The document provides details about a student's media studies coursework. It includes a preliminary task progression showing the steps taken to design a music magazine cover and contents page in Photoshop. It also includes research on the music magazine genre, an established magazine used for research, conventions of music magazines, and research on the publishers of Q Magazine and Billboard Magazine.

1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Planning & Research
Name: Emma Walker
Candidate Number: 1252
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
Set Brief - Print
Music Magazine – Production
Preliminary Task Progression and
Planning & Research

2. Section 1) –
Preliminary Task

3. Preliminary Task Progression–
Evidence
Front Cover
Step-by-step
First of all I started by choosing the font style
I wanted for my masthead, making my
masthead and then adding it to the front
cover. I then chose my background and used
the gradient tool to create a nice effect on
the background. I then added some blue and
yellow stripes along the top of the front
cover in order to create brand identity. Also,
for the same factor I added the St Andrews
logo to the top right hand corner and added
an email address just above the masthead.
Then using the text tool I created my main
headline and placed it into the middle of the
page.

4. Next I added a barcode to the
front cover. I chose the barcode I
wanted and placed it from my
folder where it was saved into
Photoshop. I placed it in the
bottom right hand corner of my
page.
To make my front cover look professional I
added a copy of my masthead to the
barcode area for brand identity. I also then
added social media logo’s and a St Andrew’s
logo to make it clear that we have our own
website and are linked up to social media.
Finally, I added the issue number, date and
price. These are important factors to have
on the front cover as people need to know
the issue number, date and price before
they buy it. To finish off the barcode area
and leave it looking professional I used the
rectangle tool to create a white rectangle
around all of them elements and used the
stroke effect to create a dark blue effect
around the rectangle.

5. Next I added in my main image which I had edited to
erase the background. I placed this in the middle of
my front cover as it is the main attraction. I put the
image behind the main headline so you could still see
the main headline. I also added a slogan just
underneath the masthead, this links into brand
identity.

6. I then made a
promotional offer for
my front cover, this is to
catch the readers eye. I
made a bright yellow
callout and placed the
writing over the top of
it, using a dark blue
stroke for brand
identity. I also included
an apple logo as this
links to my promotional
offer.

7. Finally, I added the last few
elements to bring my whole
front cover together. These
elements included eye caching
‘NEW MAGAZINE’ and
‘EXCLUSIVE’ banners. I added
these so that they would catch
the readers eye.

8. Final Page

9. Preliminary Task Progression–
Evidence
Contents Page
Step-by-step
Firstly, I applied the same background as on my
front page for brand identity and to keep it
looking professional. I kept the same blue and
yellow stripes across the top of the page and
added the St. Andrews logo. I inserted the title
‘Contents’ and ensured I placed the magazine
name and strapline on the contents page for
brand identity.

10. Next I added the shapes of the boxes
where I wanted the subheadings to go,
the cover lines and the descriptions. I
put blue boxes around the cover line
titles to separate them from the
descriptions so the layout was clear. I
also added the page number that each
story is on next to them. Finally, I
inserted a web address for the
magazine at the bottom of the page
and added the page number next to
the web address. I used dark blue,
yellow and white colours only as these
colours represent St. Andrews so this
connotes brand identity.

11. To finish my contents page I added the
main image from my front cover and a
short descriptions of the story it was
linked to underneath. I then added my
editorial in and inserted a drop capital so
I had all of my elements included. I
inserted an editor image and made the
text go around it by using the pen tool to
create the text box. To ensure I had all
the requirements for a contents page I
placed my signature underneath my
editorial and added necessary elements
which consisted of an email address,
name, phone number and twitter
address.

12. Final Page

13. Section 2) – Log Book

14. Music Magazine – Genre research
• The American Music Industry made 15 billion dollars in 2012 and the
Global Music Industry made 50 billion dollars in the same year.
• Pop music has been determined as the most popular music brand in the
UK and the US.
• Most pop artists have come to fame through either social media or
popular T.V. talent shows such as X Factor and The Voice.
• This genre of music
originated from
Rock n Roll.
• The term pop music
comes from the
term ‘popular’.
https://www.citelighter.com/music/overall/knowledgecards/history-of-pop-music

15. Established Magazine for my Research
Masthead
Big, bold and
bright, this
means that it is
eye catching and
stands out for
the readers and
target audience.
Barcode
This means that the magazine
can be purchased, it also has
the price and date of the issue
in this section, therefore the
reader knows the price of the
product.
Cover lines
These entice the
reader into
purchasing the
magazine as
they can see eye
catching stories
that are revealed
inside.
Main
Headline
In a bold font,
this makes it
stand out more
and is more eye-
catching.
Strap line
Italicised so it
makes it
stand out and
appear
different
Main Image
Star appeal
(Richard Dyer)
appeals to the
target audience
as they want to
read about their
idols.
Promotion
Appeals to readers
and stands out

