Analysis of magasines

Analysis of magasines

• 1.
  Analysis of MusicMagazines Philip Costin
• 2.
  Header at top,conventionally used in some magazines, matching colours to the rest of the magazine. This is another example of breaking conventions as another cover line covers the masthead promoting the cover. This cover line breaks conventions as it cover the masthead, which is rare to see. The 15 is in big font to draw attention to it and is on the left hand side so would be visual on a shop shelf. This is technically the main cover line but also includes the model/celebrity credit. It will sometimes affect audiences judgement to purchase it so must look appealing. Again it keeps with the few colours on the front with keeps it looking professional. Lots of cover lines in a list is conventional but not usually this tightly put together. They are made sure not to cover any of the image and tend to take up the left hand side as that what most buyers will see first. It interchanges in colours that follow this editions colour scheme. The bar code is a simple thing put on every magazine, so it can be bought easily. It serves no aesthetical purpose but is a feature on all magazines. Big masthead as expected, all magazines make sure they get their brand exposed. After exposure magazines like this usually cover up some of the title with image, as the audience know what the title is and want to see the main image more. The main image is vital to the magazine as it is what will draw peoples attention to it. In music magazines artists are usually featured on the cover and will attract the target audience which for this would be from teens to late twenties. This image is a Mid- Shot which is one of the most common shots seen, it shows the waist up and therefore the body of the person on the front Next to be barcode is the date of publishing, which is conventionally on all magazine covers and also a link to their website. This is a feature that tries to make use of the technological age we live in. As usual there is a couple of cover lines on the right as well, also not covering the image. Again it sticks to a colour scheme of only a few colours which keeps it looking professional.. In this case star appeal is use d as famous bands are listed; attracted the audience.
• 3.
  This magazine breaks conventionsas the masthead is small and only takes up the top- left third. This is not something usually done as corporations want to flash their brand, however it does stay in the left third as that is the part of the magazine buyers are likely to see on the shelf. Again keeps within the colour scheme. Underneath is the date which is commonly seen in this position. Header, in keeping with the blue, red and white colour scheme of the magazine, elicits what the readers can expect to see inside the magazine. It is unusually big for a header and does break usual conventions. Also the informality of the text highlights who the target audience are for the magazine. The main image is arguably the most important part of the cover as it attracts readers and takes up most space. Following music magazine conventions a famous artist is on the front and other famous artist are mentioned. This is a mediumlong shot which seems to be common in music magazines although not favoured in other types of magazines. This is the main cover line is very big and on the left hand side as usual. It does take up a lot of space and therefore means there aren't many cover lines on the magazine cover, which is very unconventional. Again it talks in a pun and in modern colloquial language; also it keeps inside the colour scheme ensuring its professional look. These pictures and annotations are cover lines which stand out and attract the audience. Unconventionally they are put across the magazine , as the main cover line takes up a lot of space; this is rare to see on a magazine front cover. There is unconventionally a puff at the top of the magazine as the masthead doesn’t cover the top. It does make sure to not cover up the main image. It looks aesthetically pleasing for the reader to want to read it. Following conventions it keeps with the on-going colour scheme which is important for the professionalism of the magazine. Unusually the bar code is high on the right hand side of the cover, which doesn’t follow usual conventions of it being a the bottom. Highlighting that it can go anywhere there is space This is a footer, conventionally used in magazines giving an insight into smaller sub-stories in the magazine. This is a puff promoting exclusive information, which is usually seen on magazines to try and attract buyers interested in these stories.
• 4.
