Harper's Bazaar Contents Analysis

Like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar's contents follows conventions because it incorporates the masthead onto the page; the same way that it is on the cover. It also has the word 'Contents' on the page to show the reader what page of the magazine they are looking at. It makes it more obvious than Vogue which suggests that the audience aren't as educated or high class. The masthead is written in black which is very contrasting to the background which makes it very visible.

In terms of the imagery, Bazaar uses images that support it's target audience as well as using them to portray fashion. There are two images used; one with a female model and one with a male model. This suggests that Bazaar magazine has an audience of male and female genders of a mixed race as the male model is white, but the female model looks as if she has a Mediterranean ethnicity. They may have chosen a model of this ethnicity because her skin is a tanned colour; and as this image is to promote swimwear fashion, the tanned skin would make the audience think of summer and hot weather. It also will make the audience think that if they purchase the swimwear that is being advertised in the magazine, they could look like the model. Also the sand in the background of the image will make the viewer think of the beach and will think that they can have a similar appearance to the model at the beach if they were to wear similar swimwear. The month of this issue is July, which fits with the image of the female model because of the colours and style of her clothing. She is wearing an all-in-one swim suit style piece that is quite revealing which links with Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory. The image of the male model, Cillian Murphy, doesn't really connote a summer feeling, but fits with his story in the magazine, 'No More Mr Nasty Guy'. The purpose of this being put on the contents page is to show the viewer that their will be some interesting news or gossip about this famous actor. This will make the reader want to purchase the magazine because they will want to know the latest news about famous people and won't want to miss out.

The fonts have been kept very simple on this page. There are only really two fonts being used; one modern font for headings and one more decorative times style font for the main text. The decorative font is used because it is very feminine so it represents the female audience. 

Like Vogue, there aren't very many colours used. Other than the bright colours of the model's clothing in the image of the female, the colour pallet mainly consists of black, white and an orange/red colour. This doesn't make the page very interesting to read, although the orange does help to break up the text. Similar to Vogue, the orange colour was probably used because it is a vibrant colour and in this case represents summer.

The layout of this page helps it to fit it's purpose because it is simple and easy for the viewer to read. There are two images used on the page which help set the text into columns.  

Overall, this page follows the simplest of layouts and isn't very creative. The coloured headings used in the text help to break up the text and make it more interesting to read, but other than that, the page is very plain. It does however serve it's purpose with sophistication on the simplest of levels.

Vogue Contents Analysis

Vogue's Contents page follows conventions because it incorporates the masthead onto the page. Unlike the cover, the masthead is written in lower case letters rather than capitals. Usually, the words 'contents' is written in a large font and the masthead is smaller; but this contents page only has 'contents' written small above the masthead next to the date. This doesn't make it as obvious to the reader as to what page it is; but the target audience is of an educated high class status so the producers would have thought that they are too intelligent to have to point it out. The masthead is written in black which is highly contrasting to the background colour so it stands out and is making a statement so that the reader cannot ignore it. 

In terms of the images used, Vogue follows conventions in that it uses an image of a model who is portraying the fashion world. The model used represents the target audience as she is a white female, and this is the primary audience for the magazine. She is wearing gold and silver clothing which links with the Christmas theme for the December issue. She is showing a lot of skin as there is little clothing that is revealing; this supports Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory. The model looks very glamorous as her hair is moving backwards and the lighting makes her clothing shine; this supports the target audience because they will have to be glamorous and wear shiny clothing for the christmas season and will aspire to be like her. There is only one large image used on the contents page; a medium shot showing the model's whole body. This allows the viewer to see her clothing and pose from head to toe. The image relates to the article 'Star Girls', which fits with her silver and gold shiny clothing that represents the star theme at christmas when we have a star on top of the Christmas tree for example. The model has been airbrushed so that her skin glows as well as her clothes. This will make the audience think that they should be like her and will be closer to knowing how they can be like her if they purchase the magazine.

As this is the contents page to the same issue as the cover I analysed, I can see that they have not used any images from the feature article on the cover. This shows that Vogue want their audience to look at different articles in the magazine rather than just focusing on the feature article. On other fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan, images to promote and advertise make up brands and jewellery are used. However, the contents page shows that there are articles within the magazine that promote make up. This will make the audience want to buy the magazine because they will think that the make up that they are selling will make them look like the models that feature in the magazine, especially as they will want to look their best in the Christmas season.

The fonts used for the contents page are very similar to the ones used on the cover. A plain clean font is used for the main parts of the writing, but similar to the cover, a more decorative font is used for some of the description text. This decorative font is used because it is very feminine and therefore attracting the female audience. A more bold font is used for the headings on the page, such as for 'Fashion', 'Special Features' and 'Contents December 2010'. This is so that these parts of the text stand out against the other fonts used. One other light weight font is used for the headings 'Subscribe to Vogue' and for 'Cover Stories'. These parts of the text are written larger than the rest because these are are the most important headings on the page. A lot of the text on this page will attract the female audience because to do with make up and how to look your best for the party season; for example, one reads: 'Sparkle: How to do dazzling evening make up', which will attract the audience because they will want to have a similar appearance to models that feature in Vogue magazine.

