Double page spread textual analysis 5

Double page spread textual analysis 4

Double page spread textual analysis 3

Double page spread textual analysis 2

Double page spread textual analysis 1

Contents page textual analysis 5

Contents page textual analysis 4

Contents page textual analysis 3

Contents page textual analysis 2

Contents page textual analysis 1

Textual analysis 5 - NME

Textual analysis part 5

NME magazine is an indie/rock magazine which covers many aspects of the industry. It offers people the chance to win tickets, get knowledge about music in the charts, concerts and tours from people’s favourite bands!

The magazine is targeted towards indie people and those who enjoy rock music. It would be more likely for boys to purchase this magazine because they are seen as being more into indie music, rather than girls.

The tag line of NME is ‘New musical express’. Although this is the expansion of the abbreviation ‘NME’ it shows the audience that they are up to date, they are expressive with what they publish and they are all about music!

The largest text on the front cover is NME. This would have been done purposefully to make sure that the reader notices the brand name so when they come to purchasing another magazine on a different occasion, they will know a familiar brand and may consider purchasing it a second time round, or even more! Having the masthead in a big, bold font, it is easy to notice and for people to familiarise themselves with it.

The layout of the magazine isn’t too organised. There is a lot of text overlapping pictures and images in the same area, also overlapping one another. The main image is of Kurt Cobain. He is wearing retro sunglasses. As his eyes are hidden, an element of mystery surrounds him; it makes him seem like maybe he has something to hide. By doing this, the magazine creates mystery and intrigue amongst the audience. This will then make them want to read on to find out more about the man they seem to know little about! In this image, Cobain is smoking a cigarette; for Kurt, doing this gives him an image of being rather rebellious and edgy. This then reflects on the magazine, making them seem a little more quirky than other magazines. This could be seen as a unique selling point for them. This also supports the fact that the audience are part of the rock/indie society because they are usually the kind of people who are seen to have this image.

The background that Cobain is standing in front of is completely plain, it’s a simple dark grey back ground. This puts all of the focus on the model, Kurt Cobain. By capturing him stood in front of this back drop, it highlights the fact that Cobain is a main feature in this issue and he doesn’t need lots of things going on around him, he is interesting just as he is. The audience therefore will think that he is worthy to read about!

As said before, the back ground is a dark grey. On top of this lay many cover lines. All of these cover lines have either been written in yellow text or have been placed in a yellow box. This light and happy colour makes the text really jump out at you! By having an attention grabbing colour like this on the front cover, people will be immediately drawn in to read the cover lines and what the magazine contains. If they are interested in what they briefly read in the cover lines, they will be able to purchase the magazine and read more!

The shot type of Cobain is close up, of his head and shoulders. Due to this close up shot, the reader might get the impression that the magazine interviews inside get closer to Cobain and they get to see the real him more. This impression would not be given if the shot was full body; in that case people may just feel as though it’s a brief overview of a man and everything that they’ve heard before, not a personal encounter that is unique to NME magazine. 

Textual analysis 4 - Q

Textual analysis part 4

‘Q’ magazine is one of the UK’s largest and most popular music magazines. It covers many genres and aspects of the music industry, talking to and about artists such as, in the latest issue, Ellie Goulding to Noel Gallagher.

They have a very wide audience which is probably due to the amount of angles that the magazine covers. If one article doesn’t appeal to a certain niche in the market, there’s a good chance that another story would be of interest to them. The target audience is probably quite mature. I say this because the model on the front is Noel Gallagher, a member of the band Oasis. This band and it’s music appeals more to the older generation; people who are more mature will also have a greater understanding of the tough events that Noel has been through in his career rather than those of the younger generation.

The masthead of this magazine is what catches the attention of the audience first. It is very simple yet very effective. Having a short and simple masthead can be beneficial to the reader as they can identify the magazine quickly and easily. The letter ‘Q’ can usually be used as an abbreviation for the word question – this could signify that this magazine could be the answer to any lingering questions that people have about those in the music industry!

The Q is white that has been placed on a red background. These two contrasting colours make the letter stand out from the background, making a point that this magazine is big and bold.

The model, as stated before, is Noel Gallagher. He has been captured in a full body shot. The angle that the photo has been taken is the camera looking up at him. This shows that there is an element of power about him. The way that he has his arms folded shows that he is strong willed and the stance produces a ‘tough guy’ image. Gallagher is a very well known man amongst those in the music industry and also those outside of it for being a bit of a rebel through his actions.

Having Gallagher as the model for this issue, the magazine gives itself a bit more of a rough and edgy vibe; this could open the audience up even more for them! The way that the cover lines of this issue have been laid out is very neat. Seven of them have been placed in a box and another three have been made to look as though they are on the front of an amplifier. The three cover lines that are on the amplifier are all quotes from what can be read about inside. This has been cleverly linked as an amplifier is to do with sound, as is a person speaking.

Above the box containing the majority of the cover lines, it says ‘featuring’ in a font that is different to the rest. This font is also used for the word ‘plus’ where it shows extras that the magazine has to offer. The font alone manages to make the segment seem special, like no other part of the magazine. By doing this, they make the reader aware of everything the magazine has to offer.