  Like the magazinebefore the masthead of NME is in the top left third, it isn't very big or doesn’t really stand out, which for an established magazine doesn’t really matter, as long as the readers identify it. It is on the left hand side because that is the side the buyers will see when looking at magazine shelves. This header is unconventionally big and is made to stand out with really bold, san-serif, text. Sans-serif text is widely used as the font, so will be what I use to keep my magazine looking professional. The language used, especially in these music magazines is widely informal also a music magazine convention. The main image is a mid-shot of a duo artist stand back to back, in a similar attire and similar expression which is conventional in a magazine to see if there is one or more people on a cover. Part of the image cover part of the masthead which is common to see as well. The image takes up a majority of space on the cover of the magazine which is a must for any magazine. This puff used advertises events as normal, but breaks conventions through the colour scheme used. The black and yellow used is solely on just that part of the m magazine, this breaks conventions as magazines usually stick to a strict few colours, colour scheme e.g. orange and white. This row of cover lines on the left is common to see on music magazines as on shelves, magazines will stack this way, and all magazines do it. They make sure not to cover any of the photo also used in other magazines. It keeps within the colour scheme , which for the covers I have analysed has been majority orange or red. The quote at the bottom by the artists is occasionally used to try to entice the buyers into reading about the main story. Again staying within the colour scheme. The main cover line, also artists credit, is the biggest text, except the masthead, on the page. Again keeping to the colour scheme to keep it looking professional, also being san serif follows normal music magazine conventions. The bar code is near the bottom as usual but like the magazine before , is slanted on the side of the magazine. (where ever there is space). Also there is a website address in keeping with modern times and social media.
• 5.
  It is usualto see a date on the contents page. Some magazines include the masthead on the contents page, which is usually unconventional. It is small but something I find irrelevant. Down the left fifth of the page is a small index including all bands inside the magazine. This is unconventional but does keep to the colour scheme as normal. It is rare to be so small on a page or on the contents page at all. The picture taking up this much room is rare to see, as the Image displays a man sleeping, lazily in his bed which the target audience, teenagers can really relate to. The way he is positioned shows his face towards the camera so readers can see who he is. This subscription promotion at the bottom is common to see in music magazines, but unconventional to take up so much space. The colour matches the contents page scheme as everything does. This page challenges music conventions as it does not include the word ‘contents’ as other magazines normally do. Instead ‘this week’ has more of a personal feel to it that the reader might like. Sticking to black keeps within the simple colours scheme used throughout. This contents page demonstrates the rule of thirds as on the right third all the major news headings are displayed. It is normal to see contents pages of magazines follow the rule of thirds when displaying stories. It keeps within the colour scheme as the text is black like the contents main line and the number references are orange. This green puff in the contents page, stands out as it breaks away from the colour scheme. The bold san serif text refers to page numbers in an unconventional way as it promotes its main story.
• 6.
  The contents header,is conventionally sans-serif, but is unconventionally small. The header states contents which is normal but other words like inside are used. The colours again match the rest of the page. The date line is again in the contents page, with the website link under it. Both of these are common themes in music magazines. Like other conventional contents pages in magazines, the main image takes up roughly 4 of the 9 thirds in the rule of thirds, so really catches the eye. There is a long-mid shot of a women dressed in black leaning on a desk. The colour of the image is very dark and does match the type of tones as the rest of the magazines. Also the page number overlapping the reference of the picture’s feature page is a conventional thing to see in music magazines contents pages. Mid-shots are commonly used in contents pages so is something that seems to be conventional which I was unaware of. This magazine follows the rule of thirds, as the left third of the page is taken up by the list of features in the magazine. Headers such as ‘features’ is used a lot in magazines to separate page relevance and the numbers are kept chronological. The black box creates some differentiation in the list to stop it looking very unappealing. It also has a header to show what kind of features are on which page. Again this all keeps to the general scheme of colour there is. The language used throughout is in-formal to relate to the reader an make the magazine feel more personal, which matches the style of music's target audience (teens and younger adults). The header of the article replicates the contents header, and has a lot of smaller page references. The text still matches the theme of the page. This feature takes up the bottom left and middle third of the magazine and contains the only other picture on the page, which challenges conventions as usually there are more than 2 pictures on a contents page. The image is again a long-mid shot of a famous band playing music.
• 7.
