Audience research 2

I have shown my focus group all of my draft designs and asked for feedback. This is what they said:

Alistair -I used Skype for alistairs feedback. "Out of the two designs for the front cover, i prefer this one because the boost image is facing toward the camera and to the audience which shows direct contact. Also you can see more of what the person is doing than in the second design."

Mark- "I This is the best design which will most attract your target audience as it has connection to the genre by using a saxophone. Withthe call-outs and cover stories you will need to focus on the sub-genre within Jazz whicch you decide to focus on as Jazz is a wide genre."

Alex- i used MSN to get his opinion on my designs. (shown by the image in the right)- "Right then, the first one is good, I think it needs a big title though if it's a cover, which it looks like it is. I like the way the person is looking at you though."

Alan- "This looks like a magazine which i would pick off the shelf as it is very clear of what genre is is. It appeals to me becuase of the way the mosel is positions as it allows the audience to identify who it is and get a feel for what is going to be inside. I think this one is the better cover out of the two designed."

Mildred- "I think that this cover would get lost in the shelves as most other magazines have a layout like this. The use of very few coverlines would help it stand out a little more but the way the model is positions seems too mainstream. i would prefer the other design as it is something different."




Alistair- "The Model seems to be in totally the wrong place. I think that this would not attract your target audience and that the first cover deisgn would do this better. The use of few coverlines indicicates independency and that you are thinking about that the audience wants"

Alex-"Out of the first two I prefer the second one, I like the fact there's a big title on it and I think the side on image is effective. I think some of the text may need rearranging so it doesn't obscure the image though."

Mark- "Although the model looking to the side is a good idea i dont think that this will appeal to your target audience. However it will help it stand out on the shelf which may conclude with a mainstream audience buying which is not your aim. The use of a big masthead is good use of few cover stories. however what will the text be like and colours?"

Alan- "I dont think that this would word as a magazine cover. With my eyesight i would not be able to tell who the model is and i like to know who is on the front before i start reading. However the masthead nis a good size and the use of few words is good."

Mildred-"I prefer this one out of the two because it is different and will certainly stand out on the shelf as the image is effective. to improve i would lover the cover stories as they look a bit too high on the page."


Alistair- I used an adroid app called 'Whatsapp' to get hi opinons about the next two drafts. "it is very basic and when allthe information if in, will be very clear and simple to use."

Alex- "The contents page is good, it's neatly laid out and would be easy to follow. It may need more images to draw your attention to certain articles, or put the main articles in bold"

Mark- "It is very simple which is suitable for the upper-market class you are targeting. The use of colour only in the images makes this more effective. however i think you should but the titles in bold and any additional information in normal or italic. "

Mildred- "easy to read and simple to follow. I would personally add a few more photos to illustrate some of the stories and what is inside."

Alan- " It is well laid out and simple to read. Also the colour scheme looks very basic which is all you need for an audience who is only interested with the contents of the magazine."

Alistar- 'Looks simple to read and looks like it might have a lot of information in the articlke which will appeal to a higher class. I like the big image in the corner. however it looks very basic."

Alex- "The draft article looks good, I like that there's a clear title and the image to text ratio is good. As layout I can't really think of anything wrong with it."

Mark- "looks simple and not too busy with the appropriate amount of columns spreading over he two pages. The one large image gives it the sense of independency and that it is making up the article.

Mildred- I looks very good and basic which will make it easy to read. Also it does not have alot of pictures which will also make it easier to read and look at. To make sure that this page works you will need to make sure that the article is of a high standard.

Alan- I like this page as it has a clear large title and there are not too many columns accross the page. If possible the left image could be a little larger but apart from that it is very good."

Planning: First Drafts

I have drawn up some sketches of my  magazine pages and then asked my focus group for feedback of what looks good and what could be improved.

FRONT COVER DESIGNS

This is my First draft of my front cover of the magazine. The picture shows no coverlines or title at the moment as this still needs work on and I will be asking my focus group to choose the best name from a list i will supply. The Boost image shows the model holding a saxophone and is looking towards the right hand side of the page. The Cover lines are down the left side of the cover covering part of the models face and neck. The photo of the model will be a close up of th face and prop.





