textual analysis of cover pages

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Textual Analysis of ‘Q’ (Past version) MASTHEAD The ‘Q’ is one of the main and effective elements of the magazine. The bold contrast between the red background and the white letter stands out and is easily caught by the reader’s eye which could influence the reader into thinking that it is a relevant and popular magazine – this use of colour doesn’t isolate genders and presents this magazine to a wider audience range with little limitation. The font is very formal, MAIN COVER LINE – The common theme of white and thin font is very appealing and is easy for the reader to see and pick up on. The name ‘Florence’ is made prominent through enlargement of the font. ‘Q’s unrivalled access to the biggest names brings music’s most exciting characters to life’ (HR) which is claimed on their RULE OF THIRDS – Used to create a balance to the front cover so that it adds this professional quality to the cover that makes it easier for viewers to see and understand. It highlights the photograph that spans the page - again adding a MAIN IMAGE – There is no white space left on the page as the photograph connoting ‘Florence and the Machine’ is a close up shot. This draws the audience in and enhances many facial features of the artist, such as the makeup used on her eyes which may relate to this idea of sadness conveyed in the anchorage. By looking towards the camera, this shows an engagement with the reader themselves and almost creates a connection between the reader and the celebrity. The way the photograph was taken and how it has been edited to span the page seems to put across an emotional connection to the reader which relates to the main cover line and the anchorage. ANCHORAGE The bottom tagline is very effective due to its short and dramatic context. It makes the audience want to know more about what is happening to make her feel like she’s on the edge, highlighting her priority within this issue. Although the size of font is reduced in comparison to the main cover line, the font remains the same style to create coherency between TAGLINE/SELLING LINE – The selling line is used to highlight the main marketing point. Discover great music’ implies that this magazine will focus on the up to date and best music currently in the industry. The fact that it’s smaller than the masthead shows that it isn’t fully required to make a statement. It almost acts as a support to COVER LINES – The cover lines demonstrate further variety and information contained in the magazine. It highlights other important stories that are good enough to be featured and gives the audience a chance to discover new music and tells them what they need to know about the industry. The language used like ‘Heroin’, ‘Hookers’ and FLASH – The blue outline circle is boldly presented on the front of the magazine which is enhanced by using black writing. There is a contrast between the black and the white background, BARCODE – Common convention used on magazines for readers to be able to purchase the magazine. The selling date is also mentioned which This magazine looks like an expensive magazine due to its layout and quality of editing. This then may seem like it is focused towards a mature age group, which is supported with the language used on the cover in comparison to sweet girly or boyish magazines that appeal to a younger audience. The mise-en-scene of the character is very specific and makes me think that the audience is mainly directed to women. Although the focus on the celebrity from a close up

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Page 1: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Textual Analysis of ‘Q’ (Past version)

MASTHEAD – The ‘Q’ is one of the main and effective elements of the magazine. The bold contrast between the red background and the white letter stands out and is easily caught by the reader’s eye which could influence the reader into thinking that it is a relevant and popular magazine – this use of colour doesn’t isolate genders and presents this magazine to a wider audience range with little limitation. The font is very formal, suggesting that it’s a modern magazine that has content from today’s popular music industry. The simplicity of the font and use of one letter would imply that it draws a more mature audience. The logo is something that effectively stands out, enticing the reader and becomes

MAIN COVER LINE – The common theme of white and thin font is very appealing and is easy for the reader to see and pick up on. The name ‘Florence’ is made prominent through enlargement of the font. ‘Q’s unrivalled access to the biggest names brings music’s most exciting characters to life’ (HR) which is claimed on their BMG’s website, increases the importance of this particular artist, enhancing her relevance to the industry. It influences the audience to want to know about her and why she is worth focusing on.

RULE OF THIRDS – Used to create a balance to the front cover so that it adds this professional quality to the cover that makes it easier for viewers to see and understand. It highlights the photograph that spans the page - again adding a sense of authority and attention towards the person in the photograph.

