Market Research

A Questionnaire was formed in order to learn about the target audience (young males)' preferences.

Maximum amount of money people are willing to spend on the magazine.

In order to ensure that people answered the question appropriately, I asked them to tell me the maximum magazine price that they would pay, rather than let them freely choose a price.
The majority said they would pay up to £3 for the magazine, which is an tolerable price, especially considering the fact that young people don't buy magazines often.

Preference of the Black/White/Red colour scheme.

The chosen colour scheme was in favour of the majority in this case, but some participants suggested using cooler colours.

While such suggestions have been acknowledged, it can't be ignored that many rock magazines - including those I've previously analysed - conform to the black, white and red style for whatever reason.

Appropriateness of the Magazine Title; 'The New Vale'.

I had explained that my idea for the Masthead involved Valleys, which is a low area of land between hills and mountains. Alternative rock is similar in that it's the rock that is overshadowed by larger sub genres. The big mountains of mainstream rock are overshadowing the valley that is indie rock. Most of the participants approved of the title.

Overall preference between Serif and Sans-Serif fonts.

This question was more controversial, but it seems that the audience prefer fonts with serifs. The magazine will look more classy as a result, but it won't be limited to the Serif style.
Q Magazine was filled with Serif typography, XXL had a lot of Sans-serif fonts, while Mojo had a mix of both, leaning slightly towards the serif.

Interest in the idea of a drug-related DPS article.

As drugs and rock music seem to go hand in hand, most of my participants found the former to be an appropriate topic for the article. While stereotypical, it's an easy topic to write about - plus, sad stories like this (and Corinne's Mojo DPS Article) often attract more readers as people enjoy drama related to their favourite celebrities.

Further Genre Research

Magazine Analysis

Magazine Comparison