Example of student's research work for a GCSE Media Studies production project

2. Type: General Magazine (beauty, fashion, lifestyle)
Publisher: Hachette Filipacchi
Target Audience: Women 18-35
ELLE magazine appeals to their target audience because the colours are often very feminine (pinks and
purples), also the magazine includes women’s fashion and beauty and the main image is often if not
always a female celebrity. It always includes a title which is large and in capitals on the top so it very easily
recognisable to readers. The cover includes a barcode, a price, anchorage text and sells lines.
Type: Specialist Magazine (children’s television)
Publisher: Immediate Media Company London Limited under licence from BBC Worldwide
Target Audience: Children aged 2-6
Cbeebies magazine appeals to its target audience because it uses lots of bright colours which are
attractive to children. There is also less writing and lots of pictures because young children can’t read
very well. It includes a title, logo, barcode, sell lines and lots of colours and pictures to appeal to children.
Magazine Research
ELLE Magazine
Cbeebies Magazine

3. Type: Specialist Magazine (music)
Publisher: Mark Ellen and David Hepworth
Target Audience: Men & women 18+ interested in music
Q magazine appeals to its target audience because it is
red/white/black which tends to be the colours that would appeal more
to adults. The main image is of a famous music artist who links with
the genre of the magazine therefore appealing to the people
interested in music. The main image is usually a man which is why
some may say it is aimed more at male readers. The anchorage text
is large and bold so the readers know who the main image is. It
includes lots of sell lines about which artists are featured inside. The
title is slightly covered by the main image but this doesn’t matter
because the title is iconic and recognized by its audience. It also
includes a barcode and price.
Q Magazine

4. Genre Conventions
All the magazine covers in the mood board are on the higher end
of the fashion genre therefore have very minimal writing and a
large image taking up most of the page. They are all modern and
stylish and appeal to teenagers/young adults. These magazines are
priced between £5 and £10. This of the higher end in terms of
pricing for magazines because they are famous and high end
fashion.

6. ANALYSIS OF MAGAZINES
The title is large and in capital
letters, it’s a faded white and the
font is thin and stylish to match the
fashion genre. It’s placed in the top
third of the magazine so it is visible
to readers even if its placed on a
top shelf.
The main image is of Jenifer Lawrence. The
main image is a female which means the target
audience is also females because they will look
up to Jenifer Lawrence and admire her make-up
and jewellery in the photo. Her face takes up
most of the page and she is using direct mode
of address to attract people’s attention to the
magazine.
A very important aspect to the
magazine is the barcode and
price so people know how much
the magazine is before they
decide to buy it.
The word ‘fashion ‘is in big
capitals letters so the genre of
the magazine is obvious before
reading it. It’s written in the
same font and colour as the title
so it fits the stylish theme and
matches the rest of the cover.
This is the anchorage text to
say who the main image is of.
This will attract the target
audience to buy the magazine
because she is a famous actress
who would appeal to the target
audience.
These are the sell
lines, there aren't very
many on this magazine
because it is high
profile so it doesn’t
need very many.
Overall this magazine is very
minimalistic. The main image
takes up most of the page and
there is a very small amount of
text. This is because the magazine
is high profile and doesn’t need
lots of advertising to get people to
buy it. Harper's Bazaar is a world-
renowned arbiter of fashion and
good taste. Created in 1867 it is
America's first fashion magazine.
These are the main colours used on the
magazine cover. They’re very plain which
makes the image stand out and makes the
overall cover look modern and high fashion.

