IPC - Magazine Institutions Research

Bauer Media Group - Music Institutions Research

Bauer Media Group is a multinational media company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany which operates in 16 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately owned and under management by the Bauer family. It was formerly called Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, abbreviated to HBV and usually shortened toH. Bauer. Worldwide circulation of Bauer Media Group's magazine titles amounts to 38 million magazines a week.

Bauer Verlagsgruppe has been managed by four generations of the Bauer family. Originally a small printing house, The Bauer Publishing Group has grown into a worldwide publishing and media company. The Bauer Publishing Group comprises 300 magazines worldwide in 15 countries, as well as TV and radio stations. Bauer started in the UK with the launch of Bella magazine in 1987 and as H Bauer Publishing became Britain's third largest publisher. Bauer further expanded in the UK with the purchase of Emap Consumer Media and Emap Radio in 2008 to become the UK's biggest publishing group. The group acquired Australia's largest magazine publisher, ACP Magazines from private equity firm, CVC in 2012, increasing the company’s value to more than €2 billion.

H Bauer brands include women's weekly and TV listings magazines; namely Bella, Take a Break, that's life! TVChoice and Total TVGuide as well as a number of puzzle magazines.

Q started out as a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Originally it was to be called Cue (named after the act of cueing a record to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth felt the music press of the time ignored a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology — from artists such as Paul Simon, Level 42, and Dire Straits. Modeled after Rolling Stone, Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing, with an emphasis on style.

Kerrang! is a brand that specialises in Rock Music. It originally began as a magazine and in 2004 Kerrang Radio was launced. A Kerrang tv channel also exists and as of 2005, all of its programme content is music videos, the majority of which is open scheduled, for text requests from their playlist.

Music Videos

I have went onto youtube and looked at some music videos that will give you a better understanding of the types of music that I will feature in my magazine. I hope this post will help you understand more the bands and singers that will be in my magazine and also the people that they will appeal to and bring to the magazine following.

Kings of Leon - Supersoaker

This first video is of Kings of Leon and it shows one of their recent music videos. I have chosen this video as it displays contemporary rock music that will appeal to a younger audience. This song gives a better understanding to the target audience and it shows that the magazine will feature new music and recent bands instead of bands and rock artists from the 80's. Kings of Leon bring a large male following and that is who my magazine is mainly aimed at, that is why they are a good example.

30 Seconds to Mars - Up in the Air

Again, this music video shows a modern rock group on the slightly softer side. The music has a rock feel but it isn't on the side of rock that is closer to metal. This again is more appealing to a younger audience, this is why I have chosen it to display the types of music that will be in my music magazine. 30 seconds to mars are also a popular group and will bring more buyers to the magazine by their fans. 30 seconds to mars bring a large male following but they also appeal to girls as well, this will appeal to the girls that read my audience too.

Paramore - Brick by Boring Brick

This last music video is another example of the styles of music that I will feature in my magazine. Paramore are a very popular rock group and are also very contemporary. Their main audience, like my magazine, are young. This is why they are a great example to represent my magazine. Paramore are a great example to use as they bring a male audience but they also appeal to girls as well. This is good my magazine will have a secondary audience that will be girls of the same age, so it is important that the magazine appeals to both audiences.

NME - Reader Profile

I looked online for a reader profile for NME magazine. This is the official statistics that were released to the public by NME. It gives us a good understanding of their readership and it gives us a lot of detail into their readers.

Kerrang - Reader Profile

Reader's Lifestyle:

'Kerrang!'s 15-24 year old readers (60% male and 40% female) are sharp, intelligent and rejoice in their individuality. Typical of modern youth, media savvy and marketing-averse, they are active consumers of computer games, media and fashion. On average they buy 31 albums a year(!). The brands that make the effort to talk to them in their language are rewarded with enormous loyalty.'

'Kerrang! is a consistent bastion of positivism that tells it straight and speaks to it's readers with the same fervour with which they buy music, gig tickets, trainers, jeans and T-shirts. Fashion is of up most importance to the Kerrang! reader, as they mimic the look of their rock star heroes. Expressing their different tribal looks of extreme sports, skate-rock, punk and metal. It is seen as an integral part of the "scene" rather than simply commenting on events. 58% think it's important to look well dressed. Kerrang! readers dress in a personal way.'

