Joseph Porter
AS Media
UK Tribes
Young Alts
Skaters
Hardcore
Gamers
Superfans
Chavers
Fangirls
Chavs
Sports Junkies
Blingers
Activists
Creatists
Urban Artists
DIYers
Scenesters
Get Paid Crew
Stylers
Trackies
Wasteman
Trendies
Vloggers
New Casuals
Hypebeasts
UK Tribes looks at socioeconomic groups within young people in society in the UK and divide them into five unique groups by using research. I can use UK Tribes as a reference point in my research in order to clarify certain trends and habits within my target audience compared to society.
Possible Genres
Initial Research
Research
Front Page Analysis 1
In order to gain a greater understanding of the music industry and it's cultures, I have decided to carry out initial research before choosing on a genre and style to ensure that I make the correct choice.
In order to plan my magazine effectively, I have decided to research into a variety of genres and styles as well as research into specific UK cultures.
About
Q Magazine was originally owned by the EMAP Media Group and was targetted at an older generation who still purchased CD's, being a huge gap in the market. However, the popular magazine was bought by the Bauer Media Group in 2008, changing the target market to most ages and genres, making each version of the magazine a unique style to the last.
The artists featured in this magazine vary vastly from established artists such as Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran to new and upcoming artists such as George Ezra and Mumford & Sons. This allows the magazine to attract to as large a target market as possible, with something inside for everyone.
The magazine devotes most of it's content to interviews with the artists, allowing them to stay diverse and stay involved in the latest stories.
Brainstorming
I have planned all aspects of my research within a brainstorm as a reference of all elements required during research and production.
This brainstorm can also be used as a tool when making my magazine to allow me to stay on track by letting me see which elements are already in my magazine and which elements still need to added.
As you can see, I have placed each element into 3 seperate categories which correspond to each part of my final piece, letting me focus on a particular area of the brainstorm depending on the task.
Q Magazine
Fact File
Masthead
The masthead of the magazine consists of the letter Q surrounded by a red background. The name originates from the word 'cue' which symbolises the start of a song, this was then evolved later by the magazine into it's current name.
It is positioned in the top left corner of the cover, this makes it the first thing the reader sees when they scan the magazine, identifying the brand. Due to the lack of target audience, the name is suitably generic to music, with the style of the masthead being linkable to any genre.
The font of the Q is serif, allowing it to flow and therefore link to folk and classical, whereas it is bolded to be linked to rock music. The red background makes the Q contrasted, so it stands out on the page. The tagline is in black, less contrasted than the Q, so it doesn't take away from the masthead, however, makes a powerful statement about the magazine.
Taglines
The tagline of the front cover says "50 indie rock records you must own," the font size of this text is the largest apart from the title, instantly drawing the readers attention to that area of the cover, the font is also identical to the 'Q' in the masthead, staying consistent to the house style. It does however sit behind Florence, connoting to the reader that the more important aspect of the front cover is the artist. The white font allows the tagline to contrast from the dark, red background.
The font size gets smaller as the sentence progresses, with "50 Indie Rock," this immediately draws the readers attention with the genre, leading them through the text until it reveals more about the feature. Eventually changing colour to a saturated yellow when describing what is inside, this allows the target audience to distinguish between what the title of the feature is and what the description is, shown by "23-Page special starring:"
The list of artists beneath the tagline allows the reader to eyedrop any artists they have a preference for, and are therefore more likely to pick up the magazine byseeing that an artists they like features inside.
Finally, the text addresses the reader directly, connoting a connection between the magazine and the reader, this in turn entices the reader to pick up the magazine when seen on a shelf, this is shown by "Records you must own".
