Magazine analysis (1)
- 1. Masthead- The masthead is presented on the bottom right corner in front of the black and white image of what appears to be “THE SMITHS” which is a piece of information given to us by the masthead itself. “THE” compared to “SMITHS” tremendously differ in size. This would've been done to highlight how “SMITHS” is higher in importance than the word “THE”. Additionally this could’ve also been done to emphasize how popular the identify of the Smiths is meaning they wouldn’t need to be introduced with the word “THE”. The dark colour highlighting “THE” in comparison to the bright pink format used on “SMITHS” is juxtaposed to convey the exciting and positive characteristics these two figures conduct. The masthead connotes various polysemic signs of what the magazine is trying to show due to the various methods used to make it stand out. For instance, generally you would suggest that “THE” is above the hierarchy of importance due to the fact its placed above “SMITHS” However this is untrue due to the size comparison. This therefore could be done to allow the audience to decide themselves and question the real importance of the Smiths. The masthead follows a sans serif font to highlight that the magazine is dealing with a formal and important issue that everyone should read. Colour- The colour choice used in this magazine is kept to the maximum of 4 colours. This is a smart idea as it gives the magazine a unique trademark which can be spotted from any individual who is familiar with Q magazine. However the colour choice in the addition I have chosen does not normally consist of pink. This drew me towards choosing this magazine as it follows a different trademark than it normally does (the black and white colour of the full bleed image and the use of the colour pink) Infect the most common colour that is used in the magazine is black and white. Black and white colours normally symbolise old fashioned news which is remarkable for Q Magazine as it is made for mainstream audiences who are interested in keeping up to date with new gossip. The colour choice is a indexical sign that suggests that the article that is featured on the front page is things to do with memories and past experiences the Smiths have gone through. The article differs from a normal everyday colour choice the magazine would use. This is due to the fact that the colour red is only used for the logo. This highlights how the magazine shouldn’t be missed out by an everyday customer as this is a unique type of style the magazine are going for. Main Image- The black and white full bleed imagine of two males which we suspect to be “The Smiths” The figure with spiky black hair is looking directly at the camera with a slight grin on his face. The figure next to him has both arms rapped around the first persons shoulder and is resting his chin on his partners shoulder whilst shading his eyes with sunglasses. This highlights the fatherly characteristics the first person must have on the man as he is practically resting his body on him. The fact that the image is black and white and the man on the right is wearing sunglasses suggests how we are empowered by the lack of colour and knowledge that is being given to us. This gets us curious as to what exactly is he trying to shield himself from. Additionally this is an enigma code which could answer our puzzled question as to why the man on the left is leaning onto the second man. The fact that both men are dressed in leather suggests their type of music is more pop and rock and roll. Furthermore a flower like chain is held between both the hands of the man on the left. This suggests that they might have had the typical 60’s style pop culture theme during their music career. Supporting images- In the middle page of the left hand corner there is a miniature imagine of Lilly Allen presented in a circle. Due to her uprising reputation in the music industry, she would bring more attraction to the magazine. Furthermore because the Smiths are a old fashioned, the niche audience that normally purchase the magazine would be familiarised by Lilly Allen than the 30 year old band. Slogan- The slogan is a white capitalised letter of a Q in a safir font. The white Q is surrounded by s large red box. The red box is presented at the top left hand corner of the magazine. This emphases the importance and significance of the logo. Furthermore the logo is kept in a easily recognised place, which is useful for audiences who familiarise the magazine from the logo.Cover Line- “30 years...ect” is underlined with white bold writing. This highlights the importance of this statement which draws most people into reading this specific article rather than the other articles featured in the magazine. Additionally the cover line has been given a new font which conveys the articles unique features.
