Primary Research Results

Primary research

In order to create a base to begin creating my magazine i wanted to do a survey asking multiple questions to get an understanding of what my peers wanted from a magazine and their ages as i believe that the two go hand in hand. I did this by creating a google questionnaire which was anonymous and shared it around my peers as well as my social media outlets to ensure i got a wide range of answers from those of a similar age to me, i asked five questions all relating back to important aspects of my blog. I manage to do this successfully, enabling to me to begin to understand what people wanted from my magazine. 

 Overall i was surprised with some of the outcomes of my survey. The age range, however did not. As the survey was shared between those of a similar age to me, i knew that there would not be many over the age of 20. As my focus point of my magazine is attempting to attract those of age of 18-30 i would have liked to have had more over the age of 20 than those 15 or under however i must keep this in mind when it comes to the content of my magazine. 93.9% of those who answered my survey were 16-19, on reflection i would like to reach those over the age of 20 if i was to do this again and go out of my way to do so by approaching those those around in our local town or city. The only set back to doing this is that many are hesitant to answer in person as it can be time consuming therefore another way i could reach a bigger age demographic is to share it online through those of a similar to those older such as older siblings or even parents.







The fact that the most leading answer when those completing the survey were asked how often they read magazines was rarely is promising as it means that when a magazine that interests them is offered they will read it therefore my potential magazine has a chance at being successful. I will take this on board when creating my magazine to ensure that the articles i write appeal to my audience by doing another survey after completing the contents of my magazine.

Another question asked on my survey was which magazine were preferred, printed or digital. 81.8% of those asked said they preferred printed magazines which is great as mine is printed, not only this but it disproves the theory that print based publications are a dying. Personally, i love printed magazines when the magazine could be comparable to that of a book with embossed lettering and matte printed paper.

The last group of answers i will be analysing were about the amount of money those were who answered my survey were willing to pay, this was interesting as 60% of those answered said less than £5 however after my second lot of primary research i will be making my magazine more expensive as the magazine i am aiming to create in comparison to those similar already on sale are much more expensive costing around £8-£15. I will take this information on board for my magazine creating a medium price between the two sets of research.

Overall, i believe that this research will help me alot in the future during the production of my magazine as it gives me clear guide lines on which direction to run the magazine, in the future i would wish to add more questions into the questionnaire to make it more thorough, if people have the time to be answering my questionnaire it should be used efficiently ensuring that as many questions as possible are answered so i can relate back to what they want. I will be sure to incorporate this into my next survey during the production process.

Magalleria

The next set of primary research i did was in a local magazine shop, researching the magazines that were in a similar category to the magazine i am aiming to do.  This specific shop contained various independent magazines which really influenced how my FMP will take hold, each magazine had individual aspects which i would really like to incorporate into my own magazine such as images with raised textures and a holographic cover. As spoken about in my presentation, i also looked at prices of the printed publications, prices varied from £5 to £15 however i believe that the price was justifiable as the quality and care put into these magazines were incredible, the quality was consistent throughout. 

Some of the magazines found have really inspired me as they included aspects i didn't think of such as printing half images and text on tracing paper therefore the image can be seen onto the other page, it is a really effective idea which incorporates a new way of print publishing, something i may consider when planning the layout of my own magazine. Another aspect i looked at was the layout used, many of the magazines i found didn't have advertising in them and if they did it was subtile and kept in theme with the magazine, where advertisements would be i found pages to be often filled with images such as quotes or drawings. This is something i am very interested in adding into my magazine as i do not want advertisements to fill the pages, something i will need to plan in adding when creating a flat plan for my magazine. This drawing specially caught my eye as it looks influenced by the drawings you see of sketches used by designers when creating pieces for a catwalk something i would like to re create in my own magazine using Adobe Illusrator and different brush strokes. 

As for the quote aspect, i would like to use a quote or two that i feel present my magazine well, as my magazine as going to be called 'Metamorphosis' i will use quotes that speak of evolution or change. 

I also studied layout, looking at how text could be used to create an eye catching look without using images but also how text and images can be incorporated onto one page, overall most magazines had the same idea with this. Images were in the background and text with boarders around the outside, it may seem bland however i have seen that when using the correct images it can look effective which i believe i will also use for my magazine. 

