Audience Research

Reader profile

View more presentations from Katrina Stapleford.

Questionnaire questions 7,8,9,10

 The seventh question is way of finding out what the readers interests are outside of music and if I could incorporate it into the magazine. The most popular genre was 'Comedies' by a margin of about 35%, this took me by surprise as reality TV is usually the most talked about thing between teens. This is useful to know though as it means I can incorporate items such as reviews of new comedies, recommend comedy shows, tours, films, books or even comedy bands.

The eighth question was about spending money on music, it told me that most people spend as little as £5 on music per month and the votes decrease as the money goes up. >£30 received no votes which shows me that the readers will most likely not be elaborate spenders.

This question showed me that the readers are interested in festivals/gigs and the only thing restricting them from going is the cost and the opportunity. It could therefore prove useful to show relevant information about upcoming gigs in the magazine and show ticket prices or even pick out shows which at a lower price. This question was useful as it showed me that the interest was there for live bands.

Question ten is the most important question as it will help to shape the magazine, give it a house style and develop character. This question was about peoples preference to styles and layout. The choices which proved most popular were 'Lots of imagery' and 'Easy to read', I must now use these styles to influence my design and try to avoid, 'Newspaper format' which received no votes.

Theses choices reflect how teenagers/young adults like lots of imagery and information presented in way that is fun yet easy to navigate.

Questionnaire questions 3,4,5,6

 The third question is about which type of websites people spent time on, the results showed that over 90% went on social networking sites and was the most popular by nearly double. The second most popular choice were video sites; primarily YouTube. The two most popular results show that nearly everyone wants to stay in the loop with others and behave in a sociable manner, interacting with video, personal updates and messages. This very much reflects the culture of today and was entirely what I expected to see. There was a slight interest in shopping and music websites but not enough to make it a priority in my magazine, it also makes me question, is there a point in including fashion items if they have no intention of buying them? 

The fourth question was about the resources people have to access music. Do they rely on friends to provide new information? Does the media showcase enough new music? The most popular choices were 'From Friends' and the 'Media', this means that these are the two most reliable sources; this could lead to having a readers forum where people can put forward new artists they like, as the readers could trust the suggestions, because its coming from a media source and real people similar to themselves, it could be the most effective way to showcase new talent.

 The fifth question was about priority of articles in my magazine. The parts of a magazine which proved most popular were quizzes, and interviews. I think the quizzes section was most popular because it's a way for the reader to connect with the magazine, also it's accepting to know others have taken part in the same quiz, therefore there is a feeling of inclusion. The interviews section did well as it provides information on interests and shows readers that they have a common interest. This is also why posters/photos received a lot of votes.



The sixth question was about finding out how much the readers would respect music. The majority of people, when asked 'Do they illegally download music?', answered 'Never'. The second most popular answer was 'Sometimes but I pay for some', both answers show me that generally people do respect the music industry and pay for music. This means that they might be willing to pay a bit more money for the magazine, they wouldn't mind paying for lesser known music in which they wouldn't find free downloads of, and that they have a strong interest in music.

Questionnaire Evaluation Questions 1&2

This is my questionnaire I devised to find out information about magazines. This research will help me to design my own magazine which attends to the majority of the readers needs. I chose to give the option of multiple answers as I wouldn't want to limit their opinions. The first question is 'What magazines genres are you interested in?', I chose this question because it can help me decide on the best house style to use, the best angle to come from, and what type of language to use.                                     The response I received was varied, the most popular choice were 'Gossip/Celeb magazines', and the weakest choice were 'Classic Music magazines', this may be because the target audience is younger than average, popular culture is more relevant and interesting nowadays, and magazines such as Q and Rolling Stone are very sophisticated and mature. 'Fashion magazines' came second with 50%, this is also a youth interest, fashion and appearance is much more associated with music now than 50 years ago. It is important for readers to sense artists' personal fashion styles to relate to them, especially for the younger generations. 'Womans magazines' and 'Contempary Music magazines' were in the middle with about 30% each, this shows these are more secondary interested, and not as important for me to take into account.