MAIN IMAGE – There is no white space left on the page as the photograph connoting ‘Florence and the Machine’ is a close up shot. This draws the audience in and enhances many facial features of the artist, such as the makeup used on her eyes which may relate to this idea of sadness conveyed in the anchorage. By looking towards the camera, this shows an engagement with the reader themselves and almost creates a connection between the reader and the celebrity. The way the photograph was taken and how it has been edited to span the page seems to put across an emotional connection to the reader which relates to the main cover line and the anchorage. It adds to this theory of the ‘Male Gaze’ by focusing on her features and the emotional expression from the artist; it makes us seem more aware of her state and encourages us to purchase the magazine to connect. The subtle colours of the blue and her hair colour determines the focus and almost reduces the importance of other elements on the front page, grasping the reader to want to know more about her.

ANCHORAGE – The bottom tagline is very effective due to its short and dramatic context. It makes the audience want to know more about what is happening to make her feel like she’s on the edge, highlighting her priority within this issue. Although the size of font is reduced in comparison to the main cover line, the font remains the same style to create coherency between them. It is noticeable that above ‘FLORENCE’ a new font is introduced. This seems to add a more personal quality to the quote encouraging this idea of personality coming from the artist through to the magazine.

TAGLINE/SELLING LINE – The selling line is used to highlight the main marketing point. ‘Discover great music’ implies that this magazine will focus on the up to date and best music currently in the industry. The fact that it’s smaller than the masthead shows that it isn’t fully required to make a statement. It almost acts as a support to this idea that ‘Q’ is a popular magazine that everybody should know about. It highlights their success in their content and popularity of magazine which is relevant to what the audience wants to know and hear about.

COVER LINES – The cover lines demonstrate further variety and information contained in the magazine. It highlights other important stories that are good enough to be featured and gives the audience a chance to discover new music and tells them what they need to know about the industry. The language used like ‘Heroin’, ‘Hookers’ and ‘Bastard’ isn’t very formal, and shows the target audience to be around 18+, almost stereotyping common behaviour and language within this audience.

FLASH – The blue outline circle is boldly presented on the front of the magazine which is enhanced by using black writing. There is a contrast between the black and the white background, making it stand out, but also it contrasts against the writing used on the magazine cover.

BARCODE – Common convention used on magazines for readers to be able to purchase the magazine. The selling date is also mentioned which shows whether the magazine is recent or not.

This magazine looks like an expensive magazine due to its layout and quality of editing. This then may seem like it is focused towards a mature age group, which is supported with the language used on the cover in comparison to

sweet girly or boyish magazines that appeal to a younger audience. The mise-en-scene of the character is very specific and makes me think that the audience is mainly directed to women. Although the focus on the celebrity from a close up perspective is something that links to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘Male Gaze’, the font and feminine look of the magazine suggests that it is focused

towards the gender of women.

Page 2: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Comparative Textual Analysis with Current ‘Q’ Magazine TOP STRIP – The top strip is used to show what else is included in the magazine, acting almost as cover lines. Although the font is smaller, it is still easily seen by the reader and lets them know that there is more content in the magazine than just what the headline suggests. The font of the band names is in capital letters which demonstrates the high position they’re in to be mentioned in the magazine - suggesting their importance to today’s music. It contrasts against the headline by still focusing on the modern aspects of music as well as past music which invites a younger audience towards the magazine if they’re unaware of 90s music.

Page 3: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

The mise-en-scene within the magazines are very unique by not just focusing on one person’s character and setting, which adds variety and diversity to their magazine, making it appealing to a different target audience than before.

There is a definite difference when looking at the two magazines. The magazines themselves are extremely different in their layouts and design. This difference difference I think represents the modern twist of magazines and how they should be portrayed to capture the attention of a younger age group and potentially a different social class because of this unclean looking design.