7. ANALYSIS: ‘LOVE’ MAGAZINE
The title is in large writing covering
right across the top of the page so
the title can be spotted even on the
top of a shelf. It is bright and multi-
coloured to make the title stand out
on the shelf. It is got the effect of
paint dripping down the page and
gives the cover a young/urban look.
This is the important
information that readers
need to know. The price and
barcode are featured on
every copy so people can
buy the magazine. It is
normally positioned in the
bottom corner (in this case
on the left) because it is only
a small feature which is
essential but doesn’t need to
stand out.
The main image is a female which
indicates that this particular issue
is targeted at females. The way her
hair is styled suggests that the
magazine is alternative but the top
she is wearing shows the magazine
is still high end fashion. The image
takes up the majority of the page
because the cover is very minimal
and LOVE covers are mostly
dominated by the image rather
than text.
The text at the bottom (Miley) is the anchorage text which is telling us who the main image is of and because Miley is famous and people know
who she is there is no need to include her last name. People who like Miley Cyrus will be attracted to buy this issue and will know straight
away that it is her on the cover. It is written in lower case and in the same font as the title but black and looks a lot softer because it is lower
case. The anchorage text is positioned at the bottom of the page so it is underneath the main image indicating that it is who the image is of. It
is softer than the title because the information isn’t as important but is still the same font so they fit together nicely.
The background is plain and
is sky blue. Aqua blue is also
used in the title, this is so
they don’t blend together but
also don’t clash against each
other. Aqua blue is a unisex
colour which shows the
magazine could be targeted
at either gender and is a
bright and attractive colour
which draws the audience to
look at the cover straight
away.
These are the main colours used on the
magazine cover, these colours are very
bright, fun and appealing which attracts
people’s eye and shows the magazine is
alternative and targeted at
teenagers/young people.

8. LOVE magazine unlike most
other magazines have
multiple contents pages
throughout the magazine
rather than just one at the
beginning. This is to split up
the magazine into smaller
sections. Each contents
page of this issue looks
practically identical but
with different information. I
wont be using this multiple
contents page idea in my
magazine because I think
its confusing and my
magazine wont be as long
so wont need to include as
much information on the
contents.
Because the magazine has
multiple contents pages they
don’t have loads of writing on
them and look stylish and
uncluttered. The information is
split up into 9 small paragraphs
making it easier to read and to
find something quickly.
The title is in the same font as
used on the cover and is black
with 2 small lines in front of it. It
looks very minimalistic and
modern which fits the
alternative and stylish genre of
the magazine.
At the bottom of the page is a
picture of some flowers. This adds a
nice touch to the contents page by
giving the readers something nice
to look at rather than just writing. It
has bright appealing colours and
would be targeted stereotypically at
a female audience because they are
flowers and pink/red colours are
used.
The colours are quite
feminine and are also
darker than the colours
on the cover and look as
if they would be targeted
at young adults rather
than teenagers.

9. Again the same font is
used again so all the
pages fit together and
match the title’s font.
Almost the whole
page is covered with
writing which shows
the magazine is
targeted at 16+
because an older
audience are more
able readers and
would be interested
in the information as
well as pictures. The
writing is written in
columns making the
page look neat and
organised.
On the second
page as well as
writing pictures
are used to liven
up the double
page spread and
give the reader
something else to
look at other than
text. The pictures
are laid out neatly
along side each
other leaving only
a small white gap
in-between so they
look symmetrical
and stylish. The
images are of
catwalk models
which match the
fashion genre and
presumably are
related to the
article.
On this page the writing is organised into a small quote at the
top then a column down the side of the pictures. Both of the
pages are organised neatly into three sections so looking
across the double page spread everything is symmetrical
which is pleasing to the eye.
Although there is lots of text everything
looks very neat therefore uncluttered
which matches the minimal cover and
contents page.
The colours are mainly
black and white which is
very minimal and stylish
however small amount of
yellow is used on the
picture to draw attention
to the images.