16. Target Audience – The target audience for Q magazine is varied as it supplies information from many different music
genre’s so it appeals to a wide variety of readers. It is mainly targeted at the older generation who want a more
sophisticated approach, by using information that revolves around the actual music rather than the current fashion
trends. According to the magazine’s reader profile (source: www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/Q.pdf) 71% of Q’s readers
are in the A,B,C1 categories, their reader’s median age is 34 years old and 70% of their readers are in employment. In
accordance with Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory, the audience are ‘informed’ of the main storyline about Cheryl Cole,
also that there are stories on other artists such as Snow Patrol and 50 Cent. On this front cover. They are also informed
of the chance to win a prize. Hartley’s 7 subjectivities would determine the audience of this magazine to be young
adults/teens of both female and male and of a variety of ethnicities. This is because the colour scheme is unisex which
means it will attract both genders, also it has stories on popular artists that the younger generation are interested in.
Finally, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the readership can be denoted as ‘social climbers’ because the
magazine have used ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) of Cheryl Cole on the front cover which will attract the target audience
and suggest that they aspire to be like the star.
What is the USP of this magazine?
From my research into this magazine, I think the USP is that Q magazine
presents information from varied genres of music. For example, the magazine
has stories on the latest pop artists such as Adele, but also has stories on the
genre’s of Rock and Punk music.

17. Conventions of a Music Magazine
The Masthead is
very clear and big
but also simple
which makes it
stick in your
memory, also it
reminds you of
what you are
reading. The colour theme
is consistent
throughout the
cover, which
makes for a more
professional look.
The cover
image is large
and fills up
the entire
page, it is of
a popular
music artist
so will draw
attraction.
The front cover
image is striking
and therefore
catches your eye,
the striking
appearance makes
you want to read
it.

18. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
The target audience for Billboard magazine are mostly aged between 16-30, this target audience would be classified as B, C1, and
D on the standard occupational classification as statistics show many who read this magazine are in high end jobs but also the
teens reading it are likely to be either in education or starting a low paid job. The target audience can be shown by the content in
Billboard magazine as the content focuses on new music and new artists. Also, Billboard has a wide target audience and
readership as it focuses occasionally on different genres other than pop music. In accordance with Katz’ Uses & Gratifications
theory, the audience are ‘informed’ of the main headline and who the story is about (Katy Perry), also about other stories which
are inside the magazine which include other pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Mike Posner. On this front cover, Hartley’s 7
subjectivities would determine the audience of this magazine to to be teenage females of a variety of ethnicities due to the colour
scheme being bubblegum pink. Finally, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the readership can be denoted as ‘social
climbers’ because the colour scheme and ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) of Katy Perry used on the front cover suggest that the
audience are teens who aspire to be like the star. This means that they do not have full time jobs due to their age and therefore
fall under the category of ‘social climbers’.
What is the USP of this magazine?
From my research I think the USP of this magazine is the wide variety of
artists and genres that it mentions in each edition. Over the years many
famous musicians have stared on the front cover of Billboard magazine, such
as Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Eminem, who are all from slightly different
music genres. Billboard magazine appeals to a range of readers because of its
USP.

19. Publisher research
• Billboard magazine is published by Lynne Segall, by Billboard Media Group. It’s
editor is Tony Gervino.
• Billboard magazine is popular all over the world as many artists from different
countries have appeared on the front cover.
• You can buy Billboard in any newsagent in the UK.
• Also, you can apply for a subscription to Billboard magazine which means you will
have the new edition of the magazine delivered to you each time it is released. This
is helpful for anyone who wants regular access to the magazine.
• Some of the former editors include: Bill Werde and Ken Schlager.
Key areas to focus on:
• Billboard does not have a specific slogan.
• Readership Profile:
1. 71% are between the ages of 25 -54
2. 82% are college graduates
3. 27.5% post degree graduates
4. 65% director level or above
5. 37% keep the annual double year end issue for over a year
http://www.slideshare.n
et/chloebolton_x/billboa
rd-magazine-research

20. Publisher Research
• Q magazine is published by Bauer Media. Their slogan is ‘we think popular’ which connotes the
idea that the magazines they publish are popular.
• It’s editor is Paul Rees.
• The magazine is published every month.
• Q magazine was first published on October 1986, it was different from other magazines due to its
high quality photography and printing.
• The founders are Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who founded Q because they felt it was a niche
market as there wasn’t a magazine for the older generation.
• The Q music brand has extended to Radio and Television with Q radio and Q TV.
• Q holds annual music awards in the UK.
• These music awards are known as Q Awards.
• Q music magazine is an alternative music magazine.
Key areas to focus on:
• Q magazine’s slogan is ‘discover great music’.
• Readership Profile:
1. 66.2% of readers are male
2. 83.8% of readers are between 15 and 44 years of age
http://louisejaynehudson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/q-magazine-reader-profile-
analysis.html