FLASH - ‘Relive your ‘90s’ suggests that the directed audience are people that knew what the popular music was like in the 90s. The shape used corresponds to the rectangle used for the headline which again supports the content of this magazine.

ANCHORAGE – ‘The decade that shaped modern music’ shows how music has changed, and Q want to let their audience know the importance of this music. By mentioning older music, it allows us to appreciate how music has changed, making the audience want to know and understand more about the developing genres of music. There is a coherency between the colour of this font with the ‘100’ and ‘90s’ which is effective because it draws in the audience, supporting this importance of previous music.

DATE LINE & BAR CODE – A common magazine convention used so that customers are able to purchase the product.

HEADLINE – The headline is a major factor that influences where the audience look on the magazine cover. A very large font is used and contrasts between black and red. The use of red within the title represents the importance of the ‘100 greatest albums of the ‘90s’ which makes the audience want to know what these are.

MASTHEAD – The masthead is still the same which shows that the popularity of the magazine remains the same as well as the target audiences remaining mature. There isn’t a tagline/selling line within the masthead which almost shows enhances the popularity of the magazine. The audience know that it will contain what they want to know and read about, and so the simplicity of the ‘Q’ being large and bold on its own demonstrates their understanding of the target audience.

BOTTOM LINE – ‘Rod Stewarts ultimate guide to life’ seems like it is attracting to an older audience – possibly around the age of 35+. Compared to the typical age target audience of being 18+, I think that this specific magazine focuses on an older age group so that they can reminisce about music in their day. As well as the age of readers, it also seems relevant towards the genre of the magazine. Although the cover image suggests it’s a range of genres, Rod Stewart as well as Royal Blood are within the genre of rock, meaning that this magazine may be aiming towards rock music fans.

COVER PHOTO – Compared to the first magazine cover this is very noisy in the mixture of images. It may possibly attract a younger audience due to this messy looking magazine cover. The mix of mise-en-scene is very apparent through the contrast of artists and genres through the heavy colour differences and impact of images. This shows that they are trying to appeal to a wider audience without fully directing towards one specific type. The mix of colours within the image is very appealing to the eye and makes the audience want to look around the images. Compared to the image of ‘Florence and the Machine’, this modern idea of taking more than one image of album covers is really interesting yet still connects with the audience because of the diversity in audience preferences.

COLOUR SCHEME – There is a high ratio of red compared to other colours, especially the font colours. I think that red is a very strong and confident colour which could highlight Q’s ability of being confident in what they’re presenting on the cover, and also within their magazine. The boldness of the colour draws the consumers towards the media product in comparison to other magazines. The colour of the different pictures also adds an attraction towards the magazine, making it seem fresh and current in comparison to an older version of the magazine

‘90s lost classics’ makes the audience remember the songs within this decade, allowing a connection between the audience and the magazine content. The use of album covers also act as a guide to what they forgot about making them think and engage with the magazine.

Page 4: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Textual Analysis of ‘mixmag’ (Past Version)

TAGLINE/ PUFF – ‘The world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine’ shows the target audience to be between the ages of 18-25, suggesting a teenaged and young adult target audience because of the common stereotype of younger people enjoying partying and loud music. It also boosts the overall effect and popularity of the magazine, making people want to buy it as it seems to stand out from the rest.

MASTHEAD – The bold colour of yellow corresponds to the mise-en-scene – the setting of the sunset – and also is typically a known colour that represents happiness and enjoyment. The large and bold font and is known to be a sans-serif font. It is apparent that the word ‘mix’ itself is mixed with different fonts and capital letters, from the ‘i’ and the capital ‘X’. It stands out and adds this feeling of youth towards the title which could potentially demonstrate the effects of drinking due to the mixing of fonts and letter sizes.

