Analysing music magazines

The main photo in the middle of the cover is a conventional device on magazines with the persons eyes central and in the top third. This is so it looks as though they are looking at you, to draw you to the magazine

The masthead is always the biggest piece of text on the magazine and is so that people recognised there preferred magazine. The picture overlaps the masthead slightly but because it is such a well established magazine we still know it is clearly VIBE. It is in bright yellow, bold font to emphasise the name of the magazine

The cover lines which are the main features of the magazine are down the left third so that they can be seen the way they are stacked in shops. They are brightly coloured orange and blue to attract the eye of potential buyers to read these cover lines and buy the magazine.

Main cover line indicates the main feature of the magazine and is one of the main selling points. After seeing the name in this case “Janet Jackson” you are supposed to be drawn to the name and want to read more about the particular person.

The house style of blue and orange really makes the text stand out and grab the attention of people looking to buy a magazine.

A convention of magazines is to have the barcode and date on the front however some are on the back of the magazine to keep the cover ascetically pleasing

This header gives further information about stories in the magazine

The hand reaching over with a bright red heart, contrasting with the grey background and a black and white Kanye West really stands out. This is done to bring the main focus onto Kanye who is clearly the main feature of the magazine. Having someone as famous as Kanye West shows the popularity of the magazine and they are exploiting this as much as possible by bringing all the attention to the main photo of him. The heart however could be in reference to Kanye’s album “808’s and Heartbreak” where a similar picture is on thefront of his album getting his that more advertisement

The word contents has been unconventionally split into three to given a unique twist.

Like most magazines the contents page has a column of writhing to inform the reader what is in the magazine and on what page.

As this is a music magazine the “Fashion” pages have there own sub heading in bold to highlight other features the magazine has to offer other than just music .

The name of the magazine is not written on this page instead it is represented by a faint letter “v” to represent vibe. Although it is the biggest text, the word “contnets” stands out more in bold, black text as the magazine name is not too important to have on the contents page but should be clear what page you are on

The word contents and the sub-titles down the right hand side indicates it is a Kerrang magazine with their recognisable yellow and black text which is a consistent house style through out the Kerrang magazines.

The contents has been split into different sections. They are sub-headed down the right hand side so they are easily visible. There are also separate photos for other articles in the magazine which would be major features being highlighted for the reader

The text “contents” is very conventional to magazines as it is just one word at the top of the page.

The main image on the page is a close up and is much bigger than the other images. This would suggest that the photo graph is linked to one of the main articles.

The name of the bands have bee written in bold text and in block capitals to make the band name stand out clearly so that the reader can easily identify the artists which interest them and the ones they will want to read more on.

The conventional date line on the contents page is also displayed

The main image is a conventional mid shot, gazing into the camera with his eyes in the top third of the page. The purpose of this is so that it looks as though they are looking at you, drawing you to the magazine. This also suggests that this photo on the front will be linked to the main article in the magazine as it is the main image.

The masthead “mojo” is partially covered up by the main image. However in this instance it is fine because they are an extremely well known brand and even with it being partially covered we can easily recognise the name of the brand. The masthead is much bigger than any other text to emphasise the magazine but covering it slightly with the main image to first bring your eyes to the main article.

The main cover line “world exclusive! Springsteen” is much bigger text than all of the regular cover lines. This is to make the main story stand out more so that the magazine is more easily sold because of their headline article being such a popular artist.

The convention of having the barcode on the front page of the magazine is again being followed here as do many other magazines.

The “free cd” pug is on the magazine to further promote their magazine with the opportunity to get free CD’s and is on the left hand side of the magazine

This header gives further information on other features in the magazine and is likely to give more information inside the contents about this

There is a clear house style of red throughout the front page of the magazine and the only colours used other than red is black and white. Red is a very bright colour and grabs the attention of the audience to see what articles they have inside.

Cover lines are spread out in this instance and there are quite a lot down the right hand side however most cover lines are usually placed down the left hand side so that they can be seen whilst they are stacked in shops.

Mojo have displayed their name again, it is central and at the top of the page. The text is far bigger than any other text on the page to emphasise the name of the magazine once again. It is unconventional as it does not say anywhere on the page “contents” when most do.

The front cover of this magazine is dominated by one dominant image and there are not many features included on the contents page apart from the main features. This is very unconventional however it appears that they have this house style in all of there contents pages and the lay out is very similar in all of their contents’. As you can see from my other contents page image, the main images are both very dominant, medium shots and the features are both wrote in one column down the left hand side

The convention of the date line and the issue of the magazine is included.

Important and emotionally affecting phrases are in bold to draw attention to them, and make the story sound more dramatic.

The first letter of the article is larger than any others, giving the reader a clear indictor as to where the article starts.

On the double page spread, an image of the Marc Almond, of whom the article is about, adorns one of the pages.

The article also features an editorial, providing a further insight into the article, making it more in-depth.

The colour scheme is primarily that of white, black, and grey. This has connotations that this is a relatively dark article that isn’t particularly upbeat, further emphasised by the text which is primarily negative such as “near fatal”

The use of the phrase “THE MOJO INTERVIEW” tells the reader that this is the definite interview, and there is nothing like it. The use of capitals also draws attention to it.

On the right page, a quote from the article is used. This is important information as it will likely be the first thing the reader sees when viewing the right page thanks to it’s position.

The title “IN GOOD HEALTH” is presented in orange and white, the colours of the drink in the man’s hand, as well as orange being the same colour as the top the man is wearing.

The band are seen performing in the bottom right hand corner. This is clearly not a major part of the article, but still relevant.

Again a large capital font is used to show the reader the start of the article. This is clearly a feature of music magazines.

The fact that the man in the main image is holding two drinks and doing a direct gaze makes it seem as if the reader is in this traditional West London pub with him for a drink. This makes the article seem a lot more inviting and engaging.

The headline on the main image is larger than any other text on the page (bar the introductory ‘A’) which makes it the first thing the reader sees upon opening the double page spread.

Again we see a common feature of double spreads. That being a main image taking up a whole page.

The text used for the title is all in capitals to draw attention to it. It also is a pull quote, telling the reader what sort of character the interviewee is. The use of alliteration seen in “book” and “blur”, as well as “vomiting” and “vicodin” make it catchier, and a better title.

The man on the main image is seen looking up to face the reader. This implies that he is a character with a shady past.

It is clear to see when a new section of the article starts as the very first letter of it is seen to be in a larger font than the rest.

The layout uses black text against a white background. This is a common feature seen in indie music magazines as it allows for the text to stand out more, as well as be easily visible.

The stubble on the man further connote his murky past. The fact that he isn’t clean shaven deliberately gives us an insight into his life.

The man is shown to be wearing what appears to be a v-neck top, but this only shows off his skin, making him appear more vulnerable, especially given his pose and insight into his life.