Tolu Awojobi AS Media Coursework Magazine Analysis

MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

Front Covers

Masthead: Clear & bold, in the top corner. It is slightly covered by the central image, suggesting that the brand is well known, so much so that they are able to cover half of the masthead and still be known and recognisable.

Cover Lines:The cover lines on this cover are all fitted in the spaces around the central image. The cover lines that do not link to the central image do not overlap it.

Headline:Clear & bold. Stands off the rest of the front cover, clearly in front, and is a different colour to the background, making it the first thing that a reader would notice

Central ImageThe central image is of Hip-Hop legend Nas in what seems to be a fighters stance. It is in a mid shot, which is the most common camera shot used in this genre of magazine (along with the close up), and has the central image looking directly at the audience, also another very common feature in a Hip-Hop magazine. There are also no clear links between the colour scheme of the magazine and the central image, however none of the colours contrast each other so this can be said to have been done purposely.

Masthead

Teasers/Cover Lines

Colour Scheme

Advertorials

Central ImageThe headline on this magazine uses bright colours which contrast the background of the magazine, helping it to stand off the background and be more eye grapping to the viewing audience. However it is not totally shown as a part of it is covered by the central image, which will connote that it is a well known brand because they can afford to not show the entire masthead but people will still know who they are. The style of the masthead also differs to that of a conventional one in this genre as some of the magazine title itself is inside the masthead’s last letter, giving It it’s own unique style in the in this genre.

The advertorial used on the cover of this magazine is there to further pull in the audience, but is more for the part of the target audience that doesn’t yet read the magazine, as those that do read it would already get the magazine. The use of the ‘Free CD’ advertorial will further attract a target audience that is just browsing the magazine stand.

The central image of Hip-Hop icon Jay-Z is a mid shot with him dressed in all black. This costume was deliberately used by the magazine to either match the colour scheme of this given issue of the magazine or to construct the colour scheme around it. The central image is looking directly at the audience, which is a common theme in this genre of magazine, however he has been made to pull his own individual pose. This could connote for the magazine that though there are some similarities, this is an entirely different issue to previously released ones, and to other magazines as a whole.

The teasers and cover lines used on the front cover of this magazine are very simple titles. They all match the colour scheme that the magazine follows; the teasers taking the same colour as the masthead, which could connote that these are also titles of separate articles inside the magazine. The also are in slightly bigger font than the cover lines, and also a different, brighter colour than them, inevitably making them stand out more than the cover lines. The cover lines are a simple white colour in a small font, using pull quotes and giving further information about the teasers

The colour scheme seems to have been based around the central image. The background is black, which helps any important words, such as the masthead and the teasers, to stand out. These important words used on the front cover are all in yellow, and the other words such as cover lines are in white. These other words are cleverly placed to brake up the white and give what would be an otherwise dull looking magazine a very colourful front cover

Masthead

Cover Lines

Colour Scheme

Headline

Central ImageThe masthead on this magazine is once again a very stereotypical magazine masthead for this genre; very bold writing with clear cut letters and stand out. It is placed at the top of the magazine as is the majority of mastheads in this magazine, and the colour of the masthead is one that will stand out from the background of the magazine itself. It is once again partly covered by the central image showing that it is a very recognisable magazine.

The headline has been placed in quite an unconventional area of the magazine front cover, the side of it. This is a very strange choice of placement as it makes the headline seem more like a cover line or a teaser. However it still clearer to read than the cover lines and more stand out by using the colours pink and light blue in the font. Also the actual headline refers to the central image, which helps the audience to recognise that it is a headline.

The central image in this is another Hip-Hop star Kanye West. In contrast to the previous magazine, this has chosen to use the other more prevalent camera technique for the main image; the close up instead of the mid-shot. You can also see that once again the colour scheme has been based off his costume because you can see the colour of his jacket is the same blue that is used on the masthead and the cover lines. It is also at eye level of the audience and Kanye is looking straight at the audience, another typical feature of a central image in the Hip-Hop magazine genre.

