Main Task: Unmanipulated Photos

This is the image i used for the front cover. I have chosen this picture to use as the spacing around the subject is good and filling up the empty spaces while keeping in mind too make it eye catching should be simple. Her NVC also has a cheerful look which goes well with the front cover. Her costume and prop is also right for the Hip Hop/RnB as i found out in my Audience Research.

These are the images i plan to use for my contents. I have chosen these 3 as i needed a variety of images to use for the contents page. The image of the main subject is now different to the front cover as now she is wearing headphones, this is important as i needed different images of the main subject to use throughout the magazine so it gave a variety of images. All of the images i am going to use in the contents page is linked to music whether its headphones or a mic.













These are the images i have chosen to use for the double page spread. The main big image is going to be my background image and I will be developing the double page spread using that image as an outline. I have chosen this image as it had good spacing around the main subject and an empty space on the right for where i will be writing the article on her. The other 3 images are going to be on the double page to represent who directed the images and are more examples of the persons work.

These are the images i have decided not to use. The image of
the main subject would have been a good pose but as the
subjects hair is too hard to crop, it meant the background
had to stay which i couldn't work with as it was a poor
background. The second image, the lighting was too dark which
meant you couldn't see the image clearly at all so I couldn't use that
image. The last image was meant to be for the double page but
i didn't use it as there was to many spacing around the main subject
which would have been difficult to fill. I am proud of the final images
i have chosen to use as they look very professional compared to the
images i didn't decide to use. 

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Main Task: Case Study of a Publishing House

IPC Media

IPC Media, a consumer magazine and a digital publisher in the UK. IPC have been very successful selling over 350 million copies each year. This is because it produces over 60 different media brands. Their prints alone are hitting almost two thirds of the woman in the UK and 42% of men in the UK. Their magazines are focused on the older audience – 26 million UK adults. They have also successfully reached their target audience via the web with 20 millions users every month.

IPC have a particular target audience, they focus on 3 main target audiences and the first one is men (IPC Inspire). They have hit this target audience well with the stereotype of men which are into the leisure & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter. They also went for the well known lifestyle magazine such as Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME to make the audience as wide as possible.

The other Target audience is the market woman’s division (IPC Connect). This section IPC has focused on the famous women weeklies magazines such as Look, Now, Chat and Woman. They have also went for the TV entertainment brands such as Whats TV, TVTimes and TV & Satallite Week and even resolved to online, the goodtoknow network to have a wide audience as much as possible.

Their last main focus audience is the upmarket woman’s division (IPC Southbank) which go for magazines that focus on luxury fashion, lifestyle and home interest brands. These brands include magazines such as Marie Claire, In Style, woman&home, essential, Ideal Home, Livingetc and housetohome magazines. With these 3 main focuses, it’s obvious that IPC are going for the older generation people (UK adults).

One of their recent new target audiences is the younger generation of men through their NME and Nuts magazine. They have focused more on the younger generation of men aged 18-34 year old males. Nuts is the number one lifestyle magazine accounting every 2 out of 5 lifestyle magazines brought. Also NME is a music publication in the UK, which publishes weekly about news and information on the latest music. It is mainly focused and linked with punk rock. This shows IPC also have range on readers which include music fans as well.

IPC have really well with pleasing their audience as they have kept magazines such as Country Life, Horse & Hound, Shooting Time and many more still running since the 1800s which shows the audiences have kept with their magazines. IPC has also be successful through other means such as the web. In 1990s NME launched its own music website which is the first major UK music title to get its own internet site and has high hopes to become Europe’s most popular music website.

From all the research I have done, I feel like my magazine, ‘UrbanSoul’ will benefit them to increase their amount of subscribers and readers. It will also be linked to their Nuts magazine as many HipHop/RnB fans are also into the lifestyle magazines and general gossip. They will also benefit from their NME magazine as NME is focused on punk rock and bringing my magazine into the IPC Media will widen the music audience. This will allow IPC Media to gain a new type of audience mainly from the UK. This will get more subscribers and readers as most and IPC magazines are about the UK anyway.

TVTimes: This is one of the UKs best known best known magazine brand which has been running for about 50 years. This magazine is weekly. This magazine is an example of IPC ‘mass market woman’ audience which is read mainly by the woman aged 25-54, also a family read too.

Golf Monthly: Golf Monthly is a lively and welcoming brand that Is in the soprt genre which continues to grow. This magazine is the UKs most widely read golf magazine and covers almost everything from news to instructions of golf. This magazine is monthly. This is an example of IPC ‘upmarket men’ audience which is read by men aged 25-54.

Nuts: Nuts is the number one men’s lifestyle magazine selling in the UK. Accounting 2/5 men’s lifestyle magazine sold. Nuts have established itself as the biggest brand in men’s media. This magazine is out weekly with an audience of men aged 16-30. This is an example of IPC ‘Young Men’ audience.

Essentials: Essential is one of those magazines with tips and advice to make life easier every day. It also helps with emotional and physical advice for people, not only this, they also provide great affordable fashion and many other advice. This magazine is out weekly and is aimed at women aged 28-44. This is IPC ‘Upmarket Woman’ audience.

Main Task: Mood Board

My Mood Board was create to represent the typical of my music genre. The music genre I have focused it on is HipHop/RnB. All of the images I have included in the Mood Board are typical things that are linked to my target audience through one way or another. I have done this by including images such as clothing brands such as Hollister, JD, Adidas and other brands. Through images linked to hobbies such as PS3, Xbox and TV. New gadgets that they would be interested in and own, such as Phones like BB, Iphone, HTC and others. Music related items such as headphones, mic and magazines. These will be items that you would think of when it comes to the music genre of HipHop/RnB.

Main Task: Audience Researh

I am conducting this research as i need to find out who is my idea target audience and what would they be interested in buying. Also opinions on how they would want their magazine. This will help me gain experience and better knowledge for when i make my magazine.

I made a questionnaire for my audience to answer and this questionnaire involved questions like

1) Do you prefer a girl or boy in front of a music magazine cover?

2) Do you wish the magazine to be based on one genre - as in RnB, Hip Hop, rock or several?

3)Do you prefer the magazine to be just based on music or too include general news and what's going on in the world?

4)What is the maximum you would pay for a decent magazine?

5)What colours do you think suits Hip Hop/RnB magazine?

6) What kind of title do you think would suit Hip Hop/RnB genre?

From this questionnaire i have had a better understanding on what my audience would want in a music magazine and I will take there comments into consideration to make my magazine as appealing as possible to my audience. This would include stuff like, price, colour scheme, images use and others.

Main Task: Profiling Your Audience

The typical 'Urban Soul' Reader: Anthony Tran, 18, loves RnB Hip Hop. The music he listens too has a massive affect on his personnal life. The way he dresses, the people he hang out with and the places he goes. He connects with his music for most of his life, even when he sleeps. He attends concerts at any chance he gets and keeps himself updated with the music industry. Any Hip Hop, RnB song that comes out he has it on his playlist without fail within hours.

Anthony is also updated with modern technology with his ipod, phone and laptop. He always have an alternative to listen to music if one of his devices fail as he can not go through a day without music. Anthony likes to keep updated with his friends and express himself so he uses websites such as Facebook, Formspring and twitter. Even though he is a really passionate towards his music he is also interested in gaming, sport, TV and films.

Main Task: Contents Page Convention Diagram