In terms of the colour pallet, the range of colours is kept to a minimum. Other than the gold and silver used in the main image, the main colours are black, white and orange. This makes the page look simple, but the use of orange breaks up the black and white text making it look more interesting. Orange is probably used on this page because it is a vibrant power colour and it connotes harvest and food which is a big topic for the Christmas season.

The layout of this page is very simple but does fit it's purpose in that it shows the reader what page the articles are on. It has a sense of sophistication with the clean fonts and columns as it follows an order. The only image used covers over half of the width of the page but ends at the top so the masthead can overlap it slightly. There is a column on the right that shows the fashion articles as well as the special features, and one on the left that overlaps the image and shows the cover stories.

As a conclusion, I think this is a sophisticated design for a contents page, although it doesn't have a very creative layout of colour scheme. The fonts used on the page make it more interesting to read, which is something the layout and colour do not do. I would like to use similar fonts on my contents page, but would like to be more creative with my layout. Overall, the contents page serves it's purpose with class and sophistication, but it very simplistic.

Harper's Bazaar Cover Analysis

Similar to Vogue, Bazaar is not a regional magazine, but it is still important for me to analyse magazines of the fashion genre so that I know what is necessary to include in my own fashion magazine. Harper's Bazaar is known to be the fashion magazine for high class sophisticated women and influencing fashion is it's main purpose.

Bazaar has a total readership of 164,000 in the UK with the average age of the reader being 41 years old. Bazaar's audience is almost 90% female as (like Vogue), it caters mainly for female fashion. In terms of the demographics, 56% of readers fall into social grades AB, and 87% fall into social grades ABC1. Overall, Bazaar targets their magazines to high class working women as 21% of it's female readers have an income of £100,000+.

In terms of the masthead, 'Harper's Bazaar' (originally Harper's Bazar), got it's name 'Harper's' because it was founded by the Harper & Brothers Corporation. The second part of it's name, 'Bazaar', is more difficult to find the meaning behind. It's possible that it could have developed from the word 'bizarre', meaning eccentric or unexpected; but nevertheless, the word works for this genre of magazine and shows diversity in terms of fashion and it's audience. Unlike most fashion magazines, Harper's Bazaar has two words in it's title, although Harper's is written very small compared to the main part of the masthead 'Bazaar'; which is what the magazine is often referred to for short. Bazaar, like Vogue, is aimed at a higher class audience, and all of the masthead show this (the font, style and colours). The masthead follows conventions in that it covers 1/8 of the page so that the audience would be able to recognise it easily. The font in particular suggests the genre of magazine as it makes a statement and has a classy style. This particular issue features an illustration that goes through the masthead which makes the Old Times font look more decorative; this links with the heading at the bottom that reads 'Jubilee Chic'. I would like to incorporate something similar on my magazine cover because I think it makes the page look more interesting and helps show what the issue will be about.

The model featuring on this issue is Victoria Beckham. The lighting in the photograph suggests that the photograph was taken in a studio environment, the the floral background maybe being added as a separate image later on. The mise-en-scene portrays her as classy and powerful which fits with the heading 'Queen Victoria'. The theme in this photograph will be better for me to use inspiration from than the photograph from the Vogue magazine that I analysed because this is a spring/summer issue, so it will include colours and stories similar to what I will be including for my summer issue. The image of Victoria Beckham used is a medium close-up which goes against conventions as a close-up is usually used on magazines; but as this is a fashion magazine, seeing her clothing is quite an important aspect. Her outfit is quite low cut and revealing which links to Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory that states that women are used for the pleasure of male viewers in the media. The way she is holding herself and her facial expressions connote power and class, which is something that I want my model to have in my fashion magazine.

The colour scheme used on this cover connote a power and a summery mood with purple, blue and white. Purple is a colour that is associated with royalty and symbolises power which link with the main image and heading with key words such as 'Queen', 'conquering' and 'Jubilee'. Most of the text is written in white so that it stands out over the floral coloured background. The colour pallet that I use on my magazine cover will be similar to this in that they will connote summer and power, but they will also need to represent Cornwall. 

Two main fonts are used on this cover; the one used for the masthead and the text at the bottom that reads 'Jubilee Chic' and the one used for the headings and text around the page. Another font is used for smaller headings around the page such as 'Prints Charming', and 'Fitness Focus', and other odd words within the stories such as 'on' and 'of'. I like how the use of this font mixes up the text and makes it more interesting to read. Another way they have made it look more interesting is the use of different sized font and occasionally setting the font to italic. The font used around the page is a light plain but modern, so it works well to have it different sizes and in italic. The text on this page advertises the summer season as it talks about popular summer topics; floral prints and dream bodies. This will make the reader want to buy the magazine because they will want to find out how to get a dream body and what to wear in the summer season. I will have to include summer stories similar to these, but mine will have to relate to Cornwall.