10. ANALYSIS: ‘ID’ MAGAZINEThis is the title of ID magazine,
unlike other magazines the title of
ID is sideways on the left hand
side of the magazine but still at
the top so it can be seen on the
top shelf of a rack . The font is
large so it can be identified as ID
magazine from a distance. The
title is white and seems to lend
into the background slightly but
because ID is a big and high end
magazine its readers can
recognize it is ID magazine from
its other iconic features.
On every cover of ID magazine
the model on the front has one
eye covered. This is the main,
most iconic feature of ID
magazine which means the
magazine can be identified
without the title standing out so
much.
These are the cover lines which tell us about
what's inside the magazine. They are in a
small font as they aren’t as important as
other information on the cover. They are in
red so they don’t blend into the background
and give the cover a little colour.
The barcode and price are a very
important aspect of the cover
and need to be visible which is
why they are placed in the top
corner isolated from everything
else.
The main image is of a model who has
short hair which is quite alternative. She
is using direct mode of address to draw
in the reader and attract them to the
magazine. She has black nail polish and is
wearing a black lace bandeau which
looks high fashion. Her collar bones and
arms are exposed and she isn’t wearing
very much make-up which makes her
look young and innocent. Because the
model is female and around 18 years old
this shows us the target audience would
be girls 16+.
This is the main cover line of the magazine
which is smaller than the title but larger
than the other cover lines. Apart from the
title it is the biggest typeface on the page
and has a soft font. The colour is white
(same as the title) so it matches the black
and white theme. The font is soft and looks
delicate like the model. ‘There are no rules’
sounds very rebellious and is a cover line
which would appeal to teenagers because
stereotypically teenagers are rebellious.
Overall the cover is very
minimal and the main image
dominates the page rather
than text because the
magazine is high end.
The colours are very modern
and are used commonly in
alternative magazines because
they look new and interesting.

11. The title is at the top of the
page so its visible straight
away, its in the same font as
the rest of the text but slightly
bigger and bold so it stands
out.
The text is laid out in a
wide column down the
centre of the page. It
looks neat and is easy
to read.
In the background is the
title ‘ID’ in a sponged
effect so it looks faded
into the background and
the writing on top is still
visible. This adds a nice
effect to the contents
page and means that if
you were to see the
contents page on its own
you would know what
magazine it was from.
ID magazine the same as
LOVE magazine has
multiple contents pages
throughout the magazine
rather than just one at the
beginning. This is to split up
the magazine into smaller
sections. Each contents
page of this issue looks
practically identical but
with different information. I
wont be using this multiple
contents page idea in my
magazine because I think
its confusing and my
magazine wont be as long
so wont need to include as
much information on the
contents.
At the bottom of the page is the image from the cover of the magazine
shrunk down, the ID is stamped over it so it doesn’t really stand out. It
is included on the contents page so that when reading about the
magazine the readers can also look at the cover without flicking back to
the front.
These are the main colours used on the contents
page. It is mainly black and white like the cover but
then with a splash of pink which brightens up the
page and gives it that extra touch to appeal young
people especially females.

12. The whole of the left hand page is covered with writing, this
would be more appealing to an older audience who are better
readers and who enjoy the information in the magazine more
than other aspects.
The writing is
organized into two
columns which
makes the page
look neat and
symmetrical which
is pleasing to the
eye and makes it
more logical to
read. Because
there is lots of
writing you can tell
straight away this
magazine is aimed
at an audience of
16+.
The image is very big and
takes up almost the whole
of the page just leaving a
white frame around it. The
fact that it is large will
draw the readers
attention to the picture.
The girl looks quite young
and her hair is covering
one of her eyes. Because
she looks about 17 means
that the image was
targeted at an audience of
around the same age. One
of her eyes is covered to
fit with the theme that ID
always use that one eye is
always covered. Her other
eye is looking over onto
the other page which
intrigues the reader and
makes them want to read
it.
Like the girl on the
front the model is
wearing hardly any
makeup and her hair
looks natural which
makes her also look
young and innocent.
This double page spread uses very plain and natural colours.
Overall it is very neat, uncluttered and looks pleasing because
it is aimed at a 16+ audience so doesn’t need bright colours or
loads of pictures.

13. Colour Palettes
I like this colour palette because although black
and white is very simple its also a classic colour
combination which is used in lots of magazines
because of how effective it looks. A minimalistic
colour scheme like this makes the main image
stand out and look better quality.
This colour palette is very different. Its not often
that you would see this combination being used
but this is why I like it because its alternative
which fits the genre of my magazine. It’s new
and fresh and would really stand out on a
magazine rack.
This colour palette is very pleasing to the eye. These
colours are often associated with summer and as
summer is coming up these colours would fit very
nicely. Also, this season pastel colours are
supposedly ‘in’ which would fit nicely as my
magazine is all about what's new and trendy. These
colours are very girly which would fit the target
audience of girls 15+.