There are considerably fewer cover lines on this magazine than on the others in this genre, but what they have done on their cover lines is given the names of the artists that are featured in this magazine, something that is becoming more and more popular and more used in the Hip-Hop magazine genre. They also have used an alternating colour scheme (light blue and black) for each artist. They have one teaser about legendary Hip-Hop producer J Dilla, which uses pink and black instead of the light blue that is used with the cover lines, perhaps connoting to the audience this is a teaser not a cover line.

The colour scheme on this magazine uses very bright colours that are featured on every item of the front cover, which helps to link in the magazine together as a brand. There has also been a definite effort to costume the central image in the same colour scheme as the magazine (either that or the colour scheme was based off him)

Central Image

Cover Lines Masthead

Headline

On this magazine, there is a massive lack of cover lines in comparison to the standard amount that is almost expected of a magazine in this genre. There is only a list of artists, growing feature that is used on Hip-Hop magazines now. Even so, there are only 3 magazines listed, and using an alternating colour scheme of white gold white. This lack of cover lines could connote the success of the brand and of the magazine, in the sense that they do not have to give to much information about the inside of the magazine to draw in attention from their target audience. This could, however, work against them it could send some of their audience away as they do not know what is on the inside, and therefore will not want to look through the entire magazine to find an article that would otherwise be quickly available to them be reading a teaser or cover line.

The headline on this magazine is very similar to the cover lines in the sense that is not very standout. It stands off the background in the sense of the colours used, but the size and positioning of it does not make it easily visible to the audience that may be walking past a news stand and seeing which magazine they plan on buying. The font used for the masthead however is very bold and clear, so if visible it would be very easy to read. It also uses the same colour scheme as the cover lines, alternating the colour of the words with gold and white.

The masthead of this magazine is very clear, which is in contrast to the rest of the worded features on the front cover of the magazine. The font itself is very clear, visible and bold, something very typical of the genre of magazine, whereas the style it uses conveys a sense of individuality about the magazine, which is connoted through the microphone in the ‘o’, and the titled ‘The’ along the side of the ‘Source’. It is also helped to be very clear and bold by the colour scheme used. The background is a jet black colour, and the masthead is a complete opposite to it, using white as the main, and only, colour for not only the masthead, but the majority of the wording used on the front cover.

This central image, much like the rest of this magazine, is very different, in sense of conventions, to the rest of the magazine in the genre that this magazine is part of. It features a close up shot, but unlike the majority of magazines it has the central image not facing the audience, but instead looking to the audience’s left. This gives the audience a sort of profile of his head, which could be seen as the magazine trying to give the audience a different profile of the artist, which would explain this technique. He is also costumed in what seems to be a black jacket, which sort of fades into the background, which makes the audience focus on the face of the artist, instead of the colour scheme or his clothes.

Teasers / Cover Lines

Headline

Central Image

Colour Scheme

Masthead

Once again it seems that the colour scheme of this magazine has been based off the central image. The background on this magazine, however, is not taken in a studio, but instead seems to be an outside, natural background. This has been worked in to the colour scheme, as a lot of white is used to match the light blue sky background. Also, the trademark white and red headband of central image Frank Ocean is a further reason to use white as a main colour on the magazine and also the red as a secondary colour for the cover lines and teasers.

The teasers and cover lines on the front cover of this magazine have a standard look to it, with three teasers listed with cover lines directly underneath them in the second colour of the colour scheme. The teasers featured on this magazine is

The masthead of this magazine is also a very clear, with a very bold and easy to read font. It is in white, which is very clear and stands of the blue background. However this masthead, though not completely effected by the central image, is slightly over the top of the central images head, possibly suggesting that this magazine is not as well known as others in the genre and cannot afford for the masthead to be covered up in order to get it’s name known and it’s target audience attracted to them.