- Kerrang! Publishers (2006)

Potential Problems with my Coursework

Potential area where there may be an issue	How I will deal with this issue
Front cover images I will be doing a drawing of my band characters, much like those of the Gorillaz, so I need to make sure the characters look like rock stars and aren't too child like.   The characters might come out great, but they may just not be suitable for the front cover of a rock magazine and they might, simply, not appeal to the target audience. I will also need to make sure they look professional and make sure they come out great and not blurred.	To make sure the characters look like rock stars I will look at the characters in the Gorillaz and I will also look at images of modern rock stars. I will then breakdown the things that they wear, their hairstyles and I will also I make sure the characters have an instrument that suits the rock genre. This will help me get a better understanding of what to make the characters look like. To make sure they look professional and make sure they turn out good I will do research into the steps to take to make a cartoon and I will also have to plan out exactly how I will make sure everything fits together and I will also have to look into different layouts but most importantly, I will need to use a suitable programme to do my characters on.
Article Inside Magazine The first problem I may have is that the article will be too long or too short. If the article is too long, it won't appeal to the target audience. It will also mean that there won't be enough room for the pictures if all the space is filled with text. The second problem I may have is that the article won't appeal to the target audience. This could be down to the content of the article and the language that is used. The article could be too formal for the reader and the genre. Another problem is that the double page spread won't all fit together and there will be lots of blank spaces with nothing to fill them. If the double page spread is filled with gaps and things looking out of place, the magazine will look unprofessional and it won't get a good mark.	To overcome the first problem, I will limit myself to a certain amount of words the article may have. This should stop the article from being too long and even if it is, I will go through and edit it, this will also help the article be full of only the best content. If the article comes up too short, I can easily add some more into the article until it is the right length.   To make sure the article appeals to the audience, I will look into articles in Kerrang and NME magazine and look at the different types of articles and break down the language used. Because they are in my genre of music, they will give me a better understanding of what should and shouldn't be in my article and make sure it appeals to my audience.   To stop the double page spread from looking messy and unplanned, I will look into different layouts you would find in a rock magazine and I will draw out and play about with possible layouts for my double page spread, the more original the better. This will stop it from looking unplanned and messy.
Images to accompany article I will be doing more drawings of the characters on my double page spread to introduce all of the members of the band. It will be an introduction to the band. Problems that I might encounter will be lack of time and originality.    I will include an image of the members of the band and their character in the photo too. This may be difficult as it needs to be seamless and professional. I might find it hard connecting the photo and the drawing and it might look out of place. I will also need to make sure the images are directly related the article in some ways or else they will look completely out of place and there won't be any continuity in the double page spread.	To stop myself from running out of time, I will start planning and drawing in advance. By researching and planning long in advance. This will give me plenty of time to make sure the characters look right and it will also give me plenty of time to draw out the characters. The longer I have for the final drawings, the better the quality and higher the detail of the final drawings. I will also have long enough to really make sure the characters have my own style and aren't just a copy of someone else's. For the images of the member and their character I will have to research and look at different poses, I will have to get someone to be in the photos, either myself or a friend. I will also have to take the photos in advance to give myself plenty of time to draw the characters around the photos. I will do it this way to make sure the characters fit in perfectly. The overcome the last problem, I will come up with a theme for the article early so that I can incorporate the images into the article.

 

Kerrang Magazine - Deconstruction #3

This here is my third deconstruction of a Rock magazine. For this deconstruction, I have decided to look at Kerrang magazine. I will be deconstructing the front cover, contents page and a double page spread from the magazine. I will be talking using the terminology of all the different parts in the magazine, explaining them and talking about where and how they have been used in this magazine.

Front Cover

This here is the front cover of Kerrang magazine. It features Rise Against as the main image and the main-sell line. The masthead of this cover is in bold big lettering to fill the top of the page. The lettering is in white, this contrasts with the brown/grey background imagery. The logo of Kerrang has a very distinct logo with their shattered lettering signature font. This has the connotations of damage and violence, this very much matches the Rock/Metal genre of music this magazine features. The logo has a rough look to it, this again matches the genre but it also appeals to the mainly male target audience. The masthead is covered by the main image and also a sub-image, this gives the idea that the magazine is well-established.

