Pop Magazine Research: Page Analysis

Front Cover Analysis

 I'm looking at two different covers of pop magazines because this is the genre that I am most appealed by to focus my magazine on. The two that caught my eye the most were from TOP of the POPS and WE LOVE POP, these two particularly intrigued me because I feel as if they have similar target audiences therefore they are similar in what they feature throughout their magazine and the colours that run through the magazine. These two covers show that pink is definitely a dominant colour for their target audience, which is a very stereotypical outlook on the younger female audience as they are regularly associated with liking the colour pink, this is therefore something I will probably do on my magazine too as it fits my target audience too. The font type across these photographs is most commonly sans serif font as the audience is a younger audience therefore aren't usually associated with the classier and more sophisticated look that serif font gives. The main model is also an important feature of the magazine as they are one of the things that are most appealing to the audience as they often feature their favourite artists so I want my magazine to reflect the same concept. The coverlines throughout the magazine often relate to the same kind of thing, commonly revolving around popular music artists with interviews, gossip and information from them as well as things such as fashion and make up being included because of the fact the magazine is aimed at young females and that also fits with their target audience as well as their music taste.

Contents Page Analysis

These are two different contents pages from 'WE LOVE POP' and 'TOP of the POPS' both are very colourful and bold, however the colours involved are very different to eachother, in 'WE LOVE POP' the common colours are shades of blue and orange which is very different to the usual use of pink, however in this case it still relates to the magazine because of the fact it is relating to guy crushes that girls have as the page is primarily revolving around the teen crushes with many boys appearing so in this case even though it's blue and orange it is still relative to the target audience and works to the content. 'TOP of the POPS' however is is primarily revolving around the colour pink which is a far more predictable and relevant colour as it is the colour associated with the target audiences age group. I think contents pages can afford to have a wider variation of colour which is proved by these two covers as it makes it look busier and more fun which is good for the age group. I think also both contents pages are really heavily revolved around photographs as this is much more of a attracting way to entice the audiences and bring them to certain pages. I think another convention is definitely to have a lot of page numbers and articles summed up as this gives a sneak peak therefore these are definitely elements which I want to include when I do my contents page.

Double Page Spread Analysis

These are double page spreads from 'We LOVE Pop' and 'TOP of the POPS'. I think both show a very popular way of presenting interviews with popular celebrities, with one extremely large photograph of them on one page, and a really large title with a pun or pull out quote, something really catchy or enticing so that it draw people in so they want to read the article. I think from these two double page spreads, colour is quite key in these too as they have to match and compliment each other. I think another thing which I've picked up from the text is the use of colour and the way the font changes as well as the colour which separates it and makes it easier to read, this is something which I think would be key when I do my double page spread as making it easier to read is really important as my target audience aren't the most sophisticated therefore it is far more well suited, this goes for the magazines too as they have to suite their target audience.

Double Page Spread Conventions

• Usually include interviews or an article.
• Colour scheme runs throughout both pages and is relative to the content.
• Large photograph of model as well as a smaller image.
• Big headings with many colours relating to colour theme.
• Pulled out quotes appear frequently.

Proposal for Music Magazine

Who you are aiming your magazine at specifically?

For the target audience of my magazine I want to aim the magazine towards teenage girls, this age may range from 10-16 but more specifically I will be aiming it towards around 13-14 year old girls. I have chosen this age bracket for my target audience because after conducting a bit of research on other pop magazines I think it's clear that this is the most popular age bracket and it is the age of most who are going to want to buy these magazines as well as are interested in the artists, genre and content of my magazine. I think the typical reader for my magazine will come from a working to middle class background as their family must be able to afford the price of the magazine as an extra.

What will your magazine be about? 

The typical content for my magazine will be based on a lot of artists which are popular and upcoming as I am aware of the fact that teenage girls around this age idolise celebrities a lot therefore they will play a big role in the magazine, specifically those involved in the pop music industry as this is obviously the genre that my magazine will be about therefore it will have to relate to that. Alongside this I think other interests appealing to the audience will entice them like style however it will all have to be relative to the artists to keep within the music magazine style, in addition, general music magazine content like upcoming songs, artist gossip, artist information like interviews and discounts for music related events and merchandise.

