Magazine Pubishers essay

When it comes to the media industry considering magazines, IPC Media (now  known as 'TimeIncUK.) and Bauer are the top two magazine publishers in the UK, and well known globally, and account for 50% of the industry. They have both in particular worked exceptionally to ensure that every single aspect of their target audiences are on point, and they've made sure that they have built sustainable foundations to keep on developing as time goes on.

First of all, we'll begin with Bauer Media, who are a publishing company based in Germany, who manage a large portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products, and 50 stations of radio and TV situated around the world. The portfolio thus extends itself to be associated with print shops, postal, distribution and marketing services in the industry. One example of a magazine that Bauer publish is Kerrang!, one of the most well-known rock music magazines in the world. It always tries to appeal to the youngest audience, so teenagers to very young adults, but they still attract audiences over 25 years old. Another example of a magazine that Bauer are publishers of is Empire, which is also a music magazine, but have a vastly different audience to Kerrang!. Empire tends to be aimed at audiences slightly older than the average for Kerrang! magazine, but at the same time still attract young teenagers depending on their own music taste. In 2007, Bauer Media exercised some of their power in the media world by purchasing Emap, another known brand. As a result of this vital purchase, Bauer had become unstoppable and were the first magazine publisher to branch into the world of radio broadcasting as well.

As for TimeIncUK, they are very different to Bauer in the way that they published a whole range of different media, such as newspapers (The People, Daily Mail), magazines, (mainly comics), and Printing. So unlike Bauer, the media that TimeInc produce tend to be aimed at older, more sophisticated audiences. One example of a major newspaper that TimeInc publish is The Daily Mirror, who traditionally support the views and opinions of the Labour Party the most, and at the same time portray the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives as being antagonists. They also tend to be celebrity oriented in some cases One example of a magazine that TimeInc produce is 'TV Times', a magazine for listings of programmes on most TV channels, interviews with some TV stars, plus gossip on everyday issues.

Another magazine publisher which has made itself well-known within the media industry is Future PLC, who are a publishing company that are based in the UK. Unlike Bauer and TimeInc, this publisher produces magazines and media all about different aspects of Technology, including Games; Photography and Music. Their portfolio for games reaches over 14.5 million every month. Future is basically a massive film publisher, with a multi-platform portfolio for aspects such as: print; online; video and applications. One example of a major magazine that they produce is 'PC Gamer', which gives out all sorts of information on the latest games being played on PC, as well as ratings and reviews on even some of the old 'classics. Unlike other media packages, Future also includes sections for separate areas of the media. An instance of this is photography, where there are a number of slides which showcase different photography magazines online. So in this case, Future PLC in general tend to try and visually attract their target population.

Mood boards

I've included a lot of these brands because I feel that they are suited to teenagers and young adults in particular. I think that the bands I've included especially would be suited to teenagers, as they are presented with more modern styles of clothing than say, 80's bands. I also think that a lot of the alcohol logos included reflect the image that rock music conveys with the typical 'rockstar lifestyle' with people getting drunk and having laughs.

I've chosen to include a variety of colours like this because I feel that they are the most visually noticeable for my target audience. It's known that the colour red is the one that most people tend to notice first, because it's bright and attractive.

I have chosen to include a wide range of sponsors and logos for my second mood board, because when it comes to music, technology and media itself plays a huge part in how it's presented. Fast food companies such as McDonalds even pay lots of cash just to sponsor, which in turn benefits all parties concerned.

Here is a list of fonts I have found using photoshop which I want to choose from to then include in my magazine. I believe that it's got to be quite bold and fancy, but at the same time perfectly readable for my target audience at the same time.

Analysis of 2 Feature Articles

Kerrang! Feature Article Analysis

As you can see from this feature article from Kerrang! magazine, the main image of the band My Chemical Romance is situated on the right hand side of the double page spread. This is so that there is more than enough room for the main aspects of information to be included on the left, e.g. the main interview, as well as an introductory paragraph. What's very peculiar about the image of them is how all four members are looking in different directions. This could be an interpretation in the way that they will all want different things in their lives, and that they're predicting that their project will slowly come to an end.

