a collectors item rather than a magazine.  This is because the majority of the population like convention. Society today like things to conform to social normality. The avant-garde/modern art nature of these covers would be lost on most people and the abnormality would be too bizarre for people to accept. We are a society of convenience - like in how we consume things - magazines like this wouldn't last,  they are too complex, and it didn't as it only had 74 issues.

 

This defiance of convention in its - self becomes conventional. It begins to look like trying to hard to be non - conformist that it is just being done for the sake of it. It is undoubtedly unique, but it has been done now. Anyone who breaks from convention will fall into the convention of trying to be different. However, there is still the need to be different, and people wont ever stop trying to break the rules because that's what we, as humans, want to do - we are all different.

 

Consequently, RayGun is a perfect example of how wrong breaking conventions can go. The magazine became more of art, which explains why it didn't last. I personally like some of the cover designs, but to follow this designing principle would make my magazine unappealing. Conventions are there for a reason - they show what works and why, it attracts people. To stray away from this would result in a try - hard magazine that just become more of a joke than popular.

Consumption of Magazines

Patterns of consumption

Nowadays, how we consume information is changing. With the rise of social media and downloads, CDs becoming almost an alien concept.

 

The way we buy music is different now, Spotify and iTunes are becoming more popular and something like vinyl is now only for the indie kids who wish they were born in a different age. This therefore has an effect on industry because less people are buying and are instead free downloading and streaming - so there is less money going into the music industry. Furthermore, people are illegally downloading lots of music, so this means that people who create the music don't get any credit or profit from it.

 

This also links to the question; 'why pay when you can get it for free?' - this is something that demonstrates the nature of humans now and how people are wanting more and more, but without paying for it. Therefore, most people today are economical and these people would typically be seen as mainstreamers. 

 

Are music magazines still relevant?

Today, the number of music magazines still available has declined since the majority of them were first published. This is not surprising, seeming as the rise of the internet and social media is beginning to swallow them whole. Therefore, presenting the question are they are still relevant today, in a world full of technology, do we still need spend money on something we can just Google?

 

Furthermore, social media now allows to connect to the artists. We don't need to buy a magazine and read an article - we can just follow them on twitter. This attitude towards music magazines is somewhat sad, that people don't care for them much. The NRS suggests that the majority of readers are ABC1 males aged 35+, they are 50 quid blokes, so this connotes that the majority who have an apathetic approach towards music magazines are mainly the younger generation - they are the ones constantly on phones and always buzzing about social media.

 

However, one of the popular, if not the most, music magazines is Kerrang! This magazine bucks the trend of failing music magazines and is based around rock or metal music, and still have an avid reader audience. Interestingly, they aren't just ABC1 35+ males, according to the NRS many of them are females of different ages. This then leads to the question; how has it lasted?

 

There may be many other reasons for its success, but the simple fact is that it is unique. Most music magazines are pop, or focus on what is current, but Kerrang! chooses to focus on its specific genre, and perhaps this is why so many people want to read it, because they know what they are getting and are therefore familiar with it. It could also link to the idea that as consumers today, we like to own things. We like to buy CDs to show we have the album physically, not just downloaded onto our phones. This could potentially have something to do with the idea that if you don't own their latest CD, are you even a real fan? This is the same with Kerrang! The audience may want to have a physical copy, and they then almost become collectables.

 

Can music magazines survive?

Due to the fact that how we access information is constantly changing, it is still debatable if music magazines can survive. Eventually, it is inevitable that they will stop - times are changing, technology is constantly improving and we are always wanting the newest, shiniest thing. This consequently means how long they will last is uncertain, but they won't last indefinitely.  

Also, the internet is more convenient. It doesn't cost money to find the latest lyrics to a song, and  is it undoubtedly much more faster than looking in a magazine. Today, people want easy, their lives are too complicated and are too wrapped up in themselves. Consequently, peoples priorities change, and sadly, making time to buy and read a music magazine is becoming to much effort.

Fifty Quid Bloke

"This is the guy we've all seen in Borders or HMV on a Friday afternoon, possibly after a drink or two, tie slightly undone, buying two CDs, a DVD and maybe a book - fifty quid's worth - and frantically computing how he's going to convince his partner that this is a really, really worthwhile investment."