 Another part of my primary research was an interview with an employee of the shop covering many asked questions such as about demographic to which finishes of paper she prefers;

   Honestly, it was really eye opening to visit Magalleria. It has made me realise just how thriving the print business still is noting that as a potential magazine creator that it is better to have a smaller fan base with a strong quality print rather than a wide audience with lack of new and creative ideas.

Project research and developments

In order for my FMP to be successful i need to conduct both primary and secondary research, currently i have done small amounts of internet research that lead up to me deciding to do a magazine using online magazine entries to look at potential layouts, bloggers and photography inspiration which i believe was essential for me to have a clear idea on an FMP i am working towards.

For my primary researching I will be conducting a questionnaire using my focus group of 18-30 year olds to seek information such as what are my target audience interested in reading and other relevant content such as how much they are willing to pay and how often my target age range currently read magazines which i will later analyse. I will also be conducting research by going to https://www.magalleria.co.uk/ a local business specifically dedicated to the selling of unique 'indie' magazines that are not in the main stream, there i will conducting an interview with its employee asking questions such as demographics they find coming into their shop and their preferences as a buyer of magazines. I will also study the content of their magazine selection looking for inspiration that i can incorporate into my own magazine such as fonts used, themes and layout. After my presentation i also want to look out for the amount of pages used in each magazine as well as their price points and which binding is used most often as this is something to consider when my magazine goes into print.

All but some of my secondary research will be using the internet as the internet has such a broad spectrum of useful information which means i can have a source for all of the material i choose to use. By conducting my secondary research i am able to expand on my knowledge in all spectrums such a blog writing, facts and information and popular trends. I can incorporate this into my magazine by researching for aspects of my magazine such as fonts to be used as well as inspiration for the articles i would like to write.
 

Reflection post on presentation

As part of assignment one, each individual needed to present their idea for FMP's. To do this i used prezi.com using slide show style animation process with a path from one slide to the next in the order i was working, for example, i began with stating my ideas for my FMP and then my developments on from this such as other ideas i could consider such as a website or blog showing examples of the work i had found in my early research that had helped/inspired/influenced me such as websites with good graphic layout i had enjoyed as well as British bloggers who i like. As social media interaction is such a large part of any influencer or brands work i knew i also wanted to incorporate this into whichever project i chose to do, i stated this in my presentation showing examples of what i would incorporate, as i have made the choice to do a magazine i wanted to incorporate an Instagram page using images to supply information to potential readers, not only this but also add images that keep with the ascetic of my magazine creating a more visual Instagram page than a informative page using hashtags, keeping the page active. I also showed this in my presentation, using examples of hashtags used to show how others would be able to find my page. I ensured i added all of this into my presentation as i believe it is important to show where i found my ideas from before and how i was building up the research to create my own magazine.

Next in my presentation i ensured to including my pre, during and post production plans showing my times schedule for each of my processes such as my shooting for my articles and when i plan for my magazine to go to print. I also stated my inspirations for my finale project, showing the style of magazine i like as well as the images i would like to use as inspiration when it comes to shooting from the magazine, as said in my presentation i am aiming for more editorial style of photography, planning to direct, take and edit the photos myself as i believe it is needed to acknowledge how involved i am in the creation of my FMP as well as the fact this is all research leading towards my finale project, ensuring i noted this in my presentation that i would be blogging all of my processes to reflect on during my post production blogging. I also spoke about my time scheduling to show my aims for deadlines showing in my presentation that although my schedule is tight if i work to the best of my ability is, adding to my work during half term i can reach my targets of good quality work. Leading on from this i began to speak about other research devices i would be using such as focus groups and questionnaires and how this will impact my magazine asking my focus groups questions such as what material are they interested in reading?

Overall, i am happy with the feedback given to me after presenting my FMP. It has given me a lot to consider which i wouldn't have unless pointed out to me, important aspects such as price point and the amount of pages to consider were given to me as feedback which i was able to then incorporate into my focus groups and surveys before creating my magazine such as asking questions how much would you would pay for a magazine as well as how many pages too much for a magazine? the feedback i was given has also encouraged me to consider the physical aspects of my magazine such as the paper quality, size and finish which i will begin to research deeper when my images and articles are ready to be set out into layouts.

http://prezi.com/vkay3a3jfmzd/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share - Link to Prezi presentation.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9NLeKHGz8mPcUloN0VlSDNROHc/view?usp=sharing - Link to presentation video

