In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

Magazine case study

 Q magazine

This is relevant to my main task as Q magazine is a music magazine which focuses mainly on pop music, which is what my music magazine is going to be about. Q magazine is one of the best selling music magazines.

Publisher

Q magazine is published by Bauer media group. They are based in Europe and are headquartered in Hamburg. Bauer was founded in 1875. They also publish other music magazines, like Mojo, Empire and Kerrang. They produce other sister products like radio and TV.  

Readership

Q’s readership is 377,000. 70% are male and 30% are female. The average age of a Q reader id 32. 70% of Q readers are an ABC1 profile. This shows that Q is an upmarket magazine and that the readership is mostly made up of succeeders or yuppies.

Content

The content of the magazine is a mix of different music content. For example, reviews, current download lists, interviews, coverage of key musical events etc. Q is for serious music listeners and rarely covers anything that isn’t music related.

TV/app/web presence

Q also has an I-pad version of the magazine which shows that they are up to date with technology and they may also be trying to widen their demographic. Q formerly had a TV channel and a radio station. The radio station was closed in mid-2013 after owners Bauer media decided to use the station's bandwidth on various platforms (DAB, Digital TV) to launch Kisstory, a spinoff of their Kiss brand. They still hold an annual Q award ceremony every year, where artists are awarded for their music. A series of Q albums have also been released.

History of the magazine

Q magazine was first published in 1986; it set itself away from other music magazines, by targeting the magazine at older music buyers. The magazine was originally called ‘the modern guide to music and more’ this however soon changed to ‘cue’. In the 200^th edition the name changed again, this time it became Q as this was more prominent on newsstands.

Target audience

The majority of the target audience for Q magazine is male, this is represented in their readership and in the brands that advertise in the magazine. For example a lot of car brands advertise in Q magazine. However there is still a high percentage of female readers, so some unisex brands advertise in Q magazine. These include brands like Vo5 and Chanel. The main target audience is serious music listeners and we can tell this by the content of the magazine. However a small part of the audience, may be succeeders and yuppies, due to Q being a more upmarket magazine.

Brand identity

The brand identity for Q magazine, is the iconic contrast of the white Q on a red background. This can be seen throughout the magazine. For example the masthead can be seen on the contents page and on the bottom of the page near the page numbers. The colour scheme throughout the magazine is mainly white and red. With only a small splash of colour, to make the important information stand out. It is a convention of Q magazine to have the feature article with a white background and a Giant red letter which is the initial of the person’s name. This helps to create a brand identity and carry it through the magazine.

Contact sheet from the photo shoot

Font and colour mood board

This a mood board containing all the colours and fonts that I may use in my magazine. 

Mood board for advertising

This mood board represents all the companies that may advertise in my magazine. These brands are heavily used by my target audience of teenagers.

Q front cover textual analysis

This contents page is taken from Q magazine. The first thing that stands out on the magazine, is the close-up of the artist and is clearly the main focus of the magazine. She is in direct mode, this helps to attract the audience to the magazine, as it feels as though she is looking directly at them. The bold blue of her makeup is used throughout the front cover. For example the lines that break up the cover lines and the colour of the puff. The blue makes her eyes stand out and also draws the eye into her face, and the middle of the magazine. 
The selling line suggests that the magazine holds great music; this may make the audience more likely to buy the magazine, if they are a serious music listener. 
The main cover line, is at the top of the magazine, this goes against the codes and conventions, as it would normally appear at the bottom left hand third. By having the cover line at the top of the page and away from all the other cover lines, it empathizes the quote " I feel so alone " 
The main articles are in bold and stand out from the cover. This shows their importance and that they are the biggest articles, this month. Her name is the biggest, telling the audience who she is. 
The Masthead follows the codes and conventions, by being in the left third. This means that it will stand out in the magazine stand. 
The artist's hair is flowing around her and takes up the majority of the page. It looks like it is framing her face, making it the main focus. The cover lines are based around her hair, as the main focus is her face. The puff is slotted in, where there is a gap in her hair. The lighting is mainly focused on her face and her hands this emphasises that her face is the main focus. 
The cover lines cover a range of topics from business, music and technology, this appeals to a wide target audience. 
The language is very serious and appeals to a more mature audience. 
Most of the font/text is sans serif but subtle uses of of serif fonts draws the readers attention. 

Teen Vogue contents page analysis

This contents page has been taken from the magazine Teen Vogue. The brand identity has been transferred onto the contents page from the front cover. We can tell this by the masthead at the top of the page. It is also at the bottom of the page near the page number.
We can tell this magazine is targeted towards young teenagers, due to the title of the magazine, and the small hearts round the page numbers of the feature articles. The heart also tie in with the the heart on the artist's foot. The page is quite simple, with only a small splash of red. The contrast of the red and white, makes the page numbers stand out and make them seem important. The red also links in with the hearts around the page numbers and the small amount of red on her dress, emphasizing her importance in the magazine. The main article and page numbers, are the boldest, emphasizing there importance.
There is a small grey box at the bottom of the photograph, saying 'get to know the real Taylor Swift'
This will encourage the reader to carry on reading.
The layout of the contents page is in three columns. It is a convention of genre to use the rule of three on a contents page, and can be seen in many magazines, this is because it makes it easier for the reader to read the magazine. The simplistic design of the page suggests that this is classier magazine, compared to other teen orientated magazines, as they are normally full of information. This suggests that the preferred reading is the  ABC1 audience.
The topics and content of the magazine suggest that the target audience is young females, as they are things that young females are interested in, for example the reference to technology and how to get the cover look. It also has things like horoscopes, fall fashion and reference to bloggers. All of which interests young teenagers.
The 'quirky' fonts used target the audience, as they give a more relaxed and laid back feel to the magazine. It is also very common for magazines of this type to use fonts like this.
The boxes at the top and bottom of the page are both tilted, again giving the magazine a more laid back feel.
The language used like, 'your space' and the reference to technology are targeted towards a younger audience, as this interests them.
Overall the preferred reading of this magazine, is a young, female, teenage audience, in the social classes ABC1. We can tell this from the use of language, font, design and content used.