MAIN IMAGE – This image highly represents the theory of the Male Gaze due to the way the model looks into the camera, attracting a male audience, especially a younger audience because of the teenaged target audience. The Mise-en-scene within this scene from the sunset setting and the clothes the model is wearing emphasizes a young, partying atmosphere. The bright yellow necklace compliments the title, bring the cover and the title into correspondence. The tilted orientation of the photograph may also represent a ‘drunk’ aspect to the magazine, making things seem exciting and out of the ordinary in contrast to other magazines.

FONTS – There is a clear use of multiple fonts used on the cover. This keeps the audience’s attention and adds variety to the magazine.

MENU STRIP – lets the audience see what else is involved in the magazine, again it is related to Ibiza, encouraging the reader to buy the magazine to find out more. It is highly relatable and realistic, becoming more attractive to the consumer and making them feel like they are gaining something from the purchase of the magazine.

FLASH – Used to present further information on what is in the magazine. The ‘be very afraid...Circoloco returns to DC10!’ makes the audience be wary about what is coming up. Circoloco is actually a main event that takes place which encourages people to love music in simple terms. This event adds excitement to the audience with an interest in clubbing and shares an unforgettable experience. It makes the audience want to read more about this and is encouragement to purchase the magazine. Combining it with event already posted on the page, it highlights the liveliness of Ibiza and the content of the magazine.

SUB IMAGE – A close up shot of this person adds detail to their face and makes the audience see what is clearly involved in the magazine. It allows the reader to see what is featured in the magazine, making them want to see more information contained within the magazine. It also adds a visual addition to the magazine to make it interesting and dynamic to the reader.

FEATURE HEADLINE – This headline draws in the audience as the words ‘ibiza wants you!’ adds a social interaction between the magazine and the viewer. Ibiza links to the party theme of the magazine and so it supports the idea that the target audience is directed towards a young and youthful audience. It is very appealing to this audience and connotes towards people with an interest in partying. This engagement between the audience and the words makes people want to find out how they can go to Ibiza if they have this interest.

The insert below the heading represents the events going on Ibiza, attracting the audience towards the magazine and wanting to be included in the event. The fact that it overlays the woman in the image makes this event seem really important and something that is unmissable. Also it’s noticeable that this left third is very full of information and large images. This enhances the importance of Ibiza to the audience due to the eye-catching layout of the cover because of this slight unbalance between thirds.

Overall this version of ‘mixmag’ magazine heavily relates to the ideology of partying, making it clear that the target audience is very young and current. The use of different fonts keeps the viewers interested in what they’re seeing and engages the reader. It is also apparent that the mise-en-scene in the setting and the model, through her clothing and

long shot are complimented by the fonts and it all fits together - making it balanced and easy to read whilst remaining eye catching. I like how to gender isn’t specific and applies to both. There is no specific obviousness to which gender

this magazine is aimed at and so brings in a wider audience.

Page 5: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Comparative Textual Analysis with Current ‘mixmag’ Magazine

MASTHEAD – The masthead is a very different style compared to the previous cover. The use of black for the colour creates a more serious approach to the media product and is much less of a party themed magazine which mixmag is usually represented as. The boldness of the black also draws the attention of the audience because of its solid block intensity. The font style is the same and informal, suggesting that the target audience is still within young age rather than older readers.

This magazine relates towards to a target audience who do not want to be the same as everyone else in traditional society. This may be referred to being alternative or indie, but this adds a social change against ideologies and stereotypes. It has a clear focus on what it wants to present to the readers in the magazine layout and relates to a mature young audience enforced in the colour schemes and design.

MENU STRIP – Their magazine content is displayed in the centre of the magazine and edited over the group. The smaller font may indicate that these are cover lines and a collection of what is inside the magazine. By not having it visually portrayed would be interesting to the reader and again differentiate them from other magazines by having one main focus.

MAIN COVER LINE/SUB TITLE – ‘The Technology Issue’ is surrounded by a leading box design which makes it stand out on the page as well as the font being white and in capitals. This demonstrates that this is different to their typical magazines and links to their target audience who likes techno style music. This could have been used to diversify their magazine but gain this different reader base which may later influence their production of magazine style and target audiences.

