Research into similar products: Childrens Magazines

'Hannah Montana' is a children's television show about a teenage girl trying to deal with living a double life. The show is mainly targeted towards young girls up to the age of 14. The show is owned by Disney.

Layout

The layout of this particular magazine cover is very ordered and well-structured, featuring lots of small and large cover lines in order to cater for a target audience of females. The cover follows typical magazine conventions, using the route of the eye. The route of the eye starts at the very top of the magazine with a coverline going across saying “NEW LOOK NEW LOOK NEW LOOK”. This stands out in a bright orange colour and capital letters and captures the reader’s attention; making them want to see more, the words “New look” suggest there is some aspect of fashion within the magazine; appealing to a girly audience. Under this heading is the masthead of the magazine which uses the same logo used for the Hannah Montana TV programme as well as all her merchandise; this reinforces a brand identity and is recognisable to the audience who will familiarise it with the show on encountering it, this will determine if they want to read the magazine, depending on whether they have seen the show or not. The main image of Hannah is next along the route of the eye, this is perhaps the first thing that will capture the audience’s attention as it stands out the most on the page. The audience can see immediately that Hannah is a fashionable character who loves to sing and dance; a character that can relate well to young girls who share these common interests. Her costume and microphone also emphasise to the audience that she is a pop-singer, and perhaps acts as a role model to young girls. Showing Hannah as a young happy pop-singer makes the audience aspire to be like her as she is a character that young girls idolise or see as a role-model – this means that this good impression is vital. Going through the rest of the route of the eye; there are a few cover-lines that will capture the audience’s attention quite easily, such as “Peak inside Miley Stewarts journal”; this is important in gaining the audience’s attention as they will want to know Miley’s secrets in order to be her friend; this creates a more personal bond between the character and the audience. Another particular headline which reinforces this is “Hannah’s advice for you” which again will appeal to girls who aspire to be more like Hannah. At the bottom left of the route of the eye is the Disney Channel logo; the logo stands out well and associates the show with the company; this could appeal to a wider audience. This is also shown as an advertisement and will gain more audience for the Disney Channel too. The last thing we see in the right corner is an advertisement for the Hannah Montana movie, this is shown in a very large and bold heading. This heading also describes what the issue is about; this is useful for the audience as they will want to know what else will be featured in the magazine.  In both of the left hotspots; there are a number of cover-lines which grab the audience’s attention. The other hotspots cover the main image of Hannah; ensuring that her image stands out boldly. The use of the principle of thirds is also used as it mainly focuses on the main image of Hannah Montana; again making it stand out more for girls that idolise her character.

Images

By using the main image of Hannah; the audience can determine quickly whether they think they will like this magazine or not based on whether they recognise her character or not. Those who recognise her will be able to identfy that the magazine is based on the tv show and therefore may enjoy this magazine, however those that don't recognise her character will look at other features of the cover first to find out whether they will want to read this magazine. The main image used of Hannah, along the route of the eye, is a mid-shot used to show the costume she is wearing. Her costume consists of a very stylish ensamble which is mainly pink and spotty; demonstrating to the audience that she is very girly and fashionable and that also clearly stating that this magazine is very girly. The fact her outfit is so glamorous highlights to the audience that she is not an ordinary girl, emphasising the fact she is a pop-singer. This is also emphasised through her body gestures as she poses in a dancing position holding a microphone. She is also shown as very happy as she is pictured smiling; this reinforces the audiences feelings making them happy too. The fact she is so bright and stands-out shows her personality and makes it clear to the audience that she is a style-icon.There are two other smaller images of Hannah on the cover which are placed next to cover lines to demonstrate what the cover line says. One of the images is placed next to a cover line saying "Learn to sing loud", the image placed next to this is of Hannah singing; therefore demonstrating to the audience that she is doing it; showing them that if Hannah can do it, so can they. The other small image is next to a cover line that talks about the Hannah-Montana movie. In this photo Hannah is dressed as 'Miley' - this is something that the audience will recognise if they have seen the show, she is also with a boy in this photo which suggests there is some romance between the two characters. This will be very popular towards younger girls as they will want to know all about Hannah's love-life and her 'secrets'.  At the bottom of the cover is where the Disney logo has been placed, showing that there is a connection between the show and Disney, doing this has helped to promote Disney and attract new customers that trust Disney to check out the magazine. The fonts used stand out due to the bright 'young' colours used, which highlight the target audience group of young girls. 

Colours

The colour palette for the Hannah Montana cover remains quite strict, with yellow, purple and pink shades being used all over to reinforce the fact it is a magazine aimed towards young girls. Though the same colours are used consistently, various shades are used to ensure that some features still stand out more than others; for example the masthead and cover-line "Learn to sing loud" stand out against the paler background. However, the colours used remain quite toned-down which signifies that the magazine aims to stay relatively simple - this has a much more 'pretty' effect for the audience. The contrasting colour of yellow is used to ensure that the magazine still stands out and grabs the readers attentions. The masthead remains the same as what is used for the television programme itself, using purple and yellow. This makes it appear more as a logo to the audience; helping them to recognise the magazine.