The essential of this is placed in the bottom right corner of the page, with the barcode also. The essential information is the date, price and the volume/issue number. On this magazine, the date of the magazine is April 02 2011. This tells me that the magazine is fairly modern and will have modern features, I will be able to try and use these features when I make my own magazine cover. It is important that the magazine is modern because I don't want to use dated features on my magazine cover as this won't appeal to a younger audience. The price of this magazine is £2.20, this is because the target audience is teenagers who don't have much disposable income to spend on magazines. This price is very reasonable for a magazine. The issue number is 1357, this again tells us that this magazine is very well established and has been around and popular for a long time. The barcode is very important and it is essential for the buyer.

The main image is a picture is a mid close-up of the lead singer of Rise Against. The image is pretty normal, he isn't in an exaggerate pose and he isn't pulling a face, he is actually very serious. The focus in the image is of his face as the rest of the photo has been blurred out a little. By making the image over the top of the masthead, it makes the image look like it is coming out of the cover, this then jumps out at people passing by. This is then supported by the angle the photo is taken at and also by the blurring of the body, this adds a sense of depth to the image.

The main sell line of the magazine is simply 'RISE AGAINST', this is directly linked to the main image and it is advertising the band. The text is in bold capital letters and spread the width of the magazine, this stands out to the reader and catches attention. The lettering has the same colour as the background and also the same texture, this helps it to blend in with the image but the white outline contrasts with this and makes the text stand out. The text 'RISE AGAINST' doesn't really say what the article is and it keeps mystery. However, you do get the idea that it will be a cover story on the band. The sell-line is also slightly slanted and is placed in the center of the page, this makes it look informal and a little messy, relating to the younger audience well. By making the sell-line in the centre, the eye sees it at the first glance. The sub head talks more about the sell-line, the words 'PUNK'S MOST POLITICAL BAND GO GLOBAL!' get the mind going. It is a very bold statement and it catches your attention. The use of capital letters and exclamation marks make the sub-head exciting and they make the sub-head appeal to a young audience.

There are a few cover lines on the front cover, all to the sides of the magazine, they are at different angles and all the text makes the cover look cluttered and informal, relating more to the target audience. The cover line 'over 1000 gigs listed' appeals a lot to the target audience. The target audience of this magazine is predominantly young males who like going to see live music at gigs. Therefore, by adding this cover-line it directly appeals to the audience of the magazine and makes them want to buy the magazine more to see the gigs inside.

The colours used in the cover reflect well on the genre of music and also the target audience. The main image depicts a neutral and dull variety of colour. The black used in the cover lines and the dark colours in the photography relate to the genre of Rock. When you think of rock, you don't think of bright vibrant colours, stereotypically you think of blacks and dark colours. However some brighter colours are used to still relate and appeal to the young audience. However, they are still darker versions of bright colours. For example, instead of using bright yellow and blue on the cover, they used a darker blue and a more orange yellow. The use of blue also suggests that the cover is aimed at men because of the connotations that come with the colour.

There is a lot of puff on this cover, for example, there is an advertisement to win a signed football shirt and an advertisement for 5 posters that are in the magazine. Because their target audience is young teens, they have a lot of free things in their magazine, this makes the buyer think they are getting more for their money. The fact that they are offering the chance to win a football shows they know who their main audience and they are relating to them.

The mode of address of this magazine cover is direct. I know this because of how the subject in the photo is looking. The man is looking directly into the camera, and looking straight at the buyer, this includes the audience and it grabs their attention. However, the text doesn't use words, like 'we' or 'us', that include the reader.

Contents Page

The masthead has been positioned in the center of the page, this different to the normal positioning. Normally, the masthead would be positioned right at the top of the page. This is so it is the first thing the reader sees when they look at the page. Right next to the masthead, the words 'This Week' are placed, this gives a brief introduction to the list of content. It also tells the reader that the magazine is released weekly. This is good as if it is a new reader, it tells them that the magazine comes out weekly, this tells them when to buy the magazine without them having to look it up. The issue number and date are positioned at the top of the page below the title in the running head.

The contents page is lain out in a very specific way. The page is split into two halves, the top and the bottom. The top half has a big feature of one of the stories in the magazine and the bottom half shows off the rest of the magazine with a message from the deputy editor. The top half shows one large image with 4 smaller images overlapping each other. The images are all in different ways, this looks a little clutter and fits the style of the cover and also appeals to the audience. There is little text and they use 2 different styles of text, this suggests variety in the magazine and makes it fun and less serious. The feature they show is a Kurt Cobain tribute poster special. They use the same font used in the Nirvana logo, they use this as it what he is known for and it is a way of giving remembrance. The bottom half features bold bright text to stand out and be eye-catching and some more imagery.

