1. Exploring different
MAGAZINE IDENTITIES
For any successful magazine, the aesthetic quality of the finished
product can on some levels be more important than its contextual
information. This is why I will be experimenting different titles, fonts and
genres which I could apply to my final music magazine project; adhering
to a specific target audience at the same time.

2. Demographic
• In order to sustain any magazine in the difficult market of today, my
magazine must be original, encapsulating and economical for the
buyer. Keeping this in mind, my music magazine must also have a
solid USP; it must be a genre of music is popular but under
acknowledged in the media to create an innovative product.
•
• Due to the advancements in technology over the past 10 years, such
programs as iTunes have dominated the music media sphere, with
online musical purchases being one of the highest sources of sales. I
must keep this in mind when thinking of special features and freebies
as this will appeal widely to any target market, especially young adults
(16-25) as this demographic is most involved with technology and
music.
•
• As I have this demographic in preference, I must involve modern
technology (e.g. QR readers, Apps, web addresses and social forums)
in which the magazine can be easily accessed circa day-to-day life as
hard-back magazines are now becoming dated and under
appreciated. Social forums such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are
dominating the internet stratosphere and if I wish to entice this
demographic into purchasing my magazine it must be accessible on
these sites to portray the youthfulness and modern edge that will set
my magazine aside from others on the market.

3. Genre
• As I have now highlighted the demographic I wish to target, the genre
of which the magazine must celebrate has to adhere to this.
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Therefore I have to incorporate popular music culture into this
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magazine as well as other, perhaps left-wing, musical genres.
R&B •
• Seeing a gap in the market for musical genres (e.g.
Indie
electronic/dubstep, retro, jazz, soul, country, blues, classical etc.), I
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decided that my magazine would expose and appreciate one of
these styles in magazine form, keeping in mind modern referents
that could be stylistically referred to.
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•
R • Hoping to fill a hole in the magazine sector, I decided to venture with
indie folk music, whilst also incorporating other alternative strands of
Classi •
music in order to dip into various demographics, thus increasing the
appeal for it.
Fc alk
ol • With this genre of music, I can now decide what fonts, models and
articles to incorporate into my magazine. These details must all be
in accordance with my demographic otherwise it will not circulate
Electron well.
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4. Bands
• In keeping with my genre of music magazine I must research into a variety of different
Indie/Folk artists and acts in keeping with providing the reader with news and information
as traditional magazines do.
•
• Primarily, as I searched on iTunes and Google (among other websites and applications) I
found that the majority of artists under this genre are bands, e.g.;
Ø Mumford & Sons
Ø Bon Iver
Ø The Lumineers
Ø Bombay Bicycle Club

5. Artists
• Artists in the Indie/Folk genre are less common/popular than the bands; this could be a focal
point in me picking a feature artist for my article as I could highlight perhaps an up and
coming artist that’s willing to break the barriers of music.
•
• Some popular Indie/Folk artists consist of;
Ø Joanna Newsom
Ø Graham Coxon
Ø Frank Turner
Ø Gabrielle Aplin
Ø

6. Name
• The one point on my music magazine that needs to stand out among the crowd is definitely
the name of my magazine; as buyers scan through magazines on a shelf in a shop my
magazine must pop out as innovative and unique. I have drawn up a list of names, which
all have connotations with musical techniques or phrases (in order to clearly convey the
style of magazine it is) whilst also keeping in mind my demographic; the name can’t be
dated or cheesy, it must be youthful and quirky.
•
• A list of possibilities include;
Acapella
Alto Clef
Tempo Forte
IFM Major
Encore

7. Font
• For the name and general aesthetic look of my magazine to pop out to my target market, I
must research different possibilities of fonts on the internet, all from the website
www.dafont.com:
•
•

8. Font
• After researching all the most plausible options of font for my magazine, I picked 3 fonts; one
for the name of the magazine, one for the main text and one for the contents page;
•
• o This font will be used for ‘Alto’
as it is quirky in design, the
letters appear almost as
strings on a guitar and it is
unique.
o
o This font will be used for other
writing on the front cover
and feature article; it is clear
and legible.
o
o This font will be used on the
contents page to add a
different element to the page
compared to the others.

