Magazine Layout Research

Here are some existing music magazines to help me create some layout designs for my magazine.

Contextual Analysis of MixMag

Mixmag is a very popular dance and clubbing magazine, which covers a variety of topics including dance events and music reviews. The word 'mix' in the masthead refers to the DJ theme of the magazine, and perhaps the mixed reviews that the magazine cover.


The colour yellow is used frequently on the cover used including the masthead and cover lines; this suggests to the reader that the magazine is fun and youthful as yellow is often seen as a bright and vibrant colour, portraying happiness. It also contrasts the sophisticated colour of brown used in the background of the cover. The font used in the masthead is bubbly and trendy, which would also appeal to teenagers buying the magazine. It is also bold and clear to read, making it easy on the eye and stand out.


The price of this magazine is £4.20, which is advertised on the corner of the page. Somebody who is not really interested in clubbing and dancing that much, but just likes the look of the magazine to read, would not realistically pay that much for it. Therefore it is in a small font, and a place that is not that visible to see at first glance.


The picture on the cover is of David Guetta, and it is a mid shot which shows his relaxed and confident body position, which suggests that he is a good role model and would give the reader confidence to buy the magazine. He is also wearing sunglasses, which suggests to the audience that he is very famous as most celebrities where them, and also shows that he is fashionable. This would appeal to teenagers as they would want to aspire to be like him, therefore they are more likely to want to read about him and purchase the magazine.


The headline in the middle of the cover, which is a quote from David Guetta, reads '2009: F*** ME WHAT A YEAR!'. The swear word has been blocked out so it doesn't offend anyone, yet the swear word would appeal to teenagers as that is often part of there everyday language, so they may feel like they can relate themselves to him. It also portrays David Guetta as someone with an attitude and perhaps an argumentative person, which would make readers interested in his life and what he has to say.


The magazine offers a free CD when you purchase it, which would obviously encourage people to buy it, especially if they are seriously interested in DJing and clubbing. This also may persuade people that they are getting their moneys worth, which would help sell the magazine. In the top right corner of the cover, there is a picture of a girl at a gig which gives the reader an idea to what the magazine includes, and that it is fun and energetic to read. There is a list of famous singers and DJ's on the cover including Dizzee Rascal, La Roux and Major Lazar, which suggests that the magazine is well known and popular.

Poll

What is your favourite type of music?
	Rock
	Pop
	R n B
	Dance
	Classical
	Indie
	Heavy Metal
pollcode.com free polls

Textual Analysis of Q

The cover of this magazine comes across as very blank, and holds little information about what the magazine is about. However I think this portrays sophistication and intelligence and that the target audience for this magazine would be for an older age group than your typical music magazine, which are normally aimed at late teens. The first thing you notice when you look at this magazine cover is the name of the magazine 'Q', which informs the audience what magazine they are looking at. It has a background of the colour red which is often used to signify danger, and the two panthers on the cover relates to this also.

The vagueness of the cover has a deep impact on the audience, especially males, as although there are very few images involved, there is a picture of Lily Allen half naked looking straight into the camera. This engages the viewer and I think it is an attempt to seduce the male audience, and make them want to read on. Furthermore, the two panthers standing beside her also indicates that she has a dark and dangerous side to her which would again entice the minds of the reader and encourage them to buy the magazine.

The suggestion that Lilly Allen has both a good and bad side to her is further emphasized through the use of colour in her name. For example black and white is used in her name which is often used as a symbol of good and bad; this would make readers interested in her and want to buy the magazine.

The slogan underneath the 'Q' says 'A Different Take on Music', which is a catchy phrase and is likely to stay in people's minds which helps them remember which magazine to buy next time. The word 'different' also would intrigue the reader as it suggests that the magazine is superior to others and a change to anything they've ever read. Other language such as 'exclusive', 'Wicked' and 'Plus', would grasp the eye of the audience especially as they are in the catchy colour of red which immediately attracts your attention anyway.

Also, the big bands mentioned in the coverlines on the top right of the cover such as 'Oasis' and 'U2' would suggest to the reader that this is a well known magazine and has alot of information about very famous bands; thus giving the reader confidence to buy the magazine as it includes bands they like.