What are your ideas for cover lines?

The coverlines will be relative to the content of my magazines however I will want to make them very enticing like with artist gossip and information which I think would be appealing to the target audience as it's something about their artists they idolise that they didn't know, as well as an interview which would also be really appealing in my opinion. Alongside this I think discounts, promotions and things that are free to them would be good to include as obviously at this age they don't have a lot of money therefore if they are getting multiple things for a affordable price it's going to appeal to them further.

What title have you decided on and why? 

For the name of the magazine I found it really difficult to find a magazine name that I liked because I didn't want something too tacky but I also wanted something which was going to clearly identify the genre of music the magazine is about as I didn't want anything to complicated so that my target audience wouldn't immediately recognise it. I also wanted a fairly short title so this is why I disregarded names such as latest tunes and you love pop as I thought they wouldn't fit well as a masthead, instead I thought about synonyms for music so that the name was short and snappy however I didn't feel they fit the pop genre well enough therefore most of them I disregarded too and carried on thinking more specifically about names featuring the word pop. I think after trying out different fonts and designs for different names which were LovePop, SimplyPop and JustPop I concluded that my favourite was SimplyPop, even though I did like LovePop I thought it was too similar to existing magazines which is why I disregarded that as a title.

What fonts do you want to use?

I want a sans serif font for the younger audiences as it doesn't reflect a more sophisticated and classy look which perhaps serif font would give through the use of fancy feet therefore it would be far more appropriate for them as it is far simpler as well as the shapes being more rounded giving off a more funky and younger vibe. 

What are your ideas for taglines? 

I am unsure if I want to use a tagline at this stage but a few that I am considering using are

• UK's favourite pop magazine
• Your guide to your favourite artists
• Simply gossip, your favourite artists and the latest fashion

Or anything else that ties in with the masthead and contents as well as being short and catchy.

When in the year will it be published? (cover can reflect seasonal changes or events, consider the academic year)

I want to do a summer edition so perhaps the last two weeks of July when school is out or August, for this idea I want to get a colourful image that reflects the summer months on my front page and I would also like to revolve the contents around this time of year therefore including things about summer.

What kind of image do you expect to put on the front cover and how will you go about getting this image?

Due the fact I am aiming it at the Summer month, I will choose a good day in terms of weather so that it looks summery as well as picking a natural and colourful location. I also want a lot of colours in terms of the outfit my model will be wearing therefore I will probably dress them in a summery and colourful outfit that reflects the month well.

How frequently would it be published?

I was thinking of doing a weekly issue as it's not going to be a massive issue and it would be best to update it frequently rather than doing more expensive bigger issues, as well as the fact when I did my questionnaire weekly was a popular option so it seemed appropriate to do a weekly issue as it is what I want to do anyway.

What are the dimensions of the cover (magazines are now available in different size formats)?

I will do the cover in an A4 size which will run through the entire magazine.

What images/colour would you use on the contents page?

I would like to tie in the contents page with the front cover a little bit therefore I will include most colours which are associated with my target audience, such as pink and purple, however I do want a contrasting colour to make colour a dominant part that 'pops' so that the page seems more busy and fun.

Music Magazine Research: Sales Reports and Background Research

Sales Reports 

Top of the Pops : 78,352 - % change y/y: -20.1 - Sold copies: 78,352

Kerrang! : 40,203 - % change y/y: -6.6 - Sold copies: 39,950

We Love Pop Magazine : 50,505 - % change y/y: - Sold copies: 50,505

Q : 64,596 - % change y/y: -19.7 - Sold copies: 63,812

New Musical Express : 23,924 - % change y/y: -17.6 - Sold copies: 23,898

I researched some figures about the sales of some popular magazines. From this I wanted to achieve where there would be a gap in the market or what magazine style would be successful in the industry to give me ideas of what to do and what not to do. 