Music Genre
Founders
Mark Ellen & David Hepworth
Categories
Diverse Music Magazine
Publisher
Bauer Media Group
Country
United Kingdom
First Issue
October 1986
Language
English
Frequency
Monthly
Circulation
52,781 (Jul - Dec 2013, Printed)
Subscription Price
£35.00 / year
Website
ISSN
0955-4955
Coverlines
The cover stories appear to the side of the main artist on the edge of the page, they are consistent with a piece of bold, larger fonted text above a smaller fonted description of that feature/story. There is also a design element of a small grey box seperating the stories, allowing the reader to distinguish between them.
The stories consist of an interview with John Lydon, which is represented with a quote underneath his name, and Father John Misty which is accompanied by a bold statement underneath; "The new king of heartbreak." Finally, the names of Rihanna, Beyonce and Coldplay draw the eyes of the audience when they first see the magazine because they are well known and add the to renown of the content.
Image & Tagline
The main image consists of a mid-shot of the main article within this magazine. It features Florence looking directly at the camera, with her hand reaching out, this gives the reader a sense of connection with Florence. The microphon shows her relation to music and her role within the band as a singer.
Front Page Analysis 2
NME Magazine
About
Theodore Ingham first launched New Musical Express in March 1952. Beginning as a music newspaper, it gradually drifted to the magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, it has since become the world’s most recognized and iconic music magazine.
Its contents are largely associated with rock, alternative and indie music, featuring artists that include Jimi Hendrix, The Cure, The Stone Roses, Nirvana and the Arctic Monkeys.
Its genre preference limits its audience, which could be a possible attribution to its declining sales.
The magazine updates it readers mainly on the news in the music scene, including tour dates, album releases, live reports and the trending gossip.
Fact File
Editor
Mike William
Categories
Alternative Rock Magazine
Company
Time Inc. UK
Country
United Kingdom
First Issue
November 1952
Language
English
Frequency
Weekly
Circulation
15,830 (Jan - Jun 2013, Printed)
Subscription Price
Free as of 2015
Website
ISSN
0028-6362
Masthead & Taglines
The masthead of NME consists of a thick, sans-serif font which is positioned in the top left of the cover. The font is consistently small, allowing a large space to be filled by the main image and taglines, it is however adaptable across magazines.
There is no unique font styles to the masthead, with a solid red background, it allows the masthead to stay easily recognisable and stand out from the page. 'NME' is the second largest feature of the cover page, with the main story being the largest, this allows the reader to be drawn more to the magazine's story than the brand itself, possibly due to the name bringing in less of an audience nowadays.
The taglines are positioned on the front cover above the masthead at the very top, the font is thinner and smaller than the masthead with a black cover, differentiating it from the branded masthead, however, it's positioned makes it draw the reader's attention due to the reader scanning the cover from the top down. The artist and band's font is larger than the description of the feature, with 'Exclusive Interview' being smaller than 'The Smiths,' this means that the audience associates with the band when they see the magazine, making them more likely to want to see what's inside.
Coverlines
There are multiple types of page furniture used on the front cover. The stories consist of many quotes being used, for instance "I'll suck your blood" is the largest font, which is followed by the artist in a saturated yellow colour. The quote is used order to grab the reader's eye, then the artist is highlighted in yellow to break up the text and allows to audience to immediately associate a story with a band. The stories are given a navy blue background to allow them to stand out from the image.
A label effect is also created with the contest, a yellow circular shape is positioned below the masthead, with "Win!" in large red text, drawing the audience's attention.
Image & Tagline
The main image is a long shot of Peace, three members of the band are looking directly at the camera whilst one member is lookin upwards, suggesting that is the lead member of the band.
Due to the lack of rebellious nature from Peace, the clothing of the band gives a passive impression with denim, fur and dark leather mixing with the warm colours of the background and house style, this also represents the genre of the band, with a more folk style than hard rock. The facial expression of the band members are content, and the image itself takes up a large proportion of the front cover.
