Magazine Analysis - NME Contents

This is the contents page from NME, an indie/rock magazine which is aimed at a releitivly young audience, and it is very easy to understand since the layout is very clear and easy to navigate through. This is the same style every week so the reader can quickly recognise the house style of the magazine.

The image in the centre of the page is the anchor image, drawing the reader in and leading them through the rest of the page. There is a caption to the image so as to tell the reader what the image is about, aswell as giving the narrative device of page numbers so readers can quickly skip to the page if they wish to continue reading about it.

The contents is grouped into specific sections, such as subheadings, so that each part is easy to find and understand. This is the same style every week so readers can feel comfortable and can recognise NME's house style.

There are 3 main colours throughout the magazine and this is consistant on the contents page aswell as the front cover – Red, black and yellow. These colours are also used in other rock genre music magazines such as Kerrang! and are a convention of music genre. The colours of the magazine connotes angry and excitement; a stereotype of rock music.

The mast head is the same on the contents page as it is on the front cover, providing a definate guide to the readers that it is the same magazine and builds brand identity.

Unconventially of music magazines there are no images of music artists, instead only of a gig venue which may appeal to concert goers but may mean nothing to those that don't go to concerts.

The masthead is balanced by the section at the base of the page, informing readers about subscriptions. This is a very clever marketing technique as the contents page is the first thing, aswell as the front cover, a potential buyer will look at. Subscriptions are benificial to the company since the reader will definatly be paying for the magazine, which they may not buy otherwise.

Because the target market of this magazine are slightly older and may see themselves as being quite sophisticated, the contents page appeals to this and is made to look quite similar to a newspaper or broadsheet. The layout of the contents is in three main colums which is a typical convention of newspapers, rather than magazines.

Each componant of the magazine is listed in the contents in the same bold typeface as the 'contents' masthead to make it clear to the reader that there are different elements to the magazine. By doing this, it allows the reader to skip straight to the part they are most interested in. This also gives the magazine depth and connotes that the magazine is worth the money which is very important for the contents page to do since that, and the front cover, are the parts of the magazine that sell it.

The serif typeface is consistant throughout the contents and front cover and always remains very easy to read. This is a convention of music magazines since it allows the reader closure and they feel a sense of familiarity with the magazine. It also makes the magazine seem less formal and therefore would appeal to the young target audience. This is also the case with the language used which is casual and friendly, making the reader feel as though they are talking to a friend. This mode of address is a common convention of music magazines, especially when aimed at a younger audience, which NME is for example, the subject specific lexis 'gig' is a casual term used for concerts, which readers of this magazine would understand.

The page has a very 'solid' appearance which is more similar to the magazine Rolling Stone contents page, than a younger demographic of a magazine such as Kerrang! which may appeal to both the younger audience who wish to feel sophisticated, and the older target market.

The narrative device of the page numbers on the contents are clearly visable and in the same typeface as the rest of the page so readers can quickly skip to the page they what to read.

The white background of the contents page gives a sharp contrast to the bright, bold colours of the text. The use of arrows on the page makes certain elements of the contents page look most important and therefore will attract the attention of the reader and each of the arrows are numbered so the readers know which page is important.

The layout of the magazine allows both first time readers and loyal audiences to easily navigate around the page.

The main focus of the contents page is to reinforce that the audience of the magazine are quite sophisticated and focus a lot on appearance rather than just on the music. Their main focus are attending gigs and enjoy the experience more so than the music.

Unlike most music magazines, NME doesn't focus on building a connection with the readers but only on informing the reader. It also uses the image of the building, rather than of the conventional use of artists on the contents page so as to create sophistication within the magazine. This is so as to appeal to the target audience of younger people, who wish to feel sophisticated.

Magazine Analysis - Kerrang! Contents

 

Kerrang! Is a rock music magazine that is aimed at young adults who are fans of rock music.The contents page is very easy to understand since it is very clear layout which remains consistant will Kerrang! So as to make it easily recognisable. All the text is at the bottom of the page because the reader is first draw into the page by the image and are then guided to the text by means of the strapline “Kerrang! This week”. Also, young audiences are attracted to images and therefore would be drawn to the large image which would grab their attention.
It is grouped into specific subheadings, a narrative device, so that each part is easy to find and understand such as the editorial being on the left of the page and the contents stretching across the middle and righthand side. This is the same style every week so readers can feel comfortable and can recognise Kerrang!'s house style.

