TEXUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC MAGAZINE FRONT COVER

 

This magazine front cover is made up of a medium close up, colour photograph of a man looking straight at the camera, with his head slightly tilted to his right side. The man has a black t-shirt on with the word “unstoppable” printed on the front in white. He is also wearing a black baseball cap which is also tilted in the same direction as his head. Around his neck are two necklaces of Islamic symbols. The photographs background is plain back.

Behind the man’s head is a bold, white, san serif font masthead “VIBE” accompanied by the names of African-American celebrities, those involved with music in white whilst others are in yellow. Surrounding him are 5 cover lines and 1 puff. There is also a vertical barcode visible in the bottom left corner.

The masthead “VIBE” is defined as a feeling or a flavour which almost suggests that the magazine is full of zest and will appeal to people looking for an urban magazine with an extra kick. This idea is further supported by the san serif font used which is a fresher and more youthful font than a serif font which may be used by other magazines.

The man in the photograph (Drake) wearing mainly black and being in front of a black background could represent the magazines African - American heritage. In addition the black baseball cap also gives the idea of gangs and gang culture in hip hop, as baseball caps are usually seen as gang attire. The man’s pose is quite a “come and get me“type of pose which goes together with “unstoppable” printed on his t-shirt to represent him being at the top of his trade and challenging other rappers to match his standards.  It also makes a reference to one of his pieces of music called “Unstoppable” (released in 2009).

One of the cover lines refer to Drake (the man in the photograph) being “hip-hop’s new religion”. This statement represents the magnitude of the rappers fan base and the following he has as religions are centred on icons that impact the world in a big way. This links to the t-shirt Drake is wearing as the “Unstoppable” could also symbolise his career as well as his character.

The puff on this magazine front cover reads “Resurrection, The legacy continues”. This refers to the closing down of the magazine in 2009 but recent buyers, Inter Media Partners, a private equity investment firm revitalizing it. The quote in the puff is also similar to a quote from Inter Media Partners on buying the magazine who said they "feel privileged to purchase and resurrect such a storied brand....."(Wikipedia)  

The celebrities mentioned above the masthead are all of African-American decent which pushes the idea that this magazine is of black heritage and celebrates black talent.

Two of the cover lines on the front cover suggest that despite this being a music magazine it does offer alternative news and features such as sport (“Serena Strikes Back”) and Fashion (“....Cross Dressing with Amber Rose”)  

Taking all of the points above into account, I believe that this magazine is targeted at black males and females, who are aged 16-25 and are up to date with the latest music and Artists.

INTRODUCTION (MAIN TASK)

The following posts will be for my main task, which is to create a music magazine front page, contents page and double page spread.

CONTENTS PAGE

 



COLLEGE MAGAZINE FRONT COVER

Here is the first part of my preliminary task, which was to create a college magazine front cover. The picture on the front cover is one i took myself.  The required camera shot was a medium close up.



QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

 



These are the results from my questionnaire and they show me that in order to make a more effective college magazine I would need to make the magazine free, more entertaining than educational, have a mixture of text and pictures and contain freebies, additional content and advertising. 

The results from my questionnaire also tell me that a purple and white colour scheme representing Christ the king’s colours would go down well with my target audience (the Christ the King students).

QUESTIONNAIRE

QUESTIONNAIRE

The following questionnaire is a study that I am undertaking for my media coursework, to see what people would want in a college magazine. Please tick the appropriate option.

1.       What is your age?

o   16

o   17

o   18

o   19

2.       What gender are you?

o   Male

o   Female

3.       Do you think a college magazine should be free?

o   Yes

o   No 

If you answered no what should the price be?

o   50p

o   £1.00

o   £1.50

o   £2.00

4.       Which of the two should a college magazine be?

o   More Educational / Informative

o   More Entertaining

5.       How often would you like to see the college magazine?

o   Once a week

o   Once a month

o   Once a term

o   Once a year

6.       What do you like magazines to have more of?

o   Pictures

o   Text  

o   Mixture of both

7.       What colour scheme should the college magazine have?

o   Orange and silver

o   Blue and black

o   Red and black

o   Purple and white 

o   Other (please specify) __________________

8.       What types of magazines do you read?

o   Music

o   Sports

o   Showbiz

o   Other (please specify) __________________

9.       Do you think the college magazine should contain freebies and additional content?

o   Yes

o   No

10.    What genre should the college magazine be?

o   Urban

o   Gothic

o   Preppy

o   Other (please specify) ___________________

11.   Do you think the college magazine should contain advertising?

o   Yes

o   No

12.   Where do you usually read magazines?

o   At home

o   At school

o   On the bus

o   Other (please specify) ____________________

Thank you for your time, your opinion is appreciated.

TEXUAL ANALYSIS

 





DENOTATION – The denotation of this magazine cover consists of a contrasting photograph of a black man dressed in all white. The man in the photograph has a scar on his left cheek. In the photograph, the man is striking a confident pose with his hands in his pocket. Surrounding the man is a series of cover lines. Although there is no central colour scheme, the magazine contains a lot of white/grey and orange.

CONNOTATION – The man in the photographs pose is a cool and confident one which would suggest that this magazine is for cool and confident people which is important as this magazine is targeted at the urban youth who all want to think of themselves as cool and confident. In addition the title of ‘college lifestyle’ indicates that this magazine is aimed at college students. The scar on the models face gives the impression that he has gone through hard times in his life.  The white on the magazine cover and on the man also gives the impression of purity and in some cultures wealth.

MISE-EN-SCENE (COSTUME) – A white long sleeve shirt, a white belt with a silver buckle and a pair of white trousers. The costume could be seen as extravagant because white is not usually worn from head to toe like this. The costume also could define the man in the photographs wealth as white is seen as a rich mans colour in some cultures.  

MISE-EN-SCENE (SETTING) – The setting is a white sheet background; maybe in a studio. The white background creates the effect of a calm, serine paradise similar to a haven.

MISE-EN-SCENE (LIGHTING) – The magazine cover is shadowy and has low key lighting shining on the left side of the model.

MISE-EN-SCENE (NVC) – The models pose and facial expression non-verbally communicates coolness and confidence which promotes the look and the design of the whole magazine.

INTRODUCTION

Hello, my name is Cyprian Boateng and I am studying AS media and in this blog will contain my preliminary task which is to design a college magazine and my main task which is to produce a music magazine