Re-search notes

To understand the way in which magazine target and appeal to their audiences and the way in which different audiences respond to different magazines.

The Differences between magazines and newspapers.


- Magazine come in a wide range of sub genres e.g lifestyle, comics, etc.
- Magazines are more detailed but with less timely information compared to newspapers.
- You are also likely to find features then hard news, as newspapers cover day to day stories where as magazines will explore and profile the issues and people involved.
- Magazines are generally kept longer are re-read and handed on making them permanent unlike newspapers which are short-lived.
- Magazines have a more specific target audience, unlike newspapers which have broad audiences.
- Magazines lastly are aimed at clients needs and interests.


The front cover of a magazine!


The front cover is its "face" as it is always shown and on the display and there is a wide list of topics you should take into account when designing a front cover.

• The title- is there any hidden meaning behind it?
• Strapline/tag line- caption or phrase, maybe to grab a specific target market.
• Fonts and colours used- they can either appeal to an audience or immediately put them off. It can be very suggestive about the magazine and the genre of magazine.
• The main image- this will often be the biggest attraction to audiences and will need to relate to the sub genre of the magazine.
• The anchorage and cover lines- these will reveal a lot of what the magazine is about and tell a lot about target market. These will entice readers into reading the magazine.
• Other tactics- for example using celebrities to attract audiences, or using "freebies", just anything to attract the readers. 

Between the front and back covers!

1. The contents page- an overview of the many features within the magazine and a sense of familiarity with the brand identity and layout.
2. The editors letter- connecting with the audience, giving it a personal touch.
3. Two page spreads- what format to use, the many layouts and how layout can effect audience.
4. The advertisements- how many advertisements are on a page, what do they say about the audience?

The magazine industry:

- EMPA, a major player in the industry, but got sold to Bauer.

- IPC, American-owned and part of the biggest media conglomerate in the world. Magazines such as Now, Nuts, Marie Claire, Sugar and more.

Globalisation suggests that magazines have made a stereotypical assumption about their audience. Magazines target different audiences like Kerrang and Mixmag that are target the sub genre of music but have a completely different target audience.

Recently the magazine industry has been doing less well and circulation figures for many titles. But competition still remains fierce, and are growing in technology like having websites for their magazines and in some cases being able to download contents on their phone.

"Me-time" is associated with magazines where computers and t.v can not match like being able to enjoy and take a magazine to bed, into the bathroom or on the bus.

Three different types of magazine

Total film- future publishing, £3.80 monthly. 


Future publishing started on a kitchen table in bath in 1985 and now publishes 150 magazines worldwide. The biggest being xbox 360, total film, T3, Official Playstation2, Digital camera, Classic rock, Total Guitar and Fast Car. It also hold the license for magazines from Microsoft, Sony, Disney, Nintendo to publish titles like Official Nintendo magazines. Using high technology will tell us a lot about the target audience and synergy. 
New films informs audiences about new films and celebrates old ones also having countdowns. On the future publishing website, "Total film" is describes as a "vibrant, funny and accessible, mixing A list- glitz with indie attitude, instant hits with timeless classics". The mode of address in "Total film" is playful, youthful and masculine. The stereotypical representations of gender in "Total film" reflects the gender bias in the main Hollywood film industry.  

Grazia- EMAP (Bauer), £1.90 weekly.

Grazia was originally launched in Italy 1938, owned by Italy's market-leading publisher Mondadori, and it is the number one weekly glossy in Italy and the UK. It features advertisements for D&G, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani and many more designer brands. It amazed people as it created "news and shoes" as a generic mix. This first glossy magazine, it combines glossy fashion, A list celebrities and real life. The magazine is mainly for the female gender and although being know to be gossipy, it includes some hard news features and quite classy. The mode of address again shows that this magazine is high quality and has a high percentage of readers compared to other women magazines.




2000 AD- £1.90 weekly.


This magazine was made through a punk era but is a child's comic and it is owned and published by Rebellion, which is know for developing computer games like "Alien vs Predator". It carries very few advertisements, maybe just one per issue such as a video game or 2000AD merchandise or even a similar comic. The genre is difficult to figure out as it has a range of genres, including war, science fiction, action and adventure. The setting of the magazine is generally dull/dark and futuristic which interlinks with mainly the science fiction genre. Some people didn't agree with the magazine because they associated "2000AD" with an harmful effect on audiences.

Conclusion

Magazine have been popular for more then a hundred years ago, due to leisure time among growing literate middle-class, cheaper printing, technology, better distribution and electric light.