Magazine Publisher Case Study 1 (Bauer)

Bauer magazine is one of the largest currently in the UK. This is because it publishes a large variety of magazines, featuring completely different topics and interests in order to gain all kinds of readers across Britain.

One topic of magazine that Bauer publishes is Women s weekly and woman interest.The main aims for these specific magazines that Bauer publish is to 'Touch the lives of millions of women' each time the magazine is published and they also want to focus on the best real life stories, puzzles and competitions to ensure the reader is fully satisfied with the magazine after purchase. An example of a big UK Women's magazine is Take a Break, which is the current best selling UK Woman's magazine. Bauer also publishes things such as Woman's holiday special magazines which is also full of popular reads and true life stories.Bauer are also behind the popular Woman's magazine Spirit and Destiny, the UK's best selling spiritual lifestyle magazine.

Bauer Publishing also publishes a series of TV listing magazines that they claim to be 'the perfect companion to make the most of your TV viewing.' Bauer are the publishers of the very popular TV listings magazine TV Choice which is the biggest overall selling magazine in the UK. This magazine in particular contains a full range of TV listings, alongside some of the best soap gossip and also the 'best' in TV news and gossip. This magazine is targeted at those who really want to keep up to date with all things new, behind the scenes and insights into the latest TV programs.

Bauer wish to meet the interests of all kinds of readers throughout the UK. This is shown through the publishing of another somewhat well known magazine 'Wonderpedia.' This magazine is aimed at the more intelligent or rather, those who enjoy thinking further into things. Bauer claims that this magazine is aimed at 'enquiring the mind' and its purpose is to make people see the world in a different way while at the same time, thinking about new questions and answers about the world that no-one has thought about before.

Especially with the Women's Weekly magazines, Bauer like to place puzzles and competitions in their magazines. So much so, that they have published magazines that just contain puzzles and competitions. Bauer have over 25 puzzle magazine portfolios that are set out to entice the interests of everyone. One magazine in particular that Bauer publishes is 'Take a Crossword' which is the UK's favorite crossword monthly since 1993. They also are the publishers of 'Take a Puzzle' which is the best selling variety puzzles magazine. They also publish a range of mini puzzle titles that are there for people to take anywhere they go in order to provide some kind of entertainment.

Other than a few food based magazines that Bauer publishes, these are the main titles and portfolios that Bauer publishes. A lot of which are UK best sellers and favorites.

Magazine Company Case Study

Magazine Textual Analysis 7 (DPS)

This is a double page spread published by magazine company 'Look' in 2010. The pages are clearly about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. There is an image or Pattinson filling the entire right half of the page. There are a couple of images of Pattinson and Stewart together. There are also several quotations used on the screen. 

Due to the number of images on the page, it seems a lot more colourful than it actually is. Without the images, the page would just be black and white. The lighting on the main photo is probably staged as there is a lack of scenery meaning there would be no sources of natural light. Because the movie 'Twilight' is seen as more of a girls film, this spread would probably be read by girls aged 16-30. Race or class would not be in concern on this spread as people from around the world are fans of Twilight and would therefore know who these people would be. Pattinsons eye gaze, gestures and expressions are aimed fully at the readers, possibly making us readers feel more engaged with him and the information about him. It doesn't appear that Pattinson is wearing make up and also, he is wearing what could be considered the 'average persons' clothing. This could be for the male readers, making them feel a bit more like the famous actor as they would have the sam fashion sense as him. There are no prop used in the main photo and also it is unclear as to where the photo was taken as there is no indications that could hint at the photos location. 

The shot distance on the main photo of Pattinson, i would say, is a Medium Long Shot (MLS.) This is because the shot isn't fully focused on Pattinsons head, some of his body is showing but only down to his waist. The rest of his body is out of the shot completely. The camera angle on this image is a simple eye level shot as the eye is mainly drawn to Pattinsons head as you look at the image. Everything on this spread is in focus; nothing had been blurred or faded out. I would say that the film stock is rather smooth, even though most of it is in black and white. It seems like the spread is designed like a newspaper article. The lighting in the image is high key as it seems like there is light coming from multiple angles, however i don't feel that the lighting is expressive of the mood. 

There are a lot of quotations used on both pages of this spread. Even the main title of this entire spread is written as a quotation 'Kristen needs patience to date me.' This could be used as a way to possibly make us readers feel a little closer to the story as we get direct quotes from the celebrities. There is also the use of a giant capital at the start of the article. This could just be placed to stress importance on the following text. The overall preferred reading is to keep up to date with the gossip concerning the relationship between the two stars of the hit film trilogy Twilight. A common Look convention seen in this double page spread is the fact that it is laid out to look like a newspaper. This is a common thing throughout Look magazines as this specific title of magazine is there to let fans know what their icons do in their personal lives. This double page spread also used a lot of quotations. This is a good thing for the audience as it makes them feel as if they are getting to know a lot more about their icons by hearing directs quotes about their lives from the celebrities themselves. The target audience for this double page spread would most probably be females aged between 15-30. This is because a lot of the younger generation of women enjoy the twilight films and would probably be interested in the stars personal lives, whereas men on the other hand probably would not care as much.