This is my second draft for my front cover. I have designed two covers to allow the focus group to decide between the two about which one will fit the crtieria for my target group and which one will attract them. The boost image is facing the audience which gives direct contact to the audience with the masthead above her head and the cover lines are down the left hand side. The photo will be a close up of model and prop.







CONTENTS PAGE

 The double page contents page will consit of the contents section on the right have page and an advertisement for an album on the left. The contents page will be plain coloured with only the images in colour, this will connote simplicity and simpleness asis type of audience is mainly interested in the information the magazine has.








DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
The images shows a proposal for a double page spread. it shows two images in opposite ends on the pages, of different sizes and 3 columns spreading accross the two pages which will be filled with an article related to the magazine genre. It will use formal English and be appropriate for an upper-class market.

Audience Focus Group

I have asked a group of people within my target audience to give me feedback on things which I do within my project. I will be showing them all my drafts of my magazine front cover/contents page and double page spread and the production throughout the process of making my magazine and asking for their honest opinions and for feedback about what I have done, including what I have done well and where I can improve. I asked these people to take part in my focus group through different media. I asked Alistair and Alex through Facebook and also text Alex and Mark, Mildred and Alan I asked in person.

The people I have chosen to be in my focus group are from all aspects of my target audience of aged 40 and above and the secondary audience of young adults who love the genre.

Alistair Valentine

Name - Alistair Valentine
Age- 26
From- The West Midlands.

I have chosen him to be in my focus group because he will be able to give me honest feedback on what I have done well and what i need to improve. He may not be the biggest music fan but he likes the Jazz genre so i think his opinons could be useful when I create my magazine and whether the colour i use in production are right and whether he can advise me on what colours to use next.

Alex Foden

Name- Alex Foden
Age-19
From- Burntwood/ West Midlands
He Will be able to give me critcal and good feedback as he reads alot of magazines and knows what will attract the right audience. Although he is not in the target audience age group, I think his opinion could become very valid and helpful as he studies maths and is able to put the target age group and their needs together to form an image which they will like.





Name: Mark Parkinson
Age- 46
From- Perdiswell/Worcester/West Midlands
I have Chosen him to be in my focus group because he knows a lot about audience and what they like because of his job and therefore will able to point me into the right direction as to what my audience may like or dislike. Also he in the middle range of target audience and will able to tell me whether he likes my designs and whether he would buy it or not, and if not he can give me ideas on how to improve.

Name: Alan Heywood
Age- 70+
From: Originally from Bolton, but lives in Malvern
He enjoys listening to Jazz instrumental music in his spare time so I think he will have good knowledge on the subject and he will know what looks good for a Jazz magazines whether they would buy it to read or not. Looking through my research it shows that all the information is written very small, so I will ask whether that will be readable or whether I should make the writing bigger and less of it to allow the audience to read it. As an elder he will be able to advise me into what works best for the genre and where I should improve.

Name: Mildred Heywood
Age: 70+
From: Originally from Bolton, but lives in Malvern.
I have chosen her to be in my focus group because she, much like Alan, listens to Jazz in free time and will often pick up magazines in supermarkets to read them briefly.  I will aim to ask her about the designs of those magazines which encourage her to pick them up and what techniques they use. Also what worked well on the cover and whether the information inside was interesting for her to read.

Time Management

I have created a Time-Line with dates which I aim to complete each of the Research and Planning tasks. I will also be keeping a record of whether I met these deadline and what I have done to achieve them.

click on the dates and speech bubble to view for information

Audience Research

Audience research1

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I have created an audience profile into the types of people I will be aiming my magazine at.

Initial research- Existing Magazines

After Researching into existing magazines of genres in the UK market, I have noticed that there is very few music magazines for the Jazz musical genre and that the majority of the magazines i have looked at are rock such as 'art rocker' and 'Kerrang' or pop such as 'smash hits.' In today's society many Jazz artists have been mixed into other music style magazines, such as Eliza Dolittle who is starring in pop magazines and there is nothing which brings them all together in one to show what they have achieved and done in the Jazz music industry.

Detailed Research into Forms and Conventions

I have chosen to focus on the music genre of Jazz and for the next task we have to research into the forms and conventions of two magazines, I have chosen to study 'Wire' and  'Downbeat' which are two independent Jazz magazines aimed at a small market and target audience.