From the research that I have conducted I can clearly see that NME magazine isn't doing well on the market. From my ABC source it is clear that their sales have decreased majorly which is then supported by the above research (sales reports) which show a minus percentage change as well as a considerably low amount of sold copies in comparison to the other magazines mentioned as NME has got the least amount of sales. From further research that I have conducted, an article from the guardian also states that NME and Q have both suffered sales declines by almost 20%, this suggests that it is similar for the genre and style of magazine they are, and that this genre is declining, from the sales reports figures above I can see from the sales the magazines such as Kerrang!, Q and NME sell considerably less copies than pop magazines which are shown. Also from the ABC sourced image there is a lot of negative change within the similar kind of genre aimed magazine. 

On the other hand pop magazines like We Love Pop and Top of the Pops have sold quite a lot of copies, especially top of the pops which has sold the most copies, this suggests to me that this is a popular market therefore one I should probably consider when deciding the genre of the magazine that I am going to make. In comparison to what I have just stated though, magazines of an alternative/rock genre are really popular as there are a lot on the market (ABC Source) and the change in sales only happens in some magazines therefore with a spin on the magazines there is most likely a market for this kind of magazine as long as it's done well.

"The Source also converted and consolidated a previous Chapter 7 filing in Friday's court proceedings and listed assets of about $1.3 million and liabilities of $35 million according to sources. 

Founders Dave Mays and Ray Benzino were ousted from the company in 2006, when sluggish newsstand sales and lost ad revenue prompted a need for a change.

One of the company's biggest financial issues prompting change in management was The Source defaulting on an $18 million loan from Textron Financial Partners.

According to the bankruptcy filing, The Source stopped sending magazines to 140,000 subscribers and magazine subscriptions have dropped by more than 50% since 2002."

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5181/title.the-source-magazine-still-struggling

There isn't that many sales reports on rap and hip hop magazines however I did manage to find out a bit about The source which is a hip hop music magazine is one that is declining in sales too, the article above suggests that it has struggled with profits which is most likely because it isn't selling well enough, it also suggests that the popularity has decreased from the subscriptions which implies that this magazine is doing really badly in terms of sales, I can't really link this completely to the genre of music however because I have nothing else to compare it to of the same genre, although I will have to consider it is probably either because of the genre it is linking to or the magazine isn't appealing to the audience anymore.

In terms of the actual music, unrelated to magazines, pop would definitely be considered the most popular because of the fact it in fact means popular therefore a wider audience listen to this genre of music as it is always in the charts across the world therefore to base a magazine on it would be ideal to appeal to a wider audience. However alternative and rock music is becoming increasingly popular and getting into the charts therefore will also have to be something to consider. Chart music often consists of  pop, alternative and rnb therefore these will be the three music types I want to look at in more detail because they are clearly the ones who appeal to a wider audience. 

This is an example of what I am talking about as the charts now consist of indie/rock, rap/rnb and pop.

Music Magazine Research: Analysing Photographs

These two images from The Source and Vanity Fair differ in composition, Vanity Fair has taken on the rule of third as Lady Gaga is placed on the right third drawing the eye to her posture, the intersection points on her posture lead the eye towards her hand whilst the other is covered by text, on the other hand in The Source, the subject has been centred in the photograph therefore the intersection points don't create focal points at all as he has been placed in the middle third, however the top third of this image does draw the eye to his. 

The lighting in both images draws both to the face of both models, on the cover of The Source the light is coming from above creating shadows down his neck, this draws you into his face as it's highlights contrasts with the shadows created on the neck. On Vanity Fair the idea of contrast also applies however in a different way, the clothing that Lady Gaga is wearing contrasts with her face and hair as her fair hair and skin is so different from her black clothing therefore the eye is drawn towards her face, her face is also well lit by light therefore adds further attraction.

There is a use of lines in both photographs in different ways. On the Vanity Fair cover the lines are more dominantly her arms and legs which stem from around her face which draws further attention to her face, however the use of lines on the cover of The Source is from the gun which has been held, this draws attention to this part of the photograph which also adds further drama and attention because of what he is actually holding.