MAIN IMAGE – The style of photography is almost sequenced in how the people are positioned on the cover. By having two people of similar height duplicated across the page creates a different approach on how to typically photograph. A long shot is used to reinforce this duplication, removing the detailed expressions of their faces and makes the magazine cover a lot more interesting and eye catching to the readers as it is not a typical way of viewing a group. The way they are standing is also different as three people are all looking in the same direction which shows them looking behind the camera. This adds a discontinuity between the duplication and makes them stand out against the one individual looking directly at the camera. Only having one person making eye contact with the camera engages the reader and makes them want to know what the other people are looking at.

The use of dark clothing and minor difference between the people within the scene could have been used to add to this importance and equality between the magazines itself and the people within it. The clothing is very simple because of the black colouration, however the difference in style (such as a dress, hairstyles and material) is used to convey their personalities and highlight their differences despite being equal in their importance.

LAYOUT – The use of little colour differentiation keeps the magazine quite neutral and formal in some way. The colour purple is a relaxing neutral tone in the background which is heavily contrasted against by the intense black font and the use of costume from the people. The colour doesn’t depict a gender that the magazine solely focuses on. It creates a wider audience between the genders and goes against typical stereotypes of colour. The neutral idea reinforces this and remains accessible for all genders.

The coordinated black colour from the costume and font choice may be used to add balance to the cover without being outweighed by numerous different colours and fonts. I also think that this adds importance to the people on the front cover because the selected colours – it’s like the band contains the same level of importance as the magazine itself and portrays a high status in this particular issue. It adds this idea of equality and dominance the band has against the successful media product.

The front cover is not very busy with inputs of flashes and plugs which can usually be used to attract an audience base of younger readers. It redefines the fact that the magazine is meant for an older audience around 18-25. It may indicate that the band itself on the front cover is the main focus of the magazine and therefore it is unnecessary to contain lots of different elements that goes against the title and imagery.

The layout also is not strictly within the typical convention of thirds. This could be used to claim that their magazine is not the typical contemporary magazine and worth reading, but also because it may represent their audience. Their target for this particular magazine may lie within alternative and certain indie stereotypes which would in fact interest these people to purchase the magazines due to this unique aspect. It creates a connection between the target audience and the magazine, engaging the viewers.

BARCODE – Used for the purchasing of the media product.

TAGLINE – Above the magazine name in a smaller white font says ‘dance music, club culture’. It is short and formal which demonstrates what the magazine is about and influences their target audience. It relates to a young age group who particularly like dance music and clubs. The white font is the same as the main cover which indicates this is more about a techno/DJ style magazine issue that typical partying.

Page 6: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Textual Analysis of ‘NME’ (Past Version)

This magazine I think focuses towards more of a male audience because of mainly male bands used and style of imagery. I think that the magazine focuses on older bands and may focus towards an older audience at first glance from the older effect given from the magazine – through the black and white image, simplistic text and colour scheme. The magazine is conform and neat which adds visual appeal to attract the audience and links in well with the stereotypical rock fonts, colours and clothes worn by the artists.

HEADER – The font used for the header creates a coherency between the fonts of the main band ‘The Strokes’, highlighting the ‘special’ area of the issue. As well as the same font, the same cover line is used. The repetition intensifies the importance of the band and makes the reader think that this is something they should know and read about, therefore making the reader want to purchase the magazine. The red colouration of the header makes it stand out against the image and also links in with the colours of the masthead and cover line.

FOOTER – The footer contains bands that are featured within the magazine. This may include artists of interest that the audience may be drawn to or like, and therefore encouraging the purchase of the magazine so that they can read about their favourite bands. It shows the relevancy of the magazine to the reader and today’s music, and therefore becomes a product that they would get.

