Analysing a double page spread from ‘Vibe’

Analysing a double page spread from ‘Vibe’

The layout of the page has been thought about and has been structured in grids. The first page layout is at the bottom of the page is the picture taking half the page but in the first grid and he text is either at the top or next to the. This is similar to the other page as you see there are lines of grids. The ratio of the text to the picture is very equal and creates a sense that it is balanced because it looks like a pleasing and clear layout. Nothing is over –cramped and nothing is on top of each other because if it was it would have looked like a cheap, tacky magazine.

The purpose of the article was to describe who is who in terms of actors and artists. They are trying to inform what the latest is for them and it includes how to pronounce the category they are in. this symbolises how important it is to know the information and facts about them.

The title of the article is called ‘Young Hollywood’. This show how these famous people are going to big one day therefore reading this article is going to make the reader gain knowledge about them. Therefore this has an effect on the reader because it shows and informs the important information on entertainment which this magazines implies that it is important.

The conventions which had been used to make this article were like quotations from the artists/actors, new information to inform. This suggests the magazine reveals the truth and honesty which means they have the real facts which is important for readers to know because that way they can trust the magazine.

The mise en scene is again very sophisticated, has been thought about and totally clear. You could tell this because they had used a blank, white background which makes the celebrities stand out from the text. This is important to show how the magazine is elegant and they portrayed that because the clothes they are wearing is like if they were going to a club. But it looks forma, no tight dresses or overly baggy jeans for the men.

The magazine uses Standard English language and the alignment of the text has been justified. This shows how they are thinking about how to convey a message of formal is quite important to make a good look. The effect it gives on the reader is that the magazine did not have to use slang to appeal to the audience but had used Standard English which shows how the target audience are like. This shows the target audience has grown out of the slang and start taking life a bit more serious.  

Analysing ‘Vibe’ Contents Page Magazine

Analysing ‘Vibe’ Contents Page Magazine

The layout of the contents page is that all the text is on the mid –half-way on the right hand side and you could tell that a grid has been used. This is because the texts are lined neatly on the right hand side and the main image has taken two-thirds of the page. The main image has taken more of the space and the content of the text is a lot but it is very small font therefore it shows how sophisticated the magazine is and how organised it is. You could tell the magazine had been carefully placed and chosen the font of text with thought as you can tell the magazine has kind of elegance.

The contents page consists with the front page cover with the similar mise en scene. The clothing the artists are wearing on the front cover is the same as the contents page which is very formal and smart wear and this relates to the magazine as it is a very sophisticated magazine.

The feature which makes the contents page appear exclusive is the content of the contents page and the famous artists. This helps to appear significant because if it was an unknown model it would not give the same effect as using celebrities as a main image as this attracts the target audience. Especially if they had used someone overly well known and someone who was in the media spotlight recently this enables more attention for the reader as they would then want to purchase the magazine because it seems ‘hot’ in the topic.

There is one image and the mise en scene helps it make it look very elegant and neat. The costume Eminem is wearing contributes to my point of him looking very formal and neat. The lighting just shone his face as this emphasises who he is and the importance of him.

The linguistic is very interesting and is very quirky. It breaks the conventions and it does not look like a contents page as much however they do include the number of the page and what is on that page. They include some of the content of the contents page. The type of language affects the way the reader receives the message therefore the reader in this case will be more interested in it as it is weird and different. Dramatic language is used to attract the reader’s attention “Who’s Got Juice?”

There is no letter from the editor in the contents page

Analysing ‘Rap-Up’ Front Cover Magazine

Analysing ‘Rap-Up’ Front Cover Magazine

Rap-Up is a hip-hop and R&B magazine and it features interviews with artists, actors and other music entertainment. You could tell that it is this type of magazine because in the past it had used Beyonce, T.I, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Ludacris and Young Jeezy as their main image who all come under Hip-Hop and R&B genre.

The target audience are again similar as the bottom two magazines. However for this specific magazine it looks like this one is going to attract young teens, both genders but it would appeal to women more who are a fan of Ciara and her music she produces.  You could tell that it appeals to this type of audience because the strapline gives a list of rappers/artists and singers e.g. Rick Ross, Akon, Fat Joe and Bun B. The list gives a flow a visual and verbal path of movement which attracts the target audience’s eye.

The main image is Ciara and the rule of thirds has been used as Ciara is in the middle line, the left hand straplines fit in their one third and the same to the right hand side. The image relates to music genre because Ciara produces music and as well as singing she can dance which relates to hip hop kind of style. This therefore appeals to the target audience because the reader can relate themselves to her and could be inspired from her work.