Magazine Textual Analysis 6 (DPS)

This is a Double Page Spread from the  Music Magazine Company 'Q' published in 2010. The spread is split into two halves. The left half shows a giant photograph of Lady Gaga and the Right half contains all of the information about Gaga. The top right of the page tells us who the celebrity is if you couldn't tell from the photograph. Also there is L placed in the centre of the right half of the page, probably meaning the first letter of Lady Gaga. 

The colour scheme on this page is rather dull as most of it is in black and white. The only colour contrast on the page is the giant L on the right page that is completely red. The lighting on the image of Gaga is likely to be staged and not natural. This is because you can slightly see where the lighting has been focused, which on this image would be the left side of her face. This would be aimed at people of both sexes as Lady Gaga is well-known and enjoyed by both genders across the world. This also wouldn't be aimed at a specific class as, like i said, she is well-known by most people, whether they are working class or high class. Her eye gaze and gestures are aimed towards the reader, making us feel more engaged with Gaga and the information about her on the page. Even though only the upper half of Gaga torso is showing, it is clear to see that she is wearing a rather erotic and revealing shirt, confirmed by the fact that she is covering her breasts with her hand. There are no props at all used in this image. It is impossible to tell where this image was taken as the background is a blain shade of white and shows no scenery at all. I think the simplicity if the whole double page spread is the thing that links all of the elements together. 

I would say that the shot distance on the image of Gaga is a Medium Shot (MS) because the shot is zoomed in a lot but not enough so that only the head and shoulders are the only things visible. The camera angle on the image is a simple eyes level shot as the eyes of Gaga are near enough in the middle of the page. Because there is only one image on the screen, everything on the page is in focus. Blurring or putting anything out of focus would be pointless as there is not much on the page anyway. I would say that the film stock is actually rather grainy, mainly because everything, except for the the giant L, is black and white. This also means that the page is of high contrast as there are not many shades on this page. The lighting on the image is not natural, however, due to the pages simplicity, it is expressive of the mood of the magazine. I would say that the lighting would be low key as it seems the light is only coming from one general direction.  

There is quite a bit of word use on this double page spread. This meaning that the entire right half of this double page spread is nothing but writing. This page also used the big capitals at the start of a couple of paragraphs. This could mean that this particular paragraph is a more important one or maybe something different. There is also, clearly, a giant red L on that covers the right half of the page. This is possibly there just to add a little bit of colour and to help the design of the page stand out a bit more. The preferred reading of this double page spread is just to learn a little more about Lady Gaga's life away from her music career. There are a lot of typical Q magazine conventions used on this page. The first of which being the layout. In a lot of Q double page spreads the layout is set so that the entire left page is taken by an image of the covered celebrity, and the right page is filled with information about that celebrity, who in this case is Lady Gaga. This layout completely defies the rule of thirds but it makes this magazines contents page unique. Another common factor in these contents pages is the use of drop caps. There is a big S and also a big I to start off a particularly important section of the text, but the most visible is the giant red L covering the black text on the right page. This is a common trait and is just the first letter of the artists name. This also adds to the idea of making the pages unique to Q. There is also the strict use of the Red, Black and White colours as this is Q's main brand identity, the use of the same simple, yet relevant colour scheme. It is also clear that the image of GAGA has been photoshopped. This is just to make her look better for the camera and to the readers. The overall target audience for this double page spread would definitely be of a large scale. Im thinking men and women aged from maybe 18 all the way up to say 65. The reason for this being that Lady Gaga is a world wide phenomenon who is loved by a lot of people allover the world, therefore by using Gaga, Q will gain a lot more readers as Gaga appeals to a very wide audience range.

Magazine Textual Analysis 5 (Contents Page)

This is a contents page by the magazine company Vogue, published in February 2010. The masthead is written in big bold letters above the main image of the model that is places in the centre of the page. A lot of the page is coloured in black and white with the odd bit of colour running through out. There appears to be a lot of information on the page as well as some images. Each of the contents are marked by there own sub heading. 

The colour scheme on this contents page is rather simple as the majority of the page is just black and white. There is, however, some colour running through the page with the orange text and also the models orange dress. The lighting used in the image on this contents page is clearly staged as the light appears to be coming from one general direction. The model on the page is an attractive female, hinting that the target audience for this magazine would be either men aged 18-30 or women who are seeking fashion tips, also aged between 18-30.  The fact that a section of the contents page is labeled 'fashion' and also that the models dress seems rather expensive, this may possibly be aimed at a more higher class audience. The eye gaze of the model is not aimed at the audience; her attention is astray from the readers. She has a rather fake gesture in the image as you never see people like this in reality. Its probable that she is just posing like this to make herself and her dress stand out more. The model seems almost over the top with both her dress and make up. It seems like a lot of effort has been put in to make the model look as she does. She has plenty of make up on her face, from the view we get, the make up around her eyes seems orange. This is possibly to match the dress and to look good altogether. There are no actual props being used in this image, however the model is wearing a lot of accessories including necklaces and bracelets. It is impossible to tell the location in which this image was taken as the background is very plain and shows no scenery. The main eye catcher of the page is the model as she is in the centre of the page and also her dress is the brightest thing on the page, colour wise. 

