FRONT COVER ANALYSIS:’TOTP’ MAGZINE

From the top left of the magazine we see the logo that matches the colour scheme of the magazine- purple, black, pink, white and red. The font used is rather modern in comparison to the more traditional fonts that replicate Times new roman for example. The tips of the letters themselves are rounded, and so it appears a lot more inviting and relaxed. The white star within the logo is used for decoration and could reflect how the magazine discusses the ‘stars’ and celebrity culture within the pop world. Above this is the logo for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). The BBC doesn’t publish TOTP, Immediate media does. TOTP is originally is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC. And so, the magazine is a spin off from the show, Although the show has now ended the magazine has obviously continued. TOTP did the feature on the Spice Girls coined the famous "Spice" nicknames for each member (Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty) that stayed with them throughout their career as a group and beyond. Therefore, the magazine itself is a key influencer on the artists themselves. In the corner of the logo we see an overlap with another image which suggests that their logo is so familiar that even a glimpse of it is recognizable.

Unlike the previous magazines, I have analysed TOTP doesn’t profess or parade itself as the ‘best’ music magazine for its target market (pre-teen girls) in the skyline. This could be because it feels as though its established enough that the audience knows this. Instead it has a humorous cover line titled ‘HOUNDED OUT!’- this is a pun based on the article that it’s advertising. The reader will wat to know ‘why Malfie & Joe’ (Pictured men: Marcus (youtuber), Alfie (Zoella’s boyfriend and youtuber) and Joe (Zoella’s brother who is also a youtuber) ‘are on the run’- A title that should connote fear and secrecy, and betrayal. But the image of the men (Posed happily, almost mockingly) and the images of cartoon

Unlike the previous magazines, I have analysed TOTP doesn’t profess or parade itself as the ‘best’ music magazine for its target market (pre-teen girls) in the skyline. This could be because it feels as though its established enough that the audience knows this. Instead it has a humorous cover line titled ‘HOUNDED OUT!’- this is a pun based on the article that it’s advertising. The reader will wat to know ‘why Malfie & Joe’ (Pictured men: Marcus (youtuber), Alfie (Zoella’s boyfriend and youtuber) and Joe (Zoella’s brother who is also a youtuber) ‘are on the run’- A title that should connote fear and secrecy, and betrayal. But the image of the men (Posed happily, almost mockingly) and the images of cartoon

In this plug the magazine recommends how the target audience should present themselves. It appeals to all of the target audience because there are ‘101’ items that they display- so there’s a higher chance that there’ll be something suited to everyone. The font has a pink backdrop so that it stands out against the white. ‘101’ and ‘party’ are in white so that it stands out as the most important aspect. ‘Buys’ is in a deep purple that is hardly noticeable, they want to draw less attention to it. Underneath this is the article about if little mix are ‘naughty or nice’- giving reference to the belief in Santa clause and the traditions that come with that. Again it’s very fitting with the seasonal aspect of the magazine. A long shot is used to capture the band to give their overall appearance as the target audience would be interested in their style.

The price and Issue number like other magazines are all at the bottom as it is the least important part of the article, and so the colour scheme used for that is black and white.

These cover lines and separate articles change the tone of the article. Prior to this it was rather light hearted, but now it becomes slightly sexual. “Christmas kisses” with celebrity boys and celebs posed seductively as they are “winter warmers” lipstick printed kisses all over the page. This could be featured to show how the target audiences interest in sex increases as they’re developing into young adults. It feeds their interest whilst seeming playful and silly enough so that their parents will purchase the magazine for them. Furthermore a lot of celebrity culture focus’ on sex symbols as it has done for years. Again the theme remains and so does the white backdrop so that the article is aesthetically pleasing.

To the bottom left is another plug with an article that reads ‘SWAGGY! SASSY!…SAD!’- The alliteration zooms in on the other negative side of stardom, it wants its readers to be consumed with celeb culture but it also wants them to understand that it comes at a price. It makes the reader empathise with the celeb and puts them at a more accessible down to earth level. Underneath this is a warning for small children as the packaging comes with a plastic wrapper around, so British standardising has to address a warning it as well as freebies- in this case a lip balm. This makes the reader want to purchase the magazine as they could just be interested in the free product. As they don’t theoretically have to read the magazine, it just has to be purchased so that the magazine company makes money.