The Kennel:
My magazine, The Kennel, is going to be a dog-based magazine targeted towards audiences in the Sheffield area, as requested by my client Sheffield Publishing House. The magazine will likely be a monthly reoccurring magazine or bimonthly (once every two months) in order to update with the current Sheffield events and weather.
Purpose:
The Kennel has a few purposes in mind, all designed to be as helpful as possible to the readers, to aid in it's reputation and popularity in order to increase sales. It's main purposes are for education (such as how to care for a dog well) and for entertainment (how to make looking after your dog fun), which is actually split in it's contents to make this clear. The Kennel will be catered to families, which is a large demographic when it comes to which audiences have dogs.
It educates both it's younger and parental audience through having pages filled with information for both. For kids, their education would be centered around questions and answers, informative activities, and collectable cards that would have a dog fact on each one. For the parents, the magazine would have recommended locations in Sheffield that they should check out, supply recommendations (that would be promoted by different brands) and advice that could make their lives easier. A lot of research would be required to make the magazine fit it's purpose as well as possible, including the better locations in Sheffield that locals are aware about. If the magazine is advertised with this in mind, it means the readers won't open it only expecting one or the other - they'll be aware that both fun and helpful pages are mixed in. It means they won't feel forced or they can choose what they exactly want to read (especially as forcing younger audiences to read certain texts can put them off).
For the promotion, brands will be able to be recommended on sections intended for parents; allowing sponsorship will help in the production of the magazine due to the fact that it's free. Using this method of product placement is more subtle and would feel more honest to the reader, rather than putting adverts on random pages or taking up all excess space. After all, too many adverts would take away reader interest, and could cause them to not recommend the magazine to others - for a local magazine reputation is important, so using too many ads to try forcing a profit would backfire entirely.
The magazine fits it's purposes well by advertising to a family-based audience, and should be successful. Using informality but in a structured form means it can appeal to the whole group.
Genre and Form:
The Kennel is going to be based in Sheffield, though I plan for it to be more specific by basing it in Killamarsh, Renishaw, and near Crystal Peaks. This should be easier for a niche audience to understand, and means they can actually visit these areas; if the location is too broad, it won't appeal to any audiences at all.
Although the locations covered could already be well known, giving pieces of advice on what time to go, issues that weather could cause and similar information would be useful to locals and would help them plan their journeys more effectively. Convenience is important to any person, especially in a family where minor problems could effect everything (such as children covered in mud). This should keep families picking the magazine up as they see where they should go next, meaning the magazine will continue to make a profit with sponsors.
Content (Brief):
As for the content, it will include a front cover, a contents page and double page spreads. These will follow similar to the conventions of other dog magazines, but designed in a way in order to stand out and appeal to families (as a lot of animal magazines are pushed towards more professional audiences or dog breeders). By following normal conventions, it wouldn't be considered an eyesore or stray too far from it's roots that it becomes too unusual for audiences.
Content (Front Cover):
The front cover needs to make the genre and theme of the magazine as clear as possible to the audience when they see it, so I plan for the image to be a close up or a medium close up of a cute dog with text surrounding it & the masthead above it's head.
The candidates chosen for the photograph, a small white spaniel called Bug or a large brown spaniel called Duke, are going to be used to attract younger audiences who have dogs or like animals. It offers comfortable reassurance to the audience (Patrick Phillips 1996) as the front cover would fulfil their expectations about the rest of the magazine being based around dogs. It would also provide familiarity as spaniels are a common breed in the Sheffield area, so it's recognizable to the audience.
I plan for the dog used in the photo to be sitting down while either looking up or at the camera - it might be easier for the dog to be looking up, especially if a treat is used to get it to stay still, and it gives the effect that the dog is looking up at their owner / the audience. This could end up connotating that the dog is begging at it's owners to help look after it, giving the audience a sense of urgency to make their dog happier. Younger audiences are less likely to notice this and would focus on the adorable animal, which would entice them.