The angles of these images looks more like the camera was held from below, in the Source the position of the model is emphasising this as his head is held quite high therefore making it seem like the camera is lower than it probably was, the use of this angle makes the subject look bigger and emphasises his face, similarly on the cover of Vanity Fair the position of the model is similar in terms of the head as it is also raised slightly which has a similar effect in emphasising her face.

On The Source cover the face tattoo that is on the subject lefts side is also emphasised as it has a shade of red running through it which has been pulled out and emphasised by the red text on the magazine, similarly the shade of grey in the masthead of Vanity Fair also emphasises the contrasting silvery grey that runs through the black outfit the model is wearing.

To conclude, the different colours, angles, lighting, composition and contrasts throughout photographs play an important role in where they eye is drawn therefore are things I will need to consider when I am taking photographs for my own magazine.

Music Magazine Research: Conventions of Music Magazines

Music Magazine Research: Questionnaire

I created a questionnaire which I had asked to students throughout my college aged 16-19. This is the magazine that I created, I separated the genders so I could distinguish the difference in genders to help with my target audience and I asked questions which I wanted to know out of my audience, the teenage audience is the one I was aiming towards so the audience for this questionnaire is perfect for what I wanted. The questions I asked were very representative of what I needed to know and gave me a lot of information about what the audience I was considering would look for in a magazine.

These were the results of the questionnaire, I asked 25 males and 25 females to get a broad and in depth analysis of the audience.

Results

Males 

This question told me that males would pay around £2.00 as an estimated average for a magazine therefore if I chose to use males for my target audience I will be aware of the price range that the magazine will be. Above £3.00 is probably going to be far too much for my audience to want to buy the magazine for.





The most appealing genres of music for males are pop, rock, alternative and rap which is something I will have to consider if I chose to base my magazine on one of these genres.

When thinking of how frequently I would post my magazine I think that from this magazine once a week would be a good frequency for the audience, this also links to how affordable the magazine is too because if it's frequent and affordable it's going to be a lot more attracting to buy.





The content of the magazines will feature all of the things mentioned as they were all popular topics to be included, especially in this case with interviews being a really popular topic to include. This question really helps with the content of the magazines as I didn't know that to feature however I can now see popular topics which would intrigue my audience.




The answer to this question surprisingly differed to the previous genre question and the most popular genre that would intrigue readers is alternative music, closely behind however is rock and rap which would also be genres to consider if I were to aim a magazine towards males or focus a magazine on one of these genres as males are really into the genres.

Females

This question shows that in terms of how frequently the magazine should be issued, generally it does suggest that they read more than 1 magazine a week therefore I think similarly to males, a weekly issue will be most popular with the audience.

The results to this question completely contrasts with the males as it says that the majority of the teenage females that I had asked prefer pop music to others therefore would probably be far more interested in this genre of music, so if I chose pop as a genre it will definitely be more female orientated as it's a much more popular genre with this gender.

Similarly to the males the content that females would expect in music magazines is similar and they would like all of the features mentioned giving me a really defined outlook on the content that would be enjoyed by my audience.

This question is supported by the other question relating to genre as again pop magazine is the one that is dominantly more interested by females, however RnB is also a genre which should be considered as it is the second most popular, the results of this do show some common genre interests between genders.

Again, like males I think that £2.00 would be an appropriate amount to be paying for a music magazine as both men and women have said they would pay around this number compared to being below £1.00 or above £3.00 which far less people said they would do.






I think that this piece of research is going to be really helpful with establishing what different audiences look for in magazines and the different audiences of certain genres of music magazines therefore when coming to decide on these criteria I will have a clear idea on gender to genre links. This form of research also gives me general ideas on content for my magazine as well as pricing and issues.

Music Magazine Research: Target Audiences

NME Magazine   

NME Magazine is aimed at those who enjoy popular alternative artists as this is the main focus represented by the main model on the cover, which in this case is Muse, alternative artists enjoyed by many, the coverlines also suggest this because they aim towards and feature alternative artists. The gender of this music magazine isn't identified clearly as the colours are unisex therefore don't sway the magazine towards a single gender. The font used for NME Magazine is a sans serif font therefore the audience of this magazine is less sophisticated which is then contrasted by the sophisticated and muted colours throughout the magazine which suggest the magazine is towards an audience that isn't aimed at those who are very young, yet around 18+. 