The contents are out into different sections based on the different running heads used throughout. The black and yellow subheadings used contrast against each other and stand out. The yellow is very bold and bright but the black keeps it dark and suiting of the genre and audience. The bold text stands out and matches the masthead, this shows continuity in the magazine and it is also recognisable. There isn't much text on the contents page, this is because the target audience is young and they don't want to read loads of text, they are more interested in the images used. The use of page numbers next to the page numbers makes the contents page understandable and it also adds order to the page, this is important for a contents page. The form of address is direct, there is a message from the deputy editor that is directly addressing the readers and the fans. It uses words like 'we', which is a big clue into the form of address. By addressing the readers directly, they are including them in the magazine and it gets them engaged in the magazine.

The magazine uses questions and alliteration in the texts, this keeps it interesting and fun to read, it keeps the attention of the reader, especially when it's a younger, less mature target audience.

Double-Page Spread

The double page spread features a live show from 'Funeral for a Friend'. The double page spread features an image of the band performing, this is spread across the entire page and acts as a background. There are more images on the left page, this is good as the more photos, the more the reader will like the page. They stand out and they catch the attention of the reader. The images have a caption so the reader understands what is happening in the photos. The caption is inside a black box, this helps the text from blending into the images as they are dark in places. The text is white, this contrasts with the black and, again, helps the text to stand out.

The magazine knows that their target audience are interested in going to gigs and listening to different rock bands live, so they have added different features in the magazine of different bands. They show what people think of their act and the magazine also talk about what they thought of their live show. The images used are directly related to the article, this shows they are relative and that they aren't out of place, this is important for the page to have.

The article uses pull quotes from audience members of the live show, this is relative as the reader will want to know if the band are worth seeing, that is what they are most likely wanting out of the article. By putting in these pull quotes, it makes the reader feel satisfied from the article and it gives them what they want. By putting several pull quotes and reviews from a variety of people, this gives a better review of the band and it gives the reader more to go off.

The title of the article is simply 'FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND', this gets straight to the point and lets the reader know what the article is about straight away. This is followed with the kicker 'welsh wonders continue to get their groove back in brum', this is the introduction to the article and it grabs the attention straight away. It uses the alliteration 'welsh wonders' to start off the article and from the very start, the article shows variety and a good range of vocabulary, this makes the reader continue to read. The article only has one column, this is because of the layout of the double page spread and also because there isn't much text so it isn't necessary to split up the text into more columns. There isn't much text because the target audience is young and they don't want to read a long article, this is different to the article length you would find in a magazine aimed at an older, more mature audience where there would be up to 3 or more pages for an article.

The double page spread is full of dark and bright colours. All of the images are taken in a dark venue but are also bright because of the colourful stage lights and also the camera flash. The images are very high quality which makes them look very professional and well done. The stage lights are red blue and green, this has been translated onto the text colours that have been used. The white font used really stands out against the dark background. They have used red and green text in the article and the page information, this helps to connect the images to the article and it makes the article fit into the page. The matching colour scheme also makes the double page spread look professional and appealing.

Kerrang Magazine - Deconstruction #2

Classic Rock Magazine - Deconstruction #1

This post shows my deconstruction of Classic Rock magazine. I have used terminology in the analysis and explained what they are and how they have been used in this magazine.

Front Cover

The masthead on Classic Rock magazine is shown in the top half of the page but is not right at the top. Traditionally the magazine logo will be added digitally over the image at the very top of the page, often in the top left corner of the page. With this magazine the logo and title has been incorporated into the main image. This isn't a common occurrence and it is a very unique way of showing the magazine.

The essential information of the magazine is the date, volume/issue number and the price. For this magazine, the date is September 2013. This shows that it is a very recent magazine, it is good to analyze a recent magazine because it means that it is current and I won't be picking up on out-dated features. The issue number is 188, first off, a number this high shows that the magazine is well established and has been around a while. This shows there is popularity in what they are doing in and out of their magazine. This is a good magazine to get ideas from as I know that what they are doing works. The price can tell the reader a lot about the target audience. This magazine costs £5.50, this tells me that the magazine is most likely going to be aimed at an older audience who work and have a higher disposable income than a teenager. If a magazine is highly priced, a lot of younger people won't be able to buy it every week.

