Colours Mood Board

The colours which I have chosen to pick to use on my magazine are black, white and red. These colours are both appeal to female and male target audience, even though my magazine is mainly targeted to female. The colours are very complimentary and work well together to make my magazine attractive.

These colours could make the magazine look more upper class as they are simple in addition I did not pick bright colours as the indie-rock target audience that I am aiming for often wear dark colours so I will match the magazine to them. The colours I have chosen for my magazine indicate the grunge look as they are quite dark.

For the images I put the colours are black and white, this also links in with the grunge theme, but also makes the magazine look older and sophisticated.

Font Mood Board

I have chosen some fonts which I will consider using on my magazine. I think will appeal to my target audience and link in with my magazine, they are not too childish which will give a certain image for my magazine, making it sophisticated. To put on my mood board chose Harlow Solid Italic Italic because it is quite bold and will stand out furthermore it looks feminine. Eras Light ITC Regular and Adobe Caslon Pro Bold are both quite thin and they look like they could be seen on Vogue and other top designer magazines. Buxton Sketch Regular looks relaxed which could then suggest that my magazine is. 

For my magazine I have decided to pick Bodoni MT Condensed Bold Italic for the mast head, this is because it is bold which will make the stand out, furthermore it is not to sketchy which then would make my magazine look a little childish, as I want my magazine to look sophisticated and it also looks like the type of font which you would find on Vogue, this then suggests my magazine is a higher end magazine. In addition it also is quite girl and will fit in and appeal to my target audience. I will also use the font Bodoni MT Black Italic and Bells MT Italic for the cover lines; this is because it is a thin font and will make my magazine look more girly however it’s not too thin that it’s hard to see.

For my contents page and feature article, I carried on using Bodoni MT Condensed Bold Italic, this is so the fonts link throughout the pieces. Furthermore it is a font which is easy to read for my audience. This is important as my target audience are teenagers so will need an easy read font. 

Advertisers Mood Board

This mood boards shows the type of advertisers which will pay to have their products and brand names advertised in my magazine. The advertisers hint to what my target audience is.

My advertisers mood board shows that my target audience is girl teenagers, this is because I have companies which my audience is likely to buy from such as Max Factor, Rimmel London, Mac, L’oreal Paris, Lush, Soap & Glory; these are all companies which do girly products like make-up or bath essentials. This also tells you that my target audience likes to take care of themselves. In addition I have also put some high street shops in there for example Next, Zara, River Island, and Topshop. As they are teenagers they will not have a high income to shop in upper market shops, however I have put Chanel in there as I believe a female audience would buy little things from there for example perfume. I have also put shoe brands in there such as Converse and Dr. Marten; I think these are the type of shoes which my audience will wear.

I have put some social media sites of there such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. As my audience are teenagers they are into technology and use it a lot. Furthermore I have put the apple logo in here in addition due to my audience being young most of my audience will probably own an Apple product, such as iPhone, iPod or Mac. By them also having a phone, I have put Vodafone on there as they will use phone companies. Furthermore for technology I have put camera products on there such as Nikon or Canon.

On my mood board I have also put some music related advertisers; this shows how passionate my audience is about music. Some examples are Reading and Leeds Festival and Latitude, as they are teenagers they are likely to attend festivals. In addition I put National Rail on here as they would use public transport to get to these festivals as they probably don’t have a car yet. I have also put Dre Beats logo on here as a way to listen to their music and HMV and iTunes for where to buy their music. 

My advertisers mood board also have some things which my audience will eat or drink, for example KFC, Subway, Nandos, Galaxy, Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Vitamin Water, and Smartwater. The fast food places are not upper market stores and are cheap so it’s easy to buy furthermore they are teenagers so are likely to eat fast food, however as they are females are a little health conscious by having Vitamin Water and Smartwater on there.

My target audience are also teenagers by this I have shops on there such as Staples and WHSmiths as they would need to buy stationary and books for school/college, furthermore as they are quite well educated they like to read books so that is why Waterstones is on there. As they are students Wikipedia is on there also.

Target Audience Mood Board

This is my mood board for my target audience. This includes an overall of what my target audience would be like. My target audience are teenager females, who listen to indie-rock music. This mood board reflects their interests.

