Chosen Institution to Publish My Magazine

There are four main producers of magazines in the industry. They're Hearst, Conde Nast, Bauer and IPC Media. Between these four they publish some of the best selling names in the magazine industry such as, Kerrang, NME and Q. As these magazines being as popular as they are being sold across the UK, they're unlikely to publish my magazine. These insinuations work with nationwide magazines and as my magazine is primarily targeted at people in my region which doesn't make it suitable. Because of the unlikely hood of these big companies publish my magazine I may have to look at smaller alternatives who work with regional magazines.


As regional magazines are becoming increasingly popular because they offer regional information a lot of publishers have recognised this. Currently there still isn't a mass amount of institutions in my chosen region but Northcliffe Media or now known as 'Local World' controls 100 publications include magazines and newspapers read by 6 million consumers. One of these publications is 'This is Cornwall' which is a regional magazine that works with the same target audience as mine. This magazine is also a stand out in my region with is popularity, it also features a website and a lot of demographic information which gives it its popularity. Furthermore they also publish one of the most popular newspapers in my region 'Cornish Guardian'. The Cornish Guardian is very popular with my secondary target audience but include a lot of content that could possibly feature in my products. The Cornish Guardian is known for its outstanding informative newspaper and website that covers all news in the region.

After looking at these two publications I believe that Local World would be my suitable publisher. As Local World operates with similar companies and products so they have that experience and know how to deal with my new products.

Typography

Typography plays an important role in making the magazine look professional and appealing to the audience. In this post I'm going too look at the common typography used on this regional lifestyle magazine by Cornwall Today.
To start with looking at the masthead its in a very large and dominates the top quarter of this front cover. Furthermore this masthead uses two lines which make its seem even larger again.  The first line of the masthead is in block capitals which is done to stand out to the audience and symbolises importance. The second line is not in capitals which does look very effective as it contrasts the top line. The font style used here is commonly used to target an older audience, because of this I will be looking for a more modern font for my magazine as Im trying to attract a younger target audience. Furthermore the colour used for this masthead in a conventional colour, White, and this is also traditional for a regional magazine. Additionally Cornwall Today has traditionally used the colour white for there mastheads which creates a sense of familiarity with the audience. The masthead also adopts a serif font style which seems very popular throughout regional magazines and traditionally appeals to an older target audience which Cornwall Today pitches at.
 The next use of typography on this front cover is the cover lines. The font style used here is different from the masthead. The font style is slightly more modern than the masthead which is slightly unconventional as Cornwall Today's primary target audience is for the older generation. The use of colour here is very effective too. They use a traditional white style font which matches the masthead on some of the cover lines and then colour some of the cover lines in a salmon pink colour which matches the colour scheme of the front cover. Further more all of the cover lines are capitalised to symbolises their importance.
This front cover does incorporate a plug and also a include a pug. The pug is all the text positioned around the bar code. The text here includes the issue number, bar code and price. The text is located in its conventional place along with the bar code down the bottom right hand side. Furthermore the text here is actually very small and this is done because it doesn't have a huge amount of relevance to the audience. Additionally the price is made very small so it would not off put the audience from buying it. The plug is the 'WIN' section down at the bottom. This is made to look like a sticker has been placed here. On other magazines you can see the plug placed in a more significant position but in this case the plug wasn't given a great deal of attention.
The rest of the text used on this front cover is the small print where evidently its small. The text here again doesn't have a high priority of the attract the audience and is subsequently small. This text follows a basic font but does contrast the background well so it still does stand out the audience.