9. Features
• Once my magazine has attracted my demographic, it must be economical in terms that all that it
is selling is given to the audience; it has to be jam packed full of articles and features to make
the magazine worth its money. However, these must be unique and different in terms of
incorporating modern media (e.g. social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter) in
keeping with the modern demographic I have chosen to follow.
•
• Ø The feature article must include quirky and
unusual photography of the artist, with
quotes from the interview with the
artist placed strategically to highlight
key opinions of the artist.
Ø
Ø An encapsulating title must be used; after
writing the interview I must come up
with a playful yet memorable title that
will stick in my readers head.
Ø
Ø Although it will be an interview, it mustn’t
be typed in interview form; it needs to
flow in a formal mode with colloquial
features such as describing the artists
body language and personal opinions.

10. Technology
• I also aim to target the technological aspect of the
media sphere in order to avoid the dwindling
popularity and sales of hard back magazines on
the market today. This includes incorporating
websites and apps such as Facebook, Twitter,
Tumblr, MySpace, Youtube among others, creating
an online space for my demographic to access free
of charge. This will hopefully increase the demand
and popularity for the actual magazine opposed to
it just being available on hardback. Although this
project is to create an actual magazine front cover,
contents page and double spread feature article I
must think of how it would fare on the current
market today, and without these technological
features I doubt it would be entirely successful.
However, to create a correlation between my
hardback cover and online sectors I will feature QR
Readers on various points of my magazine to
redirect smartphone users straight to the app or
website version.

11. Pricing
• In order to attain the demographic I have chosen, I must
make my magazine accessible. I have done this through
exploring different media that I can broadcast over,
name, artists, fonts etc. All of these conjoined depend on
whether or not I get interest in my magazine.
•
• The price for the hardback copy of the magazine is a
pivotal point in the eventual circulation of my magazine. I
have earlier studied the popularity of magazines, and
how the free copies (such as ‘The Watchtower’) fare
better in terms of circulation than paid magazines.
•
• Due to the fact that I want to broaden my magazines
horizons by using different types of technology (which will
be free to users), I will want my magazine to be cheap,
but paid for. Pricing between £1-2 is accessible to young
people/students in my demographic compared to other
music magazines on the market today, hopefully boosting
my magazines popularity.

12. Social groups
• I hope to attract not only a young demographic, but also a wide
spectra of social groups including both genders (perhaps
more female as they are under represented in terms of music
magazines currently on the market), all races, different sexual
orientations etc.
•
• This is not only to boost demand for my magazine, but also to
portray the diversity in society as a whole in a positive outlet.
•
• This will be done in the choice of artist/bands featured in my
magazine, the colour schemes and fonts, and also the articles
done, as I would like to feature unknown/up and coming artists
as an exclusive selling point (USP) of my magazine.
•
• With this in place, my magazine will be revolutionary compared
to others on the market; it will not be biased, prejudiced or
stereotypical, highlighting the modernity seeping into the
media magazine sector.

13. Conclusion
Ø I have chosen the name ‘Alto’ for my music magazine because it is short, catchy and
memorable, with musical references yet with a modern edge. It will be of Indie/Folk genre.
Ø
Ø I have chosen to use a capitalised font, youthful and edgy, not quite adhering to the Indie/Folk
genre of music I am denoting but attracting the demographic I am hoping to attract.
Ø
Ø I will attract not only a young 16-25 year old demographic, but also both genders, races and
other social factors in order to broaden my horizons and sales, and also change perhaps
the traditionally stereotyped manner of the media to this date.
Ø
Ø My magazine will be priced at £1.50 for my majority student demographic with Smartphone
Apps/websites/Facebook/Twitter been free to access.
Ø
Ø My feature double page article will be of a youthful, up and coming artist, perhaps gaining their
following via internet sites such as YouTube. This will probably be of a girl to test patriarchal
views and stereotypes embedded in traditional society.