The central image for this magazine is of R&B/Soul artist Frank Ocean. It is taken in a close up, from a slight low angle, perhaps connoting the supremacy of the artist to the audience, which could connote to the audience the supremacy of the magazine to be able to attract this calibur/level of artist for their front cover. This could help them to gain their target audience and possibly increase their recognition and circulation

This is not the conventional headline found in the genre (Steve Neale) because rather than it being very big and bold, standing proud across the front cover, it is instead almost in the bottom corner of the magazine. Having said that it is still very clear and easy for the audience to read and understand, due to the use of the same colour scheme and font used in the masthead. Once again, this relationship can connote the fact that the magazine is not well known as they want the artists name to be associated with their brand, hence the use of the colour schemes, and also the artists name is actually smaller than the masthead, connoting that the magazine is not very well known and cannot afford to be overlooked at the price of the artist on the front being recognised.

Contents Pages

Central Image

Header

TeasersThe header for this contents page is very unique and specific to this magazine, causing a significant amount of brand identity for this magazine. The headline has the word ‘Contents’ stacked on top of itself as you can see. It is in white, against a black gradient filled background, so it stands of very clearly . This helps to attract their target audience because it shows the unique ness and originality of both the magazines ideas and execution, which could further suggest to the reader that the entire magazine, including its layouts and articles, are also original and unique to this magazine only, making it in the mind of the audience stand out from the other magazines in the genre.

The central image in this contents page once again does not conform to the usual ideas for the standard central image in this genre of magazine, mainly because the central image of artist Beyoncé is not actually central to the page, but rather below the teasers at the bottom of the page, and her legs to the side of the page. Though this indicates a difference to the standard magazine, the fact that it is an artist of Beyoncé's stature makes the magazine look very important, as she is willing to do something different for this magazine. However, this contents page does help Beyoncé fall into the ideology of the male gaze, that men act and women appear, which can be noticed through her seductive clothing and suggestive positioning.

The teasers in this magazine are very simple, and do not give a lot of information as to how many articles or features there actually are in the magazine. The teasers continue to follow the colour scheme, which was set by the masthead, but has now been reversed to a white, or lighter, background with black writing. The use of the graduated fade in the background helps to contribute to both the differentiation between the header and the teasers, and the difference in importance between them. Each of the features on this contents page have a plug to go along with them, with the important parts of each plug featured in bold. This helps the audience to quickly see where the story they want to read is, or if anyone that they are interested in is appearing in this particular issue.

Header

Central Image

Teasers

Pull Quote

The header in this magazine is also something that is magazine specific. Instead of the typical ‘contents’, it has instead put ‘The A-side’, signifying the original tapes that the music of the this genre which the magazine studies where originally shopped and sold on. This provides both brand identity for the magazine and attracts a more mature audience in to read the magazine, ultimately increasing circulation and profit for the magazine. The actual header stands very clear of the rest of the contents page, and is actually set completely on top of it, something else that differs from the rest of the magazines in this genre. More brand identity can be found in the colour scheme that the header uses. It is all black apart from the dash that is used, which is read, the colour of the masthead of the magazine, which helps to both link everything together and get the audience familiar with the magazine and its style and design.

On this contents page, they have features a pull quote from the central image, Hip-Hop Icon Dr. Dre, just beside this central image. This is not always the standard thing done in a magazines contents page. Because the pull quote is usually used either with the teasers or the actual article, this once again separates this magazine from any other magazine that is in the genre as an original magazine using different ideas. This pull quote, though not too bold, is still clear due to the use of the white against a dark grey background.

The teasers on this magazines contents page are quite typical of the genre. They are in white in order to stand off the dark background, the headline for each story is in bold while the plugs are in normal font which is smaller than the headline, and the page number is given right beside the headline of the story. However, one difference that can be seen between this magazine and others is the use of a plain black bar to separate the cover story’s teaser from the rest of the teasers, and also the use of the ‘cover story’ tag to convey to the audience that this is the cover story, also forming brand identity through the use of the red to show it. These teasers are the perfect example of Steve Neale’s ideology that ‘Genre Is Instances Of Repetition & difference.

The central image for this contents page is Dr. Dre. This is a pretty standard central image. It shows the artist from a close full shot, cutting off at his knees, and has him directly addressing the reading audience. His is also costumed in black, which matches the colour scheme of the rest of the contents page.

