MAGAZINE COVER ANALYSIS VIBE

This magazine is targeting the male younger adolescent generation, who are more involved and idolise the hip-hop culture. This is done by using the artist “Drake” as the main feature of the cover, this is a very attractive and affective person to use as he is known to be one of the most successful and influential artists in the commercial Hip-hop industry of today. This automatically attracts the audience as they subconsciously want to know more about him or what his involvement is in this magazine. The overall lay out of the magazine is very tidy and neat, showing a sense of perfection,

“Drake” is looking directly at the reader giving a sense of a direct address, looking quite cheeky and confident portraying a bold presence over the magazine, this is also emphasised as he is placed centre of the page showing that he is a dominant feature. The bold white masthead “VIBE” at the top of the page automatically catches your eye as there is an immediate contrast between the black background and the black top and hat that the artist is wearing.

This colour balance is used so that the words “VIBE” and the cover line “UNSTOPPABLE” stand out making the reader recognise the title, which could also be portraying that Drake is “unstoppable”; the colour balance also uses the colour yellow as this colour also looks dominant over the black background, using the words “DRAKE” in capital letters to reinforce his name, and “EXCLUSIVE” which automatically leads the reader deeper in to what could be in the magazine.

Rapup

This magazine is targeting the younger female market, interested in the Rap, and R&B culture. This is evident as the main background colour is a bright pink which creates a very vibrant and bold colour contrast, effectively catching the reader’s eye. It also represents this market as there is a female artist “Ciara” who females will be more interested to be reading about, as they could idolise her.

The masthead of the magazine is in bold black print which emphasises the contrast in the colour balance on top of the pink background. The cell lines are also in quite bold writing spread around the model, with different symbols such as exclamation marks and stars emphasising the femininity.

The artist used as the model is standing centre frame posing on her side to emphasise her curves showing that she is a very feminine and this is a feminine magazine. This makes her look slightly sensual and draws the readers eye. She has her hands on her hips to show that she is dominant and confident in herself. She is also wearing a black striped leotard with black tights, and this emphasises her presence as the colour balance contrasts. She is also holding a camera in a way that makes her look effortless and professional, the outcome of this is a bright diamond like looking spark which inserts a “glam” factor.

RollingstoneThis magazine is targeting the male market that have an interest in the more “Indy/Rock” music style. This is evident from the title of the magazine, “Rollingstone” which is imitating the name of a famously known rock band “The Rollingstones”. The font used also gives an impression that the masthead is “rolling”.

The artist used on this cover is nearly filling up the whole page, and the cover line saying “Lil Wayne Goes Rock” is implying that he is dominant and the main figure to this magazine. He has his top off and his hat is slightly tilting to the side, showing that he is relaxed and has quite a rebellious swagger as he is revealing his body covered in tattoos, including on his face; three of which are tear drops famously known to be a symbol of taking someone’s life, this portrays he is quite a dangerous and rebellious artist.

The background and the overall colour balance is quite subtle, which is effective as this sets a contrast with the eccentric, eye catching amount of tattoos on the artist “Lil Wayne”. The cell lines are positioned on only one side of the artist, portraying the lay out as more of a column from an article. This makes the presentation neater and clearer to read, making it easier for the reader.

NME

This cover, has purposely positioned its cell lines in a deconstructive manner, fitted all around the artist in font which could be portrayed as hard to read. This could be representing the “messy” and “individual” style to emphasise the message that “Rock” music is portraying. The cover line, “THE FINAL WEEKS OF JIMI HENDRIX” is printed in bold white font, in order to stand out infront of the combination of bright colours behind it, these colours could be representing that he may be dead but his presence is still very much around.

This magazine is also aiming the “Rock” target market, as the front cover consists of one of the most famous, influential men in the rock music industry “Jimi Hendrix” famously remembered for his guitar playing skills. The front cover immediately attracts to the eye because of the extreme colour balance. The “NME” font is in a bright flu recent pink which automatically stands out next to the black and white colour background of the artists’ face, creating a contrast.

BLENDER

This magazine is targeting the female teenage market, this is emphasised by the pink font and the main feature being about the new idolised female artist “Katy Perry”. The artist used is posing with her hand on her hip to her side, fluctuating her femininity. The cell lines are in bold pink and black font, with the main words highlighted in pink, this portrays a girly and organised, neat lay out.

XXLXXL is the No. 1 selling music magazine on newsstand, covering some of the biggest artists. They have used one of the most influential faces of hiphop as their front cover artist “Jay z”. This is a very efficient way of attracting the reader’s attention as he is one of the most powerful men in that industry at the moment. The way they have positioned him is between two buildings, showing the comparison of him taller than both of them. This proximity of the artist being lager than these buildings represents just how superior and huge is presence is. He also has his hands in his pockets, and wearing sunglasses, which portrays he is relaxed and maybe slightly arrogant as he knows how high and mighty he is.

The colour balance is used in a very subtle yet effective way. The white background shows a clear comparison from the all black outfit that the artist is wearing, which could be representing his separation from the normal world as he is living the “higher life”. The bold red font also immediately to the eye, as these three colours are easily distinguished between each other.