The layout of the page consists of a medium close-up shot image in the background with text forming around the outer sides of the page leaving a clearer view of the model behind. There are not any smaller images on cover to show any other content of the magazine, but this seems quite common in the fashion genre. The smaller headings and information are placed to the left and right sides of the model with some overlapping. The fonts are different sizes depending on what should catch the readers eye first. The font 'Jubilee Chic' is written in a large font because it relates to the main story of this issue. I would like to include a word/heading in large at the bottom of my cover to suggest the main story and theme of my issue. This cover also follow conventions by including a bar code in the bottom left hand corner; I have found this to rare on fashion magazine covers that I have found on the internet, but this might be because they are covers from the online versions of the magazine so a bar code will not be necessary.

As a conclusion, I think this magazine cover would work well for my inspiration for my own regional fashion magazine because it has a lot of features that I would like to incorporate into my own magazine cover; particularly the fonts and layouts of the text. Because I will not be able to photograph a real star model, I will have to change my main story/feature article to something related to fashion or Cornwall. The sophistication and power in the colour scheme and main image is something that I would like to portray in my own cover image, which relates to Bentley's 'rearranging of the old to make the new' theory.

Pitch and Synopsis

Logline: Cornwall's own fashion magazine

Target Audience: Primarily Cornish, heterosexual females between the ages of 18-30 years, within social grades B-C2 that have an interest in fashion, with a secondary audience of males.

Genre: A hybrid regional and fashion magazine.

Synopsis: Created with a female target audience (18+ years) in mind, Kensa is a perfect blend of genres; fashion and regional. Although fashion is mainstream, it will have a niche market because it will only be sold in Cornwall because it will be regional to that county.

Regarding the style and imagery, my magazine will be similar to Cornwall Today because I will use related scenery and settings for my photo shoot locations. It will also have a similar style to Vogue in terms of the use of models, fashion and stories.

In terms of the cost, my magazine will be priced at £3.99. This is because I have found this to be a common price of professional magazines. Kensa will be published by an independent publishing company instead of independently by myself to minimise the start up costs until I have started a gross profit. I will approach Out of Hand LTD, because this company will reflect my magazine better than a huge conglomerate.

As there isn't currently a magazine like Kensa in Cornwall, there is a gap in the market place for this magazine. As research shows, fashion magazines are one of the most profitable genres combined with the popular local interest. In regards to the publication, Kensa will be available online and in print to attract both the younger and older readers. As the print issue will appeal particularly to holidaymakers, the print issues will have to be sold in local retailers such as; supermarkets, shopping centres and newsagents throughout the county.

Cornwall Today Cover Analysis

Although Cornwall Today isn't a fashion magazine, it's important for me to analyse a regional magazine so that I can incorporate features from it into my fashion magazine. The purpose of Cornwall Today is to make Cornwall seem appealing to the audience and show them what it has to offer.

The audience demographic for Cornwall Today is from grade A to C1. This is because they mainly focus on targeting at higher class people in Cornwall as well as wealthy holiday makers. My magazine, however will be targeting a lower class boundary as it will be aimed at younger people that are interested in fashion. Cornwall Today also mainly aims at white British people in terms of ethnicity because the county of Cornwall doesn't have many mixed race cultures. The age of the target audience for this magazine would be 30 years and older of both male and female gender. This can bee seen on the cover of the magazine, particularly the main images used on Cornwall Today because they usually reference to nature, and often gardening, which older people have more of an interest in than younger people. This links to Stanley Hall's Storm and Stress Model as it stated that youth seek excitement in the form of drink, drugs and sexual behaviour. 

In terms of the masthead, ‘Cornwall Today’ has been chosen because of the purpose of the magazine – to show and represent an up to date Cornwall. It is aimed at the high class older generation in Cornwall, and the aspects of the masthead suggest this as the font is quite plain, but also because the name is very simple and straight to the point; whereas fashion magazines usually have more creative names. The magazine is mainly sold in Cornwall rather than to advertise the county around the country (other than to holiday makers) because a lot of the content in the magazine includes stories that would relate to Cornish people, so the masthead shows that the magazine isn’t aimed at a diverse audience. The cover follows conventions in that the masthead covers 1/8 of the page in order for its audience to recognize it easily. The font used is of a similar style to Vogues, they both have a Times style but Vogue’s is more decorative. The font gives a high-class feel to the page because it is clean and formal.

Cornwall Today do not usually feature models on their magazine covers as the magazine mainly features landscapes/waterscapes or locations that are unique to Cornwall. This image used on this particular cover is of a sunset waterscape photograph taken on a Cornish beach. The mise-en-scene portrays Cornwall as beautiful and a place to escape to. This links with Blumer and Katz Uses and Gratification theory that states that an audience consumes texts for a reason. The photography used on the cover of this magazine makes the cover look very professional and formal, whereas my cover won't have such a formal look because it's main genre is fashion and is aimed at a younger age group. The particular image that has been used on this cover is effective because it has captured the beauty of a Cornish sun set and is of course a good quality photograph, showing detail that catches the audiences' eye. I also think the photo editing or use of a camera filter is effective on this image and helps to give it a calming and peaceful mood. My front cover image will have to have an element of escapism so that my audience sees it as entertainment that they can use to escape as this is a main purpose of a magazine.

