Contents page analysis

Contents page analysis

Contents Page 1- Coast Magazine

 

 

This contents page is from Coast magazine. The masthead for this magazine is very informal and it very fun. This is because it is not just simple text and has graphics to go with them. This will stereotypically appeal to younger people as Hebdige said in 1998 ‘youth as fun’,which suggests that young people like things if they are fun and exciting so this graphic may attract them to this magazine. The size of the masthead for this magazine is unusually small and is not positioned where you would expect to find the masthead. This again may be used to attract a young audience as this could be seen as fun. The masthead doesn’t just feature the word ‘contents’ but it also features the month that the issue that was published. The colour blue is the dominant colour used in the masthead for this content page and the colour white is the only other colour used. The colour blue has a strong link with the sea and sky, which allows the magazine to relate to the target audience, as their whole audience base will be people interested or who live in coastal areas. The colour blue can be used to connote power and knowledge. The theme of knowledge may be used to attract their target audience as this magazine is all about informing people about what is happening in the areas around the coast of the UK.

The main image on the contents page is of a room in a house set in a coastal location, as you can see from the view out of the window. This will help their target audience to relate to the magazine, as this magazine is designed to appeal to people who live by or are interested in the coastal areas of the UK. This image is about the main article. Unlike a lot of feature articles on contents pages there is no writing about the article. This may be used to appeal to a young target audience as it creates a sense of mystery behind the article as there is no clue to what it is about apart from the image. This could been seen as fun, which would stereotypically appeal to a young target audience. However, the image shows the inside of a home designed in a contemporary fashion. This may appeal to an older audience because the article may be about designing a home by the coast. This would appeal to an older audience more than a younger one because they are more likely to be able to afford to settle down and build their dream homes.

There are not many colours used on the this contents page which may be used to suggest that this is aimed at an adult audience, which means when I come to making my magazine I should consider the kinds of colours to use in order to attract my target audience. The reason this may appeal to an adult audience more than a youth audience is because young people will find bright colours fun, which would attract them to a magazine. The different colours may attract different genders which again is something I need to consider when creating my magazine. One of the colours used on this contents page is the colour blue, which traditionally a masculine colour. The colour blue also symbolises the sea and the sky, which will have been used to attract their whole target audience as they can relate to the magazine. The colour blue connotes power and seriousness. This may be used to suggest that this magazine is the dominant one of its genre and that they are serious when it comes to what content they include for their readers.

The layout for these contents pages is fairly busy. One the first page there is a large image and below it a lot of text staring to describe the articles featured in the magazine. There is no text to explain what the features article is about. One the second pages there is a series of images on the right hand side with the text laid out in a column on the far left side of the page. Although this layout is fairly organised, which will stereotypically appeal to an older audience, it can also be seen as fairly fun. This is because the pages are fairly busy. This should appeal to younger people because as Hebdige said ‘youth as fun.’

The typography of the magazine may be used to suggest that magazine is aimed at a young audience. This is because the font used is fairly fun and doesn’t come across as formal. This is because the font isn’t as simple as most standard computer fonts and has different curves to each letter. This can make the font seem fun, which will stereotypically appeal to a young audience. This also may suggest that this is aimed at a female audience rather than a male audience because this will also stereotypically appeal to this kind of audience.

Contents page 2-  Cornwall Today Magazine

The masthead for this magazine can be seen as informal which may be used to attract their target audience, which the masthead suggests is a young audience because this can be seen as fun, which would stereotypically appeal to a younger audience. The masthead come across as informal partly due to the fact that the title ‘contents’ is all in lowercase letters, whereas a formal magazine would usually have a title with at least one capital letter at the beginning of it, if not in all capital letters. Another way in which the masthead comes across as informal is because of the font in which the editors have chosen to use. The font isn’t blocky or a typical font such as ‘Times New Roman’. Instead this font is thinner and more simple suggesting that it is meant to come across as fun. This may be used to suggest that the whole magazine is fun, which suggests that this magazine could be targeted at a young audience rather than an older one. 