The second question was 'What genres of music are you interested in?', this question can help determine which musical style to focus on, how the photography should represent the artist, and what questions put to the artists would be interesting to the reader. The results I got were quite easy to read, the most popular choices were Pop/Dance/Electronica, and Contemporary R&B/Hip-Hop/Rap, these are the genres which have dominated the charts for the last 5 years so this was no surprise.

Alternative/Indie/Rock and Metal/Heavy Rock received fewer votes but still compiled a substantial amount of the total. This may because Indie is a popular festival genre and had a surge of popularity a few years ago. Blues/Country/Classic R&B received no votes, which is not surprising as the people I asked were a lot younger, however I was expecting some interest in that category from younger people who had been influenced by their parents perhaps.

The clear musical genre choice would be to design a magazine for Pop and R&B, however since the Alternative/Indie/Rock category received more interest than expected I may choose to orientate my magazine towards festivals, Rock music and maybe a secondary influence to make it differ from other magazines already on the market.

The type of magazine I will design should incorporate gossip, news segments and fashion items as they proved to be the most popular styles.

Questionnaire Results

What Magazine genres are you interested in?	Total
Women's magazines	28.60%
Gossip celeb magazines	64.30%
Classic music magazines	14.30%
Contempary music magazines	35.70%
Fashion magazines	50%
What genres of music are you interested in?	Total
Alternative/Indie/Rock	35.70%
Metal/Heavy Rock	14.30%
Pop/Dance/Electronica	57.10%
Contempary R&B/Hip-Hop/Rap	57.10%
Blues/Country/Classic R&B	0%
What type of websites do you use most often?	Total
Video - youtube	57.10%
Social Networking	92.90%
Music/Radio	21.40%
Shopping	21.40%
Information	42.90%
Where do you hear about new music?	Total
From Friends	71.40%
Media	64.30%
Research	28.60%
Charts	50%
From other artists	35.70%
Do you illegally download music?	Total
Yes its easier	14.30%
Yes music is too expensive	21.40%
Sometimes	14.30%
Sometimes but I pay for some	28.60%
I have done but rarely	14.30%
Never	42.90%
Which parts of a music magazine to you skip to?	Total
Reviews	23.10%
Interviews	38.50%
Information	15.40%
Posters/ Photos	30.80%
Quizs	46.20%
Which TV genre do you like?	Total
Dramas	42.90%
Soaps	28.60%
Comedies	78.60%
Reality	28.60%
Chat Show	21.40%
How much do you spend on music per month?	Total
<£5	57.10%
£5<n<£15	35.70%
£15<n<£30	14.30%
>£30	0%
Do you attend gigs?	Total
No it doesn't interest me	14.30%
If the right band came along	57.10%
I would if I could afford it	7.10%
Yes all the time	28.60%
How do you like information presented?	Total
Messy; a lot of information with lots of imagery	14.30%
Easy to read with simple layout and few images	42.90%
Lots of images with captions	57.10%
Newspaper format; cells with correlating images	0%
Sparse; one article with one image per page	7.10%

Music Magazine Questionnaire

This is a screenshot of my questionnaire as part of my research for my music magazine. I asked 10 questions, and gave the option of mutilple answers. This has resulted in getting more information from fewer people. The left shows the first two questions' results, from here the first question has a slight favourite and a more obvious lesser preference.

The second question shows a tied favourite with another answer not far behind, there is also one answer without any votes.

Above I had explained each question and evaluated the results individually.

Magazine Contents Page Analysis

This is the contents page for a Home Improvements magazine. This is a good example of a well designed magazine.