Textual Analysis of Top of The Pops

The first thing that immediately catches my eye is the bright colour scheme and informal layout. The masthead of this magazine cover is in a bold and youthful font, with the use of a very girly colour of pink. Part of ‘Top of the Pops’ is covered by an image of Cheryl Cole, which suggests that the magazine is very popular and well known, as the masthead is not all visible, yet the audience still knows what the magazine is. The target audience is obvious through the use of typical girly colours such as pink and yellow.

In the picture, Cheryl Cole, who is a popular girl band member and a role model for many young girls today, is looking straight into the camera which engages the audience as it gives the effect of eye contact. This may encourage young teens to buy the magazine as they want to be like Cheryl Cole. In the picture you can see her make up and hair style clearly, due to the mid shot in which it is taken.

There are various cover lines that the magazine has, however the one that stands out most is ‘ITS SCARY BEING ME’, regarding Cheryl Cole’s interview in the magazine. This would interest the potential audience as readers would want to find out more about Cheryl’s life, which will obviously be included in the interview, and would also surprise the audience as they might think how can someone so famous, find their life scary? The cover line overlaps the picture of her, emphasizing its importance; and is in a pink colour which is the same as the outline of the masthead, making it stand out. The words ‘WORLD EXCLUSIVE’ which acts as a title to the cover line, is used intrigue readers and make it seem as though this is the only place in the world where you can read this information about Cheryl. In addition, all cover lines include the page number of the topic so if somebody is flicking through the magazine, it is easy to find what they are looking for.

To the right and left of the image of Cheryl Cole, there is a picture of Alexandra Burke and JLS, which both come from the famous and highly popular show the X Factor. This also advertises that you can win JLS signed hoodies, which would again make young girls, want to buy the magazine.

The language used on the cover of this magazine is very girly and youthful, which relates to the target audience. Words such as ‘OMG’ , ‘GLAM’ and ‘HOT’ would appeal to young girls as this is the type of language they use in everyday life. It also makes the magazine come across as very informal which suggests it is full of funny and interesting gossip, again making readers want to read on. There are no sophisticated words used on the cover, and everything that the cover tells the audience is that it’s aimed at youngsters who are interested in popular bands and gossip. At the bottom of the magazine it says that there are 6 ‘hot’ posters, followed by 6 pictures of famous celebrities, who are not actually all involved in music. This suggests that the magazine is not completely about music, and that the magazine is simply aimed at topics that young girls are interested in.

Audience Questionnaire

Audience questionnaire

What is your age?

• 14 - 16
• 16 - 18
• 19 +

Gender?

• Male
• Female

Do you currently read any music magazines at the moment? If yes, which ones?

• No
• Yes .............................

Which of the following subjects do you most like to read about?

• Popular bands
• Festival dates
• Upcoming events
• Interviews with famous singers
• Reviews of CD's and gigs
• Music Quiz
• Other, please state

What sort of picture on the cover of a magazine most attracts you?

• A well known band
• Pictures of festivals or gigs
• A close up of somebody
• Loads of different photographs involving music
• An image made by a computer eg cartoon.
• Other, please state

What colour schemes do catch your eye whilst looking for a music magazine?

• Bold and bright colours - orange, yellow etc
• Sophisticated colours - browns, purples, white etc
• Subtle colours - blues, greens etc

How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?

• Less then 50p
• 50p - £1
• £1 - £2
• Other - please state

Could you copy and paste this and fill this in for me to help with my magazine research, thank you :)

Breif and Action Plan

Now that ive finished my prelim task, i am going to start on my final task which is to produce a front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All the images must be original and taken myself. I have learnt alot in preparation for my final task. My action plan for this task is as follows.

Week 1
- Brief
- Action Plan
- First Contextual Analysis (front cover)

Week 2
- Audience Research
- Second Contextual Analysis (front cover)
- Music Poll
- Third Contextual Analysis (front cover)

Week 3
- Layout Research
- Layout Drafts
- Fourth Contextual Analysis (contents)

Week 4
- Magazine name poll
- Font research
- Fifth Contextual Analysis (contents)
- Colour ideas

Week 5
- Sixth Contextual Analysis (double page spread)
- Drafts (contents)
- Photoshoot

Week 6
- Drafts (double page spread)
- Final Front cover
- Final Contents

Week 7
- Add Photos
- Final Page spread

Week 8
- Final evaluation