Vibe Magazine

Vibe Magazine is aimed at those who enjoy rap and r'n'b music, this is very clearly identified with the main model as he is a very stereotypical view of those associated with this genre of music because of his race, and with it being Kanye West which is well known for his rap and r'n'b work the genre is immediately recognised. The coverlines also support this because of the mentioned artists and articles, for example the article about Kayne West 'I AM RAP' which clearly identifies that the audience must have an interest in this genre of music. The colours of the magazine do not specifically aim at one gender because it includes both stereotypical colours for each gender which are pink and blue therefore suggesting that the target audience is not defined by gender, the bright colours suggest that the magazine is aimed towards younger adults because it is very youthful looking.

BBC Music Magazine

BBC Music Magazine is aimed at those who enjoy classical music which is clearly identified, similarly to Vibe Magazine due to its main model which represents a very stereotypical view as it features someone from the Asian race with a violin which is something which is very often associated together therefore the cover clearly suggests the target audiences interest in music genre. Similarly to the other music magazines the use of colour in this magazine doesn't specifically define a gender that the magazine is aimed at therefore suggesting the magazine is unisex. The serif font used in the masthead of the magazine shows the sophistication of the magazine and suggests that the magazine is aimed at an older audience which links to the genre as older generations are seen to enjoy classical music more than the younger generations.

Billboard Magazine

Billboard Magazine is aimed at those who enjoy pop music which is featured in the charts, this is clearly recognised by the name of the magazine as 'Billboard' record the chart music and is well known for doing so. The main model in the magazine also suggests this as Justin Bieber is an incredibly popular artist and is world renown therefore the magazine clearly is aimed at those who enjoy pop music. The coverlines also show the pop music theme as they feature upcoming popular artists. The colours of these magazines do not identify a specific gender as the blue background could suggest it being aimed more towards boys, however this is completely contrasted by the main model which is associated with teenage girls therefore balancing out the gender of the audience. The age of the magazine audience is probably of a more young one because of the bright colours and pop music which they enjoy.

Q Magazine

Q Magazine isn't aimed towards a specific genre of music as the main models often change to whatever is popular during the time whether it be alternative music or pop music, the main model is always someone well known too and the coverlines are very broad in terms of the genres mentioned. The colours within this magazine cover do not aim towards one gender as the colours are unisex and the articles and models are enjoyed by both genders. I think the magazine target audiences age is of a more middle aged adult because the layout of the coverlines and other parts of the cover look very sophisticated and simplistic therefore suggesting that the magazine isn't aimed at those of a very young age.

Conclusion of Research

From conducting the analysis of the magazines a lot of similarities in music magazines as a whole, even though they change within genre they are all very similar. One thing that is similar between them all is the use of colour in all the magazines, in each magazine the colours do not aim towards a specific gender and in each of these magazines a gender is not defined specifically for each magazine. In addition, serif font appears to be the most used font throughout the magazines as the adults (40 and below) and younger audience are the ones who are heavily interested in music which is usually targeted in magazines like pop, alternative and rap/r'n'b music. The main models play a very important role in the magazines as they are very representative of the genre of music the magazine is based towards and they are always renown widely.

Research & Planning: Preliminary Task

Initial Ideas

For my college magazine I want to target it at adolescents aged 16-20 years old who would be interested in the latest news, gossip and upcoming events that are happening around the college. I want the magazine to be very interesting and intriguing with the sort of topics that a younger audience would actually want to read and that would useful for them. Some ideas for the magazine titles are on campus, student life, college life and college campus.