The main image is used to represent the theme behind the magazine as Cornwall is a coastal based county, which is famous for it’s beaches and surfing. This helps the magazine relates to its audience because a lot of people will be reading a magazine such as this for the reason that they are interested about Cornwall’s coastline. The magazine takes up the large majority of the page, which suggests that they think it is important at attracting people to the magazine. This works well because it instantly attracts your attention making it seem more attractive, meaning people are more likely to purchase this magazine. Similarly to the magazine above, the main image of this contents page doesn’t seem to have a feature article relating to it, and if it does it is not easily noticeable. This seems to becoming a recurring theme when it comes to the design of regional lifestyle magazine.

This magazine has a similar colour scheme to the one featured in coast magazine.  However, with this magazine the colour blue isn’t used as much as on the previous magazine. Instead they have chosen to use the black for the headings for each of the article featured on the contents page. The colour black connotes power. This may be used to suggest that the stories they have included makes them a powerful force in terms of regional lifestyle magazines.

The layout of this magazine is similar to the first page of the one from Coast magazine contents page featured above. This is because they feature one main image and the text is placed in the other part of the page with very little text overlapping the image. However, this is reversed as there is one image and the bottom of the page and the text is located above it. This contents page takes up a double page spread unlike the one featured in coast magazine, which takes up two pages which are not next to each other. Similarly to coast magazine the stories are laid out in columns making it easy to separate the articles from each other. Again on this contents page they have featured a small description of each story under their heading, which seems to be a common theme between all regional lifestyle magazines which I have analysed.

The masthead on this magazine is very simple and compared to the other two mastheads on the contents page it comes across as quite dull. This suggests that this magazine is aimed at an older audience because if it was aimed at a young audience it would be stereotypically fun. The first thing that makes this seem dull is the lack of colour. This masthead is plain black and white, which is quite dull whereas brighter colours would make the magazine seem more fun and exciting. This suggests that this magazine is aimed at an adult audience. Another way in which the masthead is quite dull is because of the font. The font used is very plain and unlike the others doesn’t have any fancy styling. This again suggests that this isn’t aimed at a young audience because a young audience will stereotypically relate to something that comes across as quite fun.

The main image on this contents page is also very different to the ones featured on the other pages. The first thing that is different with this image is with the size of it. Unlike the others this image only takes up a small proportion of the page. Again this helps to confirm my theory that this magazine is aimed at an older audience. This is because a young audience will stereotypically prefer a page which is predominantly image based as they don’t like to read a lot of information at a time.

The colour scheme is very dull which suggests that it is not designed to attract a young audience. The only colours that are used on this page are white and black. The colour black connotes power and the colour white connotes perfection. This suggests that they feel that they are a strong force in the regional lifestyle magazine industry in Cornwall. This colour scheme will not stereotypically attract a young audience as they prefer bright colours because they come across as ‘fun’.

The layout of this magazine is probably the only the only thing that can be seen as fun. This is because it is fairly busy which connotes that the magazine will be fun. This is busy as it features a lot of text and a there are a lot of images. However this can be seen as messy as there doesn’t appear to be any logical order behind where the content is placed.

The typography is fairly boring as the font is fairly basic. This suggests that this magazine is designed to appeal to an older audience. This is because this is stereotypically what would appeal to this kind of audience.

Cover analysis

In this post I will be analysing three professional regional lifestyle magazines to try and find out their common codes and conventions. I will do this so when I come to making my own regional lifestyle magazine I will be able to make my magazine follow similar conventions to those made by professional publishers. I will analyse three magazines; Coast magazine, Cornwall Life magazine and finally Cornwall Today. I will analyse the front covers, contents pages and double page spreads. This may also give me idea about what sort of content to include in my magazine, as I can see what people find interesting in professional magazines of the lifestyle genre.