At the very top of the left hand side of the page, there is a short quote from the interview which helps bring the target audience into the magazine a lot more, and encourages them to keep on reading. The actual quote is in a capital italic font to separate itself from the rest of the article on the band. It's also been styled in this way to go with the colour scheme of the band (Gerard Way has bright red hair in the photo).

Underneath the actual article with the band, Kerrang! have made sure that the formality of having an upper case font in italics is continued, and this attracts the target audience, gets their full undivided attention, and aims to make them go out and buy the next issue. 'Don't Miss Next Week's Kerrang!' and 'Part Two' are both in bold as well, which creates emphasis for the readers.

The other feature that this article includes is a bright red circle with the date of when the next issue of Kerrang! is released. The magazine have chosen to include a graphic like this for two main reasons I think. The first reason for this is because it also goes well with the style of the actual article and how it's set out. And the second reason is also because it attracts the target audience, by persuading them (but mainly teenagers and young adults), to buy the magazine.

Top Gear Feature Article Analysis

As you can see from this feature article from Top Gear magazine, they have chosen to take a similar approach to Kerrang! and their front cover, by making it as visually attractive as possible for their target audience, which is mainly young to middle-aged men. The way that they've chosen the layout for the first of the two pages on the double page spread is very effective, by having the main image underneath the main text, it enables the readers to gather the information a lot more easily.

The way that they have included a tagline to bring the reader into the article is impressive, particularly because of the choice of words that have been used. The magazine are basically comparing the Mercedes AMG to a machine gun, and this is all demonstrated by the supposed noise of the engine.

And like Kerrang!, Top Gear have chosen to include a small quote which is from the article, and this gives out more information as well as encourages the audience to carry on reading the magazine. The fact that it's not in italics means that the magazine is more formal than Kerrang! magazine.

The reason for Top Gear being more formal is simply because of the colour codes and conventions that the makers have used. As you can see, they have used darker colours such as black and grey, for the white font to stand out in the background.

College Magazine

Textual Analysis of Existing Media Products

Kerrang! Magazine

As you can see on the front cover of Kerrang! magazine, the masthead is always in the same place, which is just in the centre at the top of the page going all the way across, with the only major change being the colour (it's known that yellow and red go well together so this makes sense, plus it's bright and attractive so its target audience take notice 'right from the off'). The 'broken glass' font of the word 'Kerrang' is known to be iconic, and is what makes the magazine what it is today, having started in 1981. On this cover in particular, there are at least 5 fonts used, including in the very middle of the page ('The Tattoo Issue') in scroll-style, which gives the cover some uniqueness. The other fonts are used mainly to list who the issue includes, and this is located in the bottom right corner of the cover. So in this example there are bands such as: You Me At Six, Linkin Park and Papa Roach, and they are all in capital letters and end in an exclamation mark to signify their importance. The other key font is located at the very top of the cover, where it says 'Warped Tour Special!'. This signifies the importance of the featured article, and draws its target audience in with ease. The fact that the font is also in capital letters, implies that the company are 'shouting' towards their target audience for their attention.

When analyzing the cover in more detail, you can see that there are seven images on the left hand side of the page, which indicates that there are posters of those musicians bearing most of their tattoos, hence the fact that this is a 'tattoo issue' of Kerrang! Underneath these images, there's a small box which highlights a small interview which has been included. One thing which is key about the whole cover in general however is the fact that it's mostly yellow, as it's an attractive, bright colour which will make anything stand out. The fact that Oli Sykes is the main focal point of the cover in question, because of his many tattoos, makes the cover stand out more, and also brings in more varieties of audience for Kerrang! I think that the way that he's been positioned is very effective, as you can see that his head covers the main part of the magazine name. Having said that, this doesn't make any effect on whether people are attracted to the magazine or not, as Kerrang! is a well-known magazine and has been since the very early eighties anyway.