FMP planning

Four different opportunities

Planning for my FMP i created two different visual mind maps showing my original ideas and a developed mind map outlining a brief idea of my FMP. In my first mind map i began expanding ideas and started to take note of the type of research i would like to take further and which ideas i was leaning towards the most and after studying my inspirations made the choice to create a magazine. I also explored different forms of media i could so such as a poster campaign or a blog as this incorporates the digital publishing side of my FMP, i researched bloggers whom inspire me and their blog writing styles as well as large add campaigns that i found to be visually pleasing but that also had impact and their campaigns that I believe were successful. Overall, although i have chosen to do a magazine I found this research really useful as some of it can be used for inspiration in my magazine such as the photography styles and its editing as well as writing styles i can incorporate into my article writing.

After creating this mind map, i then created another showing my developed ideas on my potential magazine as this was the idea i was leaning towards the most. I did this to explore my options of the content that could be included, other magazines that inspire me and the imagery used on covers as this is an important key in print as well as digital publishing.                                                                

I began to explore covers for popular magazines as this is a key element of the magazine process, it is more common than not for the general public to judge a magazine by its front cover therefore i believe it was a essential element of my research. For my idea, i wanted a strong cover which presents eye catching features with bold colours and saturation and after looking at inspiration from printed publications such as Paper magazine, I-D magazine and Teaser magazine i began to have an understanding of the common elements used on each cover such as a colour theme, tones and general modelling styles;                               After educating myself in the types of covers i was drawn to i began to think how i could re create something similar for my own magazine, i soon realised i would need to do test shoots of my own to then play around using softwares such as Adobe Lightbox and Photoshop which will be done in the pre production process which i believe i can do by my deadline date in post production. Once taking covers into consideration i began to consider the content of what my magazine will have as i want my magazine to have substance to it not just gossip from recent celebrity antics. For my research on this i began using my magazine inspirations I-D had the most effective articles that reported on stories I would also like too, i enjoyed to the writing styles used as well as the images used as they were simplistic however artful. However most of the articles i read on their online website i am not well knowledgeable on therefore i believe i could not create a well constructed article however an advantage is that i can read up on my chosen news story on other websites so long as i give credit to my sources. 

Next i began looking at bloggers and their entries based on fashion as i also want to do a fashion based article, too. This was interesting for me as i am not well educated in fashion but i want to stretch myself and i think that a brutally honest article will be refreshing and a change from the well educated 'fashionesta' who can pull off trends such as corsets as a part of a gym session. Once finding a few british bloggers i enjoy i began to delve deeper into 2017 Spring Summer trends as this will be relevant to when my magazine goes into print. An inspiration of mine is the blogger Lily Melrose as i enjoy her opinions as well as her well structured style of writing, therefore i will be constantly referring back to her blog posts for inspirations.

Inspiration for FMP

I have already made the choice that digital publishing is what I will be doing next year therefore to begin my research into my FMP I began by researching particular magazines that are influential to me, I did this so that i had a starting point in which I can build upon to create my final piece. I know that the magazine I would like to create will be more editorial and well structured with pictures taken professionally with two or three articles based around a variety of topics, i am thinking one news based topic, one fashion based topic and one to do with pop culture as that is the type of magazine I would like to create.  

As for the more editorial aspect I will would like to incorporate into my magazine, I would like at least 4 pages dedicated to images i have taken with a certain theme such as; Urban life, one with nature etc as i can incorporate the skills I have learnt from my look book to do so. These images will not have advertising or branding on them, just simplistic. For my cover, i would like the front cover to have an editorial appeal to it, One model who may not look that appealing however i may experiment with make and bright colours to make a statement, for this i am taking influence from Paper magazine. For example the images around the text. 

Paper magazine, offers an ‘unfiltered’ light into many celebrities lives, respected the the community not for their gossip columns or ‘what's hot’ but the their covenanted double page spreads offering alternative photography presenting art to the reader. This inspires me as I view Paper and V magazine a living form in comparison to news paper which are dying breeds to the online world yet magazines such as Paper, as many committed readers will tell you there is something freeing about holding the physical copy. I am interested in what encapsulates the readers in, I believe that alternative magazines such as Paper offer a new lease of life when it comes to the printing community as it is uncensored and unapologetic unlike many of the mainstream journalism we see today, as a generation I believe we crave the raw news straight from the mouths and locations of what is being reported on instead of politically influenced news.