Front covers

Coast-

 The masthead for this magazine makes me think that this is aimed at a slightly younger target audience. I can connote this because the text used in the masthead is in all lowercase making it less formal, which stereotypically will appeal to a younger audience. The font also comes across as quite casual as it is nothing too fancy, which again suggests that this magazine is aimed at a younger audience. The colour of this masthead also supports the theory that this magazine is aimed at younger audience. This is because the colour is quite bright and fun, which again stereotypically appeals to a younger audience as Dick Hebdige said “youth as fun”.

The main image on this front cover may also be used to support my connotation about the magazine being aimed at a young audience. This is because the main image features a surfboard and a campervan. These are activities that would appeal to a young audience because as Stanley Hall said in 1904, “youth must have excitement.” These activities are seen to be fairly adventurous and exciting, and surfing classes as an extreme sport. The main image takes up the whole page with text and content layered on top of it. Again this could suggest that my theory about this magazine being aimed at young people because stereotypically young people do not like to read large amounts of text. This cover uses a large image to attract the audience and tries not to swamp the cover with too much information and text so the audience don’t get bored so they are more likely to purchase the magazine. The lighting of this image is also very bright, which again could be used to attract a young target audience, like Hedbige said “youth as fun” with the bright colours in the image be used to connote fun.

The colour pallet is probably one of the strongest ways of telling that this magazine is based at a younger target audience. This is because all of the colours used are bright in colour, which are stereotypically fun colours. One of the colours used is a shade of green. The colour green can connote stability and endurance, which are themes, which can relate to a young audience. The endurance connotation works well alongside the surfboard in the image. This is because the green can be used to represent the physical endurance needed for such a high impact sport. Another colour used on this magazines front cover is blue. The colour blue is often associated with the sea and sky, which links strongly to the regions, which this magazine is based upon. The name of this magazine is Coast which suggests that it is aimed around coastal areas like the south west., which links strongly to the colour blue. The colour blue also connotes confidence and intelligence. These are key themes for a young age group as they are trying to work their way into society so need to be confident in their own abilities and with what they do. Confidence can also link to surfing, as they need to be confident in their own ability to surf. The only other colour used on this cover is white. White can be used to connote perfection. They may have used this to suggest that this magazine is the perfect magazine for young people who live by the sea.

A large article on this cover is aimed at families which also ties into a young target audience. This will help them relate to the magazine as well as an older target audience because this article shows that the magazine should include something for everyone, thus limiting their target audience to a specific age through the choice of article to include on the magazine cover.

The typography used on this cover may also appeal to a younger target audience. This is because there is a mix of fonts used. This may appeal to young people as this may be seen as fun, and as Hebdige said, “youth as fun.” Another way in which the typography is made fun is by using symbols such as the heart used in the ‘we love campervans article.  

Cover 2- Cornwall Life

Unlike the first magazine cover which I analysed, the masthead suggests that this magazine is aimed at an older audience. I can connote this because it seems a lot more formal than the one featured on Coast magazine. Firstly, the whole masthead is in all caps. This suggests that this is aimed at an older audience because it is less fun than the one featured on Coast magazine, which suggests that it is not aimed at a young audience. The font also suggests that this is aimed at a more adult audience. This is because this font is more formal as it doesn’t appear to be fun as it would probably be more blocky as this is what stereotypically appeals to a younger audience. The colour of the masthead also supports my theory as it is not a fun colour unlike the one featured on Coast magazine, as it is plain white which suggests that again it is more formal. The masthead takes up approximately an eight of the page which follows the conventions set by most professional magazines.

The main image again suggests that it is aimed at an older audience than Coast magazine. This is because the image features a tranquil village set in a stunning location. This stereotypically appeals to an older audience because they generally like to look at places like the one shown in the image. Like Coast magazine this image takes up the whole page with text layered on top.

The layout of this magazine is a lot more busy than the one on coast and features more images than just the main image. This layout also includes a lot of text which would not stereotypically appeal to a younger audience as they will often get bored with a lot of text. The only  part of this magazine that may attract a younger audience is the feature article about the Looe Festival. As Hebdige said ‘youth as fun’ which means this sort of entertainment should appeal to them.