The background will be taken in the house but blurred, so although the dog will be in focus, the backdrop will give a homely feel and will emphasize the fact that this magazine is for caring for pets. As for the lighting for the photograph, it will be based on natural in-house lighting with the source coming from either the nearby windows or the lights on the ceiling. It needs to be bright enough to highlight the dog and make it clear for the reader to see, but it can't be allowed to become overexposed (no detail in the bright part of the images). The shooting location itself isn't incredibly bright, so the limits with exposure shouldn't be an issue.
However, I may choose to photoshop the dog into a white background to fit with normal dog magazine conventions - this could help with the overall theme, as the house style is focused on white and pastel colours. This also means that the cover lines will be easier to read rather than busy and unappealing. By highlighting the dog in the image, it means the audience's eyes will be drawn to it straight away.
Overall, the photograph of the dog will create relatability and comfortable familiarity between the local audience and the magazine, and will connotate a welcoming environment.
The next part that would be immediately visible to the audience would be the masthead. It sits at the top of the magazine cover, underneath the banner reading 'Essential Tips & Tricks' - on the left of the masthead, there will be a variation of a banner saying 'FREE' to emphasize the fact that the magazine can just be taken, while on the right of the masthead sits the logo. This encases the masthead in two images which can bring the reader's eyes to the masthead itself (The Kennel) and would be more memorable.
I plan for the masthead itself to be a shade of light purple to connotate gentle and sweet colours, alongside a more informal colour (pastels are quite popular amongst families). Not only that, it would match with the main cover image; if the first dog candidate is used, purple and orange are analogous colours and will go together, while if the second dog candidate is used, purple and brown naturally match and create a nice lighter/darker contrast.
By adding the logo next to the masthead, it shows how they're both connected with The Kennel brand, and the audience may remember them together more easily (as the masthead would remind them of the logo, and vice versa). The pink logo matching with the purple is also a good combination (pink connotates love and nurturing). Although I was originally planning to use a shade of red, it's a colour that doesn't quite match up well with pastels unless it's much brighter, which could go against the purple and therefore be unattractive. These colours will go on a ribbon wrapped around a cartoon-styled dog bone in order to make the branding fit the magazine genre, while also once again giving the audience comfortable reassurance that the magazine will stick to only canines.
The main cover line for the magazine is actually placed at the corner of the magazine, though it will be larger than most of the text on the page. 'Meet the Spaniel . . . who can't spaniel!'. This cover line links with the spaniels on the main cover image while giving a sense of awe and interest to the audience, as they would wonder how this local dog causes mischief. It also would make them ask how a dog fails to act as a dog, and they would only find the answer if they read on.
Overall, such a cover line is quite comical and silly, demonstrating how the magazine (and the specified article) will be relaxed rather than serious. In order to avoid overcomplicating the text, it will be bold (with a sans-serif font) with just the corresponding colour depending on the background (white or black).
The use of repetition with spaniel also emphasises how the magazine is covering a commonplace dog in Sheffield and that this magazine will connect with the Sheffield area.
Other cover lines for actual articles in the magazine are placed on the left side of the photographed dog, including a brief sentence underneath to show what the page will be about. The main cover lines will be bold with different pastel colours to give off a childish and colourful effect (in a positive way, as the magazine needs to appeal to it's younger audiences through colour) with normal sans-serif text underneath (so that it isn't too messy and unflattering). This would give the viewer an idea on what content will be in the magazine so that they can know what to expect. It will also show that the theme of the magazine is dog care, a fact-filled genre that can cover a lot of helpful topics, but shown in a more child-friendly and fun light. Question marks and exclamations will be used to emphasize it's effect.
Underneath these coverlines would be a darker box with the words 'Cards Inside' written in the middle. This should stand out from the magazine while not being too obnoxious by being placed in the bottom left corner - it advertises free cards with the product, which children may be excited to collect, similarly to popular footballer or video game cards. Anything offered for free easily brings in audiences, as people feel a sense of positive energy when they are given an unexpected gift, especially when it comes to children who would eagerly take anything offered to them. This feeling of joy would increase the chances of the magazine being picked up as emotions can influence choices.