MASTHEAD – A bold red is used to make it stand out against the main cover photo. Because of the boldness of the title and the simple 3 letters, it can easily be overlaid by the artists because it doesn’t need to be the main focal point. The red makes it obvious for the audience to know what they are reading and therefore allows them to include this overlay due to its remembered appearance. The red also makes the magazine name stand out much more, and makes the audience more aware of the media product.

MAIN IMAGE – The cover image acts as a framework to add a balance to the rule of thirds which makes the image stand out as a central part of the cover page. The audience is drawn to the image because of the symmetry within the position of the band and acts as a central focus to draw the reader. The image itself is composed of the band looking directly into the camera, at eye level, and is a long shot. This idea of the band being at eye level seems more direct and engaged with the audience and acts more natural and less intimidating. The deliberate removal of colour from the photo may be linked to the idea of a timeless quality, linking to the ‘10 years’ aspect of the cover line; suggesting that their music is the same and as good as both the past and present. It also removes the colour and focus of the clothing to add a more timeless effect, but it also doesn’t show off expensive colours and clothes that most celebrities wear in this day and age. It could link with the acceptance of casual comfort in what you wear and not wear what seems socially acceptable. However, the clothing does link to the typical representation of rock and therefore would attract the target audience

BARCODE – Allows the audience to buy the media product. The feature of ‘690 gigs listed’ differentiates the look of this barcode and creates a unique quality to this magazine.

COVER LINE – The cover line is made up a large font in two colours. The intense red used for ’10 years’ makes the reader more alert of this importance. The colour also links in with the masthead to show that this is particularly of some significance to the magazine. The font for the band’s name is subtly bigger which adds to this idea that this band is important and needs to be read about. It also

PLUGS – Plugs are used on the page to show other main stories of the issue so that the reader is able to understand what is in the magazine, but shows what the consumer needs to know about. Each plug contains a different colour scheme to possibly diversify the stories they mention, but also as a colour contrast to the magazine to make them stand out more against the black and white photograph.

TAGLINE – The tagline links in with the image’s colouration and the idea of a focus on the past. It also entices the reader because it is made to sound like that it has never been revealed before. It acts as almost exclusive and would make the audience want to read more.

COLOUR SCHEME – The colours used are black, white and red along with a blue flash which represents the typical rock theme in a music magazine. It allows the colours to stand out against each other because of their contrasts and also draws attention from their target audience associated with the rock genre.

LAYOUT – The fonts used within the magazine are very similar and all link together. This makes the magazine design neat and easy for the reader to read. The central focus on the band adds a balance to the magazine and focuses on the rule of thirds, which the text conforms to as well.

Page 7: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Comparative Textual Analysis with Current ‘NME’ magazine

MASTHEAD – The masthead has been used cleverly to give a more atmospheric feeling to the magazine and its readers. The bright red, bold, capitals and outlined white font draws attention specifically to the masthead and its repeated placement, representing their boldness and dominance as a magazine. The crazed positions of the masthead shows the active involvement NME has with events that go on, making them appear on trend and engaged with what they do. It has been placed randomly across the page also to make the audience feel involved as if they’re there at the event. The red may be used to add a youthful and ideology of rock feel to the cover presenting their target audience straight away. Also the acronym of ‘NME’ makes it easier for the audience to read and understand.

TAGLINE – Smaller font is used but it is the same style as the main cover line. This adds consistency to the cover line and links to the band from the description ‘Gonna make you sweat’. This particular style of writing (like ‘gonna’) would definitely suggest that this band and magazine is trying to target younger people who have interests in music festivals and partying. This is evident in the unevenness of the font to really signify this.

MAIN IMAGE – The main cover image focuses on the setting and location within mise-en-scene. The lack of focal point allows us to see that this is a music festival or concert event which adds to the intense atmosphere enhanced by the fonts. There is focus on the band Slaves due to their engagement with the camera and a more close up mid shot of them within the audience. Their placement into the foreground as well as the guitar almost becoming 3D highlights them as artists in comparison to the people in the background. Expressions are clearly seen in both the artist and audience’s faces which show a connection between the two and also engages fans who like them as artist who sees this on the front cover. The use of tattoos and crazy atmosphere captured links in with a ‘rock person’ stereotype of rebellion and intense situations. This may engage fans because of the fun, intense and active involvement in the setting and small details that would influence them as a person.

