Philosophical A magazine that specializes in the

unnatural and obscure world of

philosophy

Louis Hurst

My Brief

“You have been commissioned by the Northern Echo to produce a new magazine or newspaper product.

Your product can be done in any style or genre but it must be self financed through sales or advertising.

You must also produce your magazine for a specified audience segment within the 16 – 25 age group.”

How Do I Meet The Brief?

- Ensure that I come up with a unique concept that is generally underutilized in the UK magazine industry today

- Self financed through sales and advertising

- Ensure that there is the gap in the market in my chosen distributors publications

- Selected a socioeconomic group best suited to understanding and enjoying the genre

Primary Target Audience

• Socioeconomic group B

• Between 16 – 25 years old

• Males and females • Hipster/Nerd/Creatives tribe

• Fans of the topic and casual

readers alike

Secondary Target Audience

Northern Echo Readers

My Secondary audience is everyone else who reads the Northern Echo, a large proportion of its readers are adults but there are some young people out there who read it as well and as a result I will have to rule

out using things like taboo language, slang lexis, inappropriate content, suggestive themes or nudity when putting together my final product

Appealing To My Audience

• Stay away from technical jargon and references to complex theories to ease casual readers into the magazines content

• Use a concise style of writing

• Use both symbolic and visually appealing imagery

• Use a wider diversity of content, catering to all audiences

PCC Considerations

The PCC or Press Complaints Commission are a body which deals with various complaints from members of the public about magazine and newspaper content.

Overall there are 16 codes that the PPC sets that magazines and newspapers have to follow.

With this in mind I have made it my golden rule to follow all the rules of the press complaints commission in order to create a well done, non biased and reliable final product

Five Gold Rules

Give informed consent before questioning, getting information out of readers and asking them to pose as cover models

To avoid invading anyone's privacy or trespass, I will get consent from the land owner to ensure my photo shoots are done above board

I will not be biased in any way in order to demonstrate that I’m a reliable source of information and know my place in the genre and the industry

I need to ensure that all evidence gathered is completely confidential to ensure that no one is harassed or exploited

I must ensure that all information given is accurate

My USP

- My USP is the actual genre of magazine I’m going for, just by looking at my magazines cover and features potential buyers will learn almost straight away that the concept of the magazine is fresh, not overdone and something that has the potential to be quite an interesting read.

- Seeing as a philosophy magazine hasn’t found its way into the mainstream magazine market before some people may wonder if it has a place at all in the market. I would say yes, many of the magazines that have come before me only focus on more informative elements and the more traditional sides of philosophy.

Focus Group – Idea Brief

I wanted to see whether or not Philosophy was a broad enough concept to put into a successful magazine. So I created a focus group in

which we discussed a variety of different things from the magazine design the magazines overall concept. The feedback I got was rather

mixed however most people were in favour of the concept

“I think it’ll be a good idea, the genre

hasn’t really been touched upon

before”

“Personally I like it, but can you rally

enough attention to make it successful?”

“I like it, it’s a good idea and if its

done right it could do really well”

Genre Research/Competition (Front Covers)

Contrasting colours

Simplistic imagery

Effective use of exclamatives

Simplistic text layout

Promotional material

Serif style fonts

Rhetorical Questions

Doesn’t focus on philosophy

solely (some psychology

elements)

Basic colour pallet

Offers information on new

aspiring philosophers

Genre Research/Competition DPS’

Basic Black and

white colour scheme

Basic, yet symbolic

imagery

Little text for the

meat of the article

A plaque design is

used to help the title

stand out more

Small introductory

paragraph

Serif fonts

Interesting layout

design

Symbolic Imagery Student Interview Section Text boxes leave plenty of room for in depth information Image of the mask is something not typically seen in any other magazine Visually appealing to look at

Both sides have an equal amount of space to explain themselves. Completely unbiased Interesting text box structure spices up the otherwise bland nature of text Bold and vibrant colours throughout Large, clear title Cover models positions resemble the debate side of the article