KERRANG COMPLEX

This magazine is more targeting the “Rock” listeners, as they are publicising this with a “Biffy Clyro” as their main cover line; “unfold this puzzle of life”. This sets a sort of enigma as it makes the reader want to read more in to it. They have positioned the band in a way that they could be showing the order of importance, and the white jumper that the main artist is wearing contrasts with the dark and striking background.

This magazine has a less formal and organized lay out. The font is in more childish bubble writing and the cell lines are scattered all over the place, portraying that this is a more “fun filled” music content, than a factual or formal magazine. The colour balance is kept equal throughout, mainly dominated by blue and yellow, which is also what the artist “Keri Hilson” is wearing as well to portray her involvement with the magazine. It looks as if it is designed to look more like a scrap book, by the scribbles and purposely misspelt phrases eg. . “BUILT 4 SUCCESS”

VIBE NME

This cover automatically attracts the reader’s attention as the vibrant colour balance stands out, in a clashing yet unique way. The setting is portrayed to represent a childish setting, because of the cartoon like flowers and animations to emphasise a sense a child’s dream. The background is blue representing the sky which combines with the pristine white cloud and head mast in order to form a contrast with the shocking pink the artist is wearing.

The artist they have used, “Nicki Minaj” has recently become the new woman of today’s Hip hop world, therefore by using her face on this magazine will influence the readers to be attracted to this; the cell lines also bring this to attention by saying “HIP-HOPS NEW SUPERWOMAN” She is standing with her legs apart and her hands on her hips which could be represented as how a super hero would stand, confident and fearless. She is licking her lout to give a more a sensual edge, her orange hair also portrays a sense of individuality.

This magazine directly stands out to the eye because of the bold red head mast, combining with the neutral red colour balance over the page; the red top, and red lips, specifically arranged in this colour to set a coordinating colour balance. This also compares with the subtle white and grey wash in the background. The artist that is used looks very relaxed and slightly rebellious as her hair is messy and she is wearing a shirt which is not done up properly, this shows she doesn’t really care about her appearance and has self confidence. The way the cigarette is positioned, without her holding it shows she is informal and careless.

CONTENT ANLYSIS - VIBE.

This contents page uses a subtle black and grey wash in the background fading into each other as the models legs follow up the page. The whole mise en scene here gives a sophisticated and feminine feel. The font used is a swirly, flowing font to represent that the contents of this page which appeal more to females. The cell lines are arranged in collums on one side of the page, leaving the majority of the page for the model, this gives more of an edgy feel towards it as your main attraction to this page is the model, not the contents.

The model is lying on her back with her legs in the air in a pair of heels and a grey leotard, this coordinates in with the colour theme. They have positioned her in quite a sensual way in order to attract more attention. Her legs end where the text begins which creates clearerspatial awareness, and brings attention to the word“Features”, the opening of the text. .

VIBEThe objective of the mise en scene in this page is to portray the difference between our society and another. This page gives off a slightly serious vibe, as the artist on the front “Mavado” is looking directly in the readers eyes with a look of despair, yet power. The colour balance is black and white to portray the dull yet sincerity of the environment this image is portraying. The lay out of the cell lines is organised in a small font, columned structure to focus the readers attention on the main image.

The cell lines on this contents page are structured at a tilted angle, in order to portray an abstract design , which will catch the readers eye. The black and red font over the white and grey wash in the background sets a neat and distinct image in order to read the font clearly. The bottom part then contrasts with the main focus as it is black with bold white font, this portrays the two seperate messages of the page, the “X” from “contex” is printed in a different font and colour to put an emphasis on the word itself.

The red slant across the side of the page also brings out the image of the artist, yet is still in co ordination of the three main colours being used overall. The artist used is looking over his shoulder wearing a black T-shirt to also combine with the rest of the page, and the way he is positioned in the bottom left hand corner of the page shows that the main focus is the content information, giving the reader more space to view it.

The white background with the slight black wash in the corner, portrays a sense of simplicity yet clarity of the page. The font of the head mast and the cover lines give an edgy feel to the page as it is slightly faded and bold to show it is making a statement, “NEW RELEASES”. The cell lines are spread out from each other to show a sense that there is as little writing as possible, motivating the reader to want to read it. The boxes next to the cell lines clearly state what page you can find this information, making it as clear as possible for the reader to follow.

The three pictures used are clearly positioned underneath eachother to distinguish the difference between all the three events. They have also used pictures which look as if there is alot of lively atmosphere, in order to make the reader want to read about it. The first picture shows a mosh pit of people at a concert, followed by the others of the artists on the stage with all the lights and the smoke machines, this is effective as it automatically makes the reader want to see more pictures. The over all lay out of the page is clearly structured and subtle, yet edgy and unique.

This NME contents page, shows a more informative and clustered lay out with alot more different sections of the page to read from. This could be seen as a lot to read and could put the reader off, however because NME is such a well known and ranging magazine, readers will be more likely to want to find out as much information as possible. The font is all in black over a white background, with the cover lines blocked around by a box showing the different sections of what is available.