The colour scheme used on this cover connotes a summer evening mood with the orange, yellow and purple theme. These colours could also be used to create an autumn mood, but because the main image features a sun set on a beach, it makes the reader think of summer. For my own magazine, I need my audience to think of summer when they see the front cover, so I might use more obvious summer colours such as blues or yellows.

The fonts used for the story headings are very similar; for the main headings a bold font is used and a lighter version is used for the other text. Whereas other magazines that I have analysed such as Vogue uses more decorative fonts, this magazine uses plain and formal fonts - except for the font used above the masthead that reads, 'Your county...the magazine' which is more of a decorative handwritten font. Because my magazine will be of the fashion genre, I will need to use more decorative fonts similar to the ones used on the Vogue cover. The text on the magazine shows and advertises things that are going on around Cornwall, and also includes tow prizes that the audience could win which will make them want to buy the magazine so that they can fine out more. This is something that I could include on the cover of magazine as it is also a regional magazine for Cornwall.

The layout of the page consists of a waterscape image in the background with the text forming around the outer sides of the page leaving a clearer view of the scenery. Similar to Vogue, Cornwall Today magazines don't usually include smaller images on their magazine covers to show anything about the content of the magazine. The smaller headings and information are placed to left, right and bottom of the page, but unlike Vogue, they are all the same style and size font. This cover only has 4 story headings on the page, while Vogue included twice as many. Above the masthead, there is a bar with text that reads 'The biggest and best-selling magazine for Cornwall', and a triangle on the right with text that reads, 'Voted the UK's best regional magazine' - both describing how successful the magazine is. 

As a conclusion, I think this magazine cover would work well for inspiration for my regional fashion magazine in terms of how to bring regional elements to my cover. Unlike Vogue, I would be able to get a similar photograph for the main image of my cover, but this wouldn't represent the fashion genre. The natural beauty of Cornwall is something that I would like to portray in my own magazine; which links with Bentley's theory, "the creative process is the rearranging of the old and making of the new".

Vogue Cover Analysis

Although Vogue is not a regional magazine, I think that it is important for me to analyse magazines of this style and genre to make sure that I know what to include to make my own magazine of this genre. Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that it recognised globally. It's purpose is to promote positive body images and influence fashion.

Vogue have a readership of 1,237,000 people with the average age of the reader being 36 years old of the printed version. The average age to view Vogue on a tablet is 34 years old and for the website is 28 years old. In terms of the demographics, 40% of the audience fall into the social class of AB, and 70% are in ABC1. Vogue's audience is 95% female as it caters mainly for female fashion. Overall, Vogue targets their magazines to high class working women at an average age of 36, and the average age changes depending on what format the reader is viewing the magazine content.

In terms of the masthead, 'Vogue', has been chosen because it connotes fashion and class as the word actually means 'style' in French. The name and meaning is very fitting to the genre as it is known to be the worlds most influential fashion magazine. Vogue is aimed at a higher class audience, and all aspects of the masthead show this (the font, style and colours). This means that the magazine isn't as diverse as other fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan and aims at one audience in particular. The masthead follows conventions in that it covers 1/8 of the page to allow audiences to recognise the magazine easily. The font in particular suggests the genre of the magazine as it has a classy style, similar to Bazaar fashion magazine. This particular issue was released in December near Christmas, so the gold colour used for the masthead is very fitting. Also for this issue, there is a gold swirl pattern that features within the masthead as well as the the 'Star dust' text at the bottom and in decorations throughout the page. This helps give the impression of a Christmas feel again because of the colour and the star pattern within it.

The model featuring on this issue is Emma Watson. The mise-en-scene portrays her as classy and beautiful with the theme of Christmas because of the way she is dressed with a bow. Although my magazine will not be a Christmas issue, I will still need my model to look classy and powerful for my front cover. The image of Emma Watson used is a medium shot showing her face, but also how she is sat. This doesn't follow magazine conventions as a close-up shot is usually used on the front cover of magazines; but they probably chose this shot so that the viewer could see what she is wearing - a short festive dress. This links with Mulveys Theory, 'The Male Gaze' that states that women are used for the pleasure of the male viewers in the media. The way she is positioned suggests that she happy and pleased, but she also has a mischievous smile which is fitting with the heading 'Comes of age'. Her clothes connote class but also fit with the Christmas theme.

The colour scheme used on this cover also connote a Christmas feel with gold, black and cream. My magazine will be a summer issue, so my colour pallet will have to connote summer but also Cornwall. The gold colour on this cover gives the page a magical look and makes the reader instantly think of Christmas. My magazine will have to make my readers think of summer and show off Cornwall in the summer season.