The mise en scene is quite poster like but it is clear and relevant information is used. The clothing Ciara is wearing is quite sexy but revealing and this could attract immediate attraction because her body is quite outlined and you could see her legs through the fish net tights. The lighting is light as a whole however the camera is being emphasised because there is a flash. It is relevant because it goes with the strapline “Oh snap! The photo issue starring Ciara”.  As it is being emphasised it implies that it is the most important strapline therefore suggests the content is majority about Ciara. Also, it decides what your messages are and what is more important therefore the principle of contrast has been used too. The make-up Ciara is wearing goes with the background of the magazine. She has smokey eyes and her lippy colour is the same as the pink background which is quite girly. This shows that this magazine may appeal to girls only as the colour pink is the main body. Therefore this attracts the target audience quickly because it is ever so bright and it would have stand out from other magazines.

The colours which have been used are pink, white and black.  The colour pink has many annotations it could link to childish innocence or child-like characteristics. This relates to the target audience because the reader may be immature and a child and purchase this magazine because of the background colour – this is significant and shows how colours have a huge impact on consumers. Also, pink is considered a colour of good healthy lifestyle which links to the magazine because the magazine may provide tips bout lifestyle. Furthermore, pink is associated with sexuality and purity. This links to the main image as she poses and looks sexual. The colour white relates to the purity and cleanliness of something therefore it highlights the strapline however I think they had used the colour white to make their presentation look more relevant and balanced. The colour black can be seen as sophisticated and mysterious. It emphasises power, sexuality and sophistication. This relates to the target audience because the masthead is the colour black and it symbolises what the magazine is wholly about in this issue as the masthead colour changes throughout different issues. This shows the magazine tries and goes through different aspects.

The magazine is called “Rap-Up” and this reflects the content and the target audience because the phrase rap –up implies a normal statement on how young people compete and have battles against each other until one out does one by rapping. This suggests how they are in time for their music and it is relevant as they use specific rappers e.g. T.I who is well known for his music/songs. The typeface of the masthead is black and the word “up” is pointing up. This gives off a visual movement and some kind of direct flow, as it is pointing up it shows whoever features in their magazine they may speak the truth and say the right things.

The magazine looks like it is a popular magazine because Ciara is hiding some of the text which shows this magazine is well known and it does not need to show the full masthead because it is very popular and their consumers would recognise their magazine instantly.

Analysing ‘Billboard’ Front Cover Magazine

Analysing ‘Billboard’ Front Cover Magazine

Billboard covers a wide range of genres such as R&B, Hip-Hop, Pop and Country music therefore they have a wide range of target audiences. The genre for this magazine however is Hip Hop which will relate to my target audience. Billboard may have done this so they can appeal to a large audience which they have because there are millions of people who prefer these genres as these are the most common genres at the moment. This enables Billboard to make a huge profit and expand more on music genres in the future. Billboard is a weekly American magazine which dedicates itself to the music industry and they are one of the oldest trade magazines. Furthermore, they write articles about the latest music including music news and produce music reviews. They include information on the most popular songs, albums and a variety of music categories which is updated every week. Billboard is basically about music charts and had grew information in music, artists, top executives, tour promoters, publishers, radio programmes, lawyers, retailers and digital entrepreneurs.

The target audience for this magazine are older teenagers around the age of 16 to mid 30s who are interested in hip hop and R&B as this specific magazine is targeting more males rather than females as it features Lil Wayne and consists of male related straplines and stories. However, it still targets females because if they weekly purchase Billboard they will purchase every magazine they publish because of the main image and the stories/straplines. You could tell they target women because it includes up to date information e.g. Michael Jackson‘s movie – ‘This is It’ who would attract many MJ fans as he had passed away and Lil Wayne has millions of fans including women too. They target this type of audience because the audience would be interested in hip-hop culture and fans who are interested in these kinds of artists where they want to recognize more individuals and gain more knowledge about their favourite artists then talk about it amongst their friends. We can tell this also because it includes a main image of Lil Wayne who is well known for his raps and songs. This will then enable to appeal to the target audience and followers who love his music and then purchase the magazine.

