Magazine Research

Publisher: Bauer Media Group. Based in Hamburg, Germany and produce magazines, digital products, radio and a TV station.

Circulation: 44,013 Readership: 421,000. With a mean age of 22, it is a big advantage because this age group is usually hard to catch onto but Kerrang! have managed to appeal to this age group where as not all other magazines do.

Mission Statement: Kerrang! will ensure that we are constantly appealing to our spectrum of readers. From the younger teenage readers who are more open to different genres of rock music – from emo to thrash etc, to the readers who respect Kerrang! as an authority when it comes to our scene’s heritage bands. Each issue will include a balance of bands and scenes to guarantee that we’re providing for our readers’ need for variety and their passionate appetite for their favourite bands as well as their desire to be introduced to new music within our world. We will focus on the BIGGEST things that are going on in our world each week, as well as guaranteeing that we are giving our main base of younger readers everything they need to

get into, on top of this the interest in older, harder bands, cementing our role as an educator

Brand Extensions: Kerrang! Also have other media platforms thatthey work from, such as Kerrang! Radio and Kerrang! TV. They also have their own award show called Kerrang! Awards. They are also the official media partner for Download festival so they have full access to all of the exclusive media coverage.

Focused around one image, the image covers the Kerrang! Masthead this suggests that they se the presence of different celebrities on their from covers to get peoples attention rather than their own brand.

The main feature article is highlighted by using bright colours and large text. This is to intrigue their readers (and people who don’t read the magazine) so that the, magazine will be

Kerrang! Use colours that reflect the natures of the band on the front cover, e.g. If it as a band from the punk-pop genre they will use bright colours and if it is a metal band they will use darker colours. They use bright colours to attract their audiences. Since they have a low age for their primary audience, using bright colours makes it more appealing to that age range.

Blue and yellow aren’t colours that go together, so having the bright blue background makes the yellow text stand out more and become more eye-catching to a younger audience. Kerrang!’s audience are of a younger age, mainly teenagers, so posters are a typical thing for teenagers to have on their walls so advertising the posters is important to this magazine.

There isn’t much information on the front cover, it is mainly images of different bands. Images attract a younger audience, which is the audience that Kerrang! Is aimed at the age range so it is important for them to put things on the front cover that their younger audience will appreciate.

The masthead is broken up so it gives off the ‘rock and roll’ vibe, showing that the magazine is about rock music and all of its sub-geners.

The barcode is hidden down the bottom to not take distraction from the main image, these are found on all magazines so that they customer can actually purchase it.

There are a lot of buzzwords on this front cover, these words draw people in, it makes them think that they are going to know something no one else knows.

They have a main image which Highlights one of the stories that wasn’t highlighted on the main cover. The main images also incudles smaller images underneath, these highlight the other feature stories that are in the new issue so the reader can see what to expect from the different feature stories.

The masthead shows the date it was published and the issue number. It also displays the logo to show that this is the contents of the specific magazine. The masthead is in keeping with the colour scheme and feel of this certain issue, although it still has the edgy look and feel to appeal to the correct audience.

The pages have been divided into sections to make it easier fort he reader to find what they are looking for. This makes the magazine easy to navigate and keep it simple so there won’t be any confusion. The colours are very basic, making sure that the page numbers are in a different colour to the text to make them stand out and be easy to find, it is clear text so it makes it readable, but also gives a little bit of information on the article that pulls the reader in and interests them. The extra information also acts as a highlight, it suggests that these are the most interesting stories in the magazine and they are what should be read first. They also use words such as ‘goodies’ because these are more common words and are slang, which is how their reader audience would talk in their everyday life so it helps to connect with their young audience.

Kerrang! Also include a message from their editor, this makes people feel like they are being appreciated for buying the magazine. It adds a personal touch that makes the reader feel more involved with what goes into the magazine and that Kerrang! Are really putting in what the reader wants to see.

They are also still following through with the idea of colour schemes to fit the genre they are discussing and the bands that are featuring in their issues. For example, here all the bands being featured are classed as ‘pop-punk’, pop is usually seen as very bright colours and fun. However they have to add the punk feeling to their pages as well, which they do through using different types of fonts to give the magazine a more edgy look so it denotes the actual genres of the bands.