I chose to put some bands which my target audience will listen to give an idea of what type of music my magazine will include, for example, The 1975, Oasis, Deaf Havana, Artic Monkeys, The Killers, You Me at Six. This suggests that my target audience listen to quite indie-rock genre music. In addition to this I have put Latitude and Reading and Leeds Festival on there, this is because they are the type of people to go to festivals and are passionate about spending a lot of money to see their favourite artists and will like the type of music which is played there.

Some other things which I have put on my mood board are some make-up items such as Mac lipstick, and Essie nail varnish as my target audience is a female audience I thought it was important to put some make-up items on there, this also suggests that they are the type of people to care about what they look like. In addition to that I have put some clothing brands/shops for example River Island, ASOS, Topshop, and Zara on there. These are not too expensive shops and are high street shop as my target audience are teenagers they might not have a high income. I have also put some shoe brands that they will wear, for example DR. Martens and Converse.

Some other things I have put on my target audience mood board are a pile of books, Dre Beats, a record, smoothies, a bike, vogue, and a couple of DVDs these all suggest there interests and hobbies. They are well educated and like to read books, they listen to music, they like to eat quite healthy, they do already read magazines and are in to fashion. The two DVDs which I have put on here are Mean Girls and Clueless, this are very girly films which suggest my target audience.

As my target audience are teenagers I have put some technology onto my mood board, for example Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr. These are social networking sites which teenagers use. In addition I have put iPhone onto this mood board this suggests they are into smart technology. I have also put a camera on this mood board; this is because usually indie-rock listeners are into photography, I have also put a Polaroid camera on this as they are vintage. 

Full Analysis of One Music Magazine - KERRANG

Kerrang is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music; it is published by Bauer Media Group. Kerrang was first published on 6 June 1981. They were named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar. They publish their magazine weekly furthermore their total circulation in June 2013 was 37,603.


Kerrang is not just a magazine; they also have different media platforms. For example they have a website (www.kerrang.com); this is e-media platform. The website hosts Kerrang's online shop, podcasts, message board, TV and radio segments ensuring even more opportunities to sell associated merchandise and products. The website has a lot of different links for example, they have a ‘latest’, ‘hottest’, ‘music’, and lastly a ‘lists’ link. Furthermore they have a link to that week’s issue. The latest news including bands, artists, line-ups, new album releases, new band merch, etc. Furthermore they have a link to their Facebook page and Twitter page; in addition they have an Instagram. By having a lot of social media sites, their audience can keep up to date in different ways if they don’t particularly like reading magazines. On their website they also have some playlists, for example they have this week’s Kerrang! Chart and they also have new music. There is also a chance for the audience to win in competitions; this engages the audience making them feel involved. The purpose of the website is for the audience to find out more information to do with the magazine.

As well as a magazine and website, they also have ‘Kerrang Radio’, which was launched in 2000 and is available DAB, Freeview and online (www.kerrang.com); this is broadcast and e-media platforms, by having both these are  Kerrang Radio plays music, tells news, give competition chances to win things like festival/gig tickets, albums etc. The radio had a number of specialist programmes dedicated to the many subgenres of rock music. On the Kerrang Radio website there is a lot of links, for example, music features, links to the Kerrang Radio on YouTube, music news, their Facebook and Twitter, by having their social media linked on most of their websites make sure the audience find it and so they are advertising it. They also advertise their app, this is so people are aware that it exists.

 Kerrang also have a mobile app which is available for Android, Blackberry and iPhone, on this app you can listen to their Radio wherever you are, listen to previous shows and watch their videos. By having it available for different phones means most people can download it as those types of phones are popular.

 There is also ‘Kerrang Awards’, this has been happening since 1993, the magazine has held an annual awards ceremony to mark the most successful bands in the interests of their readers. The awards became one of Britain's most recognised events by the now defunct Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, often listing some of the winners in their annual round-up of the previous year.

 Kerrang! TV was launched in 2001. As with the radio station, the television channel covers the more meanstream side to rock music as well as classic rock bands like Aerosmith and AC/DC and classic heavy metal bands such as Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Kerrang TV is now a joint venture between Bauer Media Group and Channel 4.