On the right hand side of the magazine, there's will be a circle photograph with a different dog inside - the other candidate dog. Underneath this would read 'how to care for your dog', further showing the audience that they need to care for their dogs and this magazine is the method to do it. More animals will also give the audience joy as humans feel serotonin when looking at images they connotate with positive emotions & cuteness. The photograph of the dog would be much smaller and include a background in order to make it feel more local and 'at home' - making the audience feel homely is a target for the front cover as this would be especially effective on families.
Underneath the photograph would be a 'Top 10: Dog walking spots in Sheffield' coverline used to advertise one of the articles in the magazine. This would show one of the purposes of the magazine, to educate. Educating the readers on better Sheffield locations would make parents want to have a look at the article to find anywhere new, to see if there's somewhere better to take their pets and family (as it's a priority for parents to make their children as happy as possible by finding the best places). Top 10 implies there are multiple locations and that any of them would be good for the audience, and avoids any negative connotations on the cover.
Finally, a banner underneath the listing would be placed to show that this is the magazine's first issue. It gives a feeling that the audience would need to support The Kennel, especially since it's a local magazine - a sense of importance could be given to the audience as they may feel like they could make a difference by just taking a copy.
Content (Contents Page):
As for the contents page, I have chosen to add the logo in the top left corner. Carrying the logo on from page to page, even if it's only smaller, would put it in the reader's memory - a distinct logo would be useful when marketing. The logo is also very child-friendly, creating a more friendly connotation for the younger audience.
Underneath the logo will sit a box reading contents in a bold, sans-serif font. I plan for it to be a light pastel colour to keep a consistent house style throughout the magazine. In order to avoid associating colours with gender, a range of pastels will be used throughout. Bold colours might not be fitting for this family-based magazine unless the whole page is filled with bright colours and images, as it would only appeal to young children. Using boldness for the contents heading would make it eye-catching, so the reader doesn't skip past the page.
I plan for their either be to an "Articles included" header underneath the contents box, or just a plain line to separate it out from the images below. "Articles included" would have a little arrow graphic pointing down to reveal a set of relating photographs with coverlines explaining what the articles would be about. This gives the reader a better taste of what's going to be shown in the magazine in order to entice them into reading the pages. The arrow would lead their eyes downwards to the images. Using photographs alongside text helps to keep to normal conventions for content pages.
The first image out of the three I have chosen is going to be a photograph of a spaniel in a dog outfit, with the text underneath relating to fashion / fashionistas, due to the fact that the article advertised is about that topic. The reader will know what to expect when they glance at it, and it appropriately fits the theme while being entertaining to those who glance over it.
My second image is going to be a medium-shot picture of a dog in a living room looking out of a window, with the dog focusing on what's outside. This is to fit alongside the article linked to it, an fun analysis on dogs and windows, while making the reader wonder what's so important about something they see every day / outside. Using the background of a living room emphasises a homely feeling and reminds the reader that the article is centered around looking after dogs at home; it could remind them of their own family, having an emotional effect. A shallow depth of view may be used to focus the attention onto the dog, though this may be more fitting for the first image, as the dressed-up dog is the focus of the article. I may also use a different photograph, such as items of clothing in a shallow depth of field, in order to break up the amount of dog photos scattered throughout the magazine (and would save necessary time when photographing).
The final image will be a photograph of a jar of peanut butter (for dogs). The corresponding article is about whether dogs like peanut butter and why, so adding in a visible brand would get the point across to the reader immediately. It could also be used as an advertisement / sponsorship opportunity by showing a brand that's giving money to the magazine, without directly putting it as an ad, because it might influence parents into buying the specific brand after seeing someone else recommend it. It also shows a different image than the previous ones, standing out amongst them - it keeps the reader entertained.
To the right of the page is the page numbers & articles. I chose to split the listing into two themed sections for the reader to look at; one shows the articles for dog care / health, while the second shows the articles for entertainment. The top of each section has a coloured, bold line that acts similar to a post-it note. This highlights the sections to the audience and fills the page with more colour. I plan for the text in the sections to have different sans-serif fonts for the numbers, bold article names and the brief description next to them. This creates a some variety and would stop the pages from becoming boring for the reader to look at, but stops it from straying from the general house style & from feeling out of place - comfortable reassurance. The numbers will be proportional with the text so that it doesn't overlap or make it difficult for the reader to work out which number links to what text.