Straight away there is an advertisement, but it is still to do with music. It is displayed in a small section down in the corner of the page, so it uses bright colours and banners to attract the readers attention and make the advertisement known.

In Kerrang! They feature a large main image of the band that they are covering, this helps to display the bands image if people don’t know who they are they can at least know what they look like before they start to read through the article. Having the large image also makes fans of the band want to buy the certain issue because they can cut it from the pages and stick it onto their wall. Kerrangs! Colour schemes for their main articles come from the image that they choose, for example here they are all mainly dressed in primary colours so throughout the design of the article they take those colours are display them.

Here they are using primary colours that reflect their main image, this keeps the whole page linked together if they were different colours from what were shown in the image it would look odd and as if the title wasn’t meant for this certain feature story. They also use the bands logo, this introduces the band to people who haven’t heard of them before. Logos are also used because they are recognisable, if someone notices the logo they will notice the band and it may make them want to buy it because they know the band, so they want to know what the article is about. Having a quote coming directly from the text below gives a teaser for what is to come, the quotes are usually highlighted in a colour and font style that makes them stand out, they will also be the most interesting part of the article so it draws the reader in.

The text is backed by two large black columns, this shows that these sections of text are the complete article. Since the background photo has a white background, the text would have been harder to read because their text is on such a small size. The black also makes the page looks more interesting, the white on black makes the pages look more attractive because they have thought about the layout and what would be more pleasing for their readers to look at. They are reflecting the bands personality and music style by making their article look different, making it eye-catching and quirky which displays this as the nature of the band as well.

There is a small black box which will contain a caption. This caption is usually a small joke about the image, or about the band in general. Kerrang! Do this to keep a casual feel to their magazine, this keeps a tabloid feel to the magazine rather than broadsheet. It makes it more informal, which is what their target audience and current readers typically want,

Publisher: Time inc UK (IPC Media), works on many different media platforms and is based in the UK, has been around since the 1960’s but was formally knows as IPC Media up until 2014 and has rebranded to Time Inc UK.Circulation: 33,875

Readership: 325,000. Mainly men who read the magazine but also a large percentage of women, ages from 15-34, so a large range in the age of the audience. Not aimed a specifically older or younger audience.

Mission Statement:

Brand Extensions:

The masthead is kept to one corner of the page, it is hidden behind main image of the front cover being one of most influential music magazines in the UK they don’t need to display their name as much as possible because people already know it. The colour blends in with the colour scheme so the logo still isn’t as visible. The colours are all primary or neutral colours, this gives a simple look and a slightly retro design to the front cover. NME often run with the colour red through a lot of their front covers.

The main image is in the centre of the cover, it displays the main feature article which is the Artict Monkeys so that suggests that this is a music magazine straight away. The record is used as a prop to show that the interview will be discussing the bands favourite record. The record could denote that the band are record breakers, because it’s as if he is holding one of their own vinyl records. The theme of red is also still carried out, tying the whole front cover together. The person is also slightly turned away from the camera but is still looking forward towards it so it helps the audience connect with the magazine rather than having him looking away completely.

The barcode is hidden down at the bottom of the magazine, this gives more room for a bigger image and more information. It could also denote that sales aren’t important to the company and that it is all about the music and articles rather than getting sales, so it gives a friendlier and a more relaxed feel.

The subheading is hidden at the top, it also contains the buzzword ‘exclusive’ the top of the magazine is what will be shown in stands in the shops so by having the buzzwords positioned at the top of the page attracts readers to see what the exclusive story is about.

The band names act as sub-headings on this front cover, it shows that these are the extra stories inside and whole they are on. On NME they have a more adult audience to appeal to, so by having the names of the bands rather than buzzwords in colourful writing gives a more mature feel and it attracts the older audience as well as their teenage audience.

The contents is spilt up into categories, this mages the magazine easier for the reader to navigate. The contents page also carries on with the red colour, which is NME’s signature colour. There is also information on each of the articles so the reader gets a quick summary of what it is about, but not too much so that it spoils the article or starts to feel like a formal magazine. The text is simple, the page numbers stand out so they can be easier navigated.

