For my magazine to succeed, I need to know exactly who I am creating it for. This post defines my target audience and summarises the demographic and psychographic research that informed my design choices.
Who Is My Target Audience?
My magazine targets 16–25 year olds, inclusive of all gender identities, who are interested in alternative subcultures, fashion, skating (rollerblades and skateboards), accessories/jewellery, and goth/alternative makeup. This audience values authenticity, self‑expression, and tangible creative work over mass‑produced content.
Demographic Profile
Based on industry reports and audience data:
Age: Core target is 16–24. Secondary audience is 25–35. Research shows that 14% of visitors to a major fashion archive exhibition were under 25. Gen Z now makes up 43.9% of fashion magazine buyers, the largest share across all generations. In the US, 89% of those under 25 read at least one magazine in the past six months.
Gender: Female leaning. About 65% female / 35% male/non‑binary. In independent fashion media, female readers consistently form the majority, though many titles successfully attract gender diverse audiences.
Location: Urban or suburban, with access to creative communities. My magazine content (skating, alternative fashion, jewellery making) assumes access to local scenes, skateparks, thrift stores, indie cafes.
Socio‑economic: ABC1 C2 (students, entry level creatives, part-time workers). Not luxury, but not bottom income. My audience has disposable income for accessories, skate gear, and magazines (£5–£15 per issue) and values “affordable luxury”.
Education: Typically in further education (college, university) or early creative work. Many are students of art, design, media, fashion, or music. They are curious and intellectually engaged with subculture theory and media literacy.
Why Is Gen Z Returning to Print?
My magazine’s format (print style PDF) directly taps into a proven trend. Fashion magazines are having a revival, primarily because of nostalgia driven demand from Gen Z. ELLE Australia saw a 57.5% increase in readership, Marie Claire jumped 23.5%, and Vogue experienced a 30.2% increase across platforms. As one respondent said, Gen Z makes up the largest share of fashion magazine buyers, 43.9%, while millennials account for 34.4%. Young people are really interested in print, “they use the internet, but print is where the excitement lies. They want something that is tangible and collectible”.
This audience isn’t buying magazines for the same reason their parents were. Aesthetics play a significant part in whether the glossy makes its way to the checkout. One avid collector explained her purchases are often about how the cover will look in her space, not just what’s inside: “It became a thing I did because my mum collected them… I’ll pick it up and display it on a shelf in my room”.
For Gen Z, who have grown up navigating social upheaval and constant digital surveillance, nostalgia even for eras they never personally experienced provides “an emotional anchor”. A recent GWI study found half of Gen Z feels nostalgic for media from before their time because it reminds them of “simpler days” before algorithmic feeds and constant notifications. Fashion magazines offer a slow, immersive experience that feels radical today.
How My Magazine Engages This Audience
My magazine’s editorial choices directly address this target demographic:
Authentic representation (Uses & Gratifications, Personal Identity): By using my own photos, my makeup, my jewellery, my rollerblades, I avoid inauthentic stock imagery. The reader sees someone like them reflected. Readers who enjoy fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content like mine are the target.
Tactile, collectible format (Diversion): The collage style and dark visual design create a “keeper” object; my content is “designed to be kept, not discarded”, like vinyl or art books.
Subcultural detail (Personal Relationships): Magazines covering niche interests build parasocial bonds between reader and creator. Niche research begins with listing one’s own interests and hobbies, which I did by centering my own subcultural passions.
Visually intentional design (Aesthetic Gratification): Colour palette (carbon black, onyx, ivory, deep crimson, teal) and distressed fonts (Rusted Plastic, Gravel Gang, Stamp RSPK) directly appeal to the visually literate, magazine collecting audience.
Audience Data Sources & Research References
Nostalgia‑driven print revival: i‑D magazine returned to UK newsstands in 2025 amid renewed interest from Gen Z who use the internet but are excited by tangible, collectible print.
Gen Z purchase share: Gen Z now makes up 43.9% of fashion magazine buyers, the largest share across all generations. Roy Morgan data reported by Mediaweek confirms this trend.
Age group readership stats: In the US, 88% of those under 35 and 89% under 25 read at least one magazine in the past six months. Independent publishing thrives because it’s “tangible and collectible” to a young generation.
Inclusive audience reach: Magazines reach diverse young consumers 90% of Asian‑American adults and 90% of LGBT adults read at least one magazine in the past six months.
Print trust & purchase influence: Nearly 8 in 10 magazine readers who see an ad take action as a result, and the average magazine is read by over 7 people per copy.
Refined Audience Profile Statement
Primary target demographic: Females aged 16-24, ABC1 C2, urban/suburban, students/early creative workers, who value authenticity and alternative subcultures.
Secondary demographic: Males and non‑binary individuals aged 16-35 with similar psychographic values, plus older readers (25-35) nostalgic for 90s/00s zine and alternative fashion media.
Psychographic core: Authenticity‑seeking, digitally fatigued, subculturally identified, visually literate, community‑oriented, and drawn to tangible media as an emotional anchor in an unstable digital landscape.
Brand Positioning Statement
For creatively inclined 16-25 year olds who are digitally fatigued and seeking authentic subcultural representation, kaos Magazine is the alternative print publication that celebrates fashion, skating, accessory art, and self expression through a personal, unpolished, and visually intentional lens. Unlike mainstream titles, my magazine is made by one creator using original photography and artwork, rejecting stock imagery and commercialised style in favour of genuine subcultural voice.
Sources
https://www.lakeunionherald.org/archive/articles/survey-says--/
https://www.marketingcharts.com/cross-media-and-traditional/magazines-traditional-and-cross-channel-236768
https://www.marketingmag.com.au/amp/featured/print-media-holds-strong-for-aussie-magazines/
https://abix.com.au/2025/11/26/magazines-matter-to-a-clear-majority-of-australians-over-14-6-million-read-magazines-in-print-or-online/
https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/2025-market-report/
https://uk.themedialeader.com/only-one-third-of-brits-consume-information-via-news-brands/
https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/news-media-and-magazine-audiences-as-valuable-as-ever-new-market-report-from-newsmedia-alliance,259301
https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9897-australian-magazine-print-readership-and-cross-platform-audiences-march-2025
https://mullermartini.com/en/A-Print-Magazine-for-Gen-Z/
https://presscloud.ai/en-US/pr-academy/prediction-young-people-increasingly-turn-to-print
https://scarletdestiny.com/blogs/sustainable-fashion-blog-sd-musings/i-d-magazine-gen-z-revival
https://www.uowtv.com/gen-z-making-fashion-magazines-cool-again/
https://magnetic.media/news-views/media-matters-why-magazine-media-works-for-fashion
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/mar/25/i-d-magazine-gen-z-demand-fashion
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