Genre research

Mock ups

I created a mock up using the online program picmonkey.

First mock up of a front cover 

First contents page mock up 

Second cover mock up 

Reader profile analysis

A reader profile is an important part of making a music magazine, it shows what type of audience reads the magazine. By knowing this information the magazine can change their contents to suit their main audience. An example of this is knowing which adverts to put into their magazine. If the adverts are more suited to their audience more people from their magazine will purchase the products, and the magazine will receive more money from advertising. Also by targeting the audience more with the content of the magazine that particular audience will continue to repeatedly buy the magazine.  

Things that are conventionally included on a reader profile are; 

Gender

Age 

Job Class

Amount they spend on magazines

Their interests 

Where they purchase the magazine

Why they purchase the magazine

Above is the reader profile of NME a alternative rock magazine, it has a mainly male audience. Which you can tell just by looking at this profile. You can tell by the colour scheme and the advertised products before you even read the stats. 

Conventions

Kerrang! is an alternative music magazine.

Masthead

The masthead is placed in a conventional place, for any magazine of any genre, at the top of the page spreading across the width of the magazine. The masthead is placed there as it is the first thing that the reader is drawn to. It is a vital part of the magazine because it is what is recognised by the audience as being the magazines title. The font used for the magazine is suited to the genre of the magazine. It looks like it is cracking, which is connoting the idea of loud music.The font is bold and is in stand out font. By having a bold font it makes it stand out from other titles on the cover. It may also make it stand out from other magazines on the shelf. 

Main image

The main image is placed in front of the masthead because the artist is important and the magazine wants to show that. The magazine probably paid a lot of money to get an interview with the artist. The artist is also widely known as an alternative musician by having him on the front cover it is making clear what genre the magazine is. The outfit that the artist is wearing is also suited to the genre of the magazine. His bright hair is something that only an artist in the alternative genre would have. Some of the colours on the front of the magazine have been made to match the colour of the artists hair, creating a theme right through the cover. The outfit he is wearing is also the same costume that he wore in a new music video that was released at the time. By wearing the same costume it is advertising what his interview with the magazine will be about (probably that music video).

Barcode/Date/Price

The price is intentionally in small price because the magazine is quite expensive. So it is smaller because the audience may be put off by the price. If the magazine was cheaper the price would be used as a selling point and would be larger on the page. The Barcode is in the corner as this is where it is on most magazines and it makes it easier for it to be found. Also the website of the magazine has been included with the date and price. This is so that the website can be found if people want to learn more about the magazine. The website is also more likely to be found elsewhere in the magazine.

Plug

Here I have labelled the plug as the posters that can be found in the magazine. The plug is used to sell more copies of the magazine by offering free posters of a popular band. There are other plugs on the cover of the magazine. These include the fact that the cover is one of four collectables. By implying the magazines are collectables it will make the audience to buy the others so they will have a full set. There is also the sign stating that the magazine has the largest gig guide. This will make the audience want to buy the magazine as they want to read the guide. 

Main Feature story 

The main feature story is in a bold font setting it apart from other titles on the page. It is also in the same typography that is used by the band for their albums. This will appeal to fans of the band as they will see the feature story and will associate it with their favourite band and want to read the article. The main feature also relates to the main image as it is the story that goes with the picture. The main feature story is advertised as a exclusive interview, this is a great selling point as it makes it clear that the interview can't be found in any other magazine and so they will have to buy the magazine if they wish to read the interview.

Skyline

The skyline is at the very top of the cover, this is where it gets its name skyline. The skyline will always be at the top of the cover of any magazine regardless of genre. The skyline is used to promote shorter articles that may be of less interest than the feature stories. 

Main Breif

To design a front cover, contents page and double page spread of a music magazine. All images must be original, and a minimum of four images must be used.