NME Magazine

On the NME cover, you can clearly see that NME have maintained their 'trademark' of having the masthead on the left hand side of the page, which in turn leaves enough space for a large image of a band to be placed. They have also kept their tradition of making the masthead 'red and white', as red is scientifically the colour that we all recognize first, with the white to help us. On this cover, there are only about 4 font sizes that are used, with "The Wombats" being in the largest font, showing that they are the most important feature in the magazine. Another one of the main fonts that are used are to annotate what other bands are featured in the issue of NME. The white colour really helps as it stands out among everything else included, including the blue backdrops.

At the very top of the cover, there's the feature about Glastonbury festival, and the importance of this is shown by using a large, bold black font, highlighting the headlining acts, and a short headline underneath showing fans' amazement. The company have chosen to mount it on to a yellow background, which in turn enables it to stand out among everything else that's included. I believe that this is also because of the fact that we all read from left to right, so it makes so much sense in placing it where it is. At the foot of the front cover, there's a much smaller font which lists some of the newer bands that are beginning to emerge into the 'indie spotlight'. The reason that NME have done this in such a small font is because they expect it to be the last thing that their audience sees on the cover. The other aspect of the front cover which I think that NME have also done well is placing the barcode and price tag in the bottom right corner, as that's the part that the audience pays attention to the least. However, the way that they put '569 UK GIGS LISTED' in a red font is effective as it stands out, catching their attention.

Compared to the Kerrang! magazine above, there aren't nearly as many images included on this cover. However, the way that the three members of The Wombats are positioned in the centre is effective, as they are each in a certain pose, which gives the image a lot of interest and attracts a lot of attention as well. I like the fact that the image of the indie band 'The Cribs' has been placed at a very 'wonky' and diminishing angle, as it gives the cover more of a variety, and makes it that little bit more aesthetically pleasing to look at. It's also got a very fine white border, which also makes it a bit more attractive, and also enables it to stand out more. The other main difference between the two covers visually is the variety that the NME cover has with the colour and shading of the background. The background of this is mainly black and white.

Match of the Day magazine

Compared to the other two magazine covers that I have analysed in a lot , the Match of the Day cover is completely different. One of the main differences is obviously the content, which is football in this case. Because of this, I have managed to identify a whole range of features on this front cover which make it stand out from the other two that I have analysed. 

One feature which is clear to see on this cover is the type of font that the magazine has chosen to use, which is 'bold capital letters'. Football magazines, but Match of the Day in particular, are often associated with fonts like this because they want to make football sound really exciting for its audience, which is young children/teenagers. Also with this font style, it tends to be in different forms of capital letters as well, to add more variety and make the cover more aesthetically pleasing to the audience. The other reason that this kind of font tends to be used with sports magazines is to attract their target audience straight away, and make them pay attention. And the main reason for all of these features is because of the fact that it's in an informal style.

The second feature that I have identified on this front cover is the amount of images that have been used. 'Match of the Day' have been well known to use a lot of images of footballers to attract their audience, because the show knows that they know who they are and who they play for. The way that Cristiano Ronaldo and Wesley Sneijder (at the middle of the cover), partially cover the Match of the Day logo is very effective, simply because of the fact that MotD is a well-known TV show and magazine all over Europe at least, so the magazine's target audience know straight away, before they even look at the title, what kind of magazine they are buying.

Analysis of 2 Contents Pages

Kerrang! Magazine - Contents Page

As you can see on the Kerrang! magazine contents page, there are a lot of visual features (pictures), much like the front cover. This attracts their target audience because it helps them identify who each artist/band is. The image of Marilyn Manson is noticeably much bigger than all of the other images, which implies that he is the main feature in this particular issue. Some of the things that are listed in the magazine have little 'icons' which say that they are featured on the front cover, which means that they are the key things in this particular issue. An extra feature which Kerrang! have used is separating the posters from everything else in the magazine, and overlapped each image, which makes the page look more attractive. 