There is one special cover line that does catch your eye. It is in a gold circle and the main text reads ‘Albums Goldmine’. This is a pun as the colour and reference to the amount of albums within the circular shape are related.

Finally, the tag line for this magazine is “The world’s greatest music magazine”. This may well be a hyperbole as it may never have been proven but from the content that it has to offer, it could very well be one of the best.

Textual analysis 3 - Bass

Textual analysis part 3

Bass guitar magazine is part of a group of music magazines created by ‘Oyster House Media’. They also sell magazines such as ‘Drummer’ and ‘Acoustic’. These all apply to the music market but each magazine targets a particular area or niche. It is clear from the masthead that this magazine has a specific audience; those who play or are interested in the musical instrument. 

The tag line, shown on the front cover, of this magazine is “The UK’s number one bass guitar magazine”. As there are not many popular magazines that fully focus on bass guitars, this magazine has an immediate advantage over any others that there may be because they have stated that they are number one; you will not find a better bass guitar related magazine than this one.

The cover lines on the front cover are also all related to musicians who play guitar and things you can do/buy if you are interested in it too. The text is all written in capital letters. This means that the words are clearer for the audience to read. This way, they can find out information fast, they will not get bored with large sums of writing and it will help them figure out if they want to purchase the magazine or not!

The background colours are kept fairly simple, just red and yellow. These two colours represent a fiery atmosphere which portrays the magazine as hot and maybe even trendy. The red is the heaviest colour out of the two and that is in the background of the ‘Bass’ text. This puts emphasis on the masthead, making it appear to the reader as the most important part of the magazine. The yellow enters further towards the end, where the majority of the cover lines are located. This gives a lighter hearted feel to the stories, as if they are nice to read. This would make the potential buyers feel happier about reading the inside stories.

The colours used are kept to a small range of yellow, black, white and red. There is one cover line however that stands out from the rest as it is in blue. It reads “Interviewed Bootsy Collins. School’s out at Funk University!” We know from this bold statement that this would be the main article featured within the magazine as it is bolder than the other cover lines and it also relates to the model on the front, Bootsy Collins.

Bootsy is wearing a yellow suit. This goes well with the colours of the back ground as he seems to blend in. The large matching yellow hat shows that he clearly thinks he is a big deal in the music industry. It also shows that he is not afraid to wear extravagant clothing. The way that the model is dressed may represent the magazine in general; they could be trying to say that they are a big deal and contain a lot of surprises, a bit like Bootsy’s wardrobe!

The shot that Bootsy has been captured in shows his torso and hips. He is leaning slightly which could represent that the magazine covers many angles of the music industry which relates to bass playing! We can see on his face that he is happy, most likely meaning he is happy to be modelling for the magazine, portraying it as a nice company, encouraging sales! We cannot see Bootsy’s eyes which creates an element of mystery, this would create intrigue amongst the audience, making them want to buy the magazine and read more.  

Finally, this magazine creates a bright, happy and energetic aura which would aid people’s decisions when they consider purchasing it.

Textual analysis 2 - Top of the Pops

Textual analysis part 2

Top of the pops magazine is based on the iconic television programme, ‘Top of the Pops’ which featured music videos and performances from pop starts who were in the charts. Today the TV show isn’t around but the magazine still heavily focuses on the ins and outs of artist’s lives and the current pop music!

From looking at the front cover of this magazine, I would guess that the target audience would be the younger generation, the majority being girls. Another element of this magazine that suggests it is mainly aimed at girls is the use of colour for both the title (Top of the Pops) and a certain cover line, reading “1D’s confessions, totally personal and definitely private – and all for you!” which is surrounded by a pink bubble. As pink is a colour usually associated with females, this may hinder a boys choice in purchasing the magazine as it wouldn’t feel ‘manly’.

There are many other things that suggest this magazine is gender specific. For example there is a segment with a picture of Leona Lewis paired with text that reads “Does he really like you? Signs to show that he’s interested, by Leona x”. This part of the magazine is clearly aimed at girls, along with a different cover line that is boxed in about women’s fashion on the high street. Unlike these small parts of inside articles, there are no stories that would immediately entice boys to want to purchase and/or read this magazine.

Like many other magazines, on the front cover of this one, we can see that they not only have interesting stories to offer within but they also have posters inside! These would be included to make people want to buy the magazine and get their money’s worth with lots of things that they can enjoy!

The text on this magazine is very basic. The majority of it is all kept at the same font and size apart from the Masthead and main cover line, about One Direction. The reason that the text is kept simple is probably due to the target audience as they are young, the writers would not want to bore the readers with too much text!

Around the outside of the magazine there are small pictures of three boys from the pop industry: Justin Bieber, Conor Maynard and Nathan Sykes (The Wanted). By Justin Bieber’s photo, the text says ‘A very hot surprise!’ This is informal and it also makes people want to read on as they would be eager to find out what this surprise is.