Fonts

Using similar fonts helps create a recognizable house style for the magazine. The masthead is the same as what is shown in the TV show, this helps the audience familiarise the magazine with the show. Also, the masthead remains the same on every issue of the magazine as well as all Hannah Montana merchandise, this helps the reader identify the magazine and it creates a brand identity. All the fonts used on this cover are bold and clear to read which is vital in appealing to young girls. Though there is not a variety of fonts used; the magazine still appears to be exciting whilst remaining tidy with an ordered structure; an element which is appealing to females especially. The fonts all maintain a feminine house-style which is appropriate for the audience.The Disney logo uses the same font as it uses on all their products; this is essential in appealing to a wide audience as it is widely recognised; therefore will attract more people to look at the magazine. 

Representations
Hannah Montana's character is represented as a young and fashionable teenager on this magazine. Her characters impression is important in catering for a wide audience, therefore she is shown as a very happy girl in the main image as she is smiling. The fact she holds a microphone reinforces the fact she is a pop-star and it also brings across her personality to the audence; showing them what she enjoys and relating to young girls that enjoy the same things. The fact Hannah's name is in lights in the masthead also emphasises the fact she is a pop-star. The magazine as a whole is seen as very girly due to the colours and the topics brought up in the cover-lines. This helps to appeal to the prime audience of young females. 

Conventions
The magazine cover is mainly focused on the main image of Hannah herself; showing her as young, fun and attractive to the audience. This is quite typical for a childrens magazine as they aim to represent the character as 'cool', which is reinforced to the audience. There are various cover-lines covering feminine topics such as singing; this enables the reader to relate to Hannah's character. There are a lot of features on the magazine, giving the impression it s cluttered, which is typical for a children's magazine as it creates a sense of excitement. Many bold and bright colours and fonts are used to make sure the magazine stands out, this is also a very typical aspect of children's magazines.

Sabrina the teenage witch is a television show about a young witch dealing with normal day to day life pretending to be a normal teenager and using magic to solve problems. The show is aimed at mainly young females up to the age of 15.

Layout

Looking at the principle of thirds, it is clear that the first vertical column is reasonably important on this particular cover because of the cover line in the bottom corner that tells the audience about a free present that comes with the magazine. This section stands out from the rest of the cover as a different background colour has been used and it is quite a large section. Also, the word "FREE" is in capitals, another way of grabbing the audiences attention; this will especially appeal to young girls as the prize is a makeup box. Following the route of the eye from the top, the first thing the audience will see, conventionally, in the masthead 'Sabrinas Secrets', however, as opposed to the other magazines i have researched, the font and name of the magazine are in fact different to the actual show. This is why the real name of the show, using the font that the audience can identify with, has been placed just above the masthead in white. The fact it is in white and in a different font to the rest of the cover lines shows it is not an important element of the magazine, however is just there so the audience can identify that the magazine is based on the programme 'Sabrina the teenage witch'. Next to this is the magazines issue number in a blue star, as we can see this issue is the first one, this may explain why 'Sabrina the teenage witch' has been placed in the top corner, as the magazine is new and the audience will not be able to familiarize it at this point. After this the other main feature we see on the cover is the mid-shot of Sabrina herself with her cat. This itself helps the audience connect the magazine with the correct television show as they will be able to recognize these characters. Sabrina is herself wearing a black dress and necklace with short hair, this demonstrates the fact she is an elegant character and references to her higher social class, the fact she is holding her cat also demonstrates this. The cover lines remain somewhat ordered, this contrasts with other magazines i have researched, as the cover lines on this magazine are laid out in a bullet-point manner except in the terminal optical area where it says 'Sabrinas secret diary', this is in a white and different font to help balance out the ordered layout. 

Colours

The colour scheme sticks to a strict theme of mainly purple, pink and yellow. These colours contrast well against each other in order to help them stand out at much as possible and therefore appeal to a wider audience. These colours are relatively feminine and therefore cater for a female audience. The black cauldron at the bottom of the cover, along with the black cat, help reinforce the fact that Sabrina is a witch as both objects are supersticiously the items of a witch; this is something that the audience will find exciting.  The issue number has been placed in a blue star to add some excitement to the magazine; by using some other colours. However, this blue shade still maintains the feminine colour palette. Other cover lines are in a white font; this helps to balance out the ordered layout by adding some simplicity to the cover; this suggests that the magazine is aimed at slightly older girls perhaps between an age range of 9-15. 