The images are clearly celled and the rounding of them makes it softer and more aesthetically pleasing. The large numbers on the images also suit as they are in a soft font and white is a colour which doesn't clash with anything. The magazine should be very visual and inspiring so the images should not be distracted from, and this magazine succeeds in this. It engages the audience by not giving too much away in the images thus the reader will be curious and read on.

The listings are simplistic, easy to read and do not get lost in the over-powering imagery. The way the text and numbers are spaced apart is very clever as it eludes the idea of space and relaxation, which is what the reader wants from a home improvements magazine. If the reader feels the magazine stays true to its intentions then they will be more likely to respect it and buy it again.

The only bold colour used outside the images is the red bar running across the top of the page and the numbering. The colour used is warm and natural; this is a suitable colour for a magazine based on the home, a blue colour would be cold and a green would feel too outdoors. The numbers are written in the same colour which gives the magazine its house style and connects the different parts of the page together.

Overall the page works well as suited to its theme, the colour is not over used and the emphasis lies within the imagery, an ideal way to present a home design magazine.

Centre Number 18125

Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

This is a double page spread by NME magazine and features Lily Allen as the lead article. The main image takes up half of the page and dominates it, the colours are also very strong against a white background and black text. Her body language shows she putting herself, and her opinions, out there and not afraid of the response she gets. The tartan shirt is very in keeping with the house style as it reflects rock 'n' roll, festivals and a boyish image. The striking eye make-up is made to match her dark hairstyle and emphasise her fair skin, this gives her a Gothic/rock look.

The pull quote is used as the title for the article, this is unusual to not have a main title and makes it more interesting. The pull quote is presented randomly, in different sizes, and jumps out at the reader, the lettering is put in white against a disjointed black outline to achieve this. The way it uses fonts and sizes also look similar to classic ransom notes left by people wanting to be keep unidentified, this would suggest the words contain aggression, a recluse, a shyness yet threat.

The text is organised into four columns, with a flush left alignment, and starts with a drop cap. The text contrasts against the pull quote in the way it's laid out, the text is very neat, formal, easy to follow yet the title is rebellious; this helps to balance out the page.

A standfirst is used above the text and below the pull quote, it is in a neater font to the title and a larger size to the text. The words 'Lily Allen' are highlighted red, this draws the attention to the article and also links with Lily's clothes.

The theme of this article, along with NME, is rock 'n' roll and alternative music, this can be seen in the way the stars are dressed, the colours used and the presentation of text.

Centre Number 18125

Contents Page Analysis

This is a contents page from Q magazine. This issue's lead article is about The Courteeners therefore their image is used to fill a big area of the contents page. The page listings are along the left side of the page, it uses big bold numbering and black titles, this helps a skim reader find their page quicker, this is also used in the 'reviews' cell and on the main image.

The colour scheme on this page is black, red and white; they are very powerful colours and the red and black against the white background show dominance, formal layout, adult reading. A younger persons magazine might have more colours; clashing and contrasting, more going on, and more imagery but this just makes Q magazine seem more adult in comparison which is what the readers would want.

The page is organised into three cells; listings, main image and secondary feature (in this case - reviews). The page is easy to navigate, appropriate for the audience, the text and numbers are very distinguishable giving ease of accessing the correct page, and simple colour text boxes are used for the title to show the different cells.

This contents reflects well the reader's needs and wants, the house style and content, it is especially easy to navigate and has a good colour scheme, these are both reflections on an adult audience.

Centre Number 18125

Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

This double page spread is inspired by Vogue magazine. This can be seen from the fashion orientation, the bright but complimenting colours and busy images. The appearance is very uplifting and colourful, Vogue also tends to use white backgrounds for their magazine. As a fashion magazine this is important as it gives as much focus to the images as possible.

There is a lot of linking images to the text here, this is because it is a very visual magazine and could work well with very little text at all. Although there does appear to be a lot going on in this double page spread, the text and imagery are laid out in an easily navigational fashion and the space is made good use of. The main text is laid out in three straightly aligned columns; this helps the organisation of the article by making a busy page seem less crowded.