The fonts used on this cover page compliment each other because of the use of bold for headings and an italic old script font for details about what is featuring in the magazine. Another font is also used for this; a simple light font - this could be used because if the italic font was used every time, the page may look too busy. The font used for the 'Star dust' text at the bottom is quite plain and modern; this works well because of the illustration that is featured around the text. The text on this cover advertise party season clothing and make up advice which will attract a female reader because they will want to look their best at Christmas. Some of the lexis on the page also suggests that this is a Christmas issue because they read 'heaven sent', 'star', 'sparkle' and of course 'star dust', which are all words that the reader would associate with Christmas time, and the reader will also think that this is what they could be if they were to buy the magazine. In my magazine, I will have to include stories and words that make the reader think of a beautiful summer time in the county of Cornwall, but also base them around fashion.

This particular cover incorporates illustrations similar to some other Vogue Christmas magazines. It's a theme that seems to only be used at that time of year on Vogue, but I would like to try and incorporate illustrations on my magazine so that I could learn how to illustrate in Photoshop - this will help me for the future as I am considering Illustration courses in further education. I particularly like the way this magazine has the illustration mainly at the bottom of the page, but also has it going through the masthead. This makes the layout look more interesting and ties the page together.

The layout of the page consists of a medium shot image in the background with the text forming around the outer sides of the page leaving a clearer view of the model behind. There are not any smaller images to show anything about the content of the magazine on the cover, but I have found that this is quite common for fashion magazines. The smaller headings and information are placed to left and right sides of the model of different size fonts depending of what should jump out at the reader first. There is also the 'star dust' text at the bottom which is quite large because it relates to what this issue of the magazine is about: 'the super star issue'. For my regional magazine, I will need to include a word that suggests to the reader what the main theme of the issue will be.

As a conclusion, I think this magazine cover would work well for my inspiration for my regional magazine because it has a lot of features that I would like to incorporate into my magazine cover. Obviously I will not be able to photograph and write my feature article on a real star model, so I will have to adapt my cover and story so that it is based more round a fashion story. The elegance and class in the main image is something that I would like to portray in my own cover image, as Bentley said, "the creative process is the rearranging of the old and making of the new".

Initial thoughts on Genre and Styles

My initial thoughts for my magazine were to create a magazine in the fashion genre similar to magazines such as Vogue. I also looked at regional magazines such as Cornwall Today to see how I could incorporate Cornwall within this genre. I then thought about including Cornwall's scenery and locations within my images and take my fashion photo shoots to these locations so that I can include both. However, I will have to rely on the weather to be able to take photographs in the outdoor locations. I think these two genres will work well together for my photo shoots in particular because I will be able to take my models to location shoots which will make my photography more interesting instead of always having them based in a studio. This would make my fashion magazine different to others because I will be using locations that are unique to Cornwall. 

In terms of the kind of fashion I will be featuring in my magazine, I will have to base it on what will look good with the location that I am using. As Cornwall has a lot of old buildings and locations that have been preserved, I could use the fashion and clothes as a complimentary feature or as an opposite to show how the fashion has changed and adapted. I will have to plan my photo shoots to make sure that the fashion and location aspects work well together; I will need to think about the colours, style, lighting and plan the shoot around the weather. I will have to dress my model based on the styles in Cornwall; they will have to look quite natural and maybe have a modern vintage theme to compliment the natural locations of Cornwall. I will try and complete all of my photo shoots in outdoor locations depending on the weather.

The name of my regional fashion magazine will also have to work with the idea of fashion as well as working with the Cornwall theme. I will also look at words to do with fashion translated into Cornish.

The stories and headings that I will include in my magazine will have to relate to things that happen or are popular in Cornwall; such as the locations, shops/boutiques or holidays. Although, my double page spread will have to include an article that is mainly fashion related.

Impacts of Technology

This quote from Peter Fraser shows the current institutional advances within magazines in order to give an audience what they require; “A broader version of conventional literacy, which enables all visual, aural and digital forms, seeking to enable people to become thoughtful producers and interpreters of media."

Because of the way technology has advanced over the past years, it is very important for industries such as print to ensure they are keeping up to date with these advances to make sure that they don't fall behind. Desktop publishing (DTP) is now used as an affordable solution in addition to software such as Quark express which is allowing independent publishing to increase. It is becoming more noticeable that the amount of consumer driven product innovation is rising instead of being done by companies such as IPC Media.

The technology that has had the most impact is the increase of tablets, such as the iPad. They are allowing people to access things much easier. An example of a magazine that now allows it's audience to download issues of the magazine from iTunes is Vogue. Not only does this allow a wider audience to view the magazine more easily, but it also allows the magazine companies to show more content through different media and technology; such as animation, video or 360-degree views used in the magazine rather than just an image. By using this technology, Vogue can offer it's audience a variety of new things, for example; enhanced design, interactive features, exclusive video, audio and web links, high resolution photography and extra bonus content; as well as the viewer being able to download the content anywhere that they have internet connection so do not have to go out and purchase the magazine.