Typography also plays a big role in the contents page. I decided to continue to use a product from 'Cornwall Today' so I can see if they use any similarities in terms of typography on their contents page.
To start with the heading which is not placed in a conventional placed has a more modern font and is not the same to the masthead. Furthermore the heading is all in a lower case font so give a relaxed feeling and to invite the reader in. Looking at this contents page I believe that the heading was placed on the lower left of the page rather than the higher left because they wanted the heading to be white. They're background is the sea but with a white background at the top and because of this they couldn't but it at the top as it wouldn't be visible to the audience. The heading is still the biggest font on the page which is conventional as it stands out to the reader.
This contents page a lot of sub headings which split up the text on the contents page. The purpose of sub headings is to be able to split the content inside the magazine down and allow the audience to navigate around the magazine with ease. This is down here which a bold black font. This text contrast the whit background and as its bold it stands out over all the other small print. The style and the colour of this font remains the same thought which gives the contents page a professional look.
The small print on this contents page is conventional and appropriate to their target audience. The small print is also in a black font so it contrasts the background but its not in bold as its job is not to attract the audience, thats what the sub headings are for. The style of the font is basic but yet effective and will appeal to Cornwall Today's target audience. The font size is conventionally really small to make to contents page look professional but also to allow to contents page to use more information.

This is also a double page spread from Cornwall Today. The heading used on this double page spread has  an interesting use of typography. To start with they use three lines for the heading with all of them being in block capitals with emphasis on the middle line which adopts a bolder font and is larger. The 'A' in 'Boatshed' is cleverly changed to the shape of a boat. This is a nice feature as not only does it look good but it makes the spread look very professional. Furthermore the whole of the heading is in a strong white font which contrasts against the black background like we have seen before.
The subheading is located just below the heading and is also in block capitals to symbolises importance and make it stand out the viewer even if it significantly smaller than the heading. The font type again follows the rest of the magazine and is basic sharp font. The colour again is white but not as strong as the heading purely because this font is not bold. This makes sure that the sub heading doesn't over power the heading while still being noticeable to the audience.
The byline is conventionally used somewhere on the double page spread, normally in the corner of the picture or page. The byline simple informs the reader of the photographer/journalist. On this double page spread its unconventionally placed just below the sub heading. Even though its in an unconventional location it still is the correct size which is normally the site of the small print of eve smaller. Further more the names in the byline are bold to symbolises importance and to gain recognition. The byline is not in block capitals like the heading and the subheading but does follow the same font style as the sub heading. Furthermore the text is also in white along with all the text on this spread.
The small print follows the same conventions throughout the magazine. This creates a sense of familiarity and constancy with the audience. The small print is in a size 9 font and follows the same font style as the byline ad subheading. Furthermore the text is all white and and all the text stays the same which makes the spread look very professional.

Plus 'Journal' Critical Reflections on How The Photoshoot Went

After taking my first photoshoot I travelled to three locations in Cornwall to capture some of the scenery and environment. There was some concern over the weather as it was late summer and the weather is very unreliable in Cornwall. at the start of the day it was very cloudy and I was some what frightened of not being able to capture the sky because of the sheet of clouds. As the day progressed the weather became better, there was no rain and I was able to go to St Michael's Mount, Minack Theatre and Fistrel Beach. 

I started the day of down at the National Trust property of St Michael's Mount. Due to it being surrounded by water I was hopping to find youths taking part in some type of water sports of enjoying the beach. This was one of the first photos that I captured on my shoot. I like the image of a father and presumably his son walking along the beach. This photo does advertise Cornwall's beauty and there coastlines and this was one of my main aims. My concern over this image though is that it doesn't relate to my target audience. I feel like with some editing on this image to make it brighter and more appealing I feel like it could be a serious contender to make it on one of my products but due that it doesn't really relate to my target audience. 

Whilst being down at St Michael's Mount I did come across a couple of youths paddle boarding in the sea beside the iconic structure of St Michael's Mount. This image will work really well possibly on my contents page or on my double page spread as it shows youths part taking in outdoors sports. This would work well because it shows my target audience participating in activities in locations that I'm advertising. I will want to make this image again slightly brighter as the day was very overcast and puts a damper on the image. 

This is a direct image of St Michael's Mount and is something that may feature on the front cover of my magazine. The reason why I would want this on the front of my magazine is because it stands out and shows why Cornwall is known for its beauty. The problem again with this image is that it have a very low amount of light. This is because the day was very cloudy and the sun never broke through so its actually difficult to see the main focus point in some areas and because of this, it will need to be edited before used. 

