Analysing Top Of The

Pops

Masthead/ Brand Identity. White wording placed on a bright pink ‘in-your-face’ looking background which catches the audience’s eye. To me the colour pink connotes youthfulness and fun. The star pattern surrounding ‘top of the pops’ catches the audience’s attention, and the fact that they are stars makes the audience think of celebrities and ‘stardom’.

Puff in the top right hand corner advertising special offers to audience. The fact that it’s placed on a yellow background attracts the audience’s attention due to the colour yellow clashing with the pink from the masthead.

Coverline is also placed on a different coloured background which results in it being more easier to read for the audience. The colours used somewhat help divide the magazine into different sections. The colour red connotes urgency, this links well to the story topic as in this case people are fearful that their ‘crushing’ is out of control.

Publisher in top left corner in eye-view promoting itself. Also placed on a different coloured background, therefore catching audience’s attention.

Central Image is of a well known celebrity looking mysteriously into the camera. The fact that her eyes meet ours result in the audience having a connection with her. This would result in the magazine attracting an audience who enjoy her music (her fans) which are typically teenage girls.

Coverlines mostly down the left of the magazine. They have used 3 different colours. The white writing with a red background connotes an alarming-ness, which seeks attention from the audience. The colour pink connotes cheekiness and fun. The use of images attract the audience’s attention, and the black font is bold and simple to read, therefore this magazine would appeal to the fans who feature in the stories inside.

Coverline with a well known TV show logo. The darkness of this image contrasts with the light central image resulting in it catching the audience’s attention. This would attract Xfactor fans.

Headline relates to central image due to the story being about Taylor Swift- this will appeal to an audience of ‘swifties’ (AKA Taylor Swift fans.) Continuity of the colours Pink, Yellow and Black are found in the headline, these colours connote cheekiness, fun and youth. These colours relate well to the audience, as ‘Top Of The Pops’ is typically a younger teenage magazine which is popular among girls.

Coverline is also in pink and yellow, which fits in with the house style. The use of the ‘OMG!’ in capitals and the use of an exclamation mark makes the audience believe that there’s something shocking or exciting inside, resulting in them picking up the magazine. The bright yellow bubble that ‘OMG!’ is lay on attracts the audience’s, grabbing their attention.

‘World Exclusive’ on top of a white background makes it stand out from the rest of the cover story. This attracts the audience as it suggests that the article inside is going to be a once in a lifetime read.

Strapline introduces the headline providing anchorage.

• Mode Of Address- chatty, informal language which relates to the target audience. Lots of gossip, which the target audience (younger teenage girls) love.

• House style- the continuity of the colours: pink, white, yellow and black. These colours connote youth and enjoyment. 2 or 3 different fonts are used-one is a bold, more serious looking font. The other font looks more like girls hand writing due to it being quite curly and uneven- this connotes excitement.

• Photography- the images used portray the social group as being quite innocent and slightly cheeky; this is quite stereotypical as younger girls are seen to connote innocence, yet they still enjoy a cheeky gossip. The publisher of this magazine are the BBC, this is a mainstream media company who appeal to a mass audience (not only do they publish magazines, but they also have a radio station and many TV channels.) This company cannot sway from the stereotypical view because they appeal to a mass audience of young girls, by swaying they are at a great risk of losing some of their audience, which would result in their magazine sales decreasing.