Other large magazine companies are also making the decision to go digital because this is proving to be the way into the future as consumers would rather view a magazine and all of the new features digitally rather than through print. The app for Vogue is being sold by the large conglomerate Conde Nast where the viewer can sign up for a subscription or get each issue separately. Digital versions have became popular because of the consumers need for more. The fact that the audience would be able to fully interact with the content because of the digital element means that the audience can experience it better, which is what they want. To ensure that the magazine industry will exist in the future, other magazine companies will have to accommodate with the new technology. This quote from Gaunlett supports the new digital technologies within the magazine industry; “The view that the internet and new digital media as an optional extra is replaced with the recognition that they have fundamentally changed the ways we engage with all media”.

The following quote from Plunkett is very relevant to the present time because the internet is the most used way to contact the audiences and interact; “A new generation of UK media power players are ditching the traditional gatekeepers and going straight to their audience via the web”. Having the magazine content available to purchase in a digital format allows the audience to view it whenever they please. Companies such as Vogue and Elle use social networking sites such as Twitter to create interactions between the audience and the magazine. This can also work as a form of advertising for the magazines because they can tweet information about what will be included in the next issue of the magazine, making the audience want to read further into the story and then purchase the magazine. This form of technology has allowed the magazine industry to grow rapidly and communicating and interacting with their audience is the easiest it has ever been.

The information I have learnt about new digital technology is very important research for my final product. Adding digital influences will help me to ensure it's success.

Legal Restraints

In terms of legal restraints, there are different press rules when it comes to content that can be published. It is important to follow the law, especially in this industry. The consequences of breaking the law were shown from the News of the World scandal which you can see in the following article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/04/milly-dowler-voicemail-hacked-news-of-world.

The law that is most avoided is the one which states you cannot lie and the statements must not be misleading. This is must commonly avoided in gossip magazines that although the law states that all statements must be researched and true, they over exaggerate stories that are often lies to make their target audience more interested and therefore increase the sales of their product.

In regards to monitoring the content, there are two regulatory bodies: the ASA and the PCC who monitor different things in the media. The PCC monitors the content of the magazines and make sure that it is suitable for their target audience; whereas the ASA control the advertisements that are in the magazines and decide whether it is right for the audience the magazine are targeting. The PCC also set codes and regulations that the magazine publishers must follow. One of the regulations is 'accuracy'; this is to make sure that the magazine does not include content or images that is misleading and that must be true. Another regulation is 'opportunities to reply'; this is to ensure that the content covers both sides of a story so that the readers of the magazines will hear both sides of a story and will not have an unfair opinion that has been given to them by the magazine story and, encase their information is inaccurate, must also be open to adding any 'replies'. The last rule is 'privacy'. This rule states that the producers of the magazine content must recieve permission from subjects involved in the stories before publishing anything and that they also make sure that any of the content does not go against anything that subjects have said cannot be published. The ASA's role to 'regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK' is done through investigation of complaints about the adverts, sales promotions or direct marketing within the magazine content. It also makes sure the advertising is done to their advertising regulations. 


In terms of my own product, there won't really be any age restrictions as it is a regional magazine and therefore won't include any offensive content. I also won't be including any stories about real star models, so won't be necessary for me to get permission for any of the content.

Code of Practice -

All members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards. The Code, which includes this preamble and the public interest exceptions below, sets the benchmark for those ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the individual and the public's right to know. It is the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the industry has made a binding commitment.

It is essential that an agreed code be honoured not only to the letter but in the full spirit. It should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual, nor so broadly that it constitutes an unnecessary interference with freedom of expression or prevents publication in the public interest.

It is the responsibility of editors and publishers to apply the Code to editorial material in both printed and online versions of publications. They should take care to ensure it is observed rigorously by all editorial staff and external contributors, including non-journalists, in printed and online versions of publications.

Editors should co-operate swiftly with the Press Complaints Commission in the resolution of complaints. Any publication judged to have breached the Code must publish the adjudication in full and with due prominence agreed by the Commission's Director, including headline reference to the PCC.

