The document provides details on the preliminary tasks, log book, and evaluation for a music magazine production project. It includes step-by-step progressions for designing the front cover and contents page with annotations. It also includes a brainstorm for magazine name ideas. The log book section describes research conducted on established music magazines, their conventions, target audiences, and publishers. A survey was conducted to gather information from the target audience. The survey results are summarized.

1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Preliminary Task, Log Book and Evaluation
Name: Syan Magahy
Candidate Number: 6446
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Set Brief - Print
Music Magazine – Production
Preliminary Task Progression, Log Book and
Evaluation

2. Preliminary Task Progression– Front Cover – Step By Step
These are the lines to
help me measure up
my front cover. The
measurements of this
page was 20cm by
21cms
I started off with my
masthead and my
strapline, I stuck with
the same colours with
both text to make it
look affective.
1
2

3. I then added all small
information such as the
barcode, small
logo, issue, price and date
following with the social
network sites for my
magazine. I also added my
main image as she is the
main story of the magazine
I then inserted the
masthead for my
magazine ‘St Paul’s
Special’ and added the
main headline ‘Mege
Sebeikaite’ as she was
my main image and
main storyAfter all adding all the
important details I
then put the cover
stories with a puff and
a bit of information
underneath the main
headline which was
exclusive interviews
3
4
5

4. Preliminary Task Progression– Contents page – Step By Step
I started with a blank
page and these are the
lines to help me
measure up my front
cover. The
measurements of this
page was 20cm by
21cms
I then when on to inserting
my front cover masthead as
well as the contents page
with the logo so it is similar
to my front cover
I then inserted my front
cover into my contents page
along with my editorial
1
2
3

5. I then added in a picture of myself
next to my editorial so that the
readers will know who created it. I also
added a ‘W’ to welcome with the
same font as my masthead to make it
look more effective and added every
time I said ‘St Pauls' I copied the
masthead and made it small to fit in
with my editorial. I then started on my
subheadings for my cover stories
adding a small St Paul’s logo in the
corner of each one.
I then added all the page
numbers for each cover
story so it will be easy
for the readers to find
the pages that are in the
contents page.
4
5

6. I then inserted all the cover
stories next to each page
number so it looks all fitted
together and readers will
understand which page is
where I put my signature with
my name and the name
of the magazine along
with the social media
sites for it too and the
page of the number at
the bottom
This is the finishing
contents page as I
lastly added the 3
interviewee’s which
were on the front
cover
6 7
8

7. Preliminary Task Progression – Brainstorm
School Magazine names
St Paul’s MAG
St Paul’s Studies
St Paul’s Students
St Paul’s News
ST PAUL’S COLLEGE
College
Catholic College
St Paul’s Sixth Form
St Paul’s Special

8. Preliminary Task Progression – Brainstorm
Pop Magazine names
interviews – Taylor Swift, Ellie
Goulding,

9. Section 1) – Log Book

10. Music Magazine – Genre research
• Top of the Pops magazine is a
monthly published, This magazine
was launched in February 1995 and is
famous for showing all pop
celebrities. The title has had several
editors over the years, including
Peter Lorraine, Corinna Schaffer and
Rosalie Snaith, and contributing
editors including Adam Tanswell. Its
current editor is Peter Hart.
• This magazine is based on pop music
which emphasizes the name, the
magazine was also released after the
T.V show Top of the Pops!
• The target audience of the top of the
pops magazine are young girl/teens
who are interested in fashion, gossip
and pop celebrities!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops_magazi
ne
Source:

11. Established Magazine for my Research
Strapline
Main headline
Main Image –
Star appeal
(Richard Dyer)
Masthead
Cover lines
Price, issue
website Cover lines

12. Target Audience –
The target audience for Q magazine can be denoted as an older
generation. This is because on every front cover for Q magazine, the
celebrities are in their mid 20’s – mid 30’s. So what I think the age
target audience is 25-35 males (Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities).
I think this magazine is ‘informs and educates’ (Katz) the reader
because even on this example of the magazine, the
strap line denotes ‘Great Music Now’.
For Q magazine, the unique selling point is that the magazine always denotes the
exclusive information on the front cover, this is the best unique selling point
because verbal codes such as ‘exclusive’ connotes a story that the media hasn’t
brought out yet, so people will be more interested to know and read it, which
then persuades them to buy the magazine.
Also, the publication is bringing the newest, most up to date music to the readers
but also including older successful bands. The colour scheme and different effects
make the magazine different and therefore unique to sell. The non-verbal code of
the colour red connotes the institutions passion and desire to cover a variety of
different music sub-genres to the reader.

13. Publisher research
In this source, it shows the gender ratio of the readers for this
magazine. As from what shows, more males read Qmagazine than
females, I know this because 68.3% males read Q magazine and only
31% females read it, so the percentage comparison is higher for
males. By researching this, I know that the target audience is more
likely for men than women. It also explains the age range of it
too, for people in the category ‘15-24’ is the most from the age range
that read the Q magazine, just by looking at the other age
ranges, the category ’15-24’ has a percentage of 35.5% which is more
than the rest.
• Q is the UK’s number one actively-
purchased music magazine.
• Q is about quality and character. Q’s
readers prize its lavish photography, in-
depth reporting and sense of humour.
• Q is about authority and opinion. It
stands for the music that matters, the
stars who make it and the people who
love it.
• Q is trusted and influential. A positive
review in Q can make a band’s career –
and Q’s major interviews reverberate
around the world.
• Q gets unparalleled access to the biggest
stars in rock and roll.
• Q’s audience is younger and more
affluent than any other music monthly.
97% of readers rate Q as a quality
magazine. In research it outperforms
competitors on measures such as best
interviews, writing and awards winning
photography.
This piece of important information
is from a source of evidence from
the Q website.
Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