MAIN COVER LINE – ‘Slaves’ is used to indicate who the band is on the front cover, making the audience aware of the genre and style of this magazine issue. The fact that this is the only cover line adds an importance to this artist which is enhanced by spanned image of them across the page. This would encourage the target audience who likes this band want to read about them and the event due to the heavy atmosphere the magazine presents to the readers. The bold white and capital letters makes the font stand out demonstrating their priority within this magazine. The font is purposely placed unevenly to link with the setting of the imagery and links with the crazed placement of the title. It adds a more interactive quality to the magazine and could possibly relate to the hectic event that would appeal to a younger target audience.

There is a common misconception that rock music veers towards the male gender because of the intense atmospheres and outgoing events. Within the image there is a large number of boys especially that are youthful, linking in with target audience age, but also the heightened and busy scene, having more than one person in the main cover photo heavily influences who the magazine may direct their sales towards.

MENU – NME presents the general information that is contained in the magazine through the use of a flash style and black underlined font. The yellow contrasts against the magazine cover as well as the clean round circle and font which contrasts against the different placements of letters. It adds a calmer tone to the front page and make lets the audience see beyond the visual of what is presented on the front cover by simple text. Again it is not a typical menu layout which isn’t very descriptive adding a unique aspect to this magazine.

COLOUR SCHEME - The colour scheme is extremely ranged and there is no specific colours other than the red, white and yellow from the digital editing. This demonstrates the typical colours from a rock themed magazine and enhances the atmosphere in this particular event.

This current version of NME magazine is heavily orientated towards a male audience due to the male, rock stereotype and intense atmosphere. It would stereotypically link to a man’s appeal more than a woman’s because of the lack of conformity and neatness that a woman’s magazine would possess. The target audience age is very clear as well due to the environment and setting the photograph was taken in. The layout and the font is not a conventional way of presenting on a magazine cover because of the little use of thirds and traditional magazine structure. I think that this is different to other magazines because it captures a realistic event rather than a set and the atmospheric quality is more appealing to a reader to differentiate this magazine.

Page 8: Textual Analysis of Cover Pages

Evaluation on Textual Analysis’

In this particular research task, I wanted to look at how magazine designs have changed from their past and most current magazines. I wanted to see what is more visually attractive within the style of today’s media products in comparison to previous layouts to really understand what I need to focus on in the production of my own magazine to make it relevant in today’s media development.

I think that this has given me an insight on how society has changed and what looks more appealing to purchase when looking at magazines, and it has also told me a lot of things about genders and stereotypes. In the older versions of magazines, there was a common traditional theme of stereotypes, such as mixmag and the younger age and partying culture, along with Q and their more connective stories that would appeal to a more mature audience and informative content. The development of society and music preferences have certainly changed influencing the layout and features on a magazine cover. The range of music genres within the different magazines is evident in their layout, especially with mixmag and NME which has a more minimalistic layout to highlight the genre of their magazine using mise-en-scene components such as sets, locations and people. It influences the way a target audience is approached and is an unconventional, unusual way to present magazines. It catches the reader’s attention a lot better due to this effect and I really like the minimalist impact it has.

This portrayal of genre and target audience would require me to focus on these particular elements of mise-en-scene and camera work to produce a successful magazine in my music genre for today’s audience. The modern and traditional values of a magazine layout is constantly changing and it is interesting to see how the traditional conventions like cover lines have been overlooked by a main title to present a more fixated view of what is important to a particular magazine.

Overall I think looking at old and new has helped me to understand what is more appealing to today’s music readers and gives me a knowledgeable advantage to use in my magazine production.