14. I like this colour palette because its
quite different but it works really well
and all the colours complement each
other really nicely. They look quite
vintage and also very classy. The pink
adds a feminine touch and would
definitely appeal to my target
audience.
This colour palette is quite simple but
looks very modern. Its fresh and is very
bright so would catch a readers eye
straight away.
This colour scheme is not
something you would expect to
look nice together but on the cover
I think they complement each
other nicely. It looks very feminine
and attractive.

16. AUDIENCE PROFILE
I have decided that my target audience will be girls aged 15-24 years old. The genre I have chosen is
alternative fashion. The magazine will be high end and priced at around £4. The magazine will be
published every month and will contain 80-100 pages. I will use modern/trendy colours to make the
magazine stand out and look more alternative to other fashion magazines. The magazine will include
articles about fashion and what is ‘in’ at the moment.
FEMALE
Name: Tats Sullivan
Age: 15
Interests: fashion, music, football, socialising
Favourite bands/artists: Kasabian, Little Comets, Bombay Bicycle Club, London Grammar, SBTRKT,
Mumford & Sons, M.I.A, Mount Kimbie
Favourite places to shop/brands: Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Nasty Gal, American Apparel, Office
Profession/Occupation: Saturday Girl at Barry Bott Jewellers
Other Info: Lives in Cosby, plays for Cosby Girls FC, regularly reads magazines such as Love, ID and
Bazaar

17. MALE
Name: Chris Causier
Age: 16
Interests: music, football, socialising
Favourite bands/artists: Nujabes, Bon Iver, Death Grips, Joey Bada$$, Madvillain, Jamie T,
Action Bronson
Favourite places to shop/brands: Wellgosh,Office/Stussy,Supreme,Bape
Profession/Occupation: Unemployed Student
Other Info: Lives in Braunstone Town, plays for Ayelstone Park FC
From this audience profiles I have created I can
design my magazine based things that they like so
the magazine I create will appeal to them.

18. After looking at the UK Tribes website I decided that the
type of people I will be targeting my magazine at are
LEADING EDGE people, particularly indie scenesters who
discover the newest fashions and music before anyone
else which is what my magazine is all about. Considering
my target group of people I will be focusing on brands
such as Urban Outfitters and Lazy Oaf which are high
fashion and alternative. They stock clothes which would be
considered ‘high fashion’ and ‘ahead of the curve’.

19. Questionnaire Research
Web Link To My Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SYP2Z3G
The majority of responses from my
survey were female (4/5). This will be
good for my research because my
magazine is targeted at females but it is
also good to have some feedback from a
male audience member as well.
The people who answered my
survey were 16,16,15 and 23. This is
the age range I will be targeting my
magazine at which is good because I
can use their ideas and thoughts
when designing my magazine.

20. The only two options that were chosen were
‘High Street’ and ‘Casual’ fashion. Although
my magazine wont just be based on these
fashions I will include articles based on
‘High Street’ and ‘Casual’ so that they can
look at clothes they may buy themselves.
Lots of the brands were chosen and a
few were not but I will be looking at the
most chosen brands. These were:
• Urban Outfitters
• Topshop
• American Apparel
• ASOS
Other brands which were chosen by
more than one person were:
• Nike
• Lazy Oaf
• Adidas
• Penfield
• Converse
• Vans
• French Connection
From this research I can include the
brands which most people liked in my
magazine.

21. 2 people had never heard of ID magazine and the other
3 people said they didn’t buy it. I am basing my
magazine on magazines like ID magazine so this
concerns me.
Most people said that they usually spend between £3 and £4
on fashion magazines I will price my magazine at around this
price so that taking into consideration their age it will be
affordable to my target audience.
Most people said they would like to see more pictures in the
magazine so when creating it I will ensure I use lots of
pictures. 2 people said they would like to see more text so I
will also ensure I include a fair amount of text inside too. No-
one wanted to see advertising so I will limit the adverts.

22. From this I can see that everyone would like to see
black and white on the cover so that is a definite.
Other colours which most people chose were:
• Red
• Purple
• Orange
• Gold
• Grey
Most of the other colours were also chosen apart from
brown but when choosing my colour scheme I will use
the most popular colours so the cover will attract my
target audience.