1	Accuracy
	i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures. ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published. In cases involving the Commission, prominence should be agreed with the PCC in advance. iii) The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact. iv) A publication must report fairly and accurately the outcome of an action for defamation to which it has been a party, unless an agreed settlement states otherwise, or an agreed statement is published.
2	Opportunity to reply
	A fair opportunity for reply to inaccuracies must be given when reasonably called for.
3	*Privacy
	i) Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, including digital communications. ii) Editors will be expected to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent. Account will be taken of the complainant's own public disclosures of information. iii) It is unacceptable to photograph individuals in private places without their consent. Note - Private places are public or private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
4	*Harassment
	i) Journalists must not engage in intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit. ii) They must not persist in questioning, telephoning, pursuing or photographing individuals once asked to desist; nor remain on their property when asked to leave and must not follow them. If requested, they must identify themselves and whom they represent. iii) Editors must ensure these principles are observed by those working for them and take care not to use non-compliant material from other sources.
5	Intrusion into grief or shock
	i) In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively. This should not restrict the right to report legal proceedings, such as inquests. *ii) When reporting suicide, care should be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used.
6	*Children
	i) Young people should be free to complete their time at school without unnecessary intrusion. ii) A child under 16 must not be interviewed or photographed on issues involving their own or another child’s welfare unless a custodial parent or similarly responsible adult consents. iii) Pupils must not be approached or photographed at school without the permission of the school authorities. iv) Minors must not be paid for material involving children’s welfare, nor parents or guardians for material about their children or wards, unless it is clearly in the child's interest. v) Editors must not use the fame, notoriety or position of a parent or guardian as sole justification for publishing details of a child’s private life.
7	*Children in sex cases
	1. The press must not, even if legally free to do so, identify children under 16 who are victims or witnesses in cases involving sex offences. 2. In any press report of a case involving a sexual offence against a child - i) The child must not be identified. ii) The adult may be identified. iii) The word "incest" must not be used where a child victim might be identified. iv) Care must be taken that nothing in the report implies the relationship between the accused and the child.
8	*Hospitals
	i) Journalists must identify themselves and obtain permission from a responsible executive before entering non-public areas of hospitals or similar institutions to pursue enquiries. ii) The restrictions on intruding into privacy are particularly relevant to enquiries about individuals in hospitals or similar institutions.
9	*Reporting of Crime
	(i) Relatives or friends of persons convicted or accused of crime should not generally be identified without their consent, unless they are genuinely relevant to the story. (ii) Particular regard should be paid to the potentially vulnerable position of children who witness, or are victims of, crime. This should not restrict the right to report legal proceedings.

10	*Clandestine devices and subterfuge
	i) The press must not seek to obtain or publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine listening devices; or by intercepting private or mobile telephone calls, messages or emails; or by the unauthorised removal of documents or photographs; or by accessing digitally-held private information without consent. ii) Engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge, including by agents or intermediaries, can generally be justified only in the public interest and then only when the material cannot be obtained by other means.
11	Victims of sexual assault
	The press must not identify victims of sexual assault or publish material likely to contribute to such identification unless there is adequate justification and they are legally free to do so.
12	Discrimination
	i) The press must avoid prejudicial or pejorative reference to an individual's race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability. ii) Details of an individual's race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability must be avoided unless genuinely relevant to the story.
13	Financial journalism
	i) Even where the law does not prohibit it, journalists must not use for their own profit financial information they receive in advance of its general publication, nor should they pass such information to others. ii) They must not write about shares or securities in whose performance they know that they or their close families have a significant financial interest without disclosing the interest to the editor or financial editor. iii) They must not buy or sell, either directly or through nominees or agents, shares or securities about which they have written recently or about which they intend to write in the near future.
14	Confidential sources
	Journalists have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information.
15	Witness payments in criminal trials
	i) No payment or offer of payment to a witness - or any person who may reasonably be expected to be called as a witness - should be made in any case once proceedings are active as defined by the Contempt of Court Act 1981. This prohibition lasts until the suspect has been freed unconditionally by police without charge or bail or the proceedings are otherwise discontinued; or has entered a guilty plea to the court; or, in the event of a not guilty plea, the court has announced its verdict. *ii) Where proceedings are not yet active but are likely and foreseeable, editors must not make or offer payment to any person who may reasonably be expected to be called as a witness, unless the information concerned ought demonstrably to be published in the public interest and there is an over-riding need to make or promise payment for this to be done; and all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure no financial dealings influence the evidence those witnesses give. In no circumstances should such payment be conditional on the outcome of a trial. *iii) Any payment or offer of payment made to a person later cited to give evidence in proceedings must be disclosed to the prosecution and defence. The witness must be advised of this requirement.
16	*Payment to criminals
	i) Payment or offers of payment for stories, pictures or information, which seek to exploit a particular crime or to glorify or glamorise crime in general, must not be made directly or via agents to convicted or confessed criminals or to their associates – who may include family, friends and colleagues. ii) Editors invoking the public interest to justify payment or offers would need to demonstrate that there was good reason to believe the public interest would be served. If, despite payment, no public interest emerged, then the material should not be published.
THE PUBLIC INTEREST There may be exceptions to the clauses marked * where they can be demonstrated to be in the public interest. 1. The public interest includes, but is not confined to: i) Detecting or exposing crime or serious impropriety. i i) Protecting public health and safety. iii) Preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement of an individual or organisation. 2. There is a public interest in freedom of expression itself. 3. Whenever the public interest is invoked, the PCC will require editors to demonstrate fully that they reasonably believed that publication, or journalistic activity undertaken with a view to publication, would be in the public interest and how, and with whom, that was established at the time. 4. The PCC will consider the extent to which material is already in the public domain, or will become so. 5. In cases involving children under 16, editors must demonstrate an exceptional public interest to over-ride the normally paramount interest of the child.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2240715/Leveson-Report-Investigative-journalists-breach-data-protection-rules-face-2-years-jail.html This article was interesting to read in regards to changes that are being made to ensure journalists can't use personal information which is an important issue since the phone hacking scandal. 

Institution

A company or corporation sells products so that they can make a profit, which is known as an institution. The product could be many things, but in my case, it will be magazine institutions.

The total consumer for magazines in the UK is 2,471, and has an estimated value of £1.4 billion. The estimated total of business to business magazines is 3.2 billion and together will reach revenues of £7 billion by 2014.