The main text of the story is positioned above the photo, but is out of the way of the band's face and is located towards the lower bodies of the band members, this means that it does not overcrowd the image too much and allows the front cover to flow. The font is the largest on the page and consists of one word; "Peace," this has two connotations as it is the band's name but is also used cleverly within a sentence to make a catchy tagline, drawing the reader into the story. "At last" is smaller and has the same yellow saturated colour as the tagline, keeping with the house style. All text is also full caps, connoting that the statement is important.
Editor
James McMahon
Categories
Rock Music Magazine
Publisher
Bauer Media Group
Country
United Kingdom
First Issue
6th June 1981
Language
English
Frequency
Weekly
Circulation
30,300 (Jun 2013, Printed)
Subscription Price
£2.20 per mag
Website
ISSN
0262-6624
About
Kerrang! was founded in 1981 by United Newspapers, initially as a monthly magazine but went weekly in 1987. It was then bought by EMAP in 1991 who sold their rights to Bauer Media Group in 2008.
The magazine first dedicated its contents to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and hard rock acts. Today, although it still focuses on the rock culture, it has expanded its contents to draw in more readers, featuring bands like Twenty One Pilots, Pvris and Imagine Dragons.
The magazine provides the latest band news on many other platforms, including a radio station and TV channel. It has its own awards ceremony and yearly tours, all of which help reach more of its young audience.
Kerrang! Magazine
Image & Tagline
The main image of the cover consists of a long shot of Bring Me The Horizon, the camera is at a long angle shot, showing the band looking down at the reader, showing their reference to the genre of punk / hard rock, with the angle making the band look intimidating aswell as the combination of their expressions. The clothing of the band is kept simple with bright colours to make them contrast from the background, however, the tattoos of the band members "spice up" their look and add to the rebellious nature of the image.
The band also takes up a large part of the cover, this uses the space well and puts the audience's focus on the main artist rather than the smaller stories, therefore attracting the eyes of the target market when on the shelf. The image layers above the masthead, showing the importance of the main story, this has been consistent across all magazine I have analysed and should therefore feature in my own.
Finally, the main tagline is the largest story on the front cover, it is bright yellow, differentiating it from the masthead but contrasting it from the background. At the top of the tagline is an "Exclusive!," this makes the audience think of the story as rare and are therefore more inclined to pick up the magazine. The quote also features above the band name, the style of the quote is kept consistent with the house style with the black background and whte text.
Coverlines
The coverlines are positioned to either sides of the main image, this allows the reader to acknowledge the stories whilst not taking away from the main image. Kerrang use the light blue colour from their house style in order to contrast the coverlines from the background, a larger clean font is used for the title of the line whilst quotes and descriptions have a black background and white text, this uses the same style as the strapline, keeping consistency throughout the front page. A unique rugged font is also used for the quote, connoting that Biffy Clyro says it in a certain, rebellious manner.
An image of a boxing ring is also used, the use of action attracts the younger audience.
Masthead & Taglines
The masthead of Kerrang is positioned below the skyline of the front cover, however, it spans across the entire width of the magazine, making it a prominent feature and clear to the audience of the title.
The title itself is "Kerrang!" connotes a feel of the rock genre due to it's onomatopoeic effect of a distorted guitar chord. The font of the masthead is custom, allowing the magazine to establish the feature as a Unique selling point and as a brand, the font shows cracks, shattering and a rugged style, representing the magazine as rough around the edges. The colour of the masthead contrasts the background of the cover line and it is also the largest feature of the page, drawing the reader's eye. However, it is layered behind the main image, meaning that it does not take away from the main cover story, and prioritises the artist. This stacked effect makes the reader feel as if there is more content.
The strapline features a light blue star with yellow bold text within it, this immediately catches the eye of the reader whilst matching the house style colours. The text itself addresses the reader directly; "A slot for YOUR band," this is also directed at musicians, and would be attractive to small, promising bands such as their target audience of teenagers and young adults.