The method which had been used for the camera angle and lens movement is pan right and the main image is Lil Wayne and you could tell the rule of thirds has been considers. The main image is placed in the middle and the setting creates a sense of depth which enables the audience to be attracted to it because it catches their eyes. The main image will create a lot of attention because the main image is a well known rapper Lil Wayne who is recognizable by many people, even if they do not listen to his music. This then creates a centre of attention towards the magazine then the reader will then purchase the magazine and read the content and would be interested because the main image would relate to the content. As a result it creates a potential customer for the future. Also as he makes music relating to girls, money and life this also engages immediate attention. The facial expression of Lil Wayne is subtle, looks calm and readers (men) could relate themselves to him because of the pose Lil Wayne is striking. Also, the body language of Lil Wayne would be common to most Hip Hop fans as they would do the same- he looks confident and mature and it looks like if he feels the top of the world as he is holding his belt. They may have done this so the readers can purchase this magazine so the readers can find out what had inspired him to be what he is right now and find out information on what he is doing right now therefore it inspires others.

The mise en scene has been carefully placed and it helps what it wants to represent which is Hip hop is not dead and that it still exists. The clothing which Lil Wayne is wearing is high-end fashion which seems like a scarf and I think it is a leather one which represents his new experimentation in music-rock mixed with rap and hip- hop. Also, he is topless and is revealing his tattoos which are kind of typical of him to do so but that are what he is known for too. In addition he is showing his boxers which are very popular in the 21^st century where before it used to be the baggy, long tops. The readers will defiantly relate themselves to revealing their boxers as this is the fashion for hip-hop culture. The readers could relate themselves to this as some readers my read this because they want to become a hip-hop star or a R&B singer and then would like to follow Lil Wayne’s life and fashion sense too. This also is relevant in today’s society because the world is opening to more different styles and experimentation. This helps appeal to the audience because many new artists are different and are becoming totally fresh. The lighting of this is quite dark which contributes to the atmosphere which is quite full of swagger (a slang word for personality and clothes) and the sense of coolness. This means there is contrast between the lighting and the masthead as they both look totally different and it adds visual to the magazine. This also means it emphasises the title. Therefore the masthead is suggested being the most important element. The effect this image has it makes the reader to purchase or look similar like Lil Wayne because his style makes people jealous.

The colours which have been used follow the generic convention of 4 colours including: white, red, yellow and lime. The yellow colour has been used for a religious symbol which highlights optimism, happiness, idealism and imagination. The colour white has connotations of purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, innocence and this relates to the magazine because it emphasises how pure Billboard is and it suggests how they provide accurate information. This then appeals to their target audience because they want relevant information, facts and accurate information which are unbiased. Some straplines are in the colour white which shows how they are key features in the magazine. The colour red has been used because it balances what Lil Wayne is wearing. Red represents all things intense and passionate and this emphasises how Lil Wayne is at the hot spot at the moment as he was introducing new singles around that time the magazine was published. The colour red could relate to Lil Wayne and the target audience because of the excitement and the passion it implies and the power – how much Lil Wayne is dominating the music charts as he is well known for his lyrics as well as his songs.

The title of the magazine is called ‘Billboard’ which is relevant; the word itself means a large, outdoor sign. This is relevant because the magazine provides accurate, unbiased information spreading out the truth and this largely appeals to the target audience because many other magazines does not provide accurate information or their content includes biased information and influence wrong opinions.

The typeface which has been used is quite old, traditional look like if it was in the 60s or the 70s. It is simple and clear which contributes in appealing to the target audience as this magazine is popular anyway; it shows that it is well known because Lil Wayne’s head is covering the some of the lettering. 

Front Cover Analysation: Word Up!

Analysing ‘Word Up’ Front Cover Magazine

The genre of this magazine is hip-hop and R&B. This magazine targets young teens that have started to explore what kind of music there is, this means 'Word Up' target audience has started to identify what kind of music they like and what kind of artists they prefer. You could tell this because they introduce a newcomer, it uses bright lettering of colours to appeal to their target audience. ‘Word Up’ magazine focuses on teen entertainment and music, you can tell this because it covers rap, hip-hop and R&B music and celebrities such as newcomers which enable the magazine to focus on African teen singers or newcomers, rappers, models, actors/actresses.

The main image is Nicki Minaj who is a female rapper. This image relates to the music genre of hip-hop; this is because Nicki Minaj has recently been signed up with Young Money Entertainment – she is a newcomer under this label, before she was signed with Dirty Money record label and did a lot of mixtapes until she got recognised by Lil Wayne and has now finally made an album ‘Pink Friday’. This enables popularity for Nicki Minaj and allows readers to find out more information about her as she is the most talked about celebrity at the moment, because of her crazy, Barbie, rapping and it emphasises about her being a female rapper. As a result teens would purchase this magazine because they had used Nicki Minaj as the main image - she is the most talked about and she would appeal to Word Up’s target audience.

