This document provides details of a student's preliminary work on planning a music magazine. It includes 10 steps taken to create a draft front cover design, with explanations of design choices. It also outlines 10 steps in creating a draft contents page. The student discusses establishing Q Magazine as the focus of their research, including details on its target audience and unique selling point. Research is also provided on the music magazine genre and publisher Bauer Media. Finally, conventions commonly found on music magazine covers are identified.

1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Planning & Research
Name: Charlie Batcheler
Candidate Number: 1016
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
Step 1)
I inserted some shapes to create a
banner, then downloaded a font called
Onyx from DaFont.com and used that
to create the masthead, I used a blue
gradient for the background
Step 2)
After this I inserted a barcode as is
required for the sale of the magazine
making it a staple convention

4. Step 3)
I used TJ as the model for my front cover, I
adjusted the hue and saturation of the image
as it was quite dark and oddly coloured to
begin with.
Step 4)
Here I’ve started making cover stories and
presented them in the masthead font style in
an alternative colour to the masthead to
create a sense of identity for the brand, since
St Andrews colours are already yellow and
navy these are the colours I decided to use.

5. Step 5)
Here I’ve added another cover story to fill some
space on the page
Step 6)
Here I’ve made the placeholder for a puff
promotion, a fairly common convention that
advertises the chance to enter a competition, or
other promotional event.

6. Step 7)
Here I’ve entered text outlining the prize involved with
the puff promotion, as well as drawing attention to it
and explaining that there’s a chance to win. Often
music magazines do this to promote a festivel or
album, and my magazines of inspiration; NME and
Kerrang do it quite often as it also works as an
incentive to purchase the magazine to potential
buyers viewing it in shops.

7. Step 8)
Here I’ve made the placeholder for the main
headline by inserting some shapes, in the house
colour of yellow, which I saved as a swatch to
improve workflow.
Step 9)
Ive completed the main headlines and added the
verbal code ‘EXCLUSIVE’ as an incentive to read on
or to buy the magazine. I also added another shape
to act as a placeholder.

8. Step 10)
Now I have incorporated a web address and have
created a place holder for the barcode and issue
information.
Step 11)
Here I have added the appropriate information as
well as social media icons to show the brands
online presence.

9. Finished cover
Masthead
The stroke effect makes it very
visually impacting, drawing
attention to other areas of the
page, it also brings it out
against a blue background and
reinforces brand identity
Cover stories
I made these in the house yellow
so that they were an alternative
colour to the masthead, but still in
the same font. The letters have
been spaced slightly so that they
are more readable, I made it so
that the descriptions were all on
the same line so they were
coherent and purposeful
Main headline
These where typed onto
placeholders so that they are
different to cover stories, and
more recognizable visually. On the
‘Sixth Form Style’ convention I
have used the text edit tool to
make a wave effect, then made a
place holder for ‘With TJ Salango’
so it is clearly obvious
Puff Promotion
This was placed on a shape so it is
obvious and occupies space nicely, its
functional purposeful and I ensured that
the text within the shape was on the
same line and therefore easily readable
and understandable, this is a good
marketing technique and many
magazines do it.
Barcode
This is a necessary convention for all
magazines as it needs to show its
publisher, release date and social media
links as well as the price and the actual
barcode.

10. Preliminary Task Progression–
Evidence
Contents Page
Step-by-step
Step 1)
I started by creating a contents page
header in the masthead font style, to
reinforce the brand identity, as well as
incorporating the schools logo, I also
created two shapes as placeholders
Step 2)
I added the masthead to keep up brand
awareness and to create routine, I also
added a placeholder for the exclusive
cover story as well as making the gap
between the two shapes bigger.

11. Step 3)
Here I’ve started adding cover stories
Step 4)
I’ve expanded on the cover stories to give a
brief description of what they’re about, I’ve
also written ‘EXCLUSIVE’ on its place holder

12. Step 5)
Ive added a ‘Sections’ and ‘Features’ so that one can
get an overview of what’s in the magazine, and
added a shape to put the main headline story on.
Step 6)
I made a page number next to the masthead at the
bottom, a convention that most magazines conform
to.

13. Step 7)
Here I have written and implemented an editorial, a
common convention in the first issues of magazines
alongside an editor photo and information, as well as a
drop capital in the masthead font style.
Step 8)
I added the editors signature alongside his
information and the editorial.