23. These responses will be very useful to me when I create my magazine because with
this information I can make sure that inside my magazine I can include something
that my target audience wants to see and this will attract them to buy the
magazine and others alike. It seems that they all want to see clothes which are high
end but can be purchased at affordable prices which I can definitely include.

24. When I design the cover of my magazine this information will be really useful to me.
From this I can conclude that I need a little writing but not too much, no cheesy
captions or celebrity gossip and I need someone recognizable on the front who isn’t an
overly skinny model.

25. Does The Page Work?
Inside the top hotspot is the eye of the doll and the earring.
Inside the bottom hotspot is the sleeve of the dress.
Inside the top hotspot is Lady Gaga’s eye and her goggles.
Inside the bottom hotspot is the bottom of her hair and part of the
anchorage text (sell lines).
In both hotspots at the top of the page there is an eye in the hotspot, this is highlighted
because the person is using direct mode of address to attract readers. In love magazine the
bottom hotspot is the sleeve of the dress to draw attention to the clothes. In the bottom
hotspot of V magazine includes a bit or the anchorage text so the readers will want to buy
the magazine as they will spot this straight away.

26. In the top hotspot is the models hair. This is in the hotspot because her
hair has been professionally done and is nicely styled. In the bottom
hotspot you can see the models back which is curvy and will make the
audience want to read about the dress and its good to have curvy
models on the cover of a magazine rather than stick thin women.
In the top hotspot is the models eye which is significant to this
magazine because in every ID magazine one eye is covered. Also the
eye is using direct mode of address to attract the readers attention
which is important. In the bottom hotspot is the models mouth with
the anchorage text inside so the readers notice this straight away.

27. In the top hotspot is the models hair and part of the leopard she is
holding. This highlights the leopard print on the animal and her hair
which has been styled professionally. In the bottom hotspot is the
patterns on her dress which are very detailed and fashionable
highlighting that the genre is fashion.
In the top hotspot is the number 758 which is significant
because it tells the reader there are 758 pages which is a selling
point. In the bottom hotspot is the anchorage text ‘Kate Moss’
who is the model on the cover which is also a selling point.

28. £3.50
DRAFT 1
OF
COVER
This draft would
appeal to my target
audience because
the cover star is
young and
alternative. This
magazine purposely
breaks the
conventions by
putting text across
her face to make it
stand out and be
alternative/high end.

29. DRAFT 2
OF COVER
I prefer this draft
because its
minimalistic
therefore looks
expensive and high
end. It is uncluttered
and looks alternative
and also stylistic
therefore would
appeal to my target
audience. This
magazine purposely
breaks magazine
conventions by
leaving the page very
bare and uncluttered
as if it does not have
to sell itself to the
buyer. The target
audience do not
desire value for
money but want
quality and style
instead.
£5.00
ISSUE 5 FURURE OF FASHION
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
GRACE ARGYLE STYLE

30. 5 Designer Interviews
17 High Street Fashion
34 Future of Fashion
65 Designer of the month
84 Shoe Collection
103 Culture In Fashion
145 Cover Story
178 Boutiques
200 Celebrity Style
DRAFT OF
CONTENTS
PAGE
I like this draft
because it’s a high
fashion image and it
looks modern and
also very classy. It
looks expensive and
would appeal to my
target audience
because its new and
alternative.

31. PLANNING/RESEARCH
Font: I have chosen this font because its big so it stands out.
The lettering is thin which makes it looks classy and simple .
The font is called NEOU. It will appeal to my target audience
because it looks modern and attractive.
Colour Palette:
I have chosen this colour palette because it’s
classy, which fits with the rest of the magazine
and at the same time is alternative and the
colours complement each other. They will appeal
to my target audience because they are modern
and look fresh and new.
Cover Star: Tats Sullivan
Make-up:Thismakeup stylewouldappealto the target audiencebecauseit’smodernand uses
bright coloursandglitter making it lookalternativeand unique.
Hair: Ilike thesehairstylesbecausetheylookhighfashionand frame
theface.Theywouldappealtomy targetaudiencebecausetheylook
modernandalternative.
Clothes:I wanttouse clotheslike thisbecausetheyarebold,alternative
andmake astatementwhichwouldappealtothetargetaudience.