Initial Ideas

This mind map includes my initial ideas on the most obvious aspects of my magazine such as the mast head and slogan.

I quickly brain stormed any potential names for the magazine which I found both suitable and captivating, then eliminating the weaker ones. I ended up with just two possible names for my magazine, 'Tune' and 'Burst'. The reasons behind these names are:

• Tune is a word commonly used within the target audience of my magazine, it is a short, catchy word which is used when describing a good song.
• Burst is another word for pop and the genre in which my magazine will delve into is popular music therefore this title complements the genre well.

Questionairre on fellow college students:

Feeling that both of these words had the potential to become my mast head I asked fellow students at my college which they preferred.

Out of 50 students, 35 people said they preffered 'Tuuune', giving the reasons of this word being more recgonisable to a music magazine, it is a catchy, playfil. fun word and it is also a word which is vastly used to describe a 'good song'. All of these points indicated that this name would be more suitable and well-liked.

I felt some of the mast head names would have more potential as a slogan, therefore I elaborated upon some of the words which I felt would make an appropriate slogan, coming to the conclusion that 'some serious ear candy' was the right one for my magazine.

After much deliberation I chose to have the word 'Tune' as my mast head, however, adapting it slightly to 'Tuuune' this is too emphasise the 'oo' sound as this is how many people say this word when referring to a song.

I have collected a range of different types of fonts in order to see which one looks the best and will match the genre of my magazine.

The fonts 2 and 4 are both very bubble-like, this links to the word 'pop' as it is obvious that bubbles pop. They are also very bold and clear making it easy to read.

Font 3 is very stereotypical text for words associating with candy, this would relate to the slogan of 'some serious ear candy' also font 10 portrays the shapes of jelly beans, once again referring to 'candy'.

The 5th font looks like an old fashioned car brand, and 7 reflects the image of a car radio, the connection between the car theme and the music magazine is that one of the main ways in which people discover new 'tuuunes' is when they are listening to their radio when in a car.

6 and 9 are both futuristic fonts which would represent a new, fresh looking magazine.

I have chosen to use the 2nd font as the font for my mast head as it is very bubbly which represents the genre well.

Front Cover mock-up



I have created various different plans of the front cover using publisher, slightly changing the position of the model etc.

I then applied some of these ideas onto a found image in order to get a better idea at what my magazine may look like.

Contents page mock-up

Double page spread mock-up

Price/ Publishing dates of my magazine

The magazine will be produced weekly therefore i will be pricing my magazine around the cost of £2, this is a competative price with other weekly magazines as it is close to other magazine prices, I have deliberatlley made my price slightly cheaper to most magazines so that the audience will see the price difference and choose my product over others because the target audience which I have aimed my magazine at will not have a considerate amount of money to spend therefore will go for the cheaper magazines.

Market Research - LIIAR Analysis of DJ magazine

DJ Magazine

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Language - The mast head is placed in its most conventional position of top left hand side of the page and is large and bold so that it is clear and easy to see from a distance.
A slogan has been placed under the mast head to summarise what the magazine is about "Living and breathing dance music". This did not occur in the other two magazines which I have analysed however I feel this is a good aspect to have on a magazine therefore I will consider using one for my own music magazine.
The mid shot of the band "Wolf + Lamb" is slightly on an angle, tilting upwards, which indicates dominance and power, this replicates the audience looking up to the artists because they admire them.
The house style on the front page is quite similar to that of kerrang in the use of colours, therefore they connotate the same meanings however a lot more white has been used on the front cover of DJ magazine, white can be seen as fresh and a very positive colour.
Another convention which most magazines include is the bar code which establishes the date, the issue number and the price which is £3.95.
The bottom left of the page has an image of a CD to show that this comes free with the magazine, we know straight away that the CD is Pacha because of the indent. This may be seen as puff as the magazine is promoting the product Pacha however it may be thought of as synergy because this CD may help the sales of the magazine increase.
Anchorage has been used once again to give the image meaning in the form of "Brooklyn calling! Wolf + Lamb are coming". The text has a gold/yellow colour too it with a red background to make it stand out more, it also relates to the artists clothes which in addition tells us that the text is aimed at them.
The contents page differs in the house style from the front cover dramatically, a range of different colours have been used and there are no comparisons in the layout to suggest they belong to the same magazine. A different image of Wolf and Lamb has been used on the contents page so this suggests they belong together however the types of images chosen are very different to the one on the front. The text has stayed the same but I feel there are too many changes between the front page and context to call this conventional or professional looking. 
The double page spread continues using the same fonts and it links to the contents page as the section it is categorised under is in a pink/ purple colour which is used on the double page spread. The images used on both the contents page and the double page spread follow the same style and use a range of different camera angles such as close ups and mid shots.
Intertextuality has been used?