Proposal

The magazine cover that I am going to create will be quite formal with a Serif Font to represent the formality and intellect that is necessary for college life an idea I have for the actual font is Minion Pro. I will title the magazine 'On Campus' as it's a simple and easy title to remember and is a pretty good summary of what the magazines purpose actually is, I discarded other ideas because I felt as if they were too direct and boring. The magazine will be aimed at adolescents aged 16-20 years old who would be interested in the latest news, gossip and upcoming events that are happening around the college, as briefly mentioned before. The contents of the magazine will be very relatable to student issues therefore can help them out, I would also like to entice my audience by giving away certain deals and vouchers as I know that the target audience would be very attracted to that. In addition, the contents will include a lot of general information about the college like any ongoing news and upcoming events, as well as this, gossip will also be briefly mentioned as this is also a very attracting subject to this target age. Coverline ideas that I currently have include things such as fashion trends, beginners help, exam information and tips, issues with students like bullying and money, free discount codes and vouchers for around the college, trip plans and general information. I will plan the magazine to be published in October 2013in A4 so that it can include seasonal events for winter as well as beginners tips, the magazine will be monthly so that it can change for the events during the month. For the image on the front cover I want to show a student happy and on campus to again link the with the title of the magazine as it's a clear representation of the students life and the college itself, the colour scheme of the front cover should be linked to the photograph I end up using and match the colours well.

My Magazine Cover 

This is the photograph that I chose to use for my front cover; I chose this for my front cover because I like the composition of the photograph as it will allow me to include the coverlines on the right with a lot of space as well as having overhead space which will allow me to place the masthead there. I also think this image is very representative of my magazine as it is based in college and features a student looking particularly happy with a smile on her face which is something I particularly wanted to show the atmosphere and positivity of students and the college as a whole therefore it will be a lot more appealing to the audience as a student which is relatable to them is featured in a positive light. The only thing I dislike about this image is the colours going through as pink is a very bold colour and I didn't want the magazine to aim towards females more than males as I wanted the magazine to be equally appealing to both genders.                                    





This is the start of my magazine I used the font Minion Pro Bold for the masthead to make it stand out as this text was quite thick, I also made it white to contrast with the background so it stands out more, I like the font I used because I think it's quite formal and reflective of the seriousness and maturity that students obtain when going to college and is also reflective of the lifestyle and atmosphere at college as it is an environment which is to be taken seriously as it carries you onto further education and career paths.  I also added a puff to the corner to attract the audience as the lack of money in a students lifestyle would appeal them to this puff as it offers something relatable to the audience as money is a problem that students face therefore by adding this puff it will attract students to pick up the magazine as it is something they would want to read. I also added a barcode and issue date as I felt this was appropriate for it to be a magazine, I decided on monthly issues as there is a lot to talk about and a lot of information to get across as well as the magazine being able to alter itself to fit certain months.


I decided to change the colour of the puff to stand out more against the background and make it more attracting to the eye so it is drawn to it and more likely to read it and want to pick up the magazine. I also made the masthead bigger as I felt it wasn't big enough and I wanted it to be more prominent and easier to read. I also created another coverline to go with my other one, the newer one appealing to those who have issues with money, which is a lot of students therefore relating to my audience and covering articles that would appeal to them and are relevant just like my other coverline relating to revision tips, with which I added a number in a bold orange/red shade to make it appear as if I am offering a lot of information to the audience.

I then decided to make a selling line for my magazine to give an overview of the purpose of the magazine and to cut to the chase for the short attention span of many teenagers which I have put in a bold colour as well as outlining to make it easier to read against the background. I also then finished the coverlines which I have related to college gossip relating the 'Coffee House' which I thought would appeal to this audience and specifically the female audience which are big gossipers therefore will most likely want to read the article, as well as this teenagers as a whole being really nosey may want to know what is going on in the college. I also added another one relating to clothes because I know that students struggle with this therefore it's another coverline that would appeal to a wide audience as they would be interested in these subjects as they are quite interesting compared to being quite boring and dull just dishing out information. I ended up outlining a lot of words throughout the coverlines so that it was easier to read and more likely to be read.