There are smaller images of article and features in the magazine so the reader know what to look for whilst reading the magazine and are guilded through. There are also page references underneath the images so the reader can quickly skip to that page if they are interested in reading it.

The mast head of contents is balanced by the strapline 'rival schools' making the magazine look professional but also makes the reader feel at ease. The type face of the text is consistant throughout the front cover and contents and is all in the same typeface as the main title of Kerrang! Is on the front cover. This allows the reader to recognise that the magazine corresponds with the cover and helos to guild them through the magazine. Also the vast amount of writing which fills up half of the page gives the impression that there is a lot of content, which is important for a music magazine.

Each componant of the magazine is listed in the contents in the same bold typeface as the 'contents' masthead to make it clear to the reader that there are different elements to the magazine. By doing this, it allows the reader to skip straight to the part they are most interested in. This also gives the magazine depth and connotes that the magazine is worth the money which is very important for the contents page to do since that, and the front cover, are the parts of the magazine that sell it.

In the righthand corner there is a box advertising subscriptions to Kerrang! Which is a clever way to advertise it since the contents page is one of the first things a target audience will look at. There is also the editorial on the left hand side of the magazine. This is cleverly set out since it is both an entry point (the editor looking at the camera) but also a mode of address as the editor is writing as though he is talking to the audience and does so in a friendly, casual manner. It is also only a small amount of writing so the audience can either skim over it or ignore it completely which is ideal for the target audience since most are part of the 'MTV generation'. Subscriptions to a magazine are a big advantage for publishing institutions because it means that they have a definate income of money for a set amount of time, whereas if a reader only buys the magazine a few times a year then the institution loses out on a vast amount of money.

In the editorial, he speaks about the members of the Kerrang! Team and how difficult it can be to make it big in music now. He also describes features of the magazine, gives page numbers and his own opinion which allows the reader to see the magazine from another persons point of view. This makes it seem more personal which is intensified by the fact that it is signed with his own signature.

The main image on the contents page connotes the fun and excitement people feel when at gigs; a major part of the rock genre. This is done by the fact he is smiling but not quite at the camera, making it seem more genuine. He also does not looks glamorous or sexy and he isn't posing which emphasises the fact that rock music is most focused on the music and not the musicians.

The majority of the text is written in capital letters which connotes loudness, such as the name Kerrang! And relates to the genre of music. It also makes the text easier to read, especially if being read while in public such as on a train or bus. This type of text is a convention of this genre of music magazines.

The majority of the images are dark and all of the smaller text is written in black ink which links with the front cover which is also dark. This appeals to the target audience who often prefer to dress in darker colours. The background is white which makes the darker pictures stand out as it is a light and dark contrast. The contrast of the bright yellow, however, stands out very distinctly against the dark shades and therefore quickly draw the audiences attention towards it. Also the vibrant shades across the dark background connotes explosion and aggression, a common trait of rock music.

The contents page uses images of artists that are looking at the camera to create a direct mode of address and make the reader feel as though the artist is talking to them and therefore entice the reader to buy it. The editoral also does this by addressing the reader as a friend and recommending the pages they should read. There are details of subscription in the corner where the reader can has the chance to interact with the magazine by purchasing the issues every week in an agreement where they can also receive a discount. The language in the editorial is casual and friendly, which would attract the reader to the magazine since they would be able to relate to the editor.

The main focus of the contents page is to reinforce to the reader the genre of music it specialises in and building a connection with the reader. The typeface used is easy to read and the language used is simple to understand, making it appealing to the target audience from both first time readers and those that buy it every week.
The layout has no overlapping or confusing elements, making it simple to understand and aesetically pleasing to the eye.

In conclusion, Kerrang! follows several conventions within the contents page such as the narratuve device of the page numbers, the main image being the focus and having the masthead at the top of the page. Following these conventions make the magazine appeal to the target audience because it makes it clear to the reader that they are reading a music magazine.

Magazine Analysis - Vibe front cover

This magazine is named 'vibe' which gives the reader an idea of what music genre this magazine is as the word 'vibe' connotes rhythm and dancing. It is also an abbreviation from the word vibration, which connotes dancing music which would appeal to the target audience.

It was founded by Quincy Jones, who is the now producer of the magazine and is mainly targeted at a predominately young audience who enjoy hip-hop and RnB music. However it does feature actors and various other celebrities in the public eye. This is called a hybrid magazine, since it has elements from both music magazines as well as celebrity news. The magazine is £2.50 and is published quarterly so it would be more targeted at the younger, urban following audience who would have a more disposable income. The magazine is an American magazine and would therefore have a wider target audience in America, however the magazine is still popular in Britain and appeals to a British audience.

