Magazines - Naomi Hodinson
This section explores tree magazine titles which together investigate the areas of genre, narrative and representation.
How do magazines differ to newspapers?
- Magazines come in a wide range of sub-genres
- Magazine coverage is often more detailed but with less timely information
- A magazine will explore and profile the issues and people involved
- Magazines are weekly, fornightly or monthly while newspapers are daily
- Magazines are more permanent (we keep them for longer than newspapers)
- Magazine consumers appreciate information which is specifically aimed at their needs and interests
Analysing a magazine: the cover
A magazine cover can be known as its face while books are known by their spine. A first glance should tell you if it interests you.
- Magazine title: what connotations does it carry?
- Strapline/tagline: can be linked to brand identity and house style giving ideas about its audience
- Fonts and Colours: their presentation can link to a target audience and their age group
- Main image: usually shows various representations of femininity across sub-genres
- Anchorage and cover lines: reveal great detail about title ideologies and target audiences
- Other tactics: use of celebrities, sensationalism and freebies
Analysing a magazine between the covers
There are several features of a magazine which I should look out for:
- Content page - an overview of the magazine with a sense of the magazines brand identity through mode of address and design
- Editor's letter - adds a personal touch to the brand identity and audience connection
- Two page spreads - prime unit for design
- Advertisements - give the magazine highly specialised audience, Proportion to content
The magazine industry is generally dominated by major publishers. For example, IPC, EMAP, Bauer, Conde Nast, The National Magazine Company and BBC Magazines. Globalisation of the magazine industry suggests that producers make stereotypical assumptions about their audiences. The magazine audience is fractionised with niche titles. Magazines have a defined and focused target audience. In recent years the industry appears to be doing less well with a drop in circulation figures. Felix Dennis says 'it is a long, slow sunset for ink on paper' (previous publisher of maxim).
Total Film
Future Publishing, £3.80 monthly. ABCs: 65,616
Total Film is a magazine published by Future. A publishing company which started in 1985 on a kitchen table and now publishes over 150 magazines worldwide. As it associates with magazines such as Official Nintendo Magazine, Digital Camera and Official Playstation2 linking to new technology so we can form ideas about its target audience and synergy.
Total Film Magazine has a house style its format and layout are extremely consistent.:
On the cover - features which are indicated in the cover lines
Plus - the section on features which didn't make the cover
Buzz -film news and goosip
Lounge - home entertainment news and features
Ever edition starts with a planner of the month's movie guide and a forum of readers letters and rounds off with quiz and film-related competition
The magazine is praised on its publisher website. Its forum section shows that its target audience are men as the letters within this section are mostly from men and advertisements appeal to young educated males. Total film uses a light mode of address avoiding being to specialised or 'laddish' and offers young knowledgeable film lovers a sense of humour. There are stereotypical representations as the magazine favours male actors and talented directed but features a few interviews with actresses. Future publishing claims that the average demographic for Total Film is 75% male and 26 years old these tend to be 'dedicated film-goers'.
Grazia
EMAP (Bauer), £1.90 weekly, ABCs: 227,083
Grazia was launched in Italy 1938 and is owned by Italy's market leading publisher Mondadori. Initially Grazia had a slow start but now features high-end adverts of designer brands such as D&G, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The magazine is now owned by Bauer who spent a total of £16 million in the first three years causing sales to increase. Grazia circulation figures now stand higher than Vogue's monthly issue and it sells more than the market leader which is Glamour but it is claimed that Grazia is read by 'upmarket women' yet charges less than half the price for advertisements than Vogue and Glamour which are also fashion magazines.Grazia magazine created a new 'news and shoes' generic mix, it was Britain's first weekly magazine which combines glossy fashion with A-list celebrity gossip and elements of real life. This magazine has cleverly created a hybrid mix of popular genres. Observer woman said that it is 'tapping the psyche of British women'
Grazia offers its readers narrative pleasure through cover lines featuring celebrities, using sensationalism to create enigmas, a narrative format and structure with consistent design style. It is more accessible to the average women as it uses both high fashion and high street clothing and has obtained a gossipy house style usually featuring celebrities on the front cover e.g. Angelina Jolie or Kate Moss.
2000 AD
£1.90 weekly, ABCs: approximately 20,000
2000 AD emerged in the late 1970s with the era of punk. It was originally published by IPC Media but is now owned by Rebellion which owns intellectual property rights and is known for developing computer games. 2000 AD is a stable and growing magazine although marginally profitable, it carries few advertisements and includes graphic novels and games. Its genre is difficult to define as it has elements from a range of genres.
2000 AD features five different comic strips per week, Judge Dredd being a consistent fixture while others come and go. The strips are serialised and often end in cliffhangers. It uses aggressive characters, dark settings linking to the science fiction genre and could be criticised for using violent content and the way it represent women. Many of its strips cause different emotions among readers through the message which they portray or the representation of certain features. 2000 AD challenges its readers and is not just for children.
Grazia
EMAP (Bauer), £1.90 weekly, ABCs: 227,083
Grazia was launched in Italy 1938 and is owned by Italy's market leading publisher Mondadori. Initially Grazia had a slow start but now features high-end adverts of designer brands such as D&G, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The magazine is now owned by Bauer who spent a total of £16 million in the first three years causing sales to increase. Grazia circulation figures now stand higher than Vogue's monthly issue and it sells more than the market leader which is Glamour but it is claimed that Grazia is read by 'upmarket women' yet charges less than half the price for advertisements than Vogue and Glamour which are also fashion magazines.Grazia magazine created a new 'news and shoes' generic mix, it was Britain's first weekly magazine which combines glossy fashion with A-list celebrity gossip and elements of real life. This magazine has cleverly created a hybrid mix of popular genres. Observer woman said that it is 'tapping the psyche of British women'
Grazia offers its readers narrative pleasure through cover lines featuring celebrities, using sensationalism to create enigmas, a narrative format and structure with consistent design style. It is more accessible to the average women as it uses both high fashion and high street clothing and has obtained a gossipy house style usually featuring celebrities on the front cover e.g. Angelina Jolie or Kate Moss.
2000 AD
£1.90 weekly, ABCs: approximately 20,000
2000 AD emerged in the late 1970s with the era of punk. It was originally published by IPC Media but is now owned by Rebellion which owns intellectual property rights and is known for developing computer games. 2000 AD is a stable and growing magazine although marginally profitable, it carries few advertisements and includes graphic novels and games. Its genre is difficult to define as it has elements from a range of genres.
2000 AD features five different comic strips per week, Judge Dredd being a consistent fixture while others come and go. The strips are serialised and often end in cliffhangers. It uses aggressive characters, dark settings linking to the science fiction genre and could be criticised for using violent content and the way it represent women. Many of its strips cause different emotions among readers through the message which they portray or the representation of certain features. 2000 AD challenges its readers and is not just for children.
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