This is the finished product after all my changes and edits that I have done to the cover. I finalised it by adding another puff with the price on it implying that the magazine is incredibly cheap (which it is) and enticing the audience even further.
I think that the finalised cover for my college magazine ended up with something that I am actually pleased with, the magazine does look quite busy yet in a way that isn't too tacky or overcrowded so that you don't know where to look and the puffs are appropriate sized in which both of them are seen quite well and aren't too obnoxious. The only thing that I wish I could change is possibly the colours running through the background picture as they limited the colours that I could use throughout my text as I didn't want to match them with the pink clothing too often as this would have made the magazine look way too towards the female audience and I wanted it to apply to both genders, because of this factor a lot of the outlines of the text in my coverlines clash a bit and make the magazine look a little less organized however on the plus side the variation in colours relate to the audience as it is quite 'hip' and 'cool' as it is very colourful, and also with all of the colours it makes the magazine appear that it is not aimed towards any gender and makes the audience quite broader.

Contents Page

This is the start of my contents page, I have included features relating to main articles which relate to the coverlines that I put onto the cover as I used these as main articles and wanted to publicise them further as I feel they would spark up an interest. The contents page will be mainly pictures which I haven't put on as I didn't have this available to me, however the outlines shouw that overall the pictures cover the majority of the space and will be the attraction to the contents page. I made the colour of the number text blue because even though this could be interpreted as more masculine I wanted this to contrast with the pinkness on the front cover and make the magazine appear more unisex and not aimed at one particular gender.

I ended up extending the image behind the contents title because I think eventually this will look better and more organised as the page will then flow a little bit better as the layout looks a lot neater and matched. I also added a banner at the bottom to appeal to the audience again and added a line to briefly sum up the page too to save the laziness of the audience. I also spaced out the numbers more as I didn't want the main features to get tideous to the point where my audience would lose interest and not read features further along the list.
I like the look of my contents page, even though there is no images I think that it is easily to visualise what it would like. If there were to be images on the page I would have the ones that are numbered relating to each particular article and clearly reflecting the topic of the subject that is mentioned as again I feel this would clearly identify the topic and it is easily recognisable what the article will be about. For the image behind the 'Contents' title I would have a long landscape of the college which would make a good background for an ongoing background for the contents page for the article as it is clearly reflecting the magazine. I like the layout of text and number as I think this will be really easy to read and I like the simplicity making it easy to scan. I think the only thing I am not happy with is that I was unable to collect images for this which would relate to articles without it looking really mis matched as I would have only been able to collect a few photographs however the boxes do make it easy to visualise. I think I would also have a background, even though the pictures take up the majority of the space I think it will make the contents page look more eye catching, but other than that I am really happy with the page.

Task 5: IPC Media

IPC MEDIA

IPC Media produce over 85 iconic media brands, it’s a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the UK with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies per year.

History of IPC

The history of IPC Media has been quite complicated as there have been a lot of changes to the business to get it to where it is today.

IPC (International Publishing Corporation Ltd) was formed in 1963 by the merge of the UK’s leading magazine publishers – George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications who came together with the Mirror Group to for IPC, 5 years later IPC Magazines were created. The three publishers had been established in 1881, 1890 and 1880 with a number of their titles they launched still being published today. When The Field, 1852 joined in 1994 the family tree reached further back!

In the 1800’s some titles that are still around today which were launched are Country Life, Horse & Hound, Shooting Times, Yachting World, Amateur Gardening, Cycling Weekly, Amateur Photographer and The Railway Magazine (no longer owned by IPC).

In the early 1900’s three more titles were added to IPC, which were Yachting Monthly, Cage Birds (no longer owned by IPC) and Motor Boat. During this time the first of IPC’s four women’s weeklies was launched, called Woman’s Weekly which was launched in 1911, later in the same year Golf Monthly was also released. Homes & Gardens was also launched and was one of the first magazines launched after World War I.

In the 1920’s Ideal Home was launched in opposition to Homes & Gardens and Woman & Home also entered the market.

In the 1930’s the launch of Woman’s Own came out in 1932 and Woman was launched just five years later. Other titles launched in this decade included Caravan, Stamp Magazine and Prediction, all of which are no longer owned by IPC.

