Apollo Magazine is another art magazine that focuses on abstract art. The magazine is also available online and in print, similar to many other magazines. It is distributed in more than 25 countries, with an international readership in excess of 30,000. 42% of readers are from the UK, 30% from the US, 18% from Europe, and 10% from the rest of the world. Apollo also distributes their magazine at many art festivals that they sponsor, such as Masterpiece London, Fine Art Asia Hong Kong, Salon du Dessin Paris, and TEFAF Maastricht New York. The goal with my magazine would be to distribute online, in print, in stores, and at art fairs and festivals.
Aesthetica magazine is also similar to my magazine in the way that there isn't a specific kind of person that it's targeted to. It is for anyone who is interested in art, specifically abstract art. This magazine is very alike to Playbill, in the way that it is distributed in print and online. You can also sign up to get emails from the company that likely advertise the magazine itself. Most of the magazine's audience is an average of 30-40 years old with a balance of males and females. This is a very broad spectrum, similar to my magazine. They list their main distribution outlets as WH Smith stores in the UK, Barnes and Noble stores in the US, Easons in Ireland, international art fairs, and film festivals. The magazine is also exported to 17 other countries. This is how I'd like to distribute my magazine, with many stores in many countries and many places that have fans of interest.
The target audience for my magazine is not very specific. It revolves around art and theater, so anyone who is interested would view it. For art, specifically those who are into abstract art. A way I would advertise my magazine is by buying advertisements in theater programs and visiting art galleries to give out free issues or merchandise relating to the brand.
The first magazine I have decided to research is Playbill Magazine. This is a nation-wide theater related magazine that shares a similar topic with mine. This magazine markets their product in many different ways. Playbill Magazine has a website, Playbill.com. There is a shop section, where you can purchase a subscription to the magazine. There is also an email subscription to get updates from the Playbill website.
I plan on making the front cover more complex. I will add more subtext to the bottom where the rest of it is, and maybe a small amount of subtext over the image. The only issue is the image has a lot of meaning and I don't want to take away from it. The table of contents will also change a lot, with a whole different set-up and more than one photo on the page. For the articles I will be adding more text and making the pages have more color so that they are more eye-catching and will grab attention of readers.
My magazine uses conventions of the art and theater genres in ways that display the meaning or truth behind it. With art, especially the cover of the magazine, depth was the focus. This certain photo also represents social issues. The photo is of an American Flag half hung for the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Shooting and it displays what is just the outside of the depth behind school and public area shootings. Other photos of the actors during rehearsal just show the background of what goes into theater, while most magazines focus on the after product.