The image is framed out on the left hand side of the magazine with three other pictures on the right hand side in petite shapes including Waka Flocka who features in the magazine. The shot which has been used is a close-up as you can see her face, so you can recognise her in other magazines, posters, music videos and see her top half of her clothes – this shows her personality, her fashion style, her wigs/weaves and basically how she is like. They did this and this is included because it enables the reader to ‘get to know’ her more in terms of her appearance, her fashion sense and the way she is introduced. The main image bottom half is not included, this may be because it emphasis how she is a newcomer and the readers are probably not interested about her body shape because it shows her face will engage the target audience. As it shows her face her facial expression is that she is pouting looking like she is going to kiss someone, she may had done this so she can relate to their target audience. This is because Word Up’s target audience may do poses like this which then attract young teens. Furthermore, it shows how Young Money entertainment has changed her appearance but kept her real self; in order she to appeal to the modern society which is totally fresh and inspired by old artists therefore this will then attract young teens to purchase this magazine.

The mise en scene is very fresh and is suited for the target audience – very friendly as it is not intimidating like other Hip Hop magazines e.g. Vibe , XXL, Rap-Up however everything is very bold, colourful, in trend, and it gives off an impression of a retro style because of the use of the fonts. The main model is wearing a black studded jacket, similar in the small rectangular shapes shots however it is white- beige colour, in the other frames (in the close-up shots) she is wearing a white dress with a yellow hat and a bold, pearls, and accessories. The clothes she is wearing is all in trend, very current and suggests it relates to her 'Barbie' name. This show how it relates to the young teen target audience because at that age you would discover your fashion taste, follow the latest trends, wanting to know how to make other people envy you because you have all the attention - its all current! The make-up she is wearing is the same as the other shots and is quite simple. This again helps target ‘Word Up’ audience as the readers would be starting to experiment with make-up and start to find their identity or o through a faze. The setting of the magazine is at a setting where a white background is used. This is used because if they had used a bright colour setting or something with overdone textile designs it would have disturbed the subject area, so using a white background and other bold colours would have made the subject area stand out from the straplines, masthead, and the kicker. This then enables the magazine to sell out. The lighting of the main image is quite light on the model’s face which enables readers or buyers to focus on the model, they did this by using a silver card where the light hits the silver card and it reflects on her face which makes her stand out even more. Also, it would have made a difference because if you were going to your local newsagent and you had other magazines which were dark e.g. XXL and Vibe next to this one, ‘Word Up’ would have stand out even more and catch the target audience’s eye. As a consequence this would have made the target audience to purchase it and not give a glance. Furthermore, because she is giving eye contact this would help this effect even more.

The colours which have been used are yellow for the masthead, dark green for the kicker and the other colours which have been used were pink, purple and red. The connotations for yellow is cheerful and positive, this links to the magazine and why they had used this colour as it is welcoming the reader to read this magazine as they are not using dangerous, intimidating colours for the masthead e.g. black. This would have contrasted what the magazine is really about and would have made the magazine target maybe an older audience. The connotations for green are associated with the growth of spring. The magazine had cleverly used this. This is because the magazine is trying to attract a new, fresh, young teens who are discovering new things. This would have attracted their audience because they had linked two colours together yellow and green which has similar connotations and relate somehow, as using them together would meant they are trying to really engage their audience that this magazine is friendly, welcoming and is always fresh.

The magazine looks quite cheap but the magazine is approximately £3.45 which is quite expensive however they may did this because so they can make a profit and it makes the target audience want the magazine and have the urge to purchase every issue because it looks quite addictive as they sell out entertainment and gossip.

The subjects who are covered on the magazine are about Nicki Minaj, Waka Flocka, and fashion trends, the Karate Kid, Sean Kingston and Lil Twist which are all relevant and modern people. They may have chosen this so they can attract their audience introducing the latest gossip and news.

The women are represented like if they are down to earth, bubbly and look like they want to have fun. However the men-Waka Flocka is represented the same but he is actually quite aggressive, big, looks quite scary and a gangster kind of man. They had made him look friendly because it relates what the magazine and what it is trying to sell and it suits this kind of magazine and just shows that this magazine can be read by young, male teens too.