In the 1940’s IPC’s women’s weeklies had a big role in keeping up the morale of Britain’s women and supplied them essential information on behalf of the government, many of the Woman covers are regarded as works of art while wartime Woman’s Own covers play the part in rallying woman to the cause.

In the 1950’s New Musical Express was launched in 1952 and TVTimes was launched later on the same decade after the arrival of ITV.

In the 1960’s the rivalling companies Newnes, Fleetway and Odhams Press found themselves all working for the same parent company Ideal Home Homes & Gardens, Woman and Woman’s own to name a few.

In the 1970’s IPC welcomed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to its King’s Reach Tower HQ and HRH drops in on Horse & Hound, Country Life, Woman and Woman’s own while Prince Philip makes solo visits to Angler’s Mail and Yachting Monthly. Sporting Gun, Aeroplane monthly and Superbike were also launched in this decade.

In the 1980’s formation with European Magazines Ltd was made and a UK version of Marie Claire was launched in 1988. IPC embarks the biggest sales campaign in history. The launch issue of Essentials is a sell-out and other new IPC titles on the newsstand include 4x4, Eventing, Chat, Mizz, Motor Caravan Magazine, Wedding & Home, Country Homes & Interiors, Classic Boat, Model Collector, Motor Boats Monthly, Practical Parenting, VolksWorld and Bird Keeper.

In the 1990’s What’s on TV was launched and IPC Magazines is sold to Cinven for £860m in 1998.

In the 2000’s IPC Magazine is renamed to IPC media, Time Warner acquires IPC media for a cool £1.15bn and ignite! launches nuts as well as other launches being Pick Me Up, TVeasy, goodtoknow, shootinguk, housetohome, trustedreview.com and mousebreaker.

In the 2010’s IPC Media structured around three key audience groups: men, mass-market women and up-market women. IPC also launched Style at Home and goodtoknow Recipes as well as Feelgood games.

§  What types of magazine and target audiences has IPC been associated with over the years?
aIPC has been associated with a variety of magazines which broadens out widely in type. They do are associated often with hobby based magazines which attract audiences which have interests in these types of hobbies, for example Yachting World and Amateur Gardening which would attract audiences interested in these hobbies, most likely of an adult age. The target audience of IPC magazines have changed dramatically over the years, in the beginning middle aged men were the target most of the time and from then on it target hobby based people, which targeted mostly towards sports, cultural interests and photography which is more often men as they are the ones who are mostly involved with these types of interests. However as the years went by the magazine target audiences had an increasing amount of variety as they introduced woman based magazines which targeted middle age woman, from magazines such as Woman's Weekly, Woman & Home and Woman's Own. So now in modern days IPC focuses on both middle aged woman and men as their magazine variety increased.

§  Why might IPC be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine?
IPC are extremely good at targeting specific audiences as they have done and do a lot of hobby based magazines which sell well to these target audiences, clearly showing that they are very good at selling to their specified target audiences as they do reach out to specific audiences like Woman's Weekly aimed towards middle aged woman and Yachting World aimed at middle aged men, therefore with the opportunity of being able to publish a new music magazine they would most likely be able to fit the target audience in well and therefore sell the magazine well.

§  What sorts of genres of music/types of magazines might they be likely to publish?
I think if they were to publish a music magazine they would be most likely to publish magazines with a specific target audience, for an example a classical magazine like BBC Classical Music Magazine, this would also appeal to a lot of audiences which they already target as it is a genre for more so middle aged woman and men, also IPC are very good at targeting smaller audiences therefore this kind of genre of magazine would be extremely appropriate as the target audience isn't as large as other genres out there.

§  Why might alternative publishers like Bauer be appropriate?
 Bauer may also be appropriate as they are a very successful publishing company with magazines such as FHM and Heat which sell extremely well across the UK and internationally which shows that they are experienced and produce magazines which are vastly popular and sell extremely well therefore they are most likely to have experience in how to reach out to different audiences as well as display different techniques which would attract specific audiences therefore they would most likely be able to publish a music magazine that is well sold and attracts the audience that it is desired to.