In June, 2009, Vibe became bankrupt and ceased publication immediately. However, after shutting down InterMedia Partners, LP bought Vibe Magazine and relaunched it.

Vibe publication also publish books on hip-hip culture and the website address is www.VIBE.com. As of 2007, VIBE had a circulation of approximately 800,000 worldwide. This shows that the magazine, as well as the music genre is very popular throughout the world.

Vibe magazine is mainly targeted at an audience from 18-30 of both the male and female audience. We can tell this by the colours used, the layout and image on the front cover. There are many ways in which the audience can interact with the magazine such as the website address which is situated on the spine on the cover as well as beneath the bar code. This allows the reader to express their views by emailing the magazine. On the site there are many other ways to interact with the magazine since there are videos and articles, as well as a link to their sister magazine 'Vixen' which is aimed at a more female audience.

The cover is of Keri Hilson, a globally recognised hip hop and Rnb artist, who is the main focus of the front cover. This is shown by the fact that all coverlines and straplines are pushed to the side of the page and that she is infront of the masthead. This connotes importance and power which is intensified by the fact that she is wearing a uniform style hat and heavy metal chain jewellery which gives the impression of police-like qualities. The entry point of the magazine is Hilson's eyes which are also over the masthead which allows the reader to quickly establish her importance in this magazine.
There are only 3 colours used on the cover which gives the magazine a very sophisticated and professional compared to other magazines of the same genre. However, using 3 colours is a convention of most music magazines. The grey colour of the background is the same as the metal on both her hat and her jewellery which allows the magazine to correspond.
The vibrant red that is used in the cover lines stand out and make the page look aesthetically appealing. This is also used as in the narrative of the magazine and guides the readers eyes around the page.

The anchor image of the magazine is a cropped image of Keri Hilson who is posed very provocatively, although not smiling, whilst making eye contact with the camera. Because of the eye contact, her image still makes the magazine look inviting. She is also wearing a leotard which, although covering her body connotes nudity and sexual desires. Males audiences feel attracted to her and females audiences what to be her.

There is only one image on the front cover which is of Keri Hilson and the photo is a cropped mid-shot to emphasis her body, rather than her face. This provides a very physical desire and ideology for the male audience. The outfit used makes her appear dominant and yet powerful, which would appeal to both the male and female audience since the male audience would find this attractive and the female audience would aspire toward her. There are no objects in the background, just one large image in the foreground.

The grey background gradients from dark to light which provides an interesting effect and draws attention to the main image. The background is plain but the colourful text prevents it from looking boring.

The headline is relatively small compared to the usual conventions of music magazines and alternates between red and white typeface which is very noticeable on the metallic background. There is also a strap line beneath it in the same colour as the first line of the cover line. Controversial to most music magazine conventions, one of the the cover line is near the base of the page, which makes it less noticeable than it would be nearer the top of the magazine.

By using the strap line 'has been a [very] bad girl' gives a sexual connotation to the magazine which also corresponds with the main image which is very provocative. This would appeal to the male audience.
The use of the word exclusive near the top of the magazine is a very common convention of music magazines and connotes singularity and gives the impression that this is the only magazine to have this interview. Also, by using the pull quote “people have been comparing me to tupac” makes it clear to the reader that it is an actual interview with the artist rather than a feature. Since the Keri Hilson is making eye contact with the camera, this provides an entry point for audiences and therefore makes them feel as though they can relate to the artist. This, in turn, makes the audience feel they can interact with the magazine which would make them buy it.

The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers and news on upcoming artists.

In conclusion, Vibe follows many conventions within the front cover of the magazine, which has been proven to be successful, since the magazine has such a high circulation worldwide. The main conventions that have been followed is having the masthead at the top of the page and having one main image in the centre of the magazine, which creates an entry point for the readers. This may be because readers of the magazine Vibe tend to follow celebrity lives and conform to what is popular and would enjoy the conformity of the magazines conventions.

Magazine Analysis - Q Front cover

 

Q magazine is a monthly published magazine and was founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth in 1986. It was first mainly aimed at older music lovers since many of the music magazines of their time were ignoring them and focusing on younger audiences.
The magazine was originally going to be named Cue, as in the act of cueing a record, but was changed to Q incase it was confused with a snooker magazine. Also the single letter title would make a more noticable and eye catching masthead. Q magazine is owned and published by the Bauer Media Group. Bauer Media Group are a major institution that publish various different types of magazines from Kerrang! Magazine to others such as Woman's weekly magazines such as Heat.