Bold and symbolic imagery Bold title The ethics and more informative sides of the subject are both covered Quote inserts from famous philosophers Article is very consistent and the way it is structured makes it easier to read

DPS 1

DPS 2

DPS 1 - Pros and Cons

Pros In depth information on all of the

theories

Suitable amount of imagery

Wide variety of fonts make the overall

DPS look seem more appealing

Interview sections add a different

perspective

Cons To much text, not much room for artistic decisions

Image placement doesn’t compliment text very well

Interview is too concise

The in depth nature of the article may be to much for casual

readers to absorb.

DPS 2 – Pros And Cons

Pros

The sparse nature of the DPS makes it look

slightly more simplistic and it doesn’t look like

there is too little text either

The quote inserts in my opinion help to break up

the text and as a result the article doesn’t come

across as a slog for more casual readers and

new comers

Large imagery that will immediately serve as

one of the DPS’ most interesting features, there

is still a whole page for text as well.

Cons Some readers may be put of as it isn’t written like a traditional top 10 list

Some, more passionate philosophy readers may feel like the article is as in

depth as it could be, specifically each theory isn’t given much explanation

No interview section

The Name

Directly Relates to the genre whilst also being memorable

Fresh and unique for the genre and the magazine industry in general

The simplistic nature of the title makes it seem slightly more off the cuff which goes against the trend of magazines using bold and loud titles, my magazine is

based on a more mature audience and my title should show that

Not to long or too short, its easy to absorb even for casual readers

Text Type :

Philosophical

Product Aims

I want to prove that the subject is important in peoples lives too, not just on the basis

of knowledge but also in developing a fresh new look at how we see the world

Allow younger and more casual readers develop an understanding of the subject specific terminology found within philosophy

Expose philosophy for the interesting subject it really is and bring it back into

mainstream appeal

Font Types

Colour Types

Overall Product

Front Cover Contents Page Article 1 – Top Philosophical Theories Article 2 – Plato Vs Aristotle or The Clash of Greats Article 3 – Just War???

DPS 1 Details

• Discusses the more obscure and darker elements of philosophy

• Discusses some of the more traditional areas of the theories

• Includes a Q&A Interview section with another student, allowing for some subjective views

• Structured like a regular article, with paragraphs categorising the types of theories

DPS 2 Details

• Focuses around the iconic rivalry between Plato and Aristotle, allowing more exposure to the subjects traditional elements

• An unbiased approach makes this article fair and it doesn’t neglect subjective opinions in any way

• Focuses around one of their lesser known debate topics – Dualism and Materialism

DPS 3 Details

• Focuses around a more ethical and controversial area of discussion that is still a problem in the world today

• The various principles of just war are referred to, adding some educational value

• Structured much like a debate article – with the prime focus being about whether just war as a principle is effective.

Personnel Costs

Total Personnel Costs - £1,538

Basic Staff Required

Journalists Photographers

Researchers Models

Sub Editors Graphic Designer

Additional Staff Needs

Lighting Assistant Layout Artist

Costume Designer PP Photographers

Equipment Hire Costs

Total Equipment Costs - £245.00

Studio Hire Camera Hire

3hrs

Prop Hire 45 Mins

Make Up 2hrs

Printing Costs

Total Expenditure

£4,369

Revenue Plan

Amounts produced 8,000 at £2.99 = £23.920 + 781.44 = £24.701 (Predicted Sales Income)

Advertising Rates

Page X2 Half Page X2 Inside Cover Outside Back Cover

£781.44

Total Revenue

24701.44

Net Profit – Actual Profit Comparison

Net Profit Actual Profit

£20,332 £22,000

“You have been commissioned by the Northern Echo to produce a new magazine or newspaper product.

Your product can be done in any style or genre but it must be self financed through sales or advertising.

You must also produce your magazine for a specified audience segment within the 16 – 25 age group.”

My Brief

Thank You For Listening

Any

Questions?