Font

Some of the cover lines used are in a white font which helps create a balance between what features are most important and what features are not quite as important. The font that has been used throughout the cover is relatively feminine as it is mostly a curly font; this highlights the fact that the magazine is aimed towards a female audience. At the top of the page in white, is details such as the date of the release of this issue; the fact this is in such a small font tell us that they are not very important aspects of the magazine however they are still essential features for a magazine cover, giving the audience the information they need in order to know how old or new this issue is. The fonts stick to a colour scheme of mainly pink, purple and yellow, each contrasting against each other in order to help them stand out as much as possible.

ImagesThe main image of the cover is of Sabrina; this helps the audience identify what programme the magazine is based on as they will be able to recognise Sabrina if they watch the show. Sabrina wears a plain black dress and necklace and holds her cat as a prop; this will also be a familiar aspect to the audience as they will recognise the cat as her pet 'Salem'. Other smaller images are used throughout the cover; the witches cauldron at the bottom of the page acts as a type of logo for the cover, which is similar to the hannah montana cover. In the pink box there is a picture of the make-up box that will come free with the magazine, this is important in showing the audience what they are getting, especially as the word "FREE" isn't very noticeable on the page. This picture helps the audience decide whether or not they want this magazine, depending on whether they like the look of this gift or not and it also appeals to a target audience who are interested in make-up as they will want to share the same interests as Sabrina as they aspire to be like her. The other pictures, by the main image, are relatively small; one of the pictures is a whole body shot of a girl doing a girly pose, next to this image is a close up of the girls hair in braids ; the words "step by step" just above it tells the audience that there are instructions in the magazine on how to achieve this hairstyle. This, and the free make up box are important in attracting girls that are interested in fashion or want to be like Sabrina.

Language

Using language such as 'cool' reinforces to the audience that Sabrina is a 'cool' character. As well as this it also demonstrates that it is 'cool' to read the magazine and take part in the featured activities enlisted on the cover; this will ultimately appeal to a wide audience who will aspire to be 'cool' like Sabrina. Other language used such as 'secret' in the masthead is also important in creating a personal bond between Sabrina and the reader as a 'secret' is something that is not supposed to be seen or heard by others; this aspect will excite the children as well as making them think of Sabrina as their friend. It also plays a significant role in appealing to a wide audience as the mast-head is one of the most prominent features on the cover. The word 'secret' is also used in a cover-line to reinforce this idea.

Representations

Sabrina is wearing a black dress and necklace with short hair; this is quite a simple and so represents her an an elegant character as well as showing her higher social class, the fact she is holding a pet cat also demonstrates this. Sabrina is pictured smiling in the main image to represent the fact she is a happy young girl. It is important to cater for a wide audience of young girls who will aspire to be like Sabrina, therefore showing her as a happy girl is vital. As well as this it will create a more personal bond between her character and the audience who will feel as though Sabrina is her friend. Also using language such as 'Cool' emphasises that she is a 'cool' character to the audience.



‘Tracy Beaker' is a children's television show based on the story of a girl in care and how she deals with certain situations in her life such as living in a care home with other children and not having her mother around. The show is targeted towards both young boys and girls up to the age of 14 and is shown on the CBBC channel.

Layout

The magazine is organised orderly and appropriate to appeal to the target audience, following conventions by using the route of the eye. The first thing that we see when following the route of the eye is the masthead which remains the same for each issue of the magazine as well as the television programme itself, making it a logo. This creates a brand identity and makes the magazine more recognisable to children who watch Tracey Beaker which they will associate it with; ultimately appealing to a wider audience. The masthead is very bold and eye-catching, with a yellow background which contrasts against the foreground colours which are orange, blue, pink and purple. These colours with the font are suitable for grabbing children’s attention as they are extremely bright and vibrant. The masthead is very large, spreading across the top third of the cover. This allows younger children to understand it as it is clear and easy to read. Surrounding the masthead is what appears to be a star explosion, this helps Tracey Beaker’s name stand out more and grabs the children’s attention as it seems exciting and fun, which invites the audience in. Within this ‘explosion’ are scattered smaller stars which are of different colours, this emphasises the child-like style of the magazine.  Her image is also used to enable the audience to identify the magazine with the programme. Appearing next along the route of the eye is the cover line which reads ‘Play Tracey’s Dare Game’, this immediately appeals to young children as it is a fun activity which gets them involved, the fact says it is Tracey’s game urges the children to want to play more as Tracey is who they look up to. The banner along the bottom of the page is the last thing the audience will see along the route of the eye. This is a good final attempt to sell the product to the consumer as it contains more fun and exciting topics/activities that the children will find interesting. The principle of thirds is also used on this cover, though not very conventionally. The main image of Tracey takes up two thirds, however the other third includes a number of bold cover lines. In the first hotspot is a headline inside a speech bottle that is coming from a cartoon version of the character Tracey, this will be recognisable to children who watch the television programme; therefore enticing them to buy the magazine more. The speech bubble gives a personal effect and makes the consumer feel as though Tracey is speaking to them personally through conversation. The other hotspots cover the image of Tracey and the cover lines at the bottom.