Institution - DJ magazine is published by the small company "Thrust Publishing Ltd" 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL.

Ideology - The ideology within the DJ magazine emphasises the characteristics of a care-free and fun type of person, the slogan shows that this music is a major component in their life. It also emphasises the clubbing aspect which occurs in this genre of music by promoting well known DJ'ing clubs such as Pacha in Ibiza. 

Audience - I believe this is a "niche" magazine as it focuses around DH themed music, the type of audience targeted is mostly the male gender within the age group of 15-24, this is because of the genre of music and also the lifestyle which the magazine focuses upon has the greatest appeal to this age range. The socio-economic groups which this magazine appeals to most are C2-E and belong to the value life style of being more outer-directed than any other. The price of the magazine also appeals to the target audience, DJ magazine is monthly therefore £3.95 is a reasonable price to pay per month.

Representation - DJ magazine represents this genre of music in a positive and accurate way, we can see this because if the magazine was being stereo-typical rather than accurate, then the double page spread atricle would involve a young male DJ because this is what people stereo-type the title of "DJ" too, yet the article is featured upon a woman DJ (Lady Waks), which shows diversity within the magazine and it is more realistic.

Market Research - LIIAR Analysis of Kerrang magazine

Kerrang Magazine

Front Page

Contents page

Double page spread

Language - The mast head is located at the top of the front page, traditionally the mast head is aligned with the left hand side of the page however this one goes all the way across the page. It gives the vibe of being reckless due to the messy/ broken effect on the text, this reflects the genre of rock music therefore there is meaning behind the decoration. Also the word "kerrang" is onomatopoeic, it reflects the sound made when playing a power cord on the electric guitar, which gives reason to why the magazine is called this. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrang!)

The image of "the king blues" portrays a very laid back and relaxed approach. Itch, the man on the right, is stood on a side which indicates a comfortable and casual feeling, this could be done to reflect the personality Itch. A mid-shot has been used, this is a common convention within a music magazine so this shows that they have chosen to stay within the ordinary.

There is a banner headline across the middle of the page which lays on top of the image of "the king blues". It also gives anchorage to the text by elaborating on the topics which they will be focusing upon. It is easy to make the connection between the image and the banner headline not only because it is on top of the image but also by the use of yellow in the text which relates to Itch's yellow top.

The bar code is very conventional to music magazines as it shows that the magazine must be payed for. It has a reasonable price of £2.20 and states what issue number the product is, and also the date of its release.

It is very common for music magazines to use synergy, the king blues are essentially selling the magazine for Kerrang because the main article in this magazine is based around the king blues, therefore the king blues are promoting Kerrang. In addition to this, Kerrang are also promoting the King Blues merchandise to the public.

The house style on the front page is quite messy however this is to represent the genre of the magazine. There are three main uses of colour on the front page, these are black, yellow and smaller amounts of red. There may be reasons behind the uses of these colours through there connotations, for example, the colour black can be seen as dominant, powerful and shows authority. Yellow is energetic and joyful whereas red is powerful and full of passion. This could relate to Kerrang as they are one of the more dominant magazines in the industry, it is very energetic in its composition and the bands it portrays and shows passion for the music they focus upon.