The main image is just off centred, isn’t so big that it takes up the full contents page but big enough to give the audiences something interesting to look at and see what is happening in the image. It also has a caption that acts as the title to the image, then a larger explanation below, this gives a larger view of what is happening in the image and makes it relevant to the magazine.

NME also have a ‘band index’ this is an extra contents that helps the reader to find their favourite bands faster, with the older audience NME readers may not have enough time to flip through the whole magazine to find their favourite band so by having a band index it makes it quicker and easier for the reader.

NME also advertise themselves and their subscription. This is put at the start of the magazine so that the readers can see it straight away and know where it is, rather than missing it somewhere so they don’t know how to subscribe to the magazine and then they lose sales. The ‘save 33%’ can be classed as a buzz word because it is intriguing, it gets the readers attention which means that the editors assume that their audience wants to save on buying their product.

The layout is very simple with just two colours used to draw attention to it, since the larger image is in black and white and she is wearing classical ‘pin-up’ hair and makeup which makes the image look like it was taken in the 1940s/50s which gives it a vintage feel, which will appeal to their older audiences. The text must be in bright colours to make the article pleasing to look at, the colours are kept simple and not overwhelming so that they don’t become the main focus of whole layout.

The masthead of the article is in two bright colours because the main image is in black and white so they had to incorporate colour into the layout to make the article visually satisfying. The font that the text is written in looks like the font you would find on an old fashioned stamp, so keeping with the vintage theme. ‘Mission accomplished’ connotes that there was something that this artist set out to do and she has accomplished it.

The layout of the main text is similar to a newspaper, a lot of columns and small writing which gives the magazine a more sophisticated feel to connect with their older audience as well as their younger audience. There aren’t too many colours so that it becomes overwhelming, The text is in a simple font which makes it easily readable, this will make people want to rebuy the magazine if they can get good quality writing that is easy to read.

The small caption keeps the relaxed atmosphere of the magazine, it counterbalances the newspaper type look keeping it informal and friendly. The caption is written in white with the same blue that is used through the double page spread, this also helps to tie the image in with the rest of the article because it pulls the image into the pages and assures people that this image was meant for this article, rather than another.

Publisher: Bauer Media Group. Based in Hamburg, Germany and produce magazines, digital products, radio and a TV station.

Circulation: 91,678

Readership: 218,000, MOJO is the world largest music magazine that comes from the UK is released monthly. MOJO reaches more music fans that any other music magazine from the UK, it is a 66% ABC1 readership. They have a mean age of 37,

Mission Statement: Mojo is an educator, a living archive and a trusted source of musical excellence. Mojo provides its audience with an authentic, independent, and emotional connection to the music. Its also the last word on whats good, for music that is timeless, and where to go next. Mojo is loved by its readers, the music industry, and by musicians alike, because it engages them on the subject they love the most. Its basic editorial proposition every month consists of: A definitive, book-like cover feature (i.e. you dont need to read a book on the subject, you can just read Mojo to know everything). An editorially themed cover mounted CD. A 30 page plus reviews section known as Filter, which brings you the best in music that month.

Mojo goes in deeper than any other magazine and creates an experience that is immersive, and that the readers can luxuriate in. From The Beatles to Battles, and The Ramones to Radiohead. Classic, sitting comfortably with cutting edge, and quality being the one constant

Brand Extensions: The ‘MOJO Honours list’ is there annual awards ceremony, that recognises artist with great achievements in their lives. MOJO4MUSIC.com is their website, it has over 100,000 users and gives readers of the magazine more information about their favourite bands, upcoming gigs etc. MOJO is also associated witht the Green Man festival.

‘Free’ can be classed as a buzzword because it is a word that gets the audience excited, it is also in the form of a plug because it attracts the audience the magazine and since it is at the top left corner of the cover which is what is seen first when a magazine is displayed in a shop, this is also why the masthead is at the top. Having the masthead at the top of each magazine cover makes it easy for the audience to identify your magazine when they are searching for it in a shop.