The colour pallet used on this cover is a lot more simple than the one used on Coast magazine which again gives me the impression that this magazine is not aimed at a young audience. The only colour used in large quantities is the colour white. The colour white is used to connote perfection. They may have chosen to use this colour to suggest that this is the perfect magazine for people living in Cornwall.

The articles on this page could appeal to a variety of audiences. It could appeal to a number of different ages and too both genders. These are because once again there are articles which would stereotypically appeal to everyone, which again doesn't seem to limit their target audience. 

The typography is a lot more formal on this cover as only one font is used. This suggests that this is aimed at an older audience unlike the typography used on Coast magazine.

Cover 3- Cornwall Today

Unlike the other covers I have analysed this cover could be aimed at both a younger and an older audience. I can connote this from the masthead. The first thing about the masthead that makes me come to this conclusion is that it uses a combination of full caps and all lowercase. This makes it seem fun yet formal, white shall appeal to both an older audience and a younger audience. As Hebdige said “youth as fun”, which explains why a fun fonts will appeal to a young audience. The second thing about the masthead which suggests that this magazine is aimed at both a young and old audience, is the choice of colour. The colour is not too bright but it is not too plain as they have used a cream colour instead of plain white. Using bright colours may appeal to a young audience because it may come across as fun but may put of an older audience as they don’t stereotypically like too bright colours. However, plain white may appeal to an older audience but may not appeal to a younger audience as it is not fun enough. Cream is a fairly neutral colour which may appeal to both sets of people, which doesn’t limit their target audience. The fonts used in the mastheads may also appeal to both sets of people. One of the fonts is fairly plain and formal, which will stereotypically appeal to an old audience. The other font used is much less formal and can be seen as fun. This will appeal to a young audience.

Just like the other two covers which I have analysed the main image takes up the whole page with all over content layered on top. Again the main image is also fairly neutral. This is because it doesn’t feature anything that would appeal to a set group of people, meaning there is no reason that it shouldn’t appeal to everyone or at least not deter people from reading the magazine. The image features an image of a sunset off the coast of Cornwall. This means that the magazine should appeal to people living in the area, people wanting to learn about the area or people who like the idea of living in an area by the sea. The lighting in the image doesn’t give much away about the sorts of people they are trying to attract. However, this may appeal to an older audience more than it would a younger audience, because the colours aren’t too bright, which would stereotypically attract a young audience to a magazine.

The colour of the magazine suggests that they are not really looking to attract a young audience to the magazine. This is because the colours are all quite dark. This will not stereotypically appeal to a young audience, because bright colours are portrayed as fun and as Hebdige said ‘youth as fun’. One of the most dominant colours on this cover is the colour brown. The colour brown connotes seriousness. This may be used to suggest that this magazine is aimed at a more adult audience because they are stereotypically more likely to prefer a magazine that includes serious content rather than ‘fun and games’, which would appeal more to a young audience. Another colour that features a lot on this cover is a sort of beige and cream. The colour beige connotes dependability and conservativeness. Adults can often be seen as conservative as a lot of them are hesitant to change their ways, which allows them to relate to this magazine through the colour beige. Another colour used is a light yellow. This can be used to connote intellect. This can help them relate to the magazine, as they see themselves as wiser and more intelligent as they have grown in age.

The typography is less formal than the previous cover from Cornwall Life Magazine. This is because there is a couple of different fonts used. The first font is fairly blocky and comes across as quite fun. This may be sued to appeal to a young audience but would not put of an older audience which doesn’t limit their target audience. The second font also comes across as quite fun and informal because it is a font which represents handwriting. This should appeal to all audiences because it fits in with the overall design of the page.

Initial ideas

Initial ideas

After doing dome research into regional magazines I have decided the best genres to do would be lifestyle. This genre explores everything that happens in an entire region. This is ideal because it should appeal to everybody, which means that my target audience for this magazine should be fairly wide.