This image was taken while walking up to St Michael's Mount as the sea began to go out. I liked the fact how I managed to capture St Michael's Mount fully surrounded by water but when walking out I seen these rocks and I thought this would look good to capture some of the Cornish landscape. As the water was still going out the rocks was breaking through and I was hopping there would be nice rock formations but unfortunately this was not the case and the rocks were actually very scattered. This photo still could be potentially used on one of my products.  

This image was taken while I was inside the dock of the St Michael's Mount. As the water had gone out by this point you can see all the boats currently docked and it looks very appealing. This image works very well in the sense of advertising Cornwall and showing its attractive side but again its a concern of if it will appeal to my target audience again. 

By the time I got to Minack Theatre the weather actually picked up and the image does look a lot brighter and more attractive to the eye. In Minack Theatre you couldn't capture the whole place in one image but this was my favourite of the day. I like how it captures all the structure of the theatre and how could potentially relate to my target audience because of the plays that take place there. 

This image was taken in Newquay when it was concluding my day. I got down to Fistrel back in order to catch the sunset. This was probably the best session I had because when working with direct sunlight it always looks better at sunrise or sunset because the image doesn't look so flat. In the foreground I have a couple people to add to the focus point because I don't believe the sun set would of made the photo complete. Furthermore they're hard to see so I potentially need to make them stand out slightly more without making them over powering compared to the the actual focus point (the sunset). 

This is another photo at fistrel beach when I was catching the sunset. This time I had a small hedge in the foreground which I don't think looks at good but its still another alternative. 

Genre/Institution Research

Genre/Institution

History:

Humans have been creating wall art for as long as we have been living in caves. This wall art is ranged from artistic displays to marketing/promoting a new product/service for a business. The industry of billboards started in the mid-1860’s where it actually became possible for people to buy billboard space from outdoor advertising companies. A few years later the International Billboards Poster Association of North America (IBPANA) was formed. The association is still active today but has made many changed like the length of its name to adapt to changes in advertising as it now covers many other kinds of outdoor advertising signs and mediums beyond traditional outdoor billboards. Because of the rapid growth in automobiles in the 1900’s it contributed heavily to explosive growth of the use of billboard marketing. Outdoor of advertising has steadily evolved to meet the needs of a growing and continuously more sophisticated and regulated marketplace. Ongoing innovation has seen the size of billboards change along with changes in the materials used as well as upgrades in technology. Improvements in other industries have also played a key role in the evolution of outdoor advertising. Such as the light industry has come a long way which now makes outdoor advertising viable at night and in a much more attractive and effective way. Despite the rise of other advertising mediums such as Tv, radio and internet the outdoor advertising still remain as strong as ever. There are a growing number of outdoor advertising companies being formed every year. This strong, consistent growth is ramping up competition within the industry and fuelling innovations that continue to drive outdoor advertising to new heights of relevancy and effectiveness for those who utilise it.

Systems of Production:

The design of billboards depends on many factors such a location of the sign, the advertising budget, and the type of product being promoted. The industry uses a lot of research to estimate the frequency and number of exposures the advertising will gave upon its target audience. The location of the billboard can also help the determine the type of sign selected by the advertiser. Large billboards usually have three main comments: steel to construct and support the frame, artwork that conveys the advertising message and electrical equipment for lighting and other special effects. There are two types of billboards. Hand-painted billboards are usually used for small campaigns that want to create a special look. More often, billboards are produced from poster panels that are mass-produced copies of the original artwork. Most modern billboards are electrically lit and therefore require appropriate lighting and power systems to make sure the billboard is visible at night. While many billboards are located in major metropolitan areas, others can be found in remote areas along interstates. In both cases, it is very impractical to have to travel to each sign every night to turn on the lights. Therefore, automatic switches have been developed to turn on the lights at specified times. Other systems use photosensitive cells to turn on the lights when dusk sets.

Examples: 

Bergey: Sky. A billboard produced by JWT agency from India, which implemented optical illusion to express the message, ‘Natural Finish Colours’, in a clear manner. 