The titles at the top of both sections will be a bigger font size in comparison to most of the text so that it brings the reader's attention to them. Separating them out allows the reader to pick and choose which types of story they want to look at - parents would more likely want to look at dog care / health for advice, while children would want to look at entertainment for in the house and when on walks. The two biggest articles for the magazine are marked in a box at the bottom of the listing, drawing the reader's gaze to those points - it connotates importance and would make the reader ask why they're highlighted unlike the other articles.
Content (Double Page Spread):
The plan so far for the double page spread is to focus it around dog food & diets, so the page has been designed to fit the theme accordingly.
At the top of the DPS would be a banner featuring the logo in the top left corner. Paw prints would spread from one end to the other in order to be enticing to children, as they would find the banner cute; it links with the pet genre the magazine focuses on, too. The background of the banner would be a brighter colour (which still fits with the house style) in order to bring more colour to appeal to children. My target audience would expect a lot of colour (comfortable reassurance). Although I was thinking of the paw prints moving away from the logo, it might be better if they're heading towards the logo, since it's a dog bone - children know that dogs like bones.
As for the image on the right of the magazine, it would feature a dog drinking or eating out of a dog bowl. This would make it clear to the reader what this article is going to be about at a glance. The photograph itself would be taken in a kitchen (where people usually eat their food) in natural kitchen lightening. This would connotate a homely / comfortable feeling in the reader, which I've been trying to do throughout the magazine already (such as on the front cover and contents). Using the dog bowl as a prop reinforces the idea that this article will be about dog diets and how the reader should feed them.
Above the photograph, on the same page, will be text about 'treats to swear by'. I plan to use it to promote other brands for sponsorship money; it discreet enough to avoid boring the younger audiences while being helpful for the parents. The text would be bulletpointed for the sake of simplicity, but the border will be unique in order to make the page look prettier. Little clipart images could be used, or the border could be decorative, though I'll need to make sure it matches with the house style and doesn't seem too jarring.
The left side of the DPS features paragraphs about the actual article. Each theme is split up into three sections; wet food, dry food, and bad food. This is so the reader can easily find what they want to or need to read, creating convenience. The titles for each section would also be bolded with punctuation in order to connotate both urgency and excitement. Unlike the text on the right of the DPS, I don't plan on using any borders for the main text - too many extra details would overload the page. Saying this, I may have not used enough so far in the design; conventional double page spreads have incredibly large titles, quotations, and are usually focused around interviews - using someone for an interview about each section may help bring the magazine back to conventions.
Target Audience:
Nicole Willows is a 35 year old local mother in Sheffield, Killamarsh; she has a 6 year old daughter called Katie, a 10 year old son called Reece, and a 15 year old son called Joshua. She also has a husband called Drew, and two dogs named Buddy and Roxy.
Nicole is a stay at home mom who focuses on housekeeping, looking after the kids, and keeping care of the animals - the family live in an ABC1 household with the husband earning a large disposable income for them.
Nicole wants to look after more pets in the future to make the family happier at home, so she wants to find tips & tricks that could help improve their lives and to give their pets the best possible life. She's also unsure if she's buying the right resources / products for them.
Although she lives in Sheffield, she doesn't know the better routes or walking spots to take the family, and hopes to find out more places which they can all go to together (such as in the summer).
Nicole uses free advice and available information to her advantage, and will not pass up an opportunity to find out something new. She hopes to get her children into reading, and believes that the kids-based magazines in stores might be able to gain their attention.
Resources and Personnel:
I'm the main creator of The Kennel, so I'll take multiple roles in producing the magazine; I'll be both the photographer and editor, meaning I need to use a DSLR camera for the photographs and resources such as Photoshop and InDesign for creating the magazine pages & graphic design. Alongside the DSLR camera, I'll need an SD card to be able to save & transfer the images onto the chosen software; this should help ensure that they're high quality photographs.
