Here are my best ones, followed by the alternatives:
Contents page:
Front Cover:
Appearances on Double Page:
And, some others which i don't believe fit the bill as well as the ones i have selected, yet i will post just in case people rock the vote en masse :)
Please choose your favourite from these :)
From the chart, you can see that the rock-based Kerrang! magazine has taken the largest hit in sales recently. It is published more often and so demands a more constant stream of money for the consumer to throw at it, this could be a deciding factor in purchasing or not.
Empire's figures have risen, but that is film-based, so will be discounted for the purposes of my research.
Mojo and Q have taken hits, but not as much as Kerrang, showing that indie and alternatives styles of music magazine are still popular in the public market. This shows that my idea of going toward an indie/alternative audience is a wise one, as the audience is still going strong.
This is from a ABC Press release:
"Q continues to be the UK’s biggest selling music monthly with a circulation of 100,172. Its unrivalled access has allowed it into Bruce Springsteen's inner sanctum, Noel Gallagher's family secrets and U2's make-up box for world-beating exclusives has not only driven newsstand sales of the magazine, but provided complimentary content for Q’s digital offering - qthemusic.com, Q TV and Q Radio. [This further compliments my idea of aiming for this audience, demonstrating a clear strong interest for this type of magazine. This is also monthly and so leaves the market open for a weekly or fortnightly magazine]
MOJO is the second highest selling music monthly after stable-mate Q at 97, 722. From Fleet Foxes to The Who to Nick Drake, MOJO remains dedicated to getting to the heart and soul of music - whether its new, cult or classic.
KERRANG! remains the UK’s best-selling music weekly at 43,253. Changes in market conditions and music consumption have affected sales, but Kerrang! remains committed to serving its passionate rock readership with a weekly dose of news, features and reviews of the weeks hottest, gigs, albums and new music." [This would suggest going for a rock orientated genre music magazine would be a bad idea, as the interest is fading]
The Audience for Q, as stated by the Bauer Media Group, is:
"Open minded experience seekers, the Q audience don’t define themselves by the music they listen to. Music is an important passion, but their love of music will never be to the detriment of their other passions, such as film, sport and comedy."
This is effectively the audience i am aiming for.
Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Press-Office/News/ABC-Circulation-Figures-January-June-2009/
As i have decided i will be making a magazine similar to Q's style, i am doing a second analysis of a Q contents page.
Features - The sub-headings of this Features section (the actual "Features" part being white, bold font with a red background to separate it from the identically styled "Every month" section) are black with red page numbers to the left of them to be easily found. Having them in one long column suggests value for money as it is like a big list of content. The same goes for the "Every Month" section, arranged in list fashion with page numbers in red and font in black as above. The "Q Review" section has a small "preview" image of Coldplay and small font, again black with red font for the page numbers. I think having lots of small text squished into this small section indicates lots of information/content within this article and makes it "jam-packed" and good value.
Layout - The layout is fairly linear, with one large column next to a picture, with a little Q Review summary beneath that. At the top there is the usual Q Contents banner taking its place along with issue number and date.
There are also small Q logos/icons in the corners of the pages to maintain a uniformity that "this is Q magazine". There are black backgrounds on the page numbers too, to make them stand out.
Images - there is a large image of Jon Bon Jovi on the right hand side, indicating he is the main selling point in terms of a single artist within this magazine. The appearance of this image changes a part of the layout, with a sub-heading coming out into the picture as it relates to him.
Header/Heading - The "Q" simply has a red background adorned with the usual white Q symbol and a black background and white font for "contents". This is so that it doesn't detract from the actual content of the page.
Colours - Fairly plain here, being a white background, again the important article being adorned with a grey background. The red parts do, again, separate up the sections.
Graphics - There are a few simple thick red lines separating up the sections, but otherwise lacks the "grabbing" techniques (for attention) as seen on front covers.
Text/Image Ratio - This is quite a balanced contents page with the appearance of a small image and a large one taking a lot of real space. The rest of the space is filled with average and small sized text, again further bringing home this idea of lots of content.
"Artists of the Century" - This is separated from the rest of the page by having a contrasting grey background. There is a long list of sub-headings with the names of each artist on them (page numbers accompanying them for easy finding) highlighted in red. This both represents the significance of these people and the article as well as showing value for money. There is also a capitalized "PLUS:" in red at the end to further emphasize this point.
Layout - The layout loosely resembles three columns with a header/footer section having its own landscape style. The sections are divided by position, background colour and even images (the double page preview separating Q Review and the Regulars section).
There are also small Q logos/icons in the corners of the pages to maintain a uniformity that "this is Q magazine". There are black backgrounds on the page numbers too, to make them stand out.
Images - There is a small version of the front cover on towards the top right, linking the contents page to the front cover (and to the issue number, highlighted in red font beneath it). It is also here to link to the content within the page (the grey box has all the information relating to this). There is also a preview of a double page spread to give insight into the magazine.
Header/Heading - The "Q Contents" simply has a red background adorned with the usual white Q symbol and a black font for "contents". This is so that it doesn't detract from the actual content of the page.
Colours - This page has a white background adorned with colours where necessary to attract attention and easily direct readers to where they want to be. The artists on the front cover are within the grey table and the regulars are on a white background, highlighted by red underlines on the headings. The text on the "Q Review", a main feature of the magazine, is shown as important by the red text.
Graphics - There are a few simple thick red lines separating up the sub-headings on the regulars section, but otherwise lacks the "grabbing" techniques (for attention) as seen on front covers.
Text/Image Ratio - This is quite a text heavy contents page, with only a few small images appearing. This could give the impression of lots of content for your money.
I saw this double page spread design on an Internet forums which was designed by a student called Michael Yarde, which looks not too dissimilar from the style of layout i was planning on doing.
Pictures to text ratio: In this spread, there is a near 55/45 split of text to picture.
Font Features: Like in the Q double page spread, there is a quote highlighted by an orange background which is slightly bigger than the rest of the text and stands out as a focus point for readers. This seems to be a prominent feature in many double page spreads and i will likely use this feature too. The first letter of the article is a large font and stands out against a otherwise black background. The headline/title is striking, and white with an orange shadow which stands out against the black background and sets "Michael Yarde" as the clear focus of the article.
Graphics: There is a symbol behind the text, which breaks up the uniform blackness and arguably makes the text more readable . There is also a call out "Artist run down" which is an interesting feature i may consider the use of. The additional pictures look like Polaroids, which in effect helps it stand out, as the white contrasts the black.
Colours: The general colour scheme is very dark, to allow for certain areas to be highlighted by orange - of course, the subject of the image naturally draws attention, being the only lighted thing within the spread. The darkness also adds an air of mystery to the article.
Image: As mentioned above, the image contrasts to the background and intrigues anyone with musical interests. The amplifier also interestingly breaks up the text - it is shaped to fit around it.
Layout: The text here is again split into columns (three this time) positioned next to a full page image. The headline/title also spans most of the page, unlike in Q magazine where it is relatively small in comparison.