The contents page is quite unconventional in the way it has been laid out as it is unusual to see the page being divided into halves, one featuring images of artists and the other being the text on the contents page. This shows a different approach has been took compared to most other music magazines and in my opinion it fits in well with the rest of the layout however I feel I will be staying more conventional when it comes to the making of my contents page. There are numerous different camera angles which show diversity within the magazine

The house style has stayed consistent throughout the front, contents and double page spread yet the double page spread is slightly more structured and tidy, giving the article a more professional feel, this is so that it is easy for the reader. A caption and strapline have been used on one of the pages of the double page spread.

Institution - Kerrang is also produced by the media company Bauer.

Ideology - The ideology within this music magazine shows rock to be a care-free, wild and fun way of life, however the double page spread shows that it is not always easy.

Audience - I believe that the target audience for the Kerrang magazine would be aged under the section of 15-24 because of the bands/ artists used, it is also fairly priced as not many people in this bracket are willing to spend vast amounts of money on magazines. The audience could be both outer and inner directed and belong to the socio-economic group of C2-E section. Kerrang magazine includes a much wider range of genres than most as it also focuses on other types of music such as "pop", therefore it has a larger audience to cater for weekly, the price is very reasonable, costing £2.20 per week which attracts the audience to choose this magazine compared to more expensive ones.

Representation - I feel Kerrang provide a positive and accurate attitude towards rock music as the article talks about the King Blues achievements and how they have overcome obstacles etc. which inspire the audience to pursue their dreams.

Market Research - LIIAR Analysis of Q magazine

I am going to analyse 3 existing magazines using LIIAR, the components of the magazine which I will be annotating are the front page, contents page and a double page spread. This in essential in the planning stages as it will give me knowledge needed to produce a high standard music magazine and will enable me to identify the correct conventions within them.

Q magazine



Front page

Contents page

Double page spread

Language - A number of media conventions are used within the front cover. The camera angle is a long shot, there is a slight upwards tilt which portrays the figures featured to have power and dominance, this is relevant as the artists/ bands shown were some of the most iconic musicians of their time, hence, people adored and looked up to them.

The Q sign could be seen as both a logo and a mast head as it is not specific to which convention it is and also there is no other aspect of the magazine which could pass for either a mast head or logo. The eye is drawn immediately to the Q logo/ mast head, this is due to the contrast between its red circle against the pristine white background, this then brings attention to the fact that the magazine is a special edition magazine, the stars on either side of the logo/ mast head could represent the starts that are featured on the front screen. It is also very conventional for the mast head to be at the top left of the page therefore this shows that the magazine is staying consistent to what is perceived to be a high standard magazine.

Anchorage text "FROM ELVIS TO THE BEATLES" has been used to relate to the picture being used, therefore giving the image purpose to the magazine. It is the largest text used on the screen and is the colour black to show complete contrast with the white background, therefore standing out to the audience.

I have also noticed that the image reflects the anchorage in more than one way, the anchorage states "FROM ELVIS TO THE BEATLES" and this is in fact the composition in which the artists have been arranged in, with Elvis on the left hand side of the page at the very front, gradually progressing onto the final figure on the very right of the page, Paul McCartney of the Beatles, who appears to be considerably smaller than Elvis, implying that he is stood further away.

A headline at the very top of the page has been used to briefly introduce what the magazine will be focusing upon, also giving the era which it is basing it around.

The house style on the front page is very basic yet smart looking, I believe this is to emphasise the images of the artist which stand out from the house style and further more gain attention off the audience. The choice of colours are relevant to the images as the connotations behind them indicate power, passion, love etc. which reflect the power of the artists and there music, and also the love which the fans have for them.

The contents page stays consistent with the house style of the front page as it uses the same colours, fonts and all of the images used contain the same artists as on the front cover.

Captions are used on the contents page to give extra information on what is happening in the image.

The pages are listed like a normal magazine however this one is also in a type of time line between 1954-1969. Each different period concentrates on another monumental event of that era.

A range of different camera angles have been used on the contents page from mid-shots to close ups to long shots.