The text is neatly laid out and uses simple fonts, at the start of the main text a drop cap is used, this is a popular way in the media to start off an article; it makes the text more interesting and unique.
As this article is more an investigation than an interview, a pull quote is not used as it would not conform or be relavant. A secondary title, standfirst, is given; "How to Stay in the Style Loop", this shows that fashion/style is a continuing genre of the magazine and that this article is purely an extention on this.

The lead image here is the photo of the woman/maniquin in the blue coat. It is bold and relates to the theme, the layout of the photo is also nicely done with complimenting decoration and interesting use of imagery with the ghostly background.

Overall this double page spread works well if not a little too crowded, it could have benifited for fewer images however it balances it out by straightening the text and giving each image a 'section'.

Centre Number 18125

Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis

This is a front cover page from Rolling Stone magazine and features Amy Winehouse as the lead article. The main image used of her overlaps over the masthead, this is frequent in magazines such as Rolling Stones as it is well-established and the font alone is recognisable enough without the whole name needing to be seen.

Her expression is very powerful and almost rebellious, her eye-contact with the reader makes an instant connection of, 'What are you looking at?', it keeps up her threatening appearance but vulnerable inside. This is further suggested with her lead article title, "The Diva & Her Demons", this uses alliteration to make the title flow and make the words seem to be connects to one another. The 'diva', in the title, refers to her stage presence, attitude, and out-of-control reputation, the 'demons' increases the front that she is insecure, vulnerable and not in a good frame of mind. The article suggests Winehouse will open up and explore these problems, giving the reader some insight.

Not much else is used to fill the cover apart from a left third, which is used to advertise "Summer Tours", running off a small list of names. This shows that the Amy Winehouse interview is the soul focus of the issue with little else making a mark.

This cover seems rather empty for a music magazine, however as it is a Rolling Stones magazine it is not all that surprising. Rolling Stones is a very successful, well established magazine and would not need a lot of cover lines or new interest to do well as it already has a huge number of readers. All this shows is that Rolling Stones are not afraid to take risks with their covers, and can always get away with it when they do.

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Front Page Music Magazine Analysis

This front cover is from Q magazine, it stars Madonna as its lead article with contributing popular artist's such as Kaiser Chiefs and Girls Aloud, and comedians such as Mighty Boosh, Russell Brand and Little Britain. The theme of the issue seems to be 'Woman in Music' as the lower end of the cover says, it advertises a free mini-issue special about female musicians offering names such as Adele, Duffy, Debbie Harry, Kate Bush; all predominant Female artists old and new.

All the woman linked to this issue elude power and success, the main image of Madonna reflects this also; she is holding her hand up powerfully in protecting her face, this suggests aggression and defence. Her face is mostly visible below her hood but it appears that she is looking over her shoulder, her expression shows no fear just slight interest, this could relate to her return to music; she is coming back out from under her disguise and this time she isn't going to back away easy. This is supported further with her outfit clearly inspired by boxers in the ring, her hood has the instantly recognisable silver lining, her gloves are tough and protecting and she is wearing a dark cape-like top.

All the cover lines and the left third are made to fit around Madonna's face, none interfere as she is shown as dominant, and her status as a pop legend is reassured.

The colour scheme is red and black, the red is used for the logo and lead article title, and the black is used for the background and Madonna's outfit. Most of the left third and cover lines are in white to contrast the black background and to stand out more.

Text formatting is used in the lead article tag line, "All Interview", and in the pull quote, "Stupid Question! Next!" This is used differently in each case, the first is used for surprise and exaggeration, the second is used to show authority and demand.

Overall I think this cover focus' too much on the lead article and doesn't offer much more than the Madonna interview, readers who aren't fans of hers could be put off by the mass content on her. However it could also bring in new female readers as this issue takes focus on female interests, something unusual for Q magazine.

Centre Number 18125