Analysis of Contents Page - NME

Judging by the use of bright bold colours, and loads of images it’s obvious that this magazine is aimed at a young audience aged between 16-25. The page is very busy, suggesting its packed with loads of articles inside. This attracts a young audience because it’s fun lively and with a lot of choice. They have used bright colours behind the text because the writing is small and black and unnoticeable. But by having the colour there it makes it more eye catching. They have also used a range of colours so audiences can relate the different colours to the different sections of the magazine. The bright colours are attractive but they subvert the genre NME specialises in, which is indie/ rock, dark colours are associated with these genres. The subtitles are listed relatively close and in a vertical direction, this layout is straight forward and simple, makes it easier for audiences to find their desired article.

Most of the sub headings are accompanied by images; this attracts audiences as images are more noticeable then writing, plus they give a hint of what the article will be about, interesting the reader to read on. Numbers are also link to the article making it easy for the audience to navigate the magazine.

The main article is on the Kieser Chiefs, this is made prominent by the use of bold lettering, and large image which is placed in the centre therefore it’s the first thing we see. The image has a black and white background which also adds to it standing out from the rest. The image also includes a floating quote, so audiences have an idea of what the main article is about.

The contents page also includes a tie-in advertising a subscription deal, this is a common technique used in the contents page attracting loyal audience’s, it leads to them buying most of their issue therefore the magazine company makes more money.

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Analysis of contens page -VIBE

> Unlike most content page this one is extremely subtle, it gives of a scary silence vibe contributed by the use of black and white colour scheme, which has also been used in the front cover to create brand identity. This vibe links in with the gangster image their trying to portray, RnB audience will be able to relate to this as the RnB genre is associated with gang culture.  It’s also a more serious but yet relaxed; this could reflect the articles in the issue.

> The editors would have wanted the main image to be the main focus as they have used it as a background. The image also portrays a gangster image as the people in the image are stereotypical gangsters made oblivious by the chains they are wearing, the cool urban clothing, the setting with is run down and the fact they are a group of men – some audience can relate to this as they might follow the same culture or they may want to emulate this culture. There is also no heading to go with the photo; this makes the reader curious of what it may be about.

> The sub headings listing the categories are also very simple to go with the whole theme. This suggests that this issue of the magazine is aimed at an older audience aged 18-24; younger audiences may be put of by the simplicity as bright colours and large fonts tend to attract their attention more.

> They have also used a smaller version of a cover page in the contents page, this is a typical feature as it allows audiences to reflect on the main stories they wanted to read about by reminding them of it.

Front Cover Analysis Of Blender

 

> The masthead: ‘Blender’ Is a bright, fun colour, it goes with the genre of the magazine (pop), it’s also a very striking colour therefore it catches the audiences attention. The cut in the masthead goes with the name. The name suggests that the magazine will include a mixture of artists and music genres which will attracts large quantities of different audiences.

> Main image: for their main image they have chosen to use Leona Lewis as she will attract a mass audience because she ahs won a talent contest (the x-factor) where people had to vote for her to win. So the editors already know that she’s a popular artist with a huge fan base that would want to read about her. She is biting her figure in the photo, which is a promiscuous gesture, this appeals to a male audience. Leona is also a very pretty female; many women and girls aspire to be like her especially because of her background story as she came from having a normal life (which may people can relate to) to being a big star, females would want to emulate this. She is wearing a plain dress, I think this has been done to give more attention to the additional cover line’s , but it also goes with the whole layout of the front cover as it’s very plain suggesting it is a more sophisticated magazine aimed more at a older audience aged between 18 - 30. The background of the cover is blank, placing more attention on Leona.

> The main cover line ‘Leona Lewis’ is in bold making it stand out, as it’s the main article therefore it’s the most interesting that’s why they want the audience to pay attention to it.

> The additional cover line includes a quote of what’s to be included in the magazine. This is a unconventional technique for a music magazine as it’s mostly used in gossip magazines. Nevertheless it’s a good way to hook in the audience as from reading the quote they would properly be interested in reading more.

The editors have included the headings of the main articles in the additional cover lines this will attract the reader, as they would want to further explore the articles mentioned as it’s on topics they would be interested in.

Front Cover Analysis Of XXL

> Masthead ‘XXL’ – embedded with diamonds this reflects bling culture which is associated with RnB. Diamonds also connote wealth suggesting the magazine reports about the best of RnB music. The fact that it’s called ‘XXL’ also suggests that they’ve are a high quality magazine who only feature the best. The masthead has a red background in order to make it stand out and catch the audience’s attention.

> The Puff- ‘a decade of dominance’ suggests they dominated the RnB music magazine industry and they have been for a long period of time, therefore the reader expects to be reading high-quality quality articles about talented artists.