The first magazine I studied was called 'Wire'
WIRE MAGAZINE

Wire is a magazine targeted at the over 35 age range. The magazine uses many techniques such as colour and content to ensure that it attracting the right audience.

Perhaps it is because the masthead is regular capital letters, spreading right across the page which allows the magazine to be taken seriously and the metaphor of the title ‘Wire’ connotes the unravelling of the music which the audience likes to open their insight into Jazz. The modern type letters reach the invisible cap height and are light grey in colour, with some transparency so the boost picture can still be seen behind. The use of the colour grey connotes simplicity and a sophisticated magazine which appeals to an upper market. In other issues, sans serif font is used to connote a different jazz genre and to appeal to a slightly different audience. The photograph of Roy Harper on the cover is a close up of his face. The picture has not been photo-shopped as you can see all the detail and colours in his face which shows that it is natural and organic, and not a manufactured magazine.

The colours used show a dull connotation and therefore appeals to more of the upmarket audience. The use of grey used in the title of ‘Wire’ and the grey beard of the boost picture contrast well with the black callouts situated on the right hand side of the cover. There are only 3 callouts which suggests that the magazine is independently made and they don’t need to spread out the content on the cover to interest the audience. The top callout ‘Roy Harper’ is written in uppercase letters and the kerning is loose. The fact that it is just a name suggests that the boost picture is of him but does not give any information as why he is in the magazine and that the audience will have to look inside to find out. The callouts underneath then decrease in size and the lack of them on the cover connotes the audience type and that they don’t need to include many callouts to attract their audience as the content is more important.

The content of Wire is a lot of sophisticated analysis of artists and the genre which connotes the maturity of the radical audience. There are many full page adverts promoting and advertising albums of artists who feature within the genre. Furthermore like mainstream magazines ‘wire’ do have CD reviews and interviews, however similarly the rest of the magazine it is still mature although the interviews use more colloquial language which shows the direct conversation of the interviewee and artist. Another reason to show that the magazine is independent is that there are websites which directs you to free downloads. The mode of address is a simple way with the boost picture on the cover being the main focus with a familiar face that the audience should recognise. Other issues see the cover using photo-shop in a way which other magazines may not, which connotes the independency of the magazine and the radical audience.

The contents page shows the boost image from the cover on the right page of a double spread stating who took the picture and who it is of.  The content is in 3 columns with the key titles in bold and any additional information in regular. The whole contents page is in black and white which connotes the simplicity and a tradition which will appeal to an older audience.  On the left hand side to the contents page is a full page advert for an album which is promoting a new or current artist who is connected to the genre. 

The double page spread, analysed shows a couple of small pictures of artists with small texted columns spreading across the entire double page. The fact the text is small connotes good sight of the audience and looks like there is lots on the page for them to read. The text is all in black and the background is white which furthermore connotes the simplicity of the layout and magazine. At the bottom of the left page, there is a short comic strip which connotes some humour for the audience, however it is uncoloured which still connotes that the independence and that the content is more important that making it look nice. The text which is written in the double page is little articles of achievement of people and events which are upcoming.

The distributor of ‘Wire’ is COMAG, who is owned by two major magazine publishers, ‘The natural magazine Company’ and ‘Conde nast publications’ and they distribute magazines to retail shops on the high-street, newsagents and supermarkets, however they are only responsible for the distribution to newsstands. They use Shellshock to get their magazine into independent shops, which suggests that the magazine itself is independent and that they rely on symbiotic links with COMAG and shellshock to distribute their magazine to shops.

The second magazine I analysed was downbeat..
DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE


Downbeat it a Jazz and blues music magazine aimed at the hedonists, individuals and non-conformists of the B, C1 category aged 35-50. It suggests that it is aimed at males as the boost picture on the front is of two men and guitars who which will appeal to males.