Front Page Analysis 3
Fact File
Type of Shots Used
Design Elements
Sales Research
Target Audience
Alternative /Indie Rock
Alternative
"Young Alts
The Tribe who ‘want out’ of the Mainstream – an experimental Tribe trying anything and everything Alternative from Grunge to Hardcore…
Young Alts are a long standing youth Tribe – the entry level Alternatives that simply want to set themselves apart from the Mainstream by looking alternative, listening to alternative music, having alternative views… Even if they are Mainstream in every other sense!
Hardcore
Hardcores have a serious affinity with a screaming genre of punk and the straight edge scene – wearing their distinctive tribal tats and turn-up look with pride.
The Hardcore joined the Tribes in 2012 in a flurry of slam dancing, and Straight Edge ethics; with X’s drawn on their tattoo-adorned hands. Today the Hardcore remain (especially in the west), but their Hipster-esque look (skinnies, band Ts) means they have come under similar threat from Aspirant adoption.
Audience Expectations
I used two methods of identifying what my target audience is and what they expect from my magazine. The first is a survey which I made using survey monkey, the questions can be found in the image to the right, this is accompanied by an interiview. The second is by collecting images of my target audience in order to form an idea of the certain fashions (clothing and accessories) and events they attend such as concerts and gigs.
My conclusions can be found in the powerpoint to the left, this includes analysis of the survey results. with graphs generated to allow me to visually gain an idea of the demographic of my audience.
I posted the survey on social media such as twitter and facebook, platforms which are regularly used by the age group and target audience.
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Brief History
Alternative and Indie Rock is a catch-all term for post-punk bands originating from the 80s with bands such as Nirvana and R.E.M, to bands of the 00s such as Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters. Originating from styles such as Folk Rock, New Wave, Alternative Rock and Garage Rock
Many musical styles exist within this genre from metallic grind of indstrial to jangle pop, as long as it operates outside of the mainstream, it can be classified into indie and alrternative rock. The Indie term of the title is associated to artists who did not sign to a label or signed to a lenient label that still allowed the artists to play their own style.
Alternative and Indie Rock bands tend to be more experimental than mainstream bands, making them unappealing to mainstream labels. It tends to be a hobby for these artists rather than a job, meaning that most of these bands don't seek fame and prefer to connect to fans and make music.
Iconography
Colours
Due to the alternative nature of the bands in the genre, it is hard to pinpoint specific colours that bands use, however, there are few 'colourful' bands in the genre. Most bands use a diluted blue and red, or a simple greyscale colour scheme for their look.
Clothing
A feature of clothing in the alternative genre is that it should not look ordinary, from uncoordinated suits to wacky textures. Towards the rock side of the genre, black clothing featuring leather is a consitent feature of bands, however, in an attempt to find their own style, denim and other textures appear throughout alternative rock, with skinny jeans and beanies. The clothing of bands tend to be matching when performing together, however, casual clothing is seen when in a studio.
Hair
This is also a very hard characteristic to pinpoint due to the individualistic nature of the genre, however, hair styles for males tend to be long and messy or very short with well groomed long facial hair or completely clean shaven, there is no trend for hair colour in Alt. Rock.
Body Art
Most artists in Alternative / Indie Rock tend to have body art, although it depends on the band's personal preference. Tattoo and sleeves feature on the more rock artists and on various alternative artists such as This Wild Life. Piercings are also common in the genre.
Artist Examples
Close-up shot
Medium shot
lONG shot
The tagline's font features a bright red font that is the largest on the page, it is also a completely unique to the other fonts on the front cover and therefore draws the readers eye to "Florence." The word 'You' is also used to relate directly to the audience and attract their attention to the article, this is because the magazine is effectively talking directly to the reader here. The tagline is positioned below Florence's face, so that it does not take away from the image.
Below the tagline is an italic font which explains to the reader what the content is about, the italic style separates it from the tagline, allowing the user to immediately identify what the article's structure is, this is consistent with thehouse style, seen before with the other taglines.
Images of Target Audience