Teasers

Central Image

Header

What is interesting about this central image is that the actual image takes up nearly the entire background for this contents page. It is of Neo Soul Pioneer D’Angelo, and shows his costumed in suit and photographed in black and white. Both of these are very typical conventions for this particular magazine, as it is known as a more ‘gentlemanly’ kind of magazine (hence the suit) with a more ‘traditional’ style (hence the black and white photography). This particular contents page helps to attract its target audience because it shows an artist of a very high stature in the eyes of the majority of the readers conforming to the conventions that are typical of this magazine, conveying to the reading audience that they magazine itself is of a very high stature in terms of its respect and its place in the industry.

This magazine is interesting in terms of the header. This is because there is not one clear or particular header telling the audience that this is the contents page of the magazine. This connotes the success of the magazine to a new reader as the new reader can make the assumption that the magazines success has given them the ability to not have to label their specific pages as such, and they will still be known by the target audience and their weekly audience. However, instead of a clear header telling the audience that this is the contents page, there is the title of the magazine given in the top left hand corner again. This a way of getting the audience to become both comfortable and familiar with the brand that they are seeing, in order for the reader to build a personal relationship (Blummer & Katz) with this media text.

The teasers follow very much in the same way that the header did, in the sense that the teasers do not give a clear indication of where exactly things inside the magazine are ie a standard list of contents, but instead five an IQ test for the reader to complete. This, as I mentioned before, can convey to a new reader the success of the magazine, the tradition of the magazine, but can also work negatively, as a new reader can find it hard to navigate the magazine with the contents list and the teasers found in the standard magazine of this genre that they may read, meaning that they may los the ability to attract a new audience.

Teasers

HeaderGraphic Features

This magazine is of a different genre to the others that I have analysed so far, and this is evident in the layout of the contents page. You can first of all see this in this way that they have styled the header. Though it is in bold letters and clear for the audience to read, it is written as standard English, ie the it contains lower cases after the first letter. This is usually never found in the standard Hip-Hop magazine. Also, the header is smaller than one of the teaser headlines for an article, meaning that unlike the Hip-Hop magazines, it will not be the first thing that a reader will be drawn to when they open to the contents page. The header also contains the date over it, but in what is a reddish grey colour, making it not stand out from its red background as much as the white ‘Contents’ header.

The list of teasers and features in this magazine is very clear for the reader to find. It follows the colour scheme of red, black and white, putting the actual headlines of the features in black and the page numbers for these features in red. Each of the headlines are clear and easier to read than the plugs below them, conforming to the general idea of how the teasers are laid out across the genre of music magazines.

What is different about this magazine in comparison to the magazines that I have been previously analysing in the Hip-Hop genre is that there is not one specific central image as found in those magazines, but rather a number of graphic features which can be seen in across the majority of the contents page for this magazine. Each of these graphic features have the page number that it can be found on in the top left hand corner, so in effect all these graphic features are acting as more teasers for the reading audience. They have kept all but one of the graphic features the same size, connoting both the importance and significance of the graphic feature that is a different size to the rest of them. This is likely to be the cover story, as it is the first thing that will be seen on this magazine, and the picture also links in to the header that is found just above it. The fact that it is the cover story is further connoted through the use of the word ‘exclusive’ that is half on the teaser and half on the main graphic feature, both of the same number, connoting they are the same story.

TeasersCentral Image

This magazine goes back to the Hip-Hop genre that I have been analysing. However, this particular contents page does not have many features at all, which once again could work as a positive and a negative, through the idea that it could be both a sign of brand identity and a sign of a lack of creativity and originality.The central image of this contents page is not a conventional one however. The image is of artist 50 Cent, and he is features in what seems to be a close full shot, once again cutting off at the knees. This image is not typical as though he is directly addressing the audience, he Is at the same time turned away from the audience., which is not normally seen in the genre; the artist is usually faced forward, even if not directly addressing the audience. He is costumed in stereotypical clothing for this genre, which also follows the colour scheme for this magazine with the black and red badge on his jeans, but also helps him to stand out from the white background.