- 2. Masthead- The masthead is placed in the middle of the title page in a long, white font saying “Miley Cyrus” The individual letters are equally spread out in each word which reflects a relaxing and professional atmosphere that the reader is indulged with. The relaxing effect is strengthened by the background (a light purple) in which Miley Cyrus is stood in front off. Additionally the masthead is vaguely striking as it is positioned in front of a brown, wooden letter M. This could symbolise how natural and real Miley Cyrus is as a person and a figure which gives us a trustworthy and supportive relationship towards her. The ‘L’ and ‘u’ have one side that is in line with the massive M to highlight the relationship between each tittle. Full Bleed Image- The full bleed image connoted of Miley Cyrus dressed in pitch black clothes. The only skin that is showing is her head and face which highlights how the rest of her real self is covered and hidden from reality tv. This gets us intrigued as we would want to know why she's covered her body because its traditionally natural for a celebrities, like Miley Cyrus, to be more open and flashy in the way they present themselves on magazines. Instead Miley is simply clenching the outer sides of the letter M with her hands and looking directly towards the camera with her chin positioned symmetrical to the middle of the m. In fact, if you were to draw a line down the page horizontally, it would seem like an identical mirror image being shown. This highlights how Miley has been hiding many secrets and is now ready to reveal them to Billboard magazine. The fact that her eyes are squinting and almost tempting us to look and read her story tells us that the story is deeper and more serious topic into her life. Colours- The colours portrayed on the front page are mostly dark and natural colours like white, black and brown. These colours are mainly consisted with the full bleed image to show off Miley Cyrus's natural beauty and personality. The colours could also highlight her country life childhood in which we are all well aware of due to her hit show “Hannah Montana” Highlighting how that little girl we saw on screen is still inside her. However this is also an indexical sign as we can also interpret it as her breaking free from her childhood character and fulfilling another person completely differently. The way she is gripping the letter M as if she were to break it could be connoting her breaking free of that heavy painted image. The light purple colour behind Miley adds to the vibrant and eye-catching atmosphere the magazine gives off. Additionally its a very bold and bright colour which fits in well with Miley personality and effect the magazine is trying to achieve by the colour choice. Cover Lines- The cover line illustrated below the masthead is in a bright yellow casual font stating that Miley is going to kick start a new career. The rest of the cover lines are portrayed in the same colour however are smaller than the cover line below the masthead, This highlights the descriptions importance in the hierarchy and encourages readers to view that article first before reading the other featured articles. Supporting images- There are no supporting images present in this front cover as the main focus should be all on Miley Cyrus as this is her spot light. Button- There is a cross like button features at the bottom left hand corner of the magazine, This cross can also be interpreted as a plus sign which shows extra information that the magazine wouldn't normally have. Additionally the bold font the cross is showed drags your eyes towards it.
- 3. Masthead- There is no real masthead being illustrated on the particular front cover as most of the fonts and writings being presented are about the same size. Furthermore there is no writing in the middle of bottom of the article apart from the magazine title “Vibe” which is portrayed at the very top of the magazine. This could be done to highlight that there is no hierarchy being presented in this magazine symbolising that each article being featured is as important as others. However the writing towards the left hand side of the image catches my eye as it is a black font plated in gold stating the singers name being portrayed in the image. The links make it clear however if the image was of a different singer, i don't think i would've been able to call that piece of writing out as the masthead. Fullbleed- The full bleed image is of a the famous and well known singer Usher. He is portrayed as tilting his head towards the right to highlight he agrees with our views of the music industry in general. Furthermore he is portrayed as wearing sunglasses which hides half of his face from the camera. This could be done to symbolise how his eyes have seen things that he would rather not share with his fans, but on this special occasion he would reveal it on this special addition featured in the article. Furthermore we are attracted to this magazine as Usher is signalling his hand in a pose niche audiences would normally be aware with and class as “cool” or as the article states it... “swag” Colours- The colours mainly used in this front cover are black and yellow. This highlights the typical rap music mainstream viewers would listen to, due to yellow representing gold chains you would normally see black rappers wear. Additionally the blue presented in the magazine is flashy and eye catching compared to the other colours illustrated in the magazine. “swagger” is illustrated in bright pink colour which puts it at the top of the hierarchy as the font looks like its been handwritten on. This sets am example for the reader and almost encourages them to be more like Usher and be “swag” Buttons- At the bottom right corner is a button advertising the magazines website. This is a smart way of getting people to use technology as well to access their work and products. Furthermore its presented in a shad, ghost like grey font which highlights that it is something that should be checked out by fans of the Vibe magazine because it may not be receiving as much attention as it should. Cover lines- There are 8 different cover lines being presented in this front cover. The different fonts and size determines to us which is the most and least important category we should view each article. In this case, Usher is the big talk of this article as he has appeared on the front page and has an article being featured in the largest and boldest font being portrayed apart from the magazine title.