The magazine is called ‘Word up!’. The masthead could mean that they have all the latest gossip, have exclusive interviews, and is basically suggesting to their audience that they are exclusive and have all the information on any entertainment news which relates to what they are really about- focusing on rappers, models and newcomers. This shows this reflects the content and the target audience of this magazine.  They are called this because it relates to what the magazine is and how they are selling out gossip.  The significant words are the masthead – Word Up! by using an exclamation mark emphasises how they target newcomers and fresh music and put it in the magazine stating this magazine is fresh. The typeface of the masthead is quite retro and funky and at the same time it is friendly. They had used this so they can attract their target audience implying they are friendly, easy going and that this magazine is not intimidating at all – it is almost like a friend to an extent- like gossiping with your friend but this time you are doing it with a magazine. The effect of this will allow readers to be interested and purchase their other issues until they had grown out of it.

The masthead is at the top and it is not covered. This implies that this magazine may not be popular but it still sells however it shows that they are still trying to engage the new generation to read the magazine, enabling them to show what this magazine is all about. The size of the masthead is medium; they may have done this so it does not look overcrowded as it is a little bit. This is important because it allows people to purchase the same magazine over and over again and get this magazine more popular. The values this magazine portrays and suggests that all hip-hop rappers and anything to do with this kind of entertainment that they are fresh, have swagger and are sharp. They are trying to say to their target audience that they have all the information and gossip about music celebrities stating that this is important information if you are up to date about the current news about entertainment and if Nicki Minaj was your rode model you should purchase this magazine. 

<< Front Cover of a School Magazine

<< Contents page 

Analysing the school magazine – preliminary task

The title of the magazine is called “LGS” which has been abbreviated from Lordswood Girls' School. It had been abbreviated because the pupils, staff and visitors refer the school to LGS because the school is well known in the local area. The typeface of the masthead is quite big and is placed at the top of the corner. I did this because it is common to do so and it is one of the conventions of a magazine. If I never undertook this action then it would have meant that I had broken the convention and it would have looked quite dodgy and wouldn’t look like a magazine, people may have thought it looked like a poster rather than a magazine. The name of the magazine is quite important as it is not globally well known therefore the masthead is visual and the main image is not covering it.

The target audience for this magazine is obviously the students in the school and staff; however visitors and other people outside from the school can purchase this magazine. You can tell that the magazine targets this audience because of the main image of the school and the straplines stories affect the students one way or another or their parents. The reader interacts with the magazine by referring itself with the storylines and the images. This is because it relates to the reader – school issues.

The main image of the cover is the school; which is a Dutch tilt shot. This creates an affect because of the camera angle. It makes the main subject more interesting - which is the building of the school. This is used because so the target audience can recognize the school and that other visitors could identify how the school looks like. There is a flow of images on the left side which emphasizes the content of the magazine. This is because each image relates to the straplines and that is why I placed these images in different shots to make it look more interesting which creates a wacky effect. This then enables to catch the reader’s view so they then can stop and purchase the magazine. There is like four colors I had used: purple, yellow, white and blue color scheme which is recognizable to the target audience. I used these colors specifically because the school uses these colors. I think it would have been unprofessional if I used a different color scheme. The mood of the image is quite calm; the colors had contributed for the mood of the image. The connotation for yellow is quite cheerful therefore I used this because it relates to school and it will then target the audience. The blue symbolizes tranquility, serenity and endlessness as this school will continue communication between pupils and school. I used the color purple because it indicates the sophistication side of the school on rules, dress code, and how this school has highly developed and the elegance of it. In addition I had also used Photoshop to ‘Quick Fix’ the images to make it look more appealing

The things that I could have improved were if I had used a different font for the masthead as you cannot see it that much – it looks quite faint.  Maybe, I could have used a different main image like a pupil or someone doing some interesting work. This could have engaged the interest of the target audience more because the image would be interesting as well as relevant. Initially, I wanted a main cover girl image holding a digital camera who would be giving eye contact to the reader. Furthermore, I should have included the barcode, the price and the issue number. This would have made it look more sophisticated and it would have then fitted in the conventions of a magazine.

The contents page of the magazine has just been lined one by another- I did this so it was simple and not over-crowded with information. This would have engaged the interest of parents or other external readers.

The content page relates and links to the front cover as the color scheme is the same – this gives off a professional impression. The main image is two boys working with a digital camera which relates to the school specialist-media.

I could have improved it by laying out the content details spreaded out however I could not do that because of the shot I had took for the contents page. It wouldn’t have looked good if the text was placed on top of the subject area. Originally, I wanted a picture of the headmistress and a note from her as she runs the school and it would have looked professional. This is because other magazines have an editor’s note; this would have made it look more specialized magazine.

This is the start of my preliminary production task