 
 

This term was coined by David Hempworth in 2003 to pose the question; is the fifty quid bloke the last bastion of the music magazine?

 

 
It runs with the idea that only ABC1 35+ males are the only people who now buy music magazines and that the changing patterns of consumption are forcing music magazines out of the picture, replacing it with the newer, shiner age of the internet.  

Preliminary Magazine Comparison

Comparing magazines

 To see if my school magazine was successful, I have compared it to an existing magazine.

Evaluation

My magazine and the pre - existing one have different audiences and aims. 'Back to School' is a primary school magazine for parents - which obviously hasn't been made by the children. Mine is for 6th form students, and is made by them too. This means that there will be different ideas and themes because of context.

 

The masthead of the pre - existing magazine 'Back to School' uses two different colours, and is positioned in layers - this makes it look more interesting, whereas mine is straight and looks more like a heading. Mine is conventional, which explains why it looks quite boring, although it is in a different font to the coverlines. Consequently, for my music magazine, I will experiment with ways I could make the masthead look more interesting, rather than just having it as a heading at the top of the cover.  

Underneath the masthead, the pre - existing magazine has a sell line - 'parents guide to primary school' - this is something that I didn't include on mine. I have something similar - 'New year, new teachers, new start' - however, this only works for the beginning of the year, and therefore would no become part of the house style because it is not applicable to every issue, unlike the other magazine. I would like to have a sell line on my music magazine because I think they almost summarise the magazine, and not having one would deviate from the conventions of a magazine - this is something that is not always successful, as demonstrated by magazines in the past.

 

The coverlines on my prelim are conventional, and almost list - like. They differ due to the fact that some of them are underlined, however are not particularly interesting. They don't offer anything different to look at, and this is because with such a busy background, it was hard for them to be any different. 'Back to School' experiments with lots of shapes and colours, consequently why it is more aesthetically pleasing. The magazine uses a broader range of colours, and by putting coverlines in bubbles and using arrows, it makes the magazine bolder. This is something that I will consider when designing my magazine, however I don't want to make it too crowded. Therefore, when I make my cover, I want the background to be less busy, so the coverlines are bolder and vary more.

 

The pre - existing magazine uses social media icons, whereas mine doesn't. This is something that could have improved mine, because it was for students - who use social media. It is a good idea because it adds something to the magazine and involves the internet - something that is slowly consuming music magazines. Therefore, I could use this for mine because it would update it and appeal to my target audience of the younger generation.

 

The image of 'Back to School' is a BCU, whereas mine is a midshot. Therefore they differ because the way you can position the coverlines is different as to not detract from the main images. Furthermore, the coverlines and colours are linked to the image because its uses the colour of what the child is wearing. This is similar to mine because I linked the black with the black of top, although black was really only the colour I could use in order to make them stand out. For my music magazine, I want to make the colour scheme bold, and for it to compliment the mage in order to make it look more professional.

 

Consequently, my magazine in comparison to the pre - existing one looks rather poor. The most notable difference between the magazines are the coverlines - so this is something I want to improve on to make my final magazine look professional and appealing.  

Weekly or Monthly?

When should I publish my magazine?

Magazines are released at different times, sometimes circulation can have an affect on when they are released, but it is mainly weekly or monthly when a new issue is released.

 

The NRS can help to determine weekly or monthly because of the readership figures, and this can consequently have an effect on the USP of magazines.

 

The statistics shown below indicate that more people choose to buy magazines weekly, but more people read magazines online monthly. This could be due to the fact that there are many ways to download magazines now; you can buy monthly subscriptions, they can be given as gifts or can be free to read on the internet.

How does this impact me?

If my magazine was realistically going to be made, it would be printed. This means that it should be published every week, however this could potentially put it at risk of making it too often, so it then becomes less popular because there are always new ones in circulation. This could also have a detrimental effect on the USP because it will no longer be unique, it will be almost over - done. This means that if published monthly, a better magazine could be created because it will be more anticipated. Although, this means that in order for it to be monthly, then there really should be more information because it needs to satisfy the readers for a longer period of time. Therefore publishing it weekly or monthly each have pros and cons.