The double page spread alters slightly in the house style as it introduces the colour green however the page still shows aspects of white, black and red which have been the most dominant colours throughout the front and contents pages. Also there is a change in the text as the font "times new roman" has been used as the main text in the article, this is to give the text a more professional and formal approach, like that of a news paper.

Synergy has been used in this magazine as not only are the artist selling the magazine, but the magazine are bringing attention to the artists by mentioning songs which they have produced etc. which may cause the audience to buy their merchandise etc.

Institution - Q magazine is published by the Bauer media company, a world wide media empire which publish over 300 magazines in 15 different countries.(http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/About)

Ideology - The magazine gives off a "blast from the past" vibe, it shows how the times have changed as this was from an era where freedom and rock'n'roll was a normal way of life.

Audience - I feel the audience targeted by this specific edition of the magazine would be in the age bracket of 35-55 however this age bracket may vary if I analysed one of Q's normal editions, this is not to say that there may be younger and older generations whom are also interested. The socio-economic group which the magazine belongs too would normally be around the C1-D area however I believe because the magazine is a special edition and such huge iconic figures within it, there would be a much wider range than usual due to the sheer size of their fans.

Representation - I feel that the magazine represents this era as free, reckless and fun. This is due to the mentioning of things such as hippies on the contents page which are very stereotypical of these characteristics.

Music genres & the genre I have chosen

I have researched a number of different music genres in order to find one which not only has an appropriate target audience with whom I can relate too but also a genre which I hold an interest in, this is so that I will already have sufficient knowledge on the genre and will not become bored of the music which I have chosen to focus upon.
The genres which I have researched are as follows:
Classical - There is a gap in the market for classical music because this is one of the least publicized genres however I have already stated the age range and class which my product will be aimed towards and I feel this genre is not compatible to that.
Folk - Due to this genre being very unclassified, there only a small range of magazines made for them, however this will make it difficult as the audience may already have a favourite folk magazine, also compared to other genres, folk music sells considerably less magazines.
Rock/ Indie - This would be a good genre to style a magazine on however there are already numerous indie/ rock magazines in the public eye such as NME which is extremely popular therefore it would be difficult to compete with a magazine of this magnitude.
Pop & Chart - This is the genre which I have decided to base my magazine around. I have chose pop music because it appeals to both genders, is listened to by the 15 - 24 bracket and also fits in with the socio-economic groups C2 and D, all of these being the specific sections which I aim to target my magazine towards. The IPC media company who produce over 85 iconic media brands have a wide range of different magazines from 'Look' to 'NME' however, there is a gap in IPC's media company market as they do not cater for pop music, even though there are many pop magazines already in contest with each other, I feel IPC would benefit greatly from publishing this genre as it will gain new audiences and also attract previous pop magazine audiences from rival companies.

LIIAR interpretation of the brief

I am going to create a LIIAR interpretation of the brief so that when I reach the actual production stages of the magazine, I will already have a good idea of what sort of conventions I should include within the product.
Language - I will include all of the conventions that are relevant to the product which I am creating. Music magazines consist of conventions such as:

