analysing media covers

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Alicia Keys shows a strong independent women, her facial expression is strong/stern. The colour black which she is wearing, black is a solid colour. This can show that her own ‘stamp’ in the music industry is solid. The artist is staring the readers right in the eye which can show confidence. It is also more likely for the audience to buy this magazine as the direct address can make the reader have a more personal attachment. The hairstyle shows sophistication. However this can be seen as a male hairstyle. This can then show dominance, the way her jacket is worn can also show dominance as it is rather male like to have the lapels up. Black and red are strong colours, which are usually used when a male artist is featured. The fact that these colours are used with a female artist can highlight the significance of her within the music industry. That she has a strong connection with her music. The use of the world ‘REAL’ when talking about her interview can indicate that her pose, facial expression, hair etc is the ‘REAL’ her. She is different from anyone else, and has no trouble with showing this. The direct address allows readers to know that she is comfortable being her. Vibe also do not have many storylines, this is to keep the sole focus on the featured artists. Alicia Keys uses this space well. As she does with her music career, she takes advantage of Opportunities to be the best she can be. Alicia Keys is wearing a necklace, although other aspects of her clothing and hair can be portrayed as male, this ties it all together with this single piece. Although she may be dominant in the music aspect, she still enjoys jewellery as a female. The colour grey is mellow. Its seen as a ‘cool’ colour, and some of Alicia Key’s songs can be seen in the same interpretation. The colour also sums up the magazine itself.

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Page 1: Analysing media covers

Alicia Keys shows a strong independent women, her facial expression is strong/stern. The colour black which she is wearing, black is a solid colour. This can show that her own ‘stamp’ in the music industry is solid.

The artist is staring the readers right in the eye which can show confidence. It is also more likely for the audience to buy this magazine as the direct address can make the reader have a more personal attachment.

The hairstyle shows sophistication. However this can be seen as a male hairstyle. This can then show dominance, the way her jacket is worn can also show dominance as it is rather male like to have the lapels up.

Black and red are strong colours, which are usually used when a male artist is featured. The fact that these colours are used with a female artist can highlight the significance of her within the music industry. That she has a strong connection with her music.

The use of the world ‘REAL’ when talking about her interview can indicate that her pose, facial expression, hair etc is the ‘REAL’ her. She is different from anyone else, and has no trouble with showing this. The direct address allows readers to know that she is comfortable being her.

Vibe also do not have many storylines, this is to keep the sole focus on the featured artists. Alicia Keys uses this space well. As she does with her music career, she takes advantage of Opportunities to be the best she can be.

Alicia Keys is wearing a necklace, although other aspects of her clothing and hair can be portrayed as male, this ties it all together with this single piece. Although she may be dominant in the music aspect, she still enjoys jewellery as a female.

The colour grey is mellow. Its seen as a ‘cool’ colour, and some of Alicia Key’s songs can be seen in the same interpretation. The colour also sums up the magazine itself.

Page 2: Analysing media covers

This issue is unique due to the fact that the masthead is orange which has never been done in any other issue.

The front cover colours are to reflect the featured artist along with their type of music. The Nicki Minaj issue stands out the most, the colour used which is orange, can be seen as quite unusual to the hip hop /RnB genre. Minaj has used this colour to stand out, and be different from all the other issues, this is also very much the same with her music. The fact that she is wearing a tiara but however holding a masculine pose also shows how versatile she can be. She also claims to have different ‘characters’ so this may be why she has decided to pursue with this particular colour scheme in addition to her stance.

The vibe magazine itself limits the story lines so that the main focus is on the featured artist.

The story line ‘Kanye’s Kilt’ contributes to the unusual theme of the magazine. A Kilt is not a usual everyday for males. It also targets the male audience of the magazine. In addition to this the story line ‘Why is DRAKE so angry’ is also unusual as in other interviews, songs, TV programmes etc he is extremely calm and laid back. So readers will be intrigued to see why he would be angry.

The colour white connotes purity, innocence and youth. Minaj herself is a young adult. However her music is provocative and sexual, what she chooses to wear is to show her fans and readers that she is actually quite innocent which is contradicted by her music.

Minaj is wearing jewellery so even though she has a masculine stance, she also enjoys feminine things such as jewels.

The featured artist is also staring the reader directly in the eye creating direct address. This connects with the reader on a more personal level and entices them to purchase this issue.