The teasers in this magazine are a lot more traditional than others that I have analysed in the sense that they are from top to bottom of the magazine, have a clear title and page numbers, and help the audience navigate with ease through the rest of the magazine. However, there is the difference that in other magazines that are in the same genre, the plugs given below each feature goes into much greater detail than this magazine does with each of its plugs. Each teaser is accompanied by only one line to further describe to the audience what that article is about. This however, creates both brand identity and a personal relationship with the audience. Brand identity because it is the only magazine to have this sort of description to go along with a teaser, and personal relationship because it is guiding the reader through the entire magazine quickly and with ease, making them feel that they are being accompanied by this magazine as they go through it from the contents page.

Double Page Spreads

This Double Page Spread is very different to the standard double page spread that you may see across the entire genre of music magazines. This is due to the importance of pictures on this double page spread. To begin with, the background for both pages is a picture of the band that is being featured in this article, and also to go along with that picture, there are three more pictures that spread across the bottom of one of the pages and into the middle of the other page. These pictures, though all in black and white, are very attention grabbing pictures, and will no doubt draw the audience straight into this double page spread.

Another feature that is different about this double page spread is that the headline is very distinctive and specific to this particular article and the artists that are being featured in it. This is quite a typical headline also, because it is actually a pull quote from the artists. It is big, clear, and very easy to read, and sets the colour scheme for the rest of the writing on the page, with the first and last line coloured in red, and the middle line being coloured in white, and also the font size of this middle line is noticeably bigger than the other parts of the headline. This is the first part of the page that the reader would be immediately drawn to, due to the way that it stands off the dark background given from the black and white picture. The font also further connotes the type of magazine this is and the band that is being features, due to it’s slightly eroded look, and also the fact that it isn’t straight, conveying to the audience the sort of danger and instability that can come from listening to this genre of music, probably rock music.

The actual article begins with a drop capital, which is something that can be found ain a number of music magazine articles, so is not a surprise that it is seen here. The rest of the article is in white, and placed in columns, another thing that is very typical of the music magazine genre to see. The actual article itself is not very different to others that are in the genre with this magazine, however the layout of the rest of the double page spread makes it seem unique to the genre.

This magazines double page spread is safe to say a very innovative double page spread, as it’s layout and style is very specific to this magazine, but has also been copied many times by many people. The first thing that in noticeably distinctive about the double page spread is that the picture and the article are completely different and separated from each other. The picture of Lady Gaga is on the left page, completely separate from the article. It is a close up of her in a seductive costume and pose, shot in black and white. This picture conforms to the male gaze ideology, as she is costumed specially in a way that will attract the majority of the magazines male readers.

The next convention, and probably the most noticeable thing about this double page spread is its usage of drop capitals. There are three of them, none of which are at the start of the article, and the most noticeable and innovative of them not actually part of the article. It is a big L that is in the background of the article and the size of the article in the sense that the top of the L touches the top of the article and the bottom touches the bottom of the article. However what also makes this drop capital different is that the L is coloured in a red, which is the only colour that is featured on the entire page; everything else is in black and white. This immediately catches the eye of the audience, which helps to attract them to this article, through the use of contrast between the bright colour of the L and the more dull colours of the rest of the article.

The last thing is the layout of the article. It is in 3 different columns, and has the other two drop capitals in the article at the start of the different sections. It is has a very simple colour scheme, with black writing and a white background. This then further connotes to the reader that the simplicity of the whole layout has created a very strong effect on the different styles of layout that there currently are being used in different magazines.

This double page spread again has quite a simple colour scheme of black and white, with certain parts of the writing (only the names of the artist and the writer of the article) in red. This colour scheme can be traced back to the Q magazine that I previously analysed, because it follows the same plan for the colour scheme through the majority use of black and white, and limited use of red

The central image of UK artist Lily Allen is a mid shot from eye level, with Lily giving the audience a direct address. Similarly to the Q magazine, the central image is nearly completely separated from the article, as she is placed on an almost entirely different page to the article, but she is joined to the article through the headline coming onto the page which she is on the her right arm going over the page also. She is costumed in a red shirt that also matches the colour scheme, however because the main colour of the shirt is red, it immediately makes her stand out from the rest of the of the page, explaining the use of colours for the headline and article. This also shows that the colour scheme was possible based off the model, as the black matches her hair, and the white could match her skin, as well as the obvious uses of the same black, white and red from her shirt.