The main image of this magazine is very bold and unique. The image shows the back of a man wearing an old worn-out leather jacket. The leather jacket is to symbolize American rock artists and symbolize classic rock. The leather jacket is thought about when you think of American Rock. The jacket has the logo printed on it at the top and a skull and crossbones wearing an American helmet printed largely in the center of the jacket. The print has a scratched and worn-out affect to show that its old and classic, like the music they talk about in the magazine and to symbolize what music the readers listen to. The skull and crossbones show the classic rock imagery and the American helmet represents the magazines theme, American Rock. The red and blue on the helmet also stand out from the dark neutral colours in the image. This catches the eye of the reader and drags them in. The cover also uses white logos of different classic American rock bands. This again appeals to the older audience whilst the white still stands out from the darker imagery. Throughout the cover there is an American theme, this is very good as it shows the cover represents the content of the magazine, this is important in a magazine cover. The main image isn't an image of a famous rock artists, this tells me that the magazine isn't based on an individual and that its focusing on a specific topic.

The main sell-line of this magazine is ‘The American sh*t kicking Rock Issue’. This sell line is very bold and it teases to what the magazine is about. The sell-line doesn’t give too much away whilst also revealing the general idea of the magazine, this sell-line does its job perfect. The use of swear words in the sell-line shows that it definitely isn't aimed at children and that its aimed at a much more mature audience. However, the main sell line has been put on in orange. This is very strange as it doesn’t really go with any of the colour scheme on the cover and it looks a bit out of place. This could help attract a reader but it also hints that the magazine may also be aimed a little towards teens because of the bright, fun colour used. The sub-head used is actually a quote and is still a little mysterious, ‘We were in the middle of an American revolution’. This sub-head here doesn’t really elaborate on the main sell-line in any other way than the fact it uses the word ‘American’ again. Again, the sub-head is in blue and red, matching the helmet on the leather jacket.

The cover-lines tell you a little about the content of the magazine. There are two cover-lines on the cover, these are ‘The golden age of American Rock’ and ‘The U.S. bands that ruled the 70’s’. They have been added in a style that looks like it could be a logo. The cover-lines aren't just a line of text, they have been arranged in a certain way that makes them stand out. They have been done in white to make them stand out from the darker imagery. The font that has been done looks like they have been spray painted on to the cover. They have also had a faded effect added to them, this makes them matcher the main image and to stop them from looking out of place. The barcode has been added to the bottom right corner.

The mode of address for this magazine is indirect, I know this because of the imagery and what has been said on the cover. The subject in the image has his back turned to the reader, therefore he isn't looking into the camera or looking directly at the reader. The text doesn’t use any words like ‘us’ or ‘we’. This means they aren't directly including the reader in the cover. The only use of direct language is in a quote that is used, this is including the reader but it isn't used frequently in the magazine cover, showing it isn't direct.

The puff on a magazine cover is known as the advertisement of what's inside the magazine, normally something free. These are used to attract the reader and persuade them into buying the magazine. The puff on this magazine cover is in red, blue and white. This fits in with the colour scheme that has been used throughout the cover but at the same time it is also making the advertisement stand out and be noticeable. By advertising something that is free, the reader thinks they are getting more for their money so they are more likely to end up buying the product. The puff, when used right, can be a very valuable part of the magazine cover.

Contents Page

The contents page features a main image that relates to the cover story and it lists all of the featured pages in the magazine. This shows the magazine is full of content and there isn't enough room to display all of the content so they show the best content and display it all in a list. The magazine does this to display the best of the best, this shows the reader the main stories and persuades them to buy the magazine as it makes the quality of the magazine higher. The featured page list also features a brief summary of what the page is talking about and it gives the reader a better understanding of the articles before they read them.

The image used is of J. Geils Band performing a show. The image fills up most of the page, leaving a column for the page list to go on the right side. The image is shown in black and white, this has been done to continue with the classic style of magazine throughout the magazine. The black and white could also represent that the image is old or that the band is a classic, old band. The black and white image is very dark and doesn't stand out in an obvious way. This, again, reflects the target audience being a mature one that doesn't need a vibrant image to catch the attention of the reader, like a magazine that was aimed at younger people would. The date and issue number of the magazine is position directly below the title of the page.