> The main image / focal point is of- Lil Wayne and Baby. They are both wearing numerous amount of expensive looking jewellery on, this signifies excessive wealth which RnB audience’s can immediately recognise and would want imitate. This is called a preferred reading as it persuades the audience to buy the magazine in order for them to emulate the two rap stars.  The two rappers have their bodies covered with tattoos the editors have made this prominent by photographing them with their tops off. The tattoos add to the gangster image the magazine is trying to portray as the tattoos connote masculinity and strength because of the pain that is experienced when getting them done. It’s also said that a true gangster is one that is scared for life, by having their tattoos on show they are proving they’re real gangsters. Having their shirts off also makes them appeal to a female audience, it is also vey homoerotic – the pose (Baby having his hand over Lil Wayne) also adds to this. The editors have covered all points and taken everything into considerations in order for them to attract a mainstream audience. Lil Wayne is holding a red bandana whilst Baby has red and white boxers and a red hat this goes with the magazines colour scheme. The bandana also has connotations of gang culture as the red bandana is symbolic of the Blood gang which is a notorious gang known for being rough, this is related to the article as RnB and Rap artists portray themselves as gangsters because it leads to people finding them more interesting.  The background of the photo is of a broken down house, which is a stereotypical kind of place for a ‘gangster’ to be living in, some people can also relate to the setting and aspire to be as successful as the artists. They’re trying to create a gangster image as it links in with the genre therefore it appeals to the targeted audience. They have however blurred out the background using selective focus, as they want the main attention to be on the two rappers.

> The main cover line ‘Baby & Lil Wayne’ is in a bold font with simple lettering which makes it standout and easy to read.  As the rappers are widely recognised the names will draw in a large audience. The writing is in colours red and white, which go with the whole colour scheme the magazine use this is done to create brand identity.

> In the additional cover well know rap and RnB artists are named such as ‘Eminem’ and ‘Kanye’ this interests RnB and Rap audience as the artists are well known. The other additional cover line reads; ‘survival of the fittest’ indicating what the article is going to be about. The phrase also links in with the gangster image as gangs are constantly in battle with each other and the toughest one’s win, this additional cover line makes the two rappers seem tough and powerful as they have survived and been chosen to tell their story.

Front Cover Analysis Of Vibe

  

> The masthead is blue, which is a unisex color catching the attention of a wider audience, because it’s a unisex colour it implies that the magazine will have information that appeals to both males and females. The colour also make’s the genre of the magazine (rhythm and blues) quite obvious. Blue also connotes coolness and smoothness, which is how RnB music is portrayed as. The use of upper and lower case letters make's the masthead more distinguishable. 

> The main image is of Usher; who is a well-known RnB artist evoking interest in the audience as they would immediately recognize him. Usher is also an attractive man with a lot sex appeal, this appeals to a female audience. It can also be seen as being homoerotic therefore also appealing to a male audience, however the image can also appeal to a straight male audience as they might be able to relate to Usher’s look or they might want to imitate Usher. The shot is a low angle shot emphasising the size of Usher, making him seem powerful, this is a desirable image most RnB artists strive for. Selective focus is used to blur out the background of the photo making Usher stand out more. Usher is wearing glasses so the audiences don’t see his eyes, this plus, his clothing make’s him look fashionable, this is something the audience might want to imitate. The glasses also make him look mysterious engaging the audience to read the main article, as they would be curious to find out more about him.  Usher is also wearing what seems to be a very expensive watch, which connotes wealth. This suggests that he lives’ a very lavish lifestyle which is something audience’s envy and want to imitate. The watch can also be seen as subtle bling used to connote the RnB genre. Usher has a tattoo of a star on his hand this could be aberrant for the male audiences as they might see it as being too feminine, but I can still understand why they have decided to show the tattoo of the star as it makes Usher seems tough and it emphasizes his fame because of the connotes start have.

> The main focal point of the cover is Ushers wedding ring which links in with what the main cover line is about. They have focused on Usher’s marriage as the magazine’s main story because there was controversy surrounding his marriage; the audience’s would be interested as one of the main reason people read magazines is for the gossip. Initially when first looking at the cover page it seems as if Usher is swearing, this is done consciously in order to catch audience’s attention as it’s a provocative gesture.

> For the main cover line the word’s ‘USHER’ ‘HE’S NO.1’ have been made larger compared to the other few words describing the main article. There is more emphasis on the larger words in order to attract Usher’s fans.

> The additional cover line’s gives the audience a taste of what’s to be included in the magazine.  Famous name’s are mentioned such as ’50 cent’ to draw in RnB fans. The word ‘sex’ is also repeated quite a few time’s as it’s a topic audience’s are interested in reading about.

> The word ‘swagger’ on the cover is written in a graffiti giving it RnB connotations plus it relates to teenager’s, this is important as their the target audience because they’re age group are the main one’s that consume RnB music therefore they’re the one’s likely to buy the magazine. The word is also colloquial which again is something teenagers can relate too. It’s also the only word in the front page that’s in red which make’s it more prominent

> The website ‘Vibe.com’ is listed at the bottom of the cover, this is a way for Vibe to promote their website, which ultimately leads to audience’s being more interested in the magazine.