• A masthead, which is traditionally at the top left hand side of the page therefore the layout of my masthead will be in the top left in order to keep within the conventions of the brief, they are usually one of the most emphasised conventions of a music magazine as they are one of the first things the audience look at, therefore I will make sure that my masthead is both attractive and clear.
• Anchorage is used to relate to the image which has been used, it ties down the meaning of the image using text and furthermore gives the image a purpose.
• Banner Headline which is generally around the middle of the page and is a page wide headline.
• Captions are headlines under a photo, these show what the photos are about.
• The image of the band/ artist which the article is focused upon can use various different camera positions, however it is most common in music magazines to use the mid shot, this is shot consists of the person/peoples body from the waist upwards, yet not all of the photos within the magazine are mid shots, there are also a number of other shots which I may include in my music magazine such as long shot, this image contains the subjects full body from a fair distance away and also close ups which focus on their face. The type of camera angle used in each shot symbolised different meanings, for example, if the camera is facing up towards the subject, this shows dominance and power, however if looking down on the subject it shows vulnerability etc, hence I will be using a range of camera angles to communicate different messages however I may choose to keep my main image traditional to most music magazines and use mid shot.
• In all professional music magazines the house style stays consistent i.e. the range of colours, text and types of images used and also the composition of them all. All of these aspects of the house style have meanings behind them therefore I will choose my house style carefully, making sure that it not only gives off the correct vibe and connotations but that it also matches the genre of music which I have based my magazine around, for example, because we stereotype certain types of music to belong to certain personalities pop music would normally use vibrant colours whereas heavy metal consists of a lot darker colours.
• Direct mode of address involves the reader and I feel this may benefit the music magazine as the reader will feel included within the music they enjoy.
• Issue dates are used to show either how many issues they have made or to tell the audience if it is the most up to date.
• Synergy is used a lot in music magazines, whilst the band/ artist is promoting the magazine and giving attracting attention towards the target audience, the magazine is also promoting the band/ artist by mentioning their new single, merchandise etc. therefore they both promote the one another.
• Puff is the promotion of a product or service, like and advert in the middle of the magazine.
• Logos are used to summarise the product using a symbol. This is way that the audience recognise what the type of music magazine it is.
• Headlines introduce what the article following it is about. They are usually found at the top of the page and are large in font

Institution - I am going to produce a magazine for the existing publishing company IPC media as I found they have a gap in the market for some genres of music which I feel IPC would benefit greatly from if they made a magazine for these genres. Some of the brands which are included in IPC media are magazines such as Look, NME, Marie Claire and nuts; all very well known brands therefore I will be aiming to match, even excel upon these products.


Ideology - The message/ moral that I wish to convey through my magazine will rely fully on the genre which I decide to base my magazine around, therefore I will include the stereotypical characteristics within my magazine which I feel the audience of that genre would appreciate and agree with.



Audience - Audience is the most vital concept in the success rate of magazines because without an audience there would be no point in creating the media text, the audience are the main source of income for a media magazine and this determines whether the publishers continue creating more of the magazines or not. Another source of income is financed through other companies advertising in the magazine, however no companies will want to advertise if the magazine does not sell. 
There are a wide range of audiences that I could target my magazine towards however this depends greatly on the type of genre which I choose to focus upon.
There are a lot of factors which need to be taken into consideration when looking at target audiences, for example demographics are used so that audiences can be categorised into different groups which have been formed by quantitative data on age and gender, which usually follow this grouping system:

• Male or female
• <15
• 15 - 24
• 24 - 35
• 35 - 55
• 55>

I have chose to aim my magazine at both genders and also the around the age range of <15 due to myself being near this segment and the fact that the pop music genre appeals this age group.
There is also socio-economic groups which entails of the audiences profession, class and income, there are 6 different groups which show how these characteristics can vary.
A – Higher managerial, administrative or professional. 3%
B – Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional. 15%
C1 – Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional. 23%
C2 – Semi-skilled manual workers. 28%
D – Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers. 18%
E – Casual labourers, unemployed, state pensioners. 13%
The audience which I will be aiming my magazine towards will come under either E or D as the target audiences age range is around 15 meaning that the majority, if not all of of the people will be unemployed due to being in full time education, my age is not too far away from this age range therefore will understand the target audience.
Psychographics is used to measure audiences personalities, beliefs, interests and lifestyles, this is so that the magazine producers can create a magazine for a specific type of person, a niche audience. Psychographic researching from questionnaires led to the creation of VALS which have four main categories.
Groups driven by needs: - survivors and sustainers
Groups who are outer-directed: belongers, emulators, and achievers
Groups who are inner-directed: i-am-me, experientals, societally conscious
Groups who are outer and inner-directed: integrated


Representations - I intend to represent all aspects of my magazine positively as I believe no good would come out of negativity towards the music genre, artist featured or the target audience as I am trying to sell the product and therefore want to make it sound as professional as possible.

Main Task Brief

Produce a front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be origionl, produced by you - minimum of four images.