The text is smaller on the page, this has been done to utilize the space more to fit in more text and information. The amount of text can be directly linked with the audience. For example, a younger reader would look for a magazine with slightly bigger, colourful font and less of it. However, an older and more mature reader would look for a magazine that is full of text and that has more to read as they want to get the most out of their money, especially when they are likely paying more for the magazine. 
The magazine has used a variety of fonts in the contents page, from Serif to Sans Serif font with the use of italic fonts as well, this could be to show variety and to make certain things stand out more. The magazine has used black and red fonts, this is because they contrast against the white page and stand out. They are bold and they catch the eye of the reader very well.

The main image directly relates to the cover story. This article is being shown the most as it is the theme of the cover and of this magazine so it gets the most space. The same style of graphic has also been used as what was used on the magazine cover, this shows continuity in the magazine and it connects the two together in small ways.

Double-Page Spread

For the double page spread, two columns have been used. This has been done because this makes the text look much more dense and full. The audience is older for this magazine so they are more likely to want more text to read. Columns are used differently depending on the reader, for example, a magazine that is aimed at a younger audience will likely use three or four columns, this is because it separates the text out and makes it look like there is less text than there actually is. The text is small, this again, is so that more text can be fitted onto the page, pleasing the reader. The black font contrasts with the white page and makes the text stand out and come off the page.

The article is about a member of the band Queen. This is apparent by the colours used and also the links in the text, The words 'Rock Royalty' are used in the article, this is referring to the genre of music and also making a slight pun, adding a little humour and fun into the article. This shows the article is a little less serious. Another example of this is the title of the article, 'The show must go on'. This, like the first example, is another Queen reference that has been used. This isn't just a direct quote, it has been used to describe what the article is about.

The image used fills up all of the left page, leaving the right side of the double page spread to be filled with the article its self. The image that has been used is an image of Roger Taylor performing on stage, this image is directly related to the context and the content of the article. Throughout the magazine, there has been a lot of black and white imagery to symbolize older performers and it has been used again on this double page spread. The image has been put in black and white to represent him as a classic rock star and to appeal to the older audience. The image that has been used has been used to show who he is. He is a performer and the image captures him doing what he does and doing the thing that represents who he is perfectly.

The title of the article has been added in Gold. This colour has not only been used to contrast with the strong black text and stand out, it has also been used to tie in with Queen and the words that are used in the article. Gold is a colour that is known to be put together with royalty and class, and this goes perfectly with that classic rock style the magazine has used. It also ties with words used like 'Rock Royalty' and it also could represent Queen, his band.

Mood Board

This here is the Mood Board that I have created using different images based on my chosen genre of music magazine. I have chosen to do Rock music, so I have collected different things that relate. I have added past magazine covers in a variety of styles and with different audiences and I have also looked at different fonts on www.dafont.com and selected different fonts that could represent a Rock magazine.

Here is the finished product...

Proposal Form

Describe your idea for the brief: I will create my own music magazine and design a front cover, contents page and also a double page spread for the proposed magazine. I intend to make it affordable and interesting to appeal to an audience. The magazine will be called ENIGMA and I intend to make it look high-quality and professional. The cover will feature a drawing with dark colours of the band, it will have a large masthead and will be full of bold text to go along with the bold image that will be used. It will have an eye-catching tag line to attract the audience. The contents page will be casual and a little cluttered, this will appeal to the target audience. It will have lots of pictures and bright colours to make it stand out well. The text will be quite large to catch the attention of the reader. The double page spread will also have big pictures and big bold titles to stand out and also catch the attention of the reader.

Genre/ sub genre: list similar texts which have inspired your thoughts The magazine will feature articles, bands and imagery that relate to the Rock music genre. I have looked at various magazines and how they use colour, text and content to appeal to their genre and audience; these magazines are Kerrang, NME and Classic Rock magazine, as well as a few smaller ones. I found a few magazines that use drawings and animated characters on their covers, these caught my attention and I though they were very interesting and special. I specifically liked the covers which featured the Gorillaz, these were full of detail and they were very eye-catching and they worked very well with the genre of the magazine. The characters were very stereotypical with a rocker look. These covers inspired me to make something similar but with my own twist and take on them.