The title and masthead ‘Downbeat’ connotes a modern mainstream initial feel to the magazine, however the contents and callouts makes it feel more independent. It also refers to the first beat of musical measure which is called Downbeat. The Slab serif type letters reach the cap height and are the colour white with some of the letters disappearing behind the boost picture where it overlaps. The serifs vary from horizontal and diagonal which connotes the small use of old style type which connotes that the genre and magazine have been around since the start of the 20th century. The use of the colour white connotes honesty and purity of the magazine and the sophistication of the audience and what is inside which will appeal to an upper market audience. The unusual use of the letter ‘N’ shows the independency of the magazine and allows the audience to focus on the midpoint of the magazine which helps them to look at it all, even if they do not realise it.

The Background of the cover is red which connotes danger and love which the audience may have with the genre of music as Jazz is a very passionate genre. There is a boost image of two men who are on behind each other holding a guitar each with the guitar neck point up towards the top of the cover. The guitars and the man’s t-shirt contrast well with the background which connotes the sense of a formal magazine which will also attract an upper-class audience. Their expressions are very basic as they only have a slight smile which shows the seriousness of the artists and how they take what they do seriously. The callouts are down the left hand side, and there are only 5 which is a small amount compared to very mainstream magazines such as Kerrang or NME. They are names of artists which are in the colour yellow which stands out on the black clothes of the boost image and connote a neutral feel of the names. Underneath is additional information which might be useful to the audience such as ‘Guitar school’ which might further encourage the audience to pick up the magazine. This further information is in white which connotes the sense of purity and honesty of the contents.

The content of 'Downbeat' are very sophisticated and mature interviews with Jazz Artists such as 'Wessell Anderson' which connotes the maturity if the magazine and the audience it is aimed at as they know what information they want. Also there are pages advertising a 'Guitar school' where you can apply to get tuition into learning a musical instrument which shows that if the audience really love the genre of music then they will want to learn a similar instrument.

They use basic language on the front cover which involves a lot of artists names which connotes that the magazine is devoted to writing about the artists of the genre so the audience can find out more about them. however although the language looks sophisticated on the cover, the language inside isnt to the full high-standard as expected which shows that they just want answers from the artists or they are writing a formal biography of the artist which does use high-standard language which connotes the higher and more valuable side to Jazz.

album cover for Steve Tibbetts

On the front cover, the boost picture is of two men holding a guitar each, which are under their arms and the guitar neck pointing upwards. In the double page spread there is an image in the top middle, covering both pages of a landscape which is being viewed through some rocks with the artists name in the top left corner which suggests that it is his latest album cover. This also connotes the feeling of the audience and what his songs represent and how he sees his them.

The double page spread is about an artist and his most recent song which also tells you a bit about the artist 'Steve Tibbetts' and a little bit of his life story. This shows the audience type and that they are interested in how he makes his music and part of his life as it may inspire him. There is an image in the middle of the double page to illustrate his latest album cover which from the article will encourage his audience so go out and buy it. the writing is a regular size in 3 columns across the two pages with a star rating of four which will suggest to the readers whether the article is worth reading or not. At the bottom is the date in which the article was written a long with the name of the magazine. The language used it very sophisticated and formal which suggests a upper-market audience and connotes a more honest feeling about the magazine as a whole.

Downbeat is published  Maher Publications which is a family owned, multi-media publishing company, however I could not find any more information about this company which may suggest that it is a small independent company who work to help distribute magazines to retailers.

It was compulsory to complete this research otherwise I would not know how to create my magazine of the same genre and what type of things I would need to include, such as the angle of the camera and what type of articles I should write. Also I would not be able to identify the audience type I should be aiming for or if i was going to challenge the conventions, what type of audience do they not target and maybe try to target them myself.  By completing this research  I have  been able to come up with a few ideas which I may decide to use in my magazine. The magazines I looked at suggests that I should not use a lot of call-outs on the front cover and a block coloured masthead is most effective or a slightly transparent colour connotes the sense of independence which will attract the alternate audience to mainstream. Also the uses of the boost picture in the contents page seems to consist between the two researched magazines which helps illustrate the main story which they connote. I will also aim to use high-standard and sophisticated language to appeal to a higher rating of B on the jicnars scale. furthermore the amount of information and articles to read on pages, especially on the double page spreads shows a detailed account for the topics being written about and in the 'Wire' magazine, the amount of topics on each page. I will try to challenge the conventions I have found in the magazines I have researched by looking more into the magazines and seeing which conventions I will be able to challenge, such as the audience age or type I will target.