The colours are kept basic. There is pink, blue, black and white. These colours all blend well together especially as the five models (One Direction) shirts are corresponding to the selected pallet. As blue is the background and it is a primary, neutral colour, having the vibrant pink on top of it really puts emphasis on certain cover lines that are in the bright pink boxes/circles.

The models are all wearing blue or white t-shirts. These work well in giving them a basic and down to earth image. The photo of the boys has been taken from a distance, capturing almost their fully bodies. We can see their faces clearly and it shows them all smiling. These facial expressions add to the atmosphere of this issue because it creates a happy mood amongst the possible purchasers.

The publishers of this magazine have subtly added in a website that their readers can visit if they wish to find out more. This could possibly broaden their potential audience and it adds extra value to the magazine because it offers more to those purchasing it!  

Textual analysis 1 - Kerrang!

Textual analysis part 1

‘Kerrang!’ is a one of the world’s biggest selling weekly rock magazines. This magazine appeals to both males and females aged approximately 16-24 years old. It is clear on the front cover of this magazine that it is aimed more towards a young audience because of the fonts and layout.

In this ‘Kerrang!’ magazine issue, the largest text is the masthead. The masthead has been placed at the top of the page and as it is large, it is what first catches people’s attention. This is important for the reader as they can identify the magazine easily.

There are many cover lines placed around the edges of the magazine, some in boxes and others over the main image. When a cover line is placed in a box it will put emphasis on the fact that it is a separate story, making things clearer for the reader. The cover lines have been strategically placed around the face and upper torso of the model in the main image. This means that you can still see who the magazine will be talking to/about but also what else it has to offer. These cover lines consist of prizes you could win, quotes from celebrities and small bits of information taken from what is fully explained within the magazine. All of these cover lines make the reader want to find out more. They do this by using phrases such as ‘see more inside’ to create intrigue.

The colours are generally quite dark but there is some text, in yellow, which breaks out and lifts the atmosphere of the issue. They do not over complicate the colour pallet of this front cover as they have stuck to using four colours: red, black, yellow and white. Even the main image has been left rather plain, although the picture is not taken in black and white; there are no colours that stand out. The reason for the main image not being as bold as you may find on other music magazines is because the model is shirtless, showing off the writing on his body, rather than wearing any clothing that may express his own personality. Instead, the originality of writing on his body shows that he is a quirky person, giving this magazine issue an interesting quality.

The background of this front cover is a brick wall, painted white. This could be replicating how urban Young Gun’s music is as he has been placed in an urban and relaxed location. This back drop is very normal which may be a reflection on the way that the music spoken about in this magazine is – very down to earth.

The amount of text on this page could be described as being busy as there is quite a lot of it. The text is not only printed for the purpose of a cover line but there is also writing on the model, Young Gun’s lead vocalist; Gustav Wood’s torso. This writing is lyrics to one of the band’s songs which yet again puts emphasis on the fact that ‘Kerrang!’ is a music magazine.

The main image is not the only picture that is featured on the front cover of this magazine however. There are small inserts of other celebrities/singers spaced around the edge of the paper. Only men have images featured on the front cover, they all belong to a rock band. For example, there is a small picture of Billie Joe Armstrong alongside text about him going into rehab. As this is clearly a rough time for him (which we can identify in the text, saying he’s receiving support) the image shows a blank expression on his face; he clearly has a lot on his plate. This small part of the cover is another element of information letting us know about the target audience as it says Billie Joe is receiving support from the Rock World.

Finally at the very top of the page there is a strip of information and pictures that lets the reader know that this particular issue has 7 posters inside. This snippet of information will make the reader be even more tempted to purchase the magazine as they will be getting more for their money! 

Beginning our textual analysis

Today we have been set the task of analysing 5 different magazine covers. Within this, we must speak about things such as the layout, colours used and the text printed. 

I began today by analysing my first cover from 'Kerrang!' magazine.

Front cover and contents page

Prelim Evaluation

For our preliminary task, we had to design a College magazine representing the way that we saw our college. This magazine would be shown to Farnham college students if published.

My target audience would be college students between the ages of 16-19. The magazine would aim to entice both genders, as it would include different articles about a range of activities for everybody and everyone’s interests.

This certain issue features a range of topics from the facilities available at college to events where students can showboat their work, for example a fashion show, letting people see textiles work. The main image on the front cover is a good example to letting people see what facilities the college has to offer students as the boy in the image is working on a mac.

This college magazine could also appeal to parents and teachers as it has a segment that offers students help with their coursework, providing revision tips. This part would create an interest for parents and teachers because it would provide them with confidence that the child’s work can in fact be easily enhanced. The model that I have chosen for the front cover does firstly appear as being serious but once you read the cover lines you can tell that the magazine does not only focus on the serious side of college but the light hearted aspects too.  The colour of the models shirt is pink, which immediately creates a happy and bright feel to the magazine.

 Before I started this preliminary task I had no experience using macs or Photoshop, I did however have experience in using digital cameras. Now, after having completed my college magazine front cover and contents page, I feel much more confident with many of the aspects of the equipment that I have been introduced to this year.

From this prelim task I have learnt new skills such as how to manipulate images and text to create an original piece of work.