I have decided that I will probably use a very simple layout and colour scheme to fit in with the codes and conventions set by other regional magazines. The layout should appeal to a wide target audience because the genre itself should also appeal to a wide audience.

As for content for the magazine, there is no real limit to what I can include. I can include things like food and drink, leisure, things to do, fashion and upcoming events in the region I am basing my magazine on which is Cornwall.

In terms of content to include I will include local events, leisure activities to do in Cornwall including sports. I think I may include stories about local food and drink with events such as the Newquay fish festival or the Padstow Oyster festival. I could also include music events such as Boardmasters or the Looe Music festival. I can also include local attraction and hertitage sites such as Polzeath beach or tintagel castle.

Here are a couple of magazines that I like the style of and ones I may base my magazine around:

My target audience for this magazine consists of young male and females aged between 15-20 years old. this will mean that I will have to target it to a young audience of a similar age range to myself. They will also belong in social group C1-E which means they will be in the lower to lower middle classes. They will also be of a white/caucasian ethnicity and heterosexual. This will affect the way in which I appeal to my target audience.

Impact of technical advances on regional magazines

Technological advances

The changes in digital technology has had a massive impact on the way magazines are produced, printed and viewed. Firstly, the changes in software and hardware has had an impact on the quality and the design of magazines. The development of digital cameras has led to an improved quality of images. This makes the magazines look more professional and more visually pleasing. The way in which these photos can be editing has also changed. Photo editing packages such as Adobe Photoshop has changed the way images look with effects and other features leading to a high quality professional look. In fact the images can be completely altered from the original meaning there is basically no limit to what professional magazine editors can do with the images they are provided with. Other pieces of software such as Abode Illustrator can be used to produced high quality graphics which can be used to make the overall magazine look fun or more professional due to the text style which can be created. Finally, software like Adobe Indesign can be used to effectively layout the magazines pages which makes it look more professional.

The quality of printing has also led to improvements when it comes to magazines. This includes the quality of the printing and the amount of magazines which can be printed allowing them to distribute their magazines to a wider audience. 

Magazines can now be viewed digitally on devices such as tablets, phones or computers. This allows magazine producers to distribute their magazine to an audience on a very large scale, possibly even worldwide, at a low cost. A lot of magazines now produce their own apps on smart devices such as phones and tablets for the sole purpose of reading their magazine. This has had a large impact on the way magazines are distributed because this sort of distribution is becoming increasingly popular due to the rise in popularity and the numbers of people having access to this technology. This way of distribution can also be favourable to the magazine producers themselves as this can be a more cost effective method, as they no longer have to pay for printing and delivery costs. 

Institutional information

Institutions

The four main producers of magazines are Hearst, IPC Media, Bauer, and Conde Nast. Between them they produce some of the most popular magazines worldwide. These include magazines IPC Medias NME, a music magazine of the Indie/  Alternative genre.

Hearst is an magazine publisher based in the UK.  The publishers Hearst started in 1910 when the Randolph Hearst purchased Nash’s, a British fictional magazine. They then decided to release Good Housekeeping in 1922, trying to aim their magazine to women trying to make a home for their soldier returning from the First World War.   They then in 1929 released a second magazine called Harper’s Bazaar, trying to rival vogue magazine. When the Second World War came Good Housekeeping helped soldiers on the home front.

In 1955, they released She magazine. The magazine featured jokes, competitions and other forms of fun. Hearst magazine continued to expand into the way it is today with many popular magazine being published under their name.

Hearst produce many different magazines which come under the lifestyle genre, these includes magazines such as Town and Country and Country living.

One of the most popular regional magazines is, Cornwall Today. They are a lifestyle magazine based in Cornwall giving people an insight of what Cornwall is like to live in, including things to do and leisure. In fact it was named The Best Regional Magazine 2014. Cornwall Today magazine is published by DC media UK. This is a small publishing company who produces some of the most popular magazines and newspapers based in the Cornwall area. They produce magazines such as PL magazine and west magazine, two magazines of the lifestyle genre. This means they have experience with producing successful lifestyle magazines.