DHL: Maze. For this gigantic 3D billboard, a small, red ball rolls from point A to B via the shortest route. After it finished the journey, it will be transported through an invisible conveyor belt within the billboard back to the top to begin the journey again. Again and again, yes, always the right way.

Penline Stationary: Strong Tape. No other tape advertisement can be better than this one, a tape that can stick up a billboard firmly.

‘The same text can belong to different genres in different countries or times.’ - John Hartley

(Billboard) Survey Monkey on What Target Audience Want

I recently created a survey to find out some primary research into what my audience will be and what features they would like to see on a regional magazine billboard. This primary research will become valuable information when it comes to creating my own product.

My first question was a very basic one but will still provide just as important information to my research. I asked the question, 'Are you male or female?' and 60% of the responses were female. I will have to keep this in mind when looking at other results as gender can effect all other questions. As most of the people who answered are also female this may lead to them becoming my main target audience.

My follow up question was again a very simple and basic one buy still providing important research and this was, 'What is your age?'. As you can see the majority of my responses came from people who are under the age of 18. This will mean that a lot of themes I use will have to appeal to this age group and attract them to my product. There was still a lot of responses who were in the game bracket 18-29, this tells me that they will be more of my secondary audience so I will still have to have themes and colours that will appeal to them as well. Finally there was a small section of people in the 45-59 age bracket. As this was by far the lowest amount of responses this age bracket won't affect many of my decisions. 

 My third question, I asked 'What is your sexuality?'. Unanimously my results shown me that over 95% of my potential audience is Heterosexual which means that my Billboard is going to have to have themes and colours that relate to this audience.

 By asking the question, 'What is your approximate average household income?', I can understand the type of audience that are potentially going to buy my magazine. This then can affect the price of the magazine and the content of my billboard. Certain colours like purple relate to people who have a high household income as purple connotes royalty and gold is another colour which would relate to them as well. So by finding out that the majority of my audience is at the lower end of this scale I can find out what colours and themes to incorporate on my billboard. 

My next question I asked was, 'What is your ethnicity'?. From these results you can see that almost 90% of the responses was White. This means that my images and the text I use will be based around traditional British themes. As a lot of regional magazines based in Cornwall also represent to this audience I will use some of there traditional themes in order to attract my audience. As Cornwall is majority white anyway, I expected these results. 

As ill be creating a lifestyle regional magazines, I need to find out what content my audience would like to see in it and from here I came represent them onto my billboard. From the results of this question you can see that the responses are fairly spread out. The most popular hobbies though are: Music, Sports, Watching TV and Shopping. This means that i need to incorporate these themes in the magazine but also on my promotional products such as the billboard in order to grab there attention and attract them to my magazine. 

This question I asked my potential audience what colours they would find appealing on a billboard. As I have so many colours that audience would like to see on my billboard this question doesn't really help me all that. I was hopping for two or three dominant colours that I could incorporate but as there is such a wide spread I will have to choose colours that contrast each other and work well on a billboard while possible including the other colours inside my actual magazine. 

This was one of my most important questions as this would determine would content would actually appear on my billboard. As you can see that the images are very important to my audience so I will need good quality images which are simple but appeal to the eye. A lot of focus will go into my photos now and I will also have to take into consideration my previous questions to see what gender and age would like to see with what colours. As the image will be the main feature to my billboard you can see that almost 25% of people also thought that the colours would be vital. So I will have to apply this too on my billboard. 

My next question I asked was, 'where would you like to see a regional magazine billboard?'. From my results it seems that people like to see a billboard in a town centre or a large shopping centre. these two locations are very popular for people to be in on a daily basis. These locations could also become popular for tourists in the right season. If my billboard was in this location people would be able to have a good look and potentially longer look at it instead of it being by a motorway which people don't think is a good idea. 

My final question that I asked my audience was, 'do you prefer still or digital billboards?'. From here I got a complete mix of results. People just edged the fact that they liked a still billboard over a digital one although this was also tied with the 'either' option. From these results I don't think what ever option I choose will affect the potential audience buying my magazine or not. 

Original Images (Website)

Original Images (Billboard)