14. Step 9)
For this step I filled the empty space with relevant
stuff from every story and the page the story is on.
Step 10)
Similarly to step 9 I developed on the description of a
cover story and added a photo to use up dead space

15. Section 2) – Log Book

16. Music Magazine – Genre research
• Music Magazines have been prolific in England
and English culture since the 1950’s. Famous
Magazine NME began being printed in 1952
and is one of the first modern music
magazines.
• Before this there was a publication called
Melody Maker, which began being printed in
1926, and rivaled NME for some time, before
being absorbed by it in 2001 due to sales
falling to websites and blogs that presented
information freely instead of having to pay
subscription.
• Nowadays the top selling music magazine in
the UK is Q with 158,271 subscriptions
nationwide.
• There were many more magazines than there
are nowadays, but many folded in the 90’s due
to the rise of the internet.
• Top selling music magazines in the UK include:
Mojo, The fly, Uncut, Kerrang, Classic Rock,
Metal Hammer, Mixmag and Word.

17. Established Magazine for my Research
Headline
grabs peoples attention and
helps the flow of the cover. It
also gives information on the
main story within the
magazine, and reinforces the
star appeal by giving more
information on the
involvement of the celebrity
in that issue
Cover Lines
These can also work as
incentives , as they give
the reader an idea of the
content of the magazine,
and what it has to offer,
without having to look in
it.
Incentive
Gives people an overall reason to buy the
magazine, if they weren’t planning to already
Masthead
Big and obvious, it lets the reader know
what the magazine is, and it also helps the
aesthetic flow of the magazine.
Main Image
This creates star appeal (David Bowie), which
is a concept [theorized by Richard Dyer}
which suggests that people are more likely
to notice an buy a magazine if it has a
recognizable, likeable, well known celebrity
on the cover. It also implies that there is
content within the magazine about the
individual, meaning fans are more likely to
buy it.
Strapline
Much like the masthead, it helps the
magazine create an identity , but also helps
the overall aesthetic and flow of the cover,
as it draws attention away from the
masthead, which grabs the attention
initially, and then leads the readers
attention towards the cover lines
Barcode
Although aesthetically
unpleasant it is necessary
for the sale of the
magazine.

18. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
Q magazine is mostly going to appeal to young, white males, as it generally
covers rock and alternative music – a genre with a predominantly white male
following; however the style of the magazine is more high brow than. They are
most likely employed as a subscription is expensive and a luxury. According to
Q’s readership profile, 71.8% of their readership is in the A, B or C1 category
on the socio economic ladder. Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/q.pdf
What is the USP of this magazine?
From the research I have done on this magazine I can see hat the USP is the
incentive the magazine gives you to buy it, on the one in the previous slide this
was the red circle that claimed there were 124 album reviews in the magazine
making people want to buy it. There are other incentives to get people to buy it
too, for example on the left hand side of the cover, there is a box that says
‘Rare interview and pictures’Also making people want to get it for that
feature.

19. Publisher research
Key areas to focus on:
• Bauer – “We think popular” slogan – Connotations?
• Readership profile of the magazine – Socio-economic needs, circulation figures etc.
• Retail outlets the magazine is available in.
- Monthly global print audience of over 120 m
- Median age of 34
- ABC 1 profile is 71.8%
- 70% of readers are in employment
‘We Think Popular’
This slogan suggests that Bauer media are good at appealing to the mainstream, and
that whatever they make is popular. It also implies that bauer has somewhat of a
monopoly over

20. Conventions of a Music Magazine
Cover lines
As well as obviously giving insight to
stories within the magazine, they also
work as an incentive because of this
Masthead
Large and obvious, draws
attention to the magazine, in
Kerrang’s case it is in a jagged and
punky font, in order to suite the
magazines aesthetic.
Cover story
Grabs attention and helps the aesthetic
flow of the page, it also communicates
the information of the story within
Main Image
Creates star appeal, also appeals to
social climbers and explorers, social
climbers as they are inspired to buy
the magazine as there is a star on the
cover, explorers as Black veil brides
are known for being alternative
Incentives
These give the reader an
incentive to buy the magazine,
Kerrang, unlike others offers
posters of bands featured in the
magazine
Barcode
Aesthetically unpleasing but
needed