IRAN ART EXHIBITION: WHAT GENRE OF MAGAZINES IS YOUR PREFERENCE?
Literature comes in many different forms and covers a wide range of topics to appeal to the masses. Since the invention of the printing press, printed newspapers, novels, stories, and books have delivered readers valuable insight into fields including history, applied sciences, leisure, and law. Magazines are another form of media outlet used for the dissemination of information and can found in various applications.
What is a magazine? Magazines are a type of literature, usually taking the form of a thin book with large pages, that contain articles, stories, poems, and illustrations about a certain topic or field of research. Most magazines are also referred to as periodicals because they are published once during a set period of time, such as weekly, monthly, or yearly issues. The first magazine was published in Germany during the early 17th century, with the first issue of American Magazine (aptly named for the location of its publication) being issued in 1741. The word magazine derives from the Arabic word makhazin, meaning storehouse, with similarities to the French word magasin, meaning store. In a literal sense, magazines are a storehouse for different types of information placed collectively under one cover.
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: Magazines have been used in America since the 1740’s to inform readers of news and information related to their interests. TIME Magazine is a popular general interest magazine that covers a wide range of topics for a large general audience.
Magazine Genres & Selection
Magazines can cover various topics in relation to a genre, which could be used to describe hundreds of different related ideas. The concept of magazine selection relates to the availability of many genres of magazine used by the general public for entertainment, leisure, or education. For example, medical offices are often supplied with an array of different magazines which cover a number of genres to appeal to the interests of a large volume of clients. Fashion, cooking, sports, gardening, and medical publications may be just a few types of magazine genres found at a doctor’s office. Within the genre of gardening, for instance, the magazine may more specifically discuss proper planting techniques, new and popular plants to grow, and merchandise related to growing or tending to different types of plants.
Magazine Categories
Magazines and other publications of literature are often categorized based on their topics to more effectively target a select group of clients and their interests. There are three main categories of magazine publications, each of which include more specific types of publications, are:
• General interest magazines
• Special interest magazines
• Professional magazines
The following sections will elaborate on the purpose of each magazine category in addition to their more specific content types and provide examples of common or popular titles associated with each category.
General Interest Magazines
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: General interest magazines are the most common category of magazine publication. They cover a wide variety of topics and are written for a general audience of common, everyday people. Popular topics of general interest magazines may include food, fashion, entertainment, sports, or home and gardening. General interest magazines are typically available in grocery stores, identifiable by their glossy covers with bold titles, articles, illustrations, and advertising. A few of the most popular magazine publications in the general interest category include New York Times, People, and National Geographic.
Special Interest Magazines
A special interest magazine differs from a general interest magazine because it covers topics which are more specific to a particular audience. While a general topic magazine may discuss various aspects of food, a special interest magazine may target cooking, food presentation, or the photography of food as individual ideas. Likewise, a general sports magazine may discuss multiple activities while a special interest magazine focuses solely on football. Special interest magazines, similar to the general interest category, are widely available to the public and can regularly be found in stores or online. Examples of popular special interest magazines include Sports Illustrated, Psychology Today, and Vegetarian Times.
Professional Magazines
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: Professional magazines are publications that are professional and educative in nature because they contain content for specific or niche groups of people within a field, from doctors to salespeople to aviation experts. The content within a professional magazine is highly detailed and often created by an organization to further inform the interests of its members. Trade journals, as they are sometimes also called, offer news, analysis of information, and development articles for the growth of skills within a breadth of knowledge. Education Week, Aviation Week and Space Technology, and Design News are a few examples of popular professional magazines and trade journals.
Types of Magazines: Examples
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: The different types of magazine articles are mostly available to the general public, with the exception of professional magazines or trade journals. Different types of publications are created by individual companies or organizations to appeal to a specific target audience, which may even include the general public if common information is being distributed. Some of the most common types of magazines include:
• Consumer magazines
• Industrial or company-sponsored magazines
• Trade magazines
Each of the following sections will briefly describe the type of magazine, relate their content to the information and distribution characteristics of the provided magazine categories, and offer insight as to how these types of magazines have remained successful over time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular type of magazine?
Magazines are a type of literature publication used since the 1700s to distribute news and information related to the interests of a general or specific intended audience. Consumer magazines are a type of general interest magazine that contain something for all readers. Topics such as news, business, fashion, celebrity life and entertainment, and men’s or women’s lifestyles are covered in a consumer magazine, sometimes all in one issue. Consumer magazines such as Time, Reader’s Digest, and Vogue are the most popular type of magazine publication.
What are the three main categories of magazines?
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: In total, there are three main categories of magazine publications.
• General interest magazines are widely available to the public and cover many genres to interest all readers. Food, fashion, entertainment, sports, and home lifestyles are a few genres commonly explored in magazines such as People and New York Times.
• Special interest magazines contain information related to more specific topics, such as cooking (food), photography (leisure), and football (sports). Sports Illustrated and Vegetarian Times are two examples of special interest magazines.
• Professional magazines are intended for members of a certain professional field or interest group. They contain informative and detailed news and other articles about happenings within a field. Education Week and Design News are two professional magazine examples.