Page 3: Analysing media covers
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The Basic colour of white, portrays the kind of artist T.I is. He is laid back and not too much to handle. The clothes he is wearing is similar to what his fans will wear. The outfit is extremely ‘laid back’ which his music is as well. The image takes up 60% of the space like a standard double page spread, it also takes the form as many of the double page spreads within VIBE, ensuring its brand identity. Showing the featured artist as dominant. T.I. has a chain which is iconography within the genre. Direct address from the artist shows a more personal relationship with fans, in addition to dominance. The pun ‘SUMMER T.I.ME’ may tell the reader that there will be puns within his music, The mode of address is used in a playful way for the title by leading with a pun, it also suggests that perhaps there will be more to come in the article. The font used for the title is DISPLAY, this is to make a statement and catch the readers eye. The font for the rest of the article is Sans Serif, which is modern, much like the readers of VIBE. The pose that T.I. Takes displays that he feels he is above other artists. Portraying confidence, dominance and masculinity. The mise en scene within this double page spread is just T.I. Himself, this implies that he has enough personality to fill a page. That he does not need someone else to help him, he is an independent artist and finds it best this way. The pose which he has chosen implies the same. The circles can relate back to the Hip Hop genre, as their are ‘gangs’ and circles of artists who all know and socialise with each other. Circles also symbolise eternity, perhaps his music will live on forever. The article itself is small and concise, which is exactly what it looks like next to T.I. It is not an interview but however shares snippets of speech from the artist. The text is easy to follow and is the same throughout each double page spread within VIBE which again reinforces the brand identity. There is a puff next to the title of the article, which will instantly attract readers. It states T.I. Is in control of his own career, which the picture also implies. The mode of address within the article is still playful which allows the readers to connect more easily. Further on in the article is talks about the tracks on T.I.’s new album, when the tone becomes more serious. However the readers understand this, as the article is still easily digestible. The layout of the double page spread is similar in each issue of VIBE as the picture takes up at least half of the shot, although there are not always puffs, sometimes there are subheadings under the title. This makes the brand identity versatile, readers will know which magazine it is due to how the image is set out. Where the image is placed attracts the readers attention, as the audience always look in the top left corner first, by the image being here grabs the reader from the beginning drawing them into the article and becoming more and more appealing. The DISPLAY font is always used for the title within VIBE, which again shows the brand identity. The colour which is forecasted the most within this particular double page spread is white. White connotes purity which is contradicted by the way males rap about women in their songs, and T.I. Does this. It also suggests religion, T.I. Is a religious man, and is not afraid to let this be known. However white also connotes innocence which is what he may be trying to portray from this photo shoot, that even though his music may be degrading to women, his intentions are innocent.

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The traditional VIBE layout, the picture is larger than the fonts reinforcing the brand identity. The image being to the left hand side. Wiz Khalifa is wearing a snapback which is iconography to Hip Hop in addition to the plain t shirt. The title is in DISPLAY font, with again a playful mode of address as stating ‘how high?’ as a rhetorical question to its readers. The fact that Khalifa has the exhaled smoke coming from his nose, with the title being how high has a humorous effect on its audience. This suggests that the rest of the article may be humours, which is contradicted by the artists facial expression within the accompanied image, as the artist looks stern and angry which again is iconography within the Hip Hop genre. The only image on this double page spread is Wiz Khalifa himself. This connotes dominance, which may also be related to him in the music scene. He has direct address with him audience, creating a more personal atmosphere. The artist is wearing jewellery which is iconography for Hip Hop, however he has both ears pierced which is unusual for a male. Such a statement shows he is not afraid to do things other people would not. Iconography within this genre include tattoos which the artist also has, showing he is not afraid of pain, or to make a mark in music. From the image the representation of Wiz Khalifa is shown as powerful, blunt and possibly even scary. The image makes the reader assume that they would not want to get on his bad side. The caption under the image states that Khalifa has a stylist. This is again odd as his wardrobe is extremely simple. The article itself has a friendly mode of address, it includes quotes from the artist, in addition to swear words. But these are not used in a hurtful way. The text font is Sans Serif which is informal much like the music VIBE promotes. The article talks about the artist in a positive manor explaining his life, and talking about pre show incidents. There are no pull quotes, the main body of the text is structured and easy to read. This is the same throughout each VIBE article reinforcing the brand identity. The audience would find the article attractive, as the title is a rhetorical question forcing them to carry on reading. Black and yellow are the main colours used this is ironic as his number one single is called ‘black and yellow’ so the theme takes place due to that. The colour black connotes power, dominance and mystery. These can all relate back to the artist himself, he is powerful and dominant as shown through his facial expressions. However he is relatively new to the music scene, the audience may not know much about him so he can be portrayed as a mysterious character. The exhale within his picture can be seen as mist, which leads the audience to the word ‘mysterious’. Yellow connotes happiness and sunshine which are both contradicted within the image. The artists facial expression is not happy, but stern. And the base colour for this shoot is black which is not sunshine. They both work as oxymoron's. Black is a heavily used colour throughout VIBE which contributes to its brand identity. Perhaps the readership can relate to Khalifa as they may share the same moods. The colours can reflect that the magazine in general can contradict itself. Through the colours used or even through opinions published.