magazine/newsstand task

This image was taken in a newsagent and briefly shows the organisation of the music magazines along with other genre magazines such as soap television and health. The music magazines which are placed on the top shelves are organised in a way so that the magazine masthead can be seen but not the full image of the artist and the cover line is hidden which intrigues the reader as, out of curiosity they would want to know who the artist is and the story behind them. As you can see, generally the top left corner or half is intentionally left visible to viewers so that teasers and mastheads are easily recognised and a sense of familiarity is built within the reader. In most cases the masthead is revealed and is striking and distinctive in design to catch the reader/viewers eyes and encourage the reader to choose that specific magazine over others. Furthermore, the reader will briefly know what the magazine will be focusing on due to the familiarity of the masthead however some of the magazine will be covered in order to intrigue the reader about what will be shown in this weeks issue. The shopkeeper also informed me that some magazines were covered more than others so that the viewer would feel the need to uncover the magazines which were really hidden and as a result may buy one of the magazines as they viewed a variety. Another displaying feature I noticed is that in the more famous and commonly known magazines such as 'XXL', the featured articles and skyline with additional artists were almost always shown in order to attract viewers so that if they did not prefer or are a fan of the main model image then one of the featured artists may draw them in to the magazine.

The placement of the cover lines varies from the left third and the right third and can sometimes be seen in the middle of the cover. However, the placement depends on the positioning of the main cover image which varies in magazines. Freebies such as CD's are found in the lower left third so that they are easily visible when placed on shelve and also in order to prevent the CD from taking up too much space and covering any image or text in the front cover. In addition to this, the lower left third always contains any free items such as CD's or vouchers e.t.c because in most cases, this is the only visible part and therefore needs to be interesting, eye-catching and intriguing.


Magazine distribution methods


A more modern, or common method of magazine distribution is Online publishing where readers have to partake in a subscription model of the articles which may be free or will have to be paid for. Another variation of online publishing is the kindle or I-pad version of the article or magazine which is convenient as it replaces the physical copy of the magazine which can easily tear and damage.

Another method of distribution is Postal subscription where publishers can control and generate their sale as no money will be wasted on unused and unsold copies of the magazine which is expensive due to publishing costs. It also benefits the consumer as the magazine is directly delivered to their front door and therefore saves them the trouble of travelling to the shops. Postal subscriptions also include free gifts that are included with the magazine.


XXL Magazine Distribution Methods

http://www.xxlmag.com/?
http://instagram.com/xxlmagazine
https://twitter.com/XXL
http://m.ustream.tv/xxlmagazine