Images

There are other features on the page that are not quite as noticeable as these elements, such as the image of Tracey demonstrating the “Play Tracey’s dare game”  feature of the magazine as she holds a microphone; which communicates to us that she is daring to sing. The fact she is doing the dare demonstrates to the audience that she is brave. The other small image is a cartoon version of Tracey which is familiar to viewers of the show. The cartoon is very similar to Tracey, wearing a red top and having her signature frizzy hair, therefore it is clear to new consumers what the intention of the cartoon is – to imitate the real-life character. The cartoon’s speech mark contains some key information about what else to find in the magazine, giving the audience a broad knowledge of what to find and therefore catering for a wider range of audience. The main image of Tracy along the route of the eye is a mid-shot, allowing the audience to see her facial and body expressions; this allows the audience to identify the type of character that she is and it is clear that she is quite a mischevous young girl. The fact she wears a plain red top and her hair is ordinary represents her as an ordinary young girl; easily adopting a relationship with the audience who will feel more like Tracy's friend than her fan - this representation contrasts with other characters such as Hannah Montana. The fact she is not very girly shows that she is not particularly a girly girl and more of a tomboy; this demonstrates that she could relate to a male audience as well as females.

Language

Tracey’s character is represented as fun and bubbly throughout the cover through images as well as the language used, this will appeal to a wide range of young children who will feel as though they can relate to her character and they see her as ‘cool’. This is also represented through the use of language such as ‘wicked’ and ‘fab’ which is appealing to a younger audience, this suggests a positive connotation; making the magazine seem fun and exciting. Using language like this is effective in appealing to a wide audience as children will look at Tracy as a role model type figure, therefore thinking she is a 'cool' character; therefore in an attempt to be be similar to Tracy, the audience will want to look at the magazine if they know that Tracy would find it cool; simply because of the influence the magazine will have on the audience. This language also follows conventions which help make it clear who the target audience is.

Colours

The magazine consists of various bold and bright colours which emphasise the target audience is young children. However the colour palette remains quite strict, sticking to a theme of blue, pink and yellow which together suggest a more feminine appeal, the dominance of pink and purple also highlights this. Though quite feminine colours are used, it is clear that the magazine is still aimed at all children due to the amount of yellow being used; as this seems to be consistent throughout the cover. The fact that the main background is blue rather than pink or purple also demonstrates that the magazine is quite unisex as the shade used is quite girly however with blue being a primary male colour it appeals to them too; this allows the magazine to cater for a wider audience.

Fonts

There are a variety of fonts used on this cover which add to the magazines themed look, they all follow a very child-like styles, remaining fun, exciting and clear to read; this is important when aiming a magazine at a young audience. The text in the speech bubble resembles that a child’s handwriting, this is effective in helping children relate to the magazine as it is the type of writing they are quite familiar with. Some of the fonts used on the cover lines such as 'Tracy's Fab Fact File' are relatively simple, resembling fonts such as 'Arial Narrow', however they have been accessorised as more 'exciting' due to capital letters and the bright colours used - therefore being able to cater for a wider audience of children.

Representations

The next thing we see along the route of the eye is the large close-up image of Tracey Beaker herself. Though the image is not conventionally central between the four hotspots, this allows the audience to see her face and show her facial expression in detail, this allows the audience to gain their own opinions and impressions of Tracy; in this issue she is clearly portrayed as a mischievous young girl when we focus on her body action – she has her hand on her face with raised eyebrows which implies that she is confident and has a silly personality The fact her hair is not particularly "glamorous" shows she is a laidback and relaxed individual who does not care much about her appearance, this tells us about her personality and also hints at the idea that she is a tomboy - this is also seen as she is just wearing a plain red t-shirt which matches the cartoon picture of her. It is also clear she is portrayed as 'cool' and 'fab' as this is some of the language used on the page. Tracy and the audience because it seems as though she is saying it herself, this will draw the audience in as they will feel like her friend.

Conventions

The price and date of the magazine are at the top of the page but are much smaller than the other fonts because they are not as important in grabbing the audience’s attention.  The issue number is also reasonably small however still manages to stand out and maintain child-like colours and fonts. It tells the audience that this is part of a series of magazines. In the terminal optical area is the cover line called "my book about me", this is the last thing the audience will see on the cover and therefore is one of the main features of the cover which will grab the audience’s attention as the fans of Tracy will want to know everything about her. The fact it is written in first person creates a personal bond between