14. Conventions of a Music Magazine
The codes and conventions that
define this front cover as a pop
music magazine are the bright and
light colours, there aren’t a lot of
dark colours and this helps increase
the utopian vibe of the magazine.
The non-verbal code of the main
image of Justin Bieber connotes that
he’s the top story of the
magazine, for his image being big, it
gives a enigma clue (Barthes) to the
audience that he’s the main story
and it then connotes that it will be
something very interesting for him
to be the main story of the whole
magazine. His presence alone
immediately signifies some ‘star
appeal’ (Richard Dyer) for the
magazine.
There are also smaller, thumb nail images of other
celebrities that anchor the cover lines. This then explains in just one
word or one small sentence that they will be in the magazine also, but
they are not the main story. They too are famous celebrities, which will
be exciting for the readers because they are celebrities that they like too.
Also, the magazine gives the
audience a chance to ‘win’ meeting
the x factor finalists, which makes
the readers more intrigued to buy
the magazine and read more about
it. It also creates a lot of fun for the
readers as winning something
always comes with a challenge, this
then gives the readers something
good to do whilst reading through
the magazine.
There are a different selection of fonts
for all the different kind of texts that
are included on the front cover. This is
effective for the readers, for example
‘shock’ (the main headline) is in bold
and capital letters with the colour of
the colour scheme to make it stand
out, this then shows it is interesting.
The punctuation used in this
front cover establishes the
excitement of the story lines.
When using an exclamation
mark, it denotes to the reader
that the information is exciting
for them.
The genre of this music magazine is
‘pop’. I know this because of the
masthead ‘top of the pops’ which
gives then automatically helps the
reader know what genre can
possibly be an easier process for
them as if they like pop music they
can just pick up the magazine just by
reading the masthead.
logo

15. Target Audience – sand/or socio-economic needs
The target audience for Top of The Pops magazine can be denoted as a young age from my opinion
age 12- 18. From primary research that I have used it says ‘the target audience is 11-15 years Age
range 85% Girls 15% Boys’ I know this because there are vibrant colours that are used on this
magazine which is stereo typically girls colours such as pastel colours
pink, purple, blue and more
The Socio-economic needs I think are because there all young
celebrities that students which are in the appropriate age like and listen
to their music. I also think that there is personal identification which relates to
Kat’z theory because readers who read this magazine, they may relate the celebrities
or musicians on the cover or double page spread.
Also, Heartly’s theory link in with the target audience because of there age and even gender as this
type of magazine that suits young teens as they are most likely to read this.
Lastly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as it links in with Caregivers as the readers sympathies with the
bands/artist situations.
The unique selling point (USP) for my chosen magazine of inspiration from
the Pop music genre is the colours are very vibrant, which then attracts the
readers because the colours are there for a purpose which is so it fits in with
the target audience needs of consuming clean cut, female targeted music.
Also, the Masthead is a USP because the font is big and bold, so it will be the
first thing the target audience look at. This is very helpful because the target
audience will find out what it is called so they can buy it straight away. One
the top of the pops magazine, there is a good use of star appeal as Cher Lloyd
is dressed, looked and positioned appropriately for the magazine which
would attract the readers into buying the magazine and also reading it.

16. Publisher research – Top of the Pops
The publisher of my chosen my magazine for Top of the Pops is Martin Stahel
The target readership for my chosen magazine is the age range from 8-17, also its based for girls
as it’s a girly magazine which is strictly for young teenagers.
This shows that latest gossip for young teenagers to know as there are celebrities in the
magazine that young teenagers like. Top Of The Pops' magazine is a monthly periodical which was
first published in February 1995 by the BBC and is most famous for giving The Spice Girls their
well known nicknames.
The magazine started off as a weekly magazine, but as the readership levels have gone down, the
magazine has been changed to being published only once a month. The reader profile also shows
that the majority of the magazine's readers fall into the socio-economic category (109,000) and
only 55,000 fall into the ABC category.
This is probably due to the fact that 'Top Of The Pops' is not a very glossy or expensive
magazine, and so isn't as appealing to the higher or upper classes. Top Of The Pops magazine saw
a net circulation decline of 13.4% in the first half of this year.
http://www.newsstand.co.uk/
193-Pop-Music-
Magazines/2018-Subscribe-to-
TOP-OF-THE-POPS-Magazine-
Subscription.aspx
Source:

17. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my first question, the highest answer I collected
in my results were the 15-20 category as I got 40%
responses.

18. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my second question, the most people that answered my
questionnaire were females, as I got 70% female responses and
only 30% male responses.

19. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my third question, more people voted no to
if they buy magazines regularly, this is because
60% of people voted no, however, only 40% of
people voted yes.

20. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my fourth question, colours and main images were voted
most popular to what they like when purchasing a
magazine, as the two collected 30% of votes, however, 20% for
the masthead and 10% for main story and slogan.

21. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my fifth question, the three genres collected the same
results such as pop music, dance and rock. However, hip-
hop only got 10% responses and the rest got 30%.

22. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my sixth question more people enjoyed reading
magazines as 77.78% responses said yes and only 22.22%
said no.

23. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my seventh question, celebrities stories was
most popular for what people finds interesting for
their magazines as it got 40%
responses, however, the other two got the same

24. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my eighth question, the most amount that the
people who answered would buy their ideal
magazine was £1.50-£2, as 40% was the highest
response.

25. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my ninth question, free prizes was the most
popular answer as 70% of responses is shown out
of the 100% and competitions only had 30%
responses.

26. Main Task – Survey Monkey
For my tenth question, 80% of the people
who answered thought that magazines are
interesting, however, only 20% voted no.