To help satisfy the consumer's needs, magazine publishing institutions are using new ways of advertising in different forms of technologies, such as: tablets, mobiles, social media and online. This allows the viewer to find the information they are looking for on a range of devices.

Institutions also buy independent magazines in order to create more money. More copies will then be bought by the reader because the institution will have a wider audience of which it will be exposed to.

With an audience of 26 million UK adults (two thirds women and 42% men), IPC Media is the largest consumer magazine publisher in the UK. They have over 25 million users across the world each month and are split into three different publishing divisions. One of these is IPC Connect - publishing Woman Weekly which provides digital media in areas of fashion, celebrity, lifestyle, entertainment and TV. IPC Connect reaches approximately 9.4 million women monthly which is roughly 49% of the market place.

Based in Hamburg, Bauer Media Group are a German publishing company. They publish television listing magazines, but their main focus is on Woman's Weekly magazines. Popular magazines that are owned by Bauer Media Group are Bella, Take A Break and many others from a similar market place.

Q magazine and Kerrang! are some other popular magazines that Bauer Media Group brands include. They also have an involvement with the radio and television industry.

Cornwall and Devon Media is one of the most successful centres in the Northcliffe Newspaper publishing Group.

They publish magazines such as Cornwall Today, which is Cornwall's best selling life style magazine, Brides in Cornwall, the most popular bridal magazine in Cornwall, and Wavelength, which is the best selling surf magazine in the UK. They also own popular Country Gardener titles which are now published in eight different countries.

I think that I would choose Cornwall and Devon Media to publish my magazine because their portfolio doesn't currently consist of a magazine in the same genre as mine. This would give my magazine more of a chance of being published. Also, my magazine is a regional magazine so it would make sense for a regional institution to publish it.

History of Magazines and Newspapers

Timeline

• 1663 The world's first magazine – Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen (translation: Edifying Monthly Discussions) – is published in Germany. 

• 1731 The first modern general-interest magazine, The Gentleman's Magazine, is published in England as entertainment with essays, stories, poems and political commentary. 

• 1739 The Scots Magazine begins and today remains the oldest consumer magazine in print.
• 1741 Benjamin Franklin intends to publish America's first magazine, General Magazine, but is scooped when American Magazine comes out three days earlier.
• 1770 The first women's magazine, The Lady's Magazine, starts with literary and fashion content plus embroidery patterns.
• 1843 The Economist begins examining news, politics, business, science and the arts.
• 1857 The Atlantic magazine arrives.
• 1895 Collier's weekly magazine starts and is published until 1957.
• 1895 An American magazine, The Bookman, lists "Books in Demand" originating the idea of a bestseller list.
• 1896 The first pulp fiction magazines are printed on cheap wood pulp paper with ragged untrimmed edges.
• 1897 The old Saturday Evening Post is revived by Cyrus Curtis to become the most widely circulated weekly magazine.
• 1899 National Geographic appears.
• 1902 McClure's Magazine inaugurates the muckraking era with the article "Tweed Days in St. Louis" by C.H. Wetmore and Lincoln Steffens.
• 1912 Photoplay is the first magazine for movie fans.
• 1922 Reader's Digest begins publishing.
• 1925 New Yorker magazine arrives.
• 1923 Time, the first U.S. newsmagazine, is started by Henry Luce.
• 1933 Newsweek begins publication.
• 1933 Esquire is the first men's magazine.
• 1936 Life, a weekly photojournalism news magazine, is started by Henry Luce and continues to 1972.
• 1937 Look, a bi-weekly, general-interest and photojournalism magazine, starts and continues to 1971.
• 1944 Seventeen is the first magazine devoted to adolescents.
• 1953 TV Guide starts.
• 1953 Playboy opens with Marilyn Monroe on the cover.
• 1954 Sports Illustrated is started by Time magazine owner Henry Luce. Two other magazines with that name had been started in the 1930s and 1940s, but both had failed. 
  
• 1967 Rolling Stone demonstrates the popularity of special-interest magazines.
• 1967 New York magazine appears as a regional magazine.
• 1972 Feminist Gloria Steinem brings out Ms. magazine.
• 1974 People debuts with Mia Farrow on the cover.
• 1990 Entertainment Weekly starts.
• 1993 Wired magazine arrives with a voracious curiosity about everything under the Sun.

A2 Media Studies Coursework

I have chosen to create the first four pages from an original regional magazine for my A2 Media Coursework brief, as well as the website and billboard advertisement. I have decided that this brief would be the best choice for me as I am interested in the magazine institution as well as styles of photography that would be featured in magazines. I have also decided to create a website for the magazine and a billboard advertisement rather than a radio advertisement because I am more interested in visual media; so this will allow me to look further into different areas. I would also like to do a regional magazine because I think I would be able to portray Cornwall well as I have always lived in the county and have visited many beautiful locations that could feature in my magazine; I think this would attract a local audience as well as other people from around the country because they would appreciate the photographs and be able to interact with the magazine.