The main image on the front cover has been edited to have a rainbow effect on it, this may have been because the photo was very dark so they wanted to add more colour to attract the right type of audience. The different colours that outline a lot of negative space throughout the image makes it more interesting than just having 5 men stood all in lack with none to very little colour, this attracts an audience because colour is appealing to the eye, with having a rainbow colour it may seem a little childish so by adding the negative space/black it makes it seems more mature, therefore attracting an older audience.

The layout of this front cover use very basic colours on their headers/cover lines, then on the main title it has the rainbow effect that follows the same colour pattern as the effects put on the main image. By having the cover lines as basic grey and white colours with a simple font stops attention from being distracted from the main feature of the magazine issue.

The masthead is hidden behind the main image, this may be because the magazine is so well known that the readers can notice the whole masthead without having to actually see it all. This allows more focus to be on the main article than the actual magazine name itself, it also shows that there is more time dedicated to the contents of the magazine rather than just the name of it which helps to appeal to audiences because it shows that they are going to get good content inside.

Having catchy cover lines that have repetition are easier to read, there are also puns, gags and alliteration in MOJO’s cover lines, this shows the laid back feeling of the magazine so it is more of an informal way of communicating with the audience and getting the information across. This attracts both a ABC1 and a C2DE audience, since both middle/lower class enjoy more casual and laid back news articles.

This contents page has only one main image which dominates about half of the page, the colours are very minimal in this front cover. It is taking the red hair colour from the main image and using it in the page numbers and other less significant writing throughout the page so red doesn’t overpower the other colours.

The layout of this contents page is simple, which makes it even easier for the reader to navigate their way around the contents. The writing is shaped around the photo being used, this shows that the article that the Florence Welch is features in is something important in this issue. After each artist name there is a little information about what their article contains, this helps the reader understand what exactly is being talked about in the interview so they understand once they come to read it. Although there are only a few stories covered, this shows that they are the main stories that feature in the magazine and are probably the most popular articles that are going to be read.

The masthead isn’t a large font size so it doesn’t dominate the whole page, it is in a simple font with a simple colour again to not distract from the rest of the information around the page. Having the brand name on the contents page lets the reader remember which magazine they are reading, it keeps the brand across the magazine so the reader doesn’t forget it. Underneath the masthead there is the issue number and the date, however these are both in very small writing which shows that they aren’t as important for the reader to know as the rest of the information on the page.

Unlike other music magazines there aren’t any advertisements on this contents page, no mention of a contest, free things, etc. which appeal more towards the older audience because they may not be as interested in winning free band merchandise as a younger audience are. So it isn’t important to advertise these types of things as soon as the magazine is opened.

Like other music magazines MOJO used a full page photo of the person they are interviewing to start off their double page spread, this shows the importance of the person and gives the reader and idea of what they look like if they don’t already know. The black and white photo shows drama and is in keeping with the tone of the article, it shows that this is a more serious interview and isn’t as light hearted as others. This is what attracts an older audience to MOJO because they give more serious news unlike other magazines such as Kerrang! That target a younger audience so their articles are more light-hearted and have humour.

The layout of this double page spread is very simple, it uses minimal colours to portray the emotion that it coming through in this article. The black and blue don’t overpower, if colours such as yellow, orange, warmer colours were used this out be seen as a happier article, so by having the blue it links to sadness and that helps to add to the feel of the article for the reader so they can understand it more. There aren’t a lot of shapes everything is clean cut which gives a more mature feel to the article, once again attracting an older audience.

The masthead on this double page spread is very small, it is there to help the reader remember what magazine they are reading, much like with the contents page. Even though this is the masthead the colours changed to fit the theme of the article, so I should keep this in mind when I am creating my double page spread to have everything connect and all the colours that are used matched up. This makes it looks more organised and well thought through.

Here are quotes from the interview, in other magazines these are usually highlighted with a shape around them or by using bright fonts however here it is just kept plain and simple. The more important parts are highlighted by a bold font rather than a bright coloured shape, this appeal more to their older audience because bright colours and shapes appeal to a younger generation. Using a serif font comes across as more formal and serious than an san-serif font, this keeps in tone with the article, showing that it is a serious article and doesn’t have much comdey.