Q magazine is aimed at a unisex market, from the age of 20 and over since it features relatively modern music but also has older musicians which would appeal to both younger and older audiences such as Elbow and Muse. The target market are fans of rock and alternative music who are induviuals and like to go against conventions which is mirrored by the magazine since it often goes against conventions of music magazines.

It often features up and coming British artists but has been critised lately for being very 'safe' with its cover choices and following artists that are known to be popular, such as the bands Muse and Take that, focusing on the artist more than the music.

The cover looks mature and sophisticated which reflects the target market of the magazine. The main colours of the magazine is grey, black and red which makes the main headlines show up since they are in the bold red colour. Readers can interact with the magazine by visiting the website that is shown in the section with the barcode.

On the cover of the magazine there is a close-up cropped image of Liam Gallagher. Unlike many similar magazines, there is no entry point for readers since he is wearing sunglasses to cover his eyes. Because of this, the magazine relies on its own popularity and fame to attract readers since they will recognise the well-known red Q housestyle masthead. This makes the artist look cold but makes the reader want to find out about them since they look quite mysterious.
An editing effect has been used to make the rest of the band look as though they are being reflected in Gallagher's glasses which gives the impression that the magazine has depth and therefore is worth the money. Also the techniques used makes the magazine look sophisticated and high class so as to appeal to the target audience more so than a weekly magazine that looks thin and not very indepth. The background in the glasses is also the same as that off the magazine so that the colours link together makes the magazine look classy.
The image is the anchor image of the magazine since it the largest image on the page. However the masthead is shown to be important since it overlaps onto the main image, showing that the brand of the magazine is still important for promoting it. The anchor image of the page is the masthead 'Q'. This breaks the conventions of most music magazines since most magazine attract readers through the main image. This is because in 'Q' magazine, the emphasise is based on the music, rather than the artist, which is reflected by the importance of the 'Q' at the top of the page.

The name of the artist is shown clearly underneath the image in bold red typeface so as to make it clear that the image relates to him and may entice readers to buy the magazine so as to read about him and the band. The image of the artist appears cold and detatched because the reader cannot relate to the artist since there is no eye contact. This makes the reader focus more on the elements around the magazine rather than the artist. The age of the artist also relates to the target audience as they would be likely to be similar ages to the artist. All the straplines and coverlines are pushed the the side of the image, making it clear that he is the most important part of the magazine. However, the vast amount of coverlines and straplines make it clear to the reader that there is a lot of content within the magazine.

The language used on the magazine mimics the language used by its target market to make the magazine seem familiar and friendly but uses less slang than Kerrang! Or NME as they are both aimed at younger audiences. An example is “Noel was a tit. I am very happy”.This is also a pull quote from an interview which shows the reader that it is an actual interview and not a feature on the artist.
The use of the bubble at the top right of the page emphasises the importance of the special 16 page Queen interview. This is also emphasised by the use of the word 'exclusive' which is a convention of music magazines as it grabs the attention of the readers since it gives the impression that the interview won't be anywhere else.

The cover is very bold due to the fact that it has a very cropped image of just someones face which is unconventional of music magazines which tend to have a mid-close of image rather than a big close up. This is a housestyle of Q, to have images that are not mid close up which makes the magazine stand out on the shelves.

Q contains articles and information on indie, brit pop, rock and punk music. It has interviews with bands and reviews of albums and gigs and features on artists which are on the cover such as Muse and Smashing Pumpkins.
The reason Q appeals to its target market is because it doesn't follow all the conventions of music magazines, making it stand out and look unique.

'Q' magazine, on a whole, tends to break more stereotypes than a more mainstream magazine such as 'Vibe' because 'Q' magazine is know for it's induvidualality and for not following conventions. However, certain conventions were still followed such as the masthead being at the top of the page and the image still being a major focus in the magazine. This is because it makes it clear to the reader that it is a music magazine, which would be unclear if these conventions were not followed.

Magazine analysis - Mixmag front cover

The magazine is called 'mixmag' because it specialises in mostly dance music which is very mixed and uses elements from many different music genres. The main genre of the magazine is British dance and clubbing music and therefore is aimed at the British market.

Mixmag was launched in 1982 and also covers music reviews, club nights and dance events.