 In March 2012, Kerrang announced a new rock chart for the UK which is based upon airplay across Kerrang Radio, Kerrang TV and sale figures from the Official Charts Company. Charts are announced on Saturday morning and feature twenty tracks. The latest chart can be viewed on their website every Saturday at midday.

Original Ideas Statement

I want to make an indie/rock music magazine also with fashion. This means my target audience will mostly be aimed at females however will still be approachable to males. The age range I intend to aim to 16-18 who might be classed an ‘indie’, however being teenagers do not have a high income.

The format of my magazine will use the colours, deep red (burgundy), black and white as I think that will suit the subject it being music and fashion. The price will be about £2.50-£3.50 mark, being a slightly high prices magazine it will make it slightly upper market, and it will specifically target those who have a passion about music and fashion. In addition it will still be suitable for my audience to afford.

I hope to publish my magazine fortnightly or monthly depending on the price. If it was more expensive it will be published monthly as then it will appeal to my target audience more as they are teenagers with not a particularly high income. If it was published weekly I think it would be too expensive for my audience then will not be a successful magazine. 

Magazine Publishers

Bauer Media is Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as different e-medias, for example online; (e-media) TV and radio stations (broadcast e-media). Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio. Their magazine heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News. Today, Bauer Media spans over 80 influential brand names covering a diverse range of interests including ‘Kerrang’, ‘Bird Watching’, ‘Classic Car Weekly’, ‘Heat’, ‘Mother & Baby’, ‘Trout & Salmon’ and many more. Bauer Media connects and engages 19 million consumers every week with the most influential brands in the UK.

Condé Nast is a premier media company renowned for producing the highest quality content for the world's most influential audiences. Attracting 95 million consumers across its industry-leading print, digital and video brands, the company’s portfolio includes some of the most iconic titles in media: Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, The New Yorker, Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Lucky, Golf Digest, Golf World, Teen Vogue, Ars Technica, Style.com and NowManifest. The company’s newest division, Condé Nast Entertainment, was launched in 2011 to develop film, television and premium digital video programming. The company was founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast and has been owned and operated by the Newhouse family since 1959.

Livingly Media formerly known as Zimbio, Inc publish the three most popular sites in fashion & beauty, entertainment and home design for 25 million+ trendsetting, millennial women. They only publish online media (e-media). They publish Stylebistro, Lonny and Zimbio. In May 2006, the company launched its first website, Zimbio.com which focused on entertainment news including movies, music, TV and celebrities. In July 2010, the company launched StyleBistro.com to focus on fashion and beauty - including what celebrities are wearing, trends and products. They launched Lonny Magazine in 2012, re-launched it on their platform as Lonny.com. Brands can connect with their massive audience through any of their platforms – desktop, tablet, mobile.

Overview of the Magazine Industry

In Britain there are more than 8000 titles which are organised in categories such as:

1.     Consumer (general and specialist) sold in newsagents and available online;

2.     Business / trade / professional / B2B - for people at work;

3.     Customer magazines that organisations to give to their customers as a form of marketing;

4.     Staff magazines to inform staff about their company

5.     Newspaper supplements- come free as part of daily or Sunday paper;

6.     Part works - a set number of issues builds up into an 'encyclopaedia' on a specific topic;

7.     Academic journals - for university-level discussion of all sorts of arcane topics.

The masthead of the magazine may be general titles that aim to entertain and inform, for example Elle, Radio Times, Glamour or there is a consumer specialist titles that are aimed at specific interest or hobbies, for example Car, Total Film, Gardeners’ World etc.

The biggest consumer magazine publishers
Bauer Publishing – 25%
IPC Media – 20%
BBC – 7.8%
Hearst – 7.3%

In 1980 there were only 1,383 different consumer titles however now there are over 3,200.
1.4 billion magazines are sold each year, it was 2.1 billion in 1970 and 1.2 billion in 1992.
85% of population reads a magazine.

Advertisers spent £745 million in magazines.

Consumers spend £2 billion on magazines annually.

An average 500 new magazines have been launched every year in the past decade.

Only 3 in 10 titles survive for more than 4 years.

Facebook is the indisputable leader in terms of page likes in the magazine industry, totalling 198 million of page likes. Instagram comes 4th, with 20 million of followers, and right after Pinterest with 19 million.