2. The magazine I created is named „Arkade Unlimited Magazine‟, which is a
electronica music based magazine targeted towards young
adults, specifically aged between 16-21 year olds. The age group is
appropriate as it reaches out to all age groups and types of people who are
interested in the music genre. I chose this age group or to address this group
as it is relevant towards the different characteristics included within the
magazine. It is also somewhat hard to define the age group and a 16 year
old is very different to a 21 year old, however I feel this group is appropriate
in terms of those who enjoy this genre.
The group I aimed at was more specifically students, and possibly even more self-
sufficient students with lower income, Young adults/teenagers who enjoy going to
less popular gigs/concert, those who enjoy discovering new artists. This music genre
is typically based in areas like south to east London however more accurately the east
end in areas like shoreditch and Brick Lane as these areas are well known for their
bars/clubs and set up for young dj‟s and creating upcoming or underground artists
and music. I included several phrases or sayings to address or attract the attention of
this target market, for example on the front page, the headline reads “ Student Special:
Learning the basics to Living the High life” I included this as I felt it was relevant and
would appeal to my demographic. Through this I was able to represent this type of
social group.
3. A detail I decided to include was the festival wristband. This is a minor piece of imagery
included but in the picture with the article readers will notice the artist is wearing a
Reading festival wristband, which is somewhat distinctive. This shows that the artist has
been to a festival, and more appropriately reading festival that is very popular. This
minor detail allows the viewer to engage and relate to the artist as thousands upon
thousands of young adults attend this festival each year. From research it also shows this
festival in particular has a large significance to the demographic of my magazine, as the
festival is most well known for it‟s indie/alternative genre. It also shows the artist‟s love
of music.
There were various techniques I included which are also included in popular magazines like NME, Mojo and Kerrang. I
took these details as inspiration for my own magazine. For example I included a bottom bar, which lists similar artists
within the genre to interest the reader. I included the artists “M.I.A, Late of the Pier, Prodigy, Passion pit and Hot chip”
These are all well known artists and are famous for creating dance music and a few for starting off in smaller areas (i.e.
M.I.A who started out in Elephant and Castle). These artists in particular were also chosen as they are enjoyed by a very
large percentage of the population and will therefore open the market towards more people as more people can relate and
enjoy.
Another social group my magazine taps into especially with the front cover is those who enjoy disco music as it includes
elements of features from the 1970‟s, most obviously her hair. I took photos that would make sure her hair was the main
focus and would capture the readers gaze, I made sure of this by using a minimal background and a mid shot or medium
close up. I also made sure her hair took up a good amount of the photo. “Goldilochs‟” hair is reminiscent of famous dance
idols like Diana Ross and Cher. When the public sees an image like this, the hair brings back memories of these artists and
therefore further opens up the market to the older generations.
This nostalgia is also seen in the bright colours and vivid patterns, which were popular in the 1980‟s, colours like bright
yellows, blues and greens and patterns like animal and geometric prints.
4. I included and challenged forms and conventions of real medias products; I did this by sampling small sections
from existing magazines. For example I included a small review in the corner of my article on a recent gig in
relation to the artist talked about in the article. This is something included more towards the back but I felt it was
important to include it here or at leaste in my magazine as it includes stereotypical language used by magazine
writers. I felt it did this as it included a good amount of humor which many magazines do use but it also make
references to more popular artist and in some ways almost criticizing them for being so popular: “We hope to see
artists like Beyoncé or Kanye West in one of her dingy pub sets in Shoreditch.”
This plays on the idea that you have to start somewhere even if it is less appealing and suggests the artist in not
afraid to too stuck up to getting „down with the kids‟ this allows readers to relate as they feel she can be similar to
them.
I also included a feature from NME Magazine which was „Twitter‟s Thought”. I thought this technique was clever
as a huge population of the UK have access to the Internet and especially twitter. This social media in particular is
now very popular for voicing the public‟s opinion and magazines like mine are able to access this and take
opinions from this to use in their magazine. It also creates the opportunity for readers or those who like to voice
their opinions to be included in the magazine.
This I also found was a new form of technology that has had a highly positive effect on the magazine industry.
From my own market research I found that 14% of those who took my survey chose to access music magazines
through tablets, iPhones, iPods and computers. Although the majority choose to purchase tangible magazines
that are more traditional there is still the availability to access magazines through forms of technology that are
still very new, which continues to open up more opportunities for the industry.
An institution that might distribute my magazine is IPC as they responsible for distributing many other
magazines like the NME. It is also the UK‟s leading digital publisher. However it seems the more appropriate
institution would be Bauer Media as they publish magazines like 4Music, Mojo and Q, which are all magazines
that can be related to mine.
5. I also think it is important to mention the types of store that would distribute a magazine like mine.
However this in some ways is a contradiction as magazines like mine would often start up and
freebies, e-zines or zines. This is because it would in some ways be a „pilot‟ issue as the
demographic is smaller than most magazines. Magazines like mine would often be seen as small
handouts on the way out of stores like vintage shops in Brick Lane or possibly even larger stores
like HMV. After the magazine does take off they would often be sold in small corner shops or other
stores that would distribute magazines.
From the preliminary task I have learnt various new skills that helped to create my magazine.
Firstly I have learnt how to use and understand programmes like Photoshop, InDesign and other
relating adobe workshops. I was also able to learn how to take items from the Internet, for example
fonts and include them in my project. These were all techniques that were previously new to me
and I did not understand with the School magazine however after many hours of work put in I am
now able to create my own magazine. I was able to lean techniques like rendering, creating an
invisible background and making the main person on the front cover overlap the masthead which
is a technique used a lot in the music magazine industry. I also learnt how music magazines were
able to specify, interest and have a particular relationship with their audience. For example many
magazines have an interesting way of communicating with their audience in terms of the meta-
language they use and tones they use to address the reader, often a music magazines articles will
include humors and references to other medias and music‟s. They also make reference to current
issues and events to keep up to date with the reader, like information about their favourite artists
or surrounding news within the area.
6.
To improve I think I could have included more pictures of other artists and more
references to these other artists. I also feel the front cover picture came out less
refined than what I would‟ve liked, but after the final product I am happy with the
outcome. There are some other small details that I would have liked to tweak but
with the project over I know what to look out for if or whenever even I make
another magazine, which will be less of a challenge with the new skills I have
picked up from this project.