The shot distance for this image is a Medium Long Shot (MLS) as you can see a lot of the models body except below the knee area. I would say the camera angle on this image is a slight worms eye angle as you have to look up the page in order to see the models face. Everything on this page is in focus as there is not a lot on this page that required a lot of focus so it wouldn't make sense to blur anything out. The film stock on this page is ver smooth as everything is very clear. A lot of the page is just black and white, however parts of text and the model are in colour so the page is not entirely black and white. The lighting on this image is not natural, however it is expressive of the mood. The lighting helps to draw the eye to the model, which is intended to be the main eye catcher on the page. The typography on this page relates to the image itself. This is because the orange text is what the audiences eye gets drawn to while reading, just like the eye is drawn to the image as the audience scans the page. 

There are not really ay clever uses for the words on this page, most things are straight to the point. There is one headline that uses a question rather than a solid headline 'Can you predict the future?' This could be used to possibly interest or even make them curious about what they could find out on that page. I think the preferred reading for this contents page is to learn what is there to read in the magazine, but also to learn about fashion due to the headline entitled 'Fashion.' There are quite a few Vogue conventions used on this contents page. The main ones being the layout and the Masthead. On each and very contents page made by Vogue, they have the same layout. This layout somewhat defies the rule of thirds as the masthead covers the entire top of the page and covers up a part of the image. The image is positioned in the centre of the page rather than near the bottom or on the left hand side. However the feature articles remain on the right hand side of the page, some on the bottom. Another common factor seen in a lot of these contents pages is the term 'In Vogue.' This headline is there to cover some of the main things that change each edition that you can expect to read about further on in the magazine. And also because it is used in most editions of Vogue, it has become somewhat the catchphrase of the magazine. The target audience for this magazine is definitely for female readers aged between 17-30. this is definitely a magazine set out to catch the attention of the more younger female generation due to the bright colours, feature articles and the most up to date fashion tips to date. For a lot of girls in this age range, fashion would become a main asset in their lives.

Magazine Textual Analysis 4 (Contents Page)

This is a legitimate contents page from a music magazine published by music magazine company Vibe in October 2008. The page shows a narrow range of colours within both the background and text. There is an attractive woman filling a lot of the page in a semi-erotic pose. Thos woman is there to be the main eye catcher on this page.  This is a very plain, easy magazine contents page. 

The colour scheme on this contents is very basic. The whole page consists of just black and white, with the background being black at the top of the page and gradually fading to white as it reaches the bottom of the page.  The lighting on this page is clearly staged as there is a visible shadow on the bottom left of the page. From the writing fonts combined with the image on the page, i would say that this is aimed at both genders. This contents page screams basic, but the fonts and image also hint at a classy magazine. The eye gaze and gestures of the woman in the image is aimed directly at the audience, making readers feel more engaged and involved with the magazine. The model used in this image has clearly been dressed in a very erotic yet classy fashion with the legless leotard, bracelets, shoes and make up. There are no props being used or set in place in the image. It is impossible to tell the location of the image as the model is set in front of a blank backdrop with no scenery or even props. The centre of the frame is technically the models legs, however the eye is immediately drawn to the bottom of the page where the models head and body is. The fact that everything on the page seems very simple yet classy connects the elements together.

I would say that the shot distance on this image would be a Long Shot (LS).  This is because you can see the models entire body is visible on the screen however she is not so far back that the shot can be considered an Extreme Close Up (ECU). This camera angle is not quite a birds eye angle as you don't entirely look down on the model, however you do have to look down the page to see the model fully. Everything in this shot is in focus. there is only one thing on this page that really needs focus and that is the image, which is in perfect focus. Even though the sort of theme of this contents page is Black and White, there still seems to be a rather smooth film stock. There is also a high contrast of colours as there are not a lot of shades on the page. As already mentioned, the lighting in not natural as there is a visible shadow caused by staged lighting. 

From the things written on the contents page, the preferred reading is to gain fashion tips and possibly to learn about what the celebs are wearing. This page shows a lot of the typical Vibe conventions that are shown in most Vibe contents pages. The first being the giant outlined V at the top of the page. This is a common trait in a lot of the Vibe magazines, as is the colour scheme used. The use of the plain colours with the dark fading to bright is also a common thing to see in each of the Vibe magazines. This is a rather posh/mature magazine so the use of the simple colours is relevant for this kind of contents page. What else is common in each Vibe contents page is the use of the same two feature articles 'Features and Fashion.' This is a popular fashion magazine, so that is the main topic that the magazine will cover, hens the use of it on the contents page. This contents pages structure shows that it follows the rule of thirds. As you can see, there is the big V on the top left of the page, all of the major information down the entire right hand side of the page, and the bottom is filled with an image. A basic form of the rule of thirds. The overall target audience for this magazine would be women, probably aged between 20-50. The reason the age gap is so far is because this is a more of a mature magazine title as opposed to other fashion magazine. There are a lot of fashion hints and tips aimed at a more older generation as well as tips aimed at the more common generation aged between 20-35.