The first editor was DMC’s Tony Prince and the first advertiser was a company called Technics Panasonic. The first issue was in February 1983. Mixmag was sold to EMAP Ltd. in the mid-1990s before being bought by Development hell. In 2006, Development hell relaunched and revamped mixmag, making it appeal to a wider audience unlike before, where it was specifically targeted at young, hardcore clubbers. It is now targeted at both young clubbers and those who have outgrown clubbing but still enjoy the music.

Mixmag is still targeted at the younger audiences since it is £4.20 and therefore appeals to those who have a disposable income. The target audience of this magazine is young adults, who enjoy club music and usually enjoy clubbing themselves.
Readers can interact with the magazine by going on to the website that is shown on the cover, near the bar code. They can read certain magazine features and enter competitions, as well as leave comments on the site for other people on the site to read and comment. This has become a recently developed convention of music magazines because of the upsurge in internet use and magazine sales are plummeting due to fans finding out information via the internet.

There is very little writing on the page apart from the headline “Boom!2010!” and a list of artists that are featured in the magazine. This emphasises the genre of the music and connotes that it doesn't spend too much time on any one thing which appeals to its target audience, which is also ever changing and adapting to new things.

There is no main image on the cover but instead many different, smaller images. There is no entry point on the magazine which is very unconventional of a music magazine. However, this is because there aren’t any particular artists in dance music and the genre focuses more on the music than the artists. This is also shown by the fact that there is a list of artists at the edge of the magazine and all of them are in the same typeface and size text. This connotes that no artist is any more important than the others since none of them are particularly in the public eye, which is usually the case in other music magazine in which the most popular artists will be featured more heavily in a magazine. The representations in the magazine are that clubbing music is fun and exciting which is emphasised by the party scenes shown on the cover, as well as the bright and eye catching colours used. These representations and ideologies appeal to the target audience as they can relate to the parties and clubs as they themselves enjoy them.

The masthead is displayed clearly at the top of the page which makes it clear to potential readers what the magazine I which is important since Mixmag would most likely rely on a dedicated audience due to the fact there is no entry point for readers.
The three main colours used on the magazine are pink, yellow and black which give a very bold and distinctive house style to the magazine, especially against the white background. This makes the cover look uncluttered and therefore sophisticated which would appeal to the older audiences but the colour would also attract the younger audiences. The strips of colour also act as a narrative and guides the readers eyes around the page and to each picture on the cover. These bright colours connote parties and excitement.

The use of the language 'owned' and 'tunes' in the strap line under the head line makes the magazine seem friendly and of the same mind as the readers and therefore they can related to it.

Because of the use of many smaller pictures and colours rather than one main image and smaller images around it, it gives the reader the impression that the magazine is full to the brim and offers a lot for the money. This is very important since the magazine is published monthly and therefore would need to look more high quality than a weekly magazine such as Kerrang!.

Mixmag addresses its readers quite unconventionally for a music magazine because instead of pulling the reader in with an image, it first uses the masthead and relies on the brand's success to sell. It then provides the reader with a selection of artists and gig locations they may be interested in.

Readers can interact with the magazine by visiting the website situated near the bar code or on the spine of the magazine and in doing so can email the magazine with their own opinions and views.

Mixmag magazine doesn't follow a huge amount of conventions, breaking the majorty of conventions that are followed by music magazines. It doesn't have a clear entry point, or a single anchor image. This is because, unlike most magazine, Mixmag focuses on the music rather than the artists. However, it still follows certain conventions such as having the Mast head at the top of the page and having the headline as a main focus of the cover.

Construction of Zine magazine – Rachel Collins

In order to create the masthead of the magazine, I used a regular typeface (Berlin sans FB demi) and edited it with the smudge tool to create the jagged style typeface.

I also edited her hair and face so as to remove the unwanted strand of hair and also to make her hair longer and therefore connote glamour.  To do this I used the clone brush. I also used the burn tool with very low opacity on her face to make it seem much more like her real skin.

To make the background, I used the paint bucket tool. I then used a filter to make the grass seem more realistic, as well as using the burn tool on it to make it look as though it was outside. I did the same for the sky but I also used the dodge tool to make the sky look cloudy and therefore more realistic

                                         

To make the background to the main, anchor image, I used the shape tool to make a white square. I then lowed the opacity on the eraser tool and chose a soft brush before erasing the around the edges

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To make the contents banner I used the shape tool as the pink background. I then used the text tool on top. I also did this for the page number boxes. I used the same method to make the box shapes on the front cover.

 

To cut the images out on the both front cover and the contents page I used the lasso tool. However, for the anchor image on the contents page I used the magic wand tool to erase all background because her hair was difficult to use the lasso tool around.