  Unconventionally, the contentsheader is really small and only stands out through its colour. For me it damages the contents page look and professionalism. The range of colour used also breaks the conventions of following a few colour, colour scheme. This is the only colour picture in the whole contents page and the only one represting articles which breaks normal conventions. Again the framing of the men is a midshot. The page number and annotations are over the image which is usual for a contents page. The dress in the picture is that of a typical ‘rock star’ wearing sun glasses. An editors message is a conventional feature in other types of magazine but Is rare to see in a music magazine. However it does take up almost a whole third of the page which is unconventional as it wastes a lot of space on the page. The black and white used looks very unappealing and boring and again is rare to see because of this. There is a three column system that seems to take up two thirds of the magazine, meaning there is a lot more text than there is images; which is unlike some the other magazines contents page. Headers are used again such as features and reviews in big san-serif text that follows the black and white colour scheme. The date is again on the contents page, conforming to conventions so is essential to have to look professional. The name of the magazine and page number is also at the bottom which is unconventional for music magazines. The black and white colours used still looks bland although adhering to the colour scheme conventions. The yellow box again seems to follow an usual convention of there being exclusive coloured boxes in the contents pages that stand out from the other features. There is a special section in the bottom third giving credit which is unconventional to see in a music magazine and it being as big as it is.
• 8.
  The double pagespread in music magazines concentrate on bands or artists mainly. The header of this page is in big, bold and sans-serif text. The colours again match the scheme of the page. It takes up the top third of the page. It also has a little introductory line under the main text bridging the title with the text. The text is always small in magazines and through that looks professional. The text takes up 6 of the 9 thirds of the page, and is listed in columns as expected in a conventional article. It is black on a light coloured background so the readers can actually read it. This black box and image is an insert of a quote relating to the text. It is very commonly used to stop the text looking daunting and stands out from everything else with its bold colour. The picture relates to the quote and is framed as a close up sot the reader can identify the man even in a small image. The main image takes up the whole second page, which is normally unconventional although can be seen reasonably often. The framing is technically a mid-shot again although he is holding the camera . The red background in the picture is reflected in the colour of the text. He is wearing a very ordinary attire so that the picture looks professional. There is a big box covering the picture, which is conventional to see. It relates to the article and contains images to stop it looking boring or bland. This is conventional and something I would include.
• 9.
  Unconventionally the mainimage stretches across both pages as usually the main image Is only on one. The framing is a quad-shot where 4 members of the band are seen in a long shot where they are dressed in a racing attire with the relevant background behind them. The text covers the image which summarises the double page article and there is also a caption which expands a little further into the text; both of which are conventional. The only large amount of text is in columns like normal, as well as conventionally being in small text. The text is also just black on white which seems to be a trending pattern is these articles. It is rare to see such a small amount of text on the article but does reflect the young aged target audience not wanting to read a lot. The bottom third of the page is again like a comic strip with annotations as small captions contain the text overlaid over the image. The name and branding of the magazine is shown on top of an image and stands out to remind readers what they are reading. This is typically unconventional as magazine institutions feel confident with their brand. The rule of thirds is again displayed here as 2 thirds of the right page is taken up by a series of images with annotations explaining what it happening. Its very unconventional to see so many images in a double page article rather than more text. Although this suits the young target audience. The competitions and puzzles at the bottom reflect the age of the target audience and keeping within that. Although not the target audience of most magazines.
• 10.
  There is apage header in a regular format of the magazine. This demonstrates the colours that will be used and generalises the article usually. The main image is only on one of the pages and takes up exactly half of the page. It is a wide shot of the whole band whilst playing their music; these sots are commonly used to show the readers how they perform and shows exactly what all of them look like. Conventionally, the band name covers the image and usually has a caption although this image doesn’t. These columns of text with blue headers is a list of bands and reviews for readers to judge. It follows all normal text conventions and demonstrates the rule of thirds being used as it takes up the left third of the second page. This double page follows conventions as more of it is text than image. The second main image is just a bit smaller and show a group shot with midshots of a band. Midshoat and long shots are very common for these images. Two of them are addressing the camera and therefore the reader which is conventional as well as the name of the main man covering some of the photo. This is a review but follows text conventions as it is all black and white and written in small text. It is also in columns as all text should be. The image at the bottom left row of the second page again shows a band in action performing a gig with a conventional caption explaining the image and giving credit. The pinky background colour of this text shows the separation of the text without changing the text size or making the page look unprofessional. The text again follows all magazine conventions.