As for the models, I've picked three different dogs - as they fit perfectly for a dog-themed magazine. If I used only people, it would take away the actual theme of the magazine and wouldn't appeal to my target audiences. Using dog models brings comfortable reassurance as the audience will know what the magazine is about. Not only that, but pictures of animals appeals to the audience as people are enamored by cute things and would make them more emotional - meaning they're more likely to pick up the magazine. I may also need resources such as dog treats in order to help with taking the photographs, as it would help keep them still in the photoshoot.
Distribution:
An effective shop to sell a dog magazine in would be a location such as Gleadless Pet Store; it's a highly-rated local store that stands in a busy area along a tram route, meaning that an array of potential customers in Sheffield would be able to access it. It's likely to be recommended by other dog walkers, who are usually friendly and willing to recommend helpful places to others. This means that a local magazine being sold in a well-respected local shop would increase it's chances of being bought.
Another method to distribute the magazine would be in vets. These places are designed for animals, so the intended audience would definitely come into contact with the magazine. Using another popular location would give the magazine a better reputation; a vets like Peak Vets in Sheffield would be a good example thanks for their 5* ratings and long opening hours - while waiting for their dogs to be taken care of, customers can pick up the magazine and read it for free in the waiting rooms, making this method incredibly effective in attracting new customers.
A third location to distribute the magazine would be in local parks. These can be considered cultural hubs; places where the target audience would socialise and gather together in. If the magazine is made available through "pick up & take for free" methods, such as how Sheffield train station and Stagecoach buses have free newspapers from the Metro that can be taken. These newspaper boxes usually have little messages that become visible as the box is emptied - rather than messages, these could be replaced with cute dog cartoons. This way, it fits to the theme of the magazine, and may become more well-known in the area. Though this links with marketing itself - parks would be a suitable location to distribute in because of the amount of dog-walkers that may come by, alongside families with children that would take one for the sake of entertaining themselves as they walk or because it's available.
Focusing on better-known local areas will help with the magazine's reputation and distribution; getting the word out is an important task if later releases wanted to be successful.
Marketing:
Marketing through traditional methods is vital, because the magazine itself is free, and would rely on either crowdfunding or advertisement slots for marketing funds. Posters could be one traditional method that could easily be used; once designed and printed, they could be placed in areas which would let them be spread to a wider audience. Possible locations include family-friendly restaurants or bars (which are scattered around Sheffield City Centre), nearby local schools (where passerby children would see them) and in local residential areas. This would help word be spread around. Another below the line idea (advertising to a niche audience) would be to create a radio advertisement that could be shown on Sheffield Live. It's a smaller radios station that allows you to advertise anything you'd like - a specific local audience may use this type of radio, so it's possible they would hear the ad and remember it.
Online advertising & digital methods are also an important step in marketing the product. These adverts can vary in different ways - using web banners and pop ups through websites would be effective if the right sites were targeted. These sites could be family-orientated such as Mumsnet, or they could be pet-based such as Pets at Home. This could be expensive. Social media itself is also an option; using promoted posts & tweet functions on Instagram and Twitter could help audiences see the advertisements on their feed, when they usually wouldn't. Social media channels would be created alongside these to show videos, upcoming potential articles, and etc. in order to make a connection with the technology-oriented audience. Using online polls would create further engagement in order to advertise the brand. It suits the genre since families would use digital technology on a daily basis, and would need to access pet-related websites in order to buy supplies for their animals.
Cross-promotion would be an excellent way in promoting the product. If we were to promote the magazine on different platforms, it would make our voice louder and increase the effectiveness of our advertising campaign; for example, if we were to work alongside another pet-based magazine, they could use their advertising space to promote us. This would expand our reach to bigger audiences. Working with an entirely different platform such as working with a large online store (theoretically like Pets at Home) would show another audience our brand - using a specific house style through the promotions can make the magazine recognisable and easy to spot.
Specifications:
Height & width of magazine pages; 210 x 148 mm or 8.27 x 5.83 inches (A5)