Another aspect which makes this contents page more attractive to its audience is how there's a brief introductory paragraph in the bottom left corner from the editor of Kerrang! magazine. This helps the audience know what's in the issue and gives them a 'warm welcome'. Plus, the signature at the bottom gives the magazine a more formal impression. It's also helpful that there's a small photo of the editor just above, as it shows who they are, and the small black border makes them stand out and makes the page just that little bit more attractive.

With each of the headings that are used, that separate all of the information from each other, they are all in the same colour and same font as used on the front cover. Again, this is to go with the colour scheme and to avoid any clashes of style or colour. The block capital letters for each section helps any readers with a visual impairment, by making it easier for them to read and understand more. They are also there because they are part of the style of the magazine itself. As Kerrang! is more of an informal music magazine, compared to something like NME or even Rock Sound, they would naturally appeal primarily to a younger target audience.

At the bottom right hand corner of the contents page, there's a small feature which advertises deliveries of the magazine, and the way it's presented is effective and helpful for the reader as well as being attractive, visual and interesting for the target audience. This is by making the covers of other issues 'overlap'. So like the front cover of Kerrang! magazine, the visuals continue inside as well.

Q Magazine - Contents Page

As you can see on the contents page for 'Q' magazine, compared with the Kerrang! contents page you see above, it's remarkably different in a whole variety of ways. The first thing that's noticeably different about this contents page in particular is the lack of visuals that are included. The only image that's been included is one of James Blunt, implying that he's the main feature in this issue of the magazine. However this is actually very effective because the way that he's been positioned. It's as if he's addressing the target audience directly and convincing them to buy the issue.

Another difference in the way that this is presented is where the contents page is. 'Q' have chosen to have it running down the side of the page, which is suitable in this case because there had to be room to include the image of James Blunt in the first place. Another reason why they have presented it in this way is simply to try and make sure that it's more formalized. It's also helpful that they have made the word 'Contents' appear in capital letters, because they want to try and catch the audience's attention.

As you can see in the image above, main categories have been used to split up the list of new features and usual aspects of the magazine. Plus, they often add a little caption after each feature, as to give the target audience more information into what and/or who the feature is about. If you also notice on the contents page above, you discover that large text is often used for the smaller titles. This is to help the visually impaired audience identify where they are in the magazine. Smaller text is used for the caption, to give you a brief bit of information.

The other aspect of this contents page in particular which I think is impressive, is how there is a small graphic in the bottom right hand corner of the page. This is a visual which tells the reader to turn the page and keep reading on with the magazine, and it can also be interpreted as a 'hookline'. It also saves valuable space for more information, without needing any other writing. This really gets the audience attracted because they would naturally know what the arrow means. But on the other hand, an older member of the 'outside' target audience probably wouldn't know what it meant, or could have trouble seeing it.

College Magazine analysis

The masthead line (the header) is in a bold and yellow font, which enables it to stand out and attract its target audience. Furthermore, the student on the front cover is based in the middle. This this is so information can be placed either side of him, which goes by the rule of thirds. The student on the cover is also young looking, which takes into account the target audience of teenagers approaching adulthood (16-19), and the world of work and entrepreneurship The cover uses 3 colours (black, white and yellow), plus a separate colour of pink to make one of the cave-lines stand out, to make it simple for its audience to read, but on the other hand, effective because it attracts them in the first place. The other reason why I think this is effective is because the college take into account the fact that they’re trying to be informal in their approach to the audience, but at the same time, formal when taking into account some of the content being included on the cover. The other aspect which attracts the audience is how the link to the college’s website is placed directly underneath the masthead, taking into account that we read from left to right, and top to bottom. Overall, I believe that this cover in particular is a positive representation of the college, in particular because of the phrase ‘Entrepreneur Motivational Speaker’ being mentioned, which I think helps its audience realise that they will have to work really hard to achieve their dreams. The front cover seems to have its own trademark house style as well, (model/subject placed in the centre, with key information running down either side). This is a simple, yet effective layout, as it’s the person on the cover who captures the attention first.

AS Media Studies College Magazine Questionnaire

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