The article itself is not very prominent in on this double page spread, it sits in the bottom half of the left page spread into four columns, coloured in black against a white back ground. The left page is majority taken up by the headline, which is once a again a pull quote from the central image Lily Allen. This headline is styled in a very genre/artist specific way, using a font that is similar to cut outs of different letters that have been stuck together, giving this article some individuality and identity. Identity can also be found in the actual headline, which mentions ‘Attention Seeker’ many of the readers may have been called attention seekers at some point, and therefore can form some personal identity (Blummer & Katz) with the article they are reading. This would also make any social climbers (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) want to share this magazine article with friends who may also identify with it, gaining the magazine more of an audience from its previous target audience.

This Double Page Spread definitely conforms to the Steve Neale ideology, as there are many conventions here that can be found in many double page spreads, but also there are many other uses that are specific to this magazine.

The central image of R&B artist Solange Knowles is placed on the right page of the magazine, but more towards the middle of it. This central image is not the only image that is used of her on this double page spread, however it is the biggest one, and the only one in colour, once again connoting that this is the central image. The rest of the images used at for this double page spread are found along the top half of the magazine, on either side of the main image (5 on the left page and 2 on the right). Each of these pictures are of Solange in a different pose but in the same costume, which is something that is specific to this magazine, as the layout is one that is definitely not used commonly amongst other magazines in this genre, and even not too commonly with this specific magazine, making it both specific to this magazine and to this article.

The article in this magazine is also quite different to the standard article in terms of layout. The colour scheme follows the same conventional black writing as the other magazines, with a white background also to make it clear, but one thing it has done is make the entire double page spread look very cull, however not overloaded with information. This was done by using columns to split the writing up, and instead of keeping all of the columns on one page and making the font smaller, they have put on column on the other page on the other side of the central image. This technique, pulls the entire article together, as it makes the double page spread one big page, instead of one article and one picture, as other magazines may do.

Also, there is a pull quote just beside Solange, which has been coloured in black, once again following the colour scheme, but differentiating it from the actual article, which helps to not distract the reader from the article, as they can easily tell that it is not part of the article.

The headline of this article is also quite different to the standard headline that you may find across the genre of music magazines. This is because it is actually the same colour as the article, which is not a common feature. Though it does have some general conventions such as bolder writing and higher positioning, the fact that it is the same colour, apart from the name of the artist (similar to the Lily Allen DPS) sets it apart from the other headlines that you may find in different magazines. This is also further seen in the fact that the headline is not anywhere near the top of the page, but rather directly above the article, about half way up the page. This is not the standard place for a headline, conveying the Steve Neale ideology through this convention and the other conventions discussed

This is a Hip-Hop magazine double page spread, and a very good one, which has a number of conventions that make it stand out from the numerous types of double page spreads found in this genre of magazine.

First off, this double page spread has been spilt into two pages, like a lot of the other double page spreads, the first page being one for a picture of the artist (Hip-Hop star Lupe Fiasco), and another for the article. The picture of Lupe is a mid shot from eye level, with the artist not directly addressing the camera. Lupe’s costume is what the colour scheme of the article seems to be based on, which coincidently was the colour of his album at the time, showing that this magazine article can use it s colour scheme to show surveillance (Blummer & Katz) of the current music industry and the particular artist that is being interviewed.

The headline to this article is a quote from one of Lupe’s songs, which has the important words in it highlighted in white, and the rest of it in gold. This concept of hightlighting different parts of the article is not specific to this magazine, however they have used this in the article also, highlighting certain important things and quotations from Lupe in gold, with the rest of the writing in white. This makes it clear to the audience exactly who is saying what in the article/interview. Also, this makes all of the writing stand very clear from the black background, making everything extremely easy to read.

Also, there is a smaller, graphic feature like image of Lupe performing. This however, is partially black and partially blue, from what would seem to be a spotlight. This makes it fade into the background in the top right hand corner of the page, but at the same it is still very noticeable to the audience reading the article. This feature has not been used in a double page spread that i have analyst, and shows something that is both original and very cleverly produced.