Target audience: gender/ age/ characteristics/ behaviour The magazine will be aimed at a mostly male audience. It will be a young teen audience going up to early 20's. The characteristics may be tattoos, long hair, maybe more likely to be an outcast or different from 'the norm'. So the magazine needs to be relatable. My audience will most likely enjoy going to a lot of gigs, so it could also be a good idea to sell the magazine at venues. Because my target audience is young males, they are likely to enjoy playing video games on, likely, an X-Box 360 or PS3. This is useful for the type of content the magazine could have and it also gives us a better understanding of our audience. Based on this, I could include game reviews in the magazine or it could influence the advertisements that are in the magazine. Because my audience are young and have less disposable income than an adult, they are more likely to eat fast food. My audience is young so they are likely to involved with a lot of social media, so I could make a Facebook page or a Twitter account for my magazine witch buyers could follow for the latest news on my magazine. They are likely to download their music so I could advertise music on iTunes for the band that I will feature in my magazine, this will appeal to my audience and show I am connecting with my audience. They are more likely to be interested a little in fashion and will most likely shop in TOPMAN and H&M and might wear Converse shoes.

Major conventions I will use I will use large text to stand out to the reader. I will use brighter bold fonts as well, this will jump out more. The cover will be busy, to show the magazine is fun, less serious and mature and appeal to the younger audience. Dark imagery to show that rock style of the magazine and represent the genre. I will use a large masthead to catch the attention of the buyer. I will include the necessary information on the front cover with the barcode in the bottom right corner. The main image will be bold and eye-catching to appeal to the buyer. The main sell-line will be big and position near the centre of the magazine cover and it will be the biggest and boldest text on the cover, besides the masthead. There will be a sub-head right below the main sell-line. The cover will be dark with a bit of bright colours to make sure the cover is still bold and eye-catching. The contents page will be full of images and big text. It will have one large image talking about the main article, this will be the cover story. The double page spread will have lots of big images with a big title. There will be a little text but not pages full.

Conventions I may subvert/ change/ not use A lot of the rock magazines only use images of the band/singer on the cover. I may also introduce art and cartoon aspects into the cover to show mixed media and also to make my magazine stand out from the crowd. This has been done with a magazine cover starring the Gorillaz but very few times. Just about all magazines add in the masthead on Photoshop separately, I will try and incorporate the logo into the drawing that I will do for the magazine cover.

Original images: what/ where/ what Photography of a band that will have adult rock cartoon characters added into them. I may also use drawings with the characters for the contents page or maybe the double page spread. Other photographs of bands performing for the contents page and images of rock instruments to relate to the genre. I may just use a drawing for the cover and show pictures of the band in the double page spread, this will keep some of the mystery. Because I will be drawing all of the characters and it needs to look very professional and it also needs to fit in with the genre and not look out of place, I will need to do a lot of research and planning. I will need to design my own original characters in a short period of time, so I will need to get an idea of what they should and shouldn't look like.

Potential difficulties/ Plan B: The main difficulties with these ideas are time related; Will I have enough time to design characters from scratch that will be unique and also digitally make them and combine them with the photos in a professional manner. As a plan B, I will photograph a rock artist will face paint on, maybe a skull covering his face. This will still make the cover stand out. Other problems I might encounter is deletion or loss of work, to overcome this I will have to back up all of my work, this will help avoid these problems. It will take up more time but it will be well worth the extra effort if such thing does happen.

Proposal Table

Type of Magazine (fashion, music, etc)	Music magazine, specifically based in the Rock genre. This will affect the content and the colour and format of the magazine.
Name of Magazine	Enigma magazine, has mysterious connotations and sounds relevant to my chosen genre of magazine.
Audience (male/female)	Male, aged 14 - early 20's. This will mean the magazine will appeal to a lot of people with very similar interests.
Audience (attitudes and interests)	Young, interested in rock music, goes to gigs interested in video games.
Outlet (where it can be bought from?)	Most shops where magazines are sold, music shops and also at an online website
Necessary Information	The price will be between 2 and 3 pound, this will be a reasonable price for a younger audience with less disposable income.
Selling Point	Free posters, cheap price to appeal to the younger audience. Unique magazine cover.
Theme (article)	A full feature of the band that will be featured, it will be filled with lots of images and large titles to fit the magazine conventions for this target audience.
Images Front Cover	Main image with smaller images surrounding the page. Interesting and unique images to catch the attention of the buyer.
Images Inside	Rock bands performing, album covers, band logos. Large images and lots of them to fit the magazine conventions and to also appeal to the target audience.