Alix Kelly

House Style

Vibe magazine aims at an audience of 18-24 years old. The audience who read the magazine tend to be listeners of genres such as RnB, hip-hop and Rap. This contents page has a very pale colour scheme mixed with black to help the titles of the pages stand out on the background. The colours represent a very vibrant pop/RnB culture which links to the artist used Nikki Minaj. The typeface used on this page bold for the sub titles which help to stand out from the pale background. This helps to point out the important features to the audience. The ‘V’ is in a thick black typeface which is easily recognisable to the audience and looks professional because it is similar to the typeface used in the column. Design Balance

In terms of design balance, this magazine has balanced the page so that the column of page numbers is smaller than the image and fit next to it without overcrowding the main image. The ‘features’ have been listed evenly next to the main image to help balance out the page. This means the page doesn’t look too overcrowded by the main image or the features. It also helps make the contents page look professional and sophisticated. The features are spaced out so that they are online with most of the main image which brings the reader to look at both features. As her head is tilted to the right, it drives the reader to look in the same directions which is where the features are listed.

Imagery

The main image is of the artist Nikki Minaj. There is high key lighting used on her face and around her. This represents her as an innocent girl as she is dressed as a princess. This is suitable to the audience because they know she has an unusual dress sense. As the artist is set on the right, she creates a professional look to the audience and fits with the house style of the magazine. The dominant contrast of the artist helps her to stand out and indicates to the audience who the main article will be about. The medium/long shot helps to show more of the artist and makes her more appealing to the audience. As she is dressed so unusual it will make the audience want to read on as they will want to see if she is wearing anything unusual for the article.

Rule of Thirds

In terms of the rule of thirds, the artist Nikki Minaj is set through two sets of lines vertical and horizontal. This is appealing to the audience because they will see she is the main importance on the page. Her face is on two intersecting eyes which helps bring the audience’s attention to the image. The content column also lies on the lines which creates a professional structure to the reader. As the main image has been placed on the right hand side of the page, it is where the reader will immediately look because we read from left to right. She is placed at a gesture which helps cover the key lines of the rule of thirds. These help to bring out the key features in her face and clothing.

Alix Kelly

House Style

Q magazine is aimed at a target audience of people aged 25 and over. This means their genre of music is more sophisticated and contemporary. Adele fits this genre perfectly and is well known for her slow contemporary music. In terms of the way this magazine has been set out the colours are formal and mature. They are dull and help make the contents page look formal. The typeface is bold and stands out from the colours. This makes it eye catching and formal as the text is sharp and stands out. The main image is a medium close up of the singer and stands out to help make it look important and helps to represent that she is a true talent. As there is red used against white and grey, it helps to contrast and make the articles stand out more. The colour becomes recognisable as well because it is the same colour that is used on the masthead, so audiences will recognise the red colour.

Imagery

As the image is a medium close up, it helps to bring out the features of the artist. We can see she is flawless and giving a sophisticated gesture position. The photo has used low key and high key lighting on her face to make it stand out. It helps to create a strong image and sticks to the sophisticated and professional house style. The photograph helps to indicate who the article is about. As for the imagery used at the bottom of the page, we can see there is low key and high key lighting used on the two different artists. This helps to build a professional house style and keeps balance with the imagery. As the low key lighting is used in both images, it helps to blend with the dull colours that are used in the house style. This collaboration helps to appeal to the target audience for the magazine.

Design Balance

The use of design balance is very light. The text that is placed next to the main image isn’t too heavy or overcrowding so it helps to create a professional appeal to the audience and sticks to the sophisticated look and the target audience of older people aged 25+. At the bottom of the page, the photograph and text are well balanced because the text is small as well as the picture and it has used the same amount of text set out in columns to make it balance with the image. As the page has been set out in boxes, it helps to give the audience a sense of professionalism.

Design Symmetry

It’s not symmetrical

Rule of Thirds

In terms of the rule of thirds, the artist Adele has been used to help the audience notice the image as soon as they turn onto the page. The close up image helps to make the image stand out already, but we can see that Adele’s eyes are on a horizontal line which brings the audience to the image because image looks sophisticated. The intersecting lines on her eyes and face help the audience to understand what the main story is about. Also the picture is placed on the right hand side of the page, this means that the audience are going to be drawn to it as we read from left to right. But we are more likely to be interested in the image first then read the contents page.