Magazine AnalysisMagazine Analysis

Shelley PooleShelley Poole

• There is a faded vintage effect on the dominant image to represent the long historical roots of rock music

• Faded image shows visual flair of magazine to make it stand out against others of its kind

• The faded grey, blacks and whites match the moody and blank expressions of the cover stars

• Black and grey and sombre colours matching the sad emotions in many rock songs

• NME would not use fluorescent colour palettes as that would suggest pop music rather than rock

• Masthead is slightly unconventional as it does not stretch across the whole top of the magazine. This may show that the genre of rock is unconventional

• Use of “NME” logo is easily identifiable as it is an established and popular brand

• Use of house colour red also helps brand recognition. The red could connote danger and rebellion which is stereotypical of rock music

• Use of tag-line within logo “New Musical Express” to teach readers what the logo represents

• One of the Cover stars head is covering the logo/masthead portraying that the brand can be recognised even with obstruction

• Cover line lists other bands featured within the issue to attract a wider audience

• Target audience will range from 15-40 with younger generations preferring new bands and older generations favouring established rock bands

• The font is sans serif which matches the informal genre of rock

• The long shot group shot dominates the whole cover and has a very haunting presence

• Unusual shot type for music magazine covers-usually mid-shots

• Cover-lines use the colour palette of blue and red to stand out against the dark background

• Colour palette of red, white and blue may be a patriotic reference to the roots of punk and rock music in Britain

• Main sell-line anchors the image, however it is quite small in comparison to the proportion of the page.

• No visible barcode as that would detract from the artistic appearance and laid-back vibe

• Only one of the cover stars is making direct address making the cover less personal

• Looking away from the camera shows attitude within rock and moves away from “cheesy pop” where cover stars smile directly at the camera• The rule of thirds is

slightly observed, however there aren't enough cover lines to determine if its definite

• Wide colour palette of pink, yellow, purple, white and red.

•Vivid and busy colours match the youthful and fun genre and audience of the magazine

•Pink, yellow and purple used connote femininity, which is linked with the gossip tone

•Masthead easily recognisable as “top of the pops” is an established brand and logo with television shows, magazines and merchandise. The pink and yellow are eye-popping colours to emphasise the masthead.

•BBC is an extremely well known institution establishing the stature of “Top of the Pops”

• Cover stars in central image have direct address creating personal link from celebrity to audience and can enhance the drama of their expression

• Cheryl Cole, Lindsey Lohan and Dougie popular figures in ‘pop culture’ to attract audience

•Amount of cover stars is unusual, however diverse cover stars attract a larger variety of fan bases• Use of shocking cover lines such

as “Bizarre” entices the audience to read on

• Use of “EXCLUSIVE” implies an elite club which audience members can be part of if they purchase it

• Use of “you” is personal and makes the reader feel special and individually targeted

•Font used is sans serif to match the informal genre and appears childish and chaotic

• Does not strictly stick to rule of thirds as it’s not a formal magazine

• Uses blocks of colour to contain colour lines and maintain a small amount of organisation

• Even use of images and cover lines to suggest the inside pages are filled with content

• Puff is used to add a piece of information that may be particularly important to the readers

• Barcodes are conventions as everything is scanned when bought ,due to advances in computer technologies

• Shot types used are mainly mid-shots and close-ups so as many images can be included as possible

• Target audience is mostly young girls aged 7-14 shown by the youthful colours, popular culture references and informal language and layout

• All the images are superimposed to compress space used and to enhance facial expressions

• Facial expressions of cover stars is an exciting preview of the secretive and shocking content

• Use of tag-line “bursting with backstage gossip "makes the product more appealing and exciting to buy, due to the prospect of finding out something most people don’t know

• The main sell-line “Out of control” anchors the image. The choice of using yellow and black may suggest danger and leaps off the page from the dark clothing in the background

• Exclamation mark used to portray drama and enthusiasm

• Masthead uses serif font to match classical genre and classy and mature tone of the magazine.

• Cover star covering masthead suggests that the magazine is firmly established and recognisable without exposure of full masthead .This may be because “classical fm” is also a radio station widening its audience onto other media platforms.

• Use of tagline “THE UK’S FAVOURITE CLASSICAL MUSIC MAGAZINE” to display achievement and popularity of magazine which makes audience prefer it over others

• Main images are superimposed to prevent blank space and compress complexity of image, drawing the readers to the cover stars happy expressions

• The happiness of the cover stars will run through the content of magazine as readers are drawn to their smiling expressions• Barcode in bottom

right hand corner to be discreet and not interrupt main features

• Prospect of free gifts makes audience think they are getting a bargain

• Use of a foreign classical music star to broaden culture and audience members

• Use of musical technical jargon through “mezzo” suggests the audience will have understanding of musical terminology and interpret that as “mezzo soprano”

• Reference to “Bach” suggests an older audience and assumes that the audience is intellectual and educated in music of the past

• Target audience for classical music would be older generations of 40-70, however some young people do play classical instruments

• Use of younger cover stars may inject youth and life into the magazine making classical music current

• Date so readers always know if their copy is the newest and most up to date

• White background portrays simplicity and a formal tone to the magazine

• Cover stars wearing white and called “All Angels” to connote purity and sincerity of their voices and match the stereotypical view of angels

• Limited cover-lines to enhance importance of main image and sell-line

• Simple colour palette of white, gold and red to match the calm atmosphere of classical music

• Use of gold and red have connotations of warmth and good fortune to match the festivities of December

• Observes rule of thirds so it appears neat and organised rather than chaotic

• Direct address creates a more intimate connection between reader and magazine making it appear personal rather than mass produced

• Use of “your” suggests that particular articles are perfect for the audience

• Use of serif font emulates the formal genre of magazine and its high class image

• Main sell-line of “All Angels” anchors the main image. The font is large to standout as the most important feature

• Rule of thirds has not conventionally been applied, however the columns surround a dominant image highlighting that Madonna is the most important star in the issue

• The target audience is from 18-20 years shown through the strict and linear layout, limited and conservative colour palette and older artists such as The Verve, Madonna and Coldplay

• Nod to a younger audience through multi-generational artists such as The Kooks

•Image uses dark colouring, black lace and a gothic vibe. This creates a sexual tone emphasised by her partly open mouth and direct address

•This also identifies the genre and audience as being older due to the sexual vibe of the image

•Madonna is wearing a full length dress and holding an umbrella in her hand which depicts her as being sophisticated and lady-like, the audience may aspire to be like her because of her success, talent and appearance

•Use of black, white and a splash of red is similar to the colour palette of a newspaper which signifies the importance of the music news

•The use of red is bright and lively connotes a passion for music

•Dominant image of Madonna is anchored by a main page feature to reduce polysemy

•Page features focus on The Kooks, Coldplay and The Verve showing that the music genre is alternative/rock

•Page feature about Madonna and Mariah Carey showing a very varied music market

• Uses sans serif font

• Consistent use of same text to limit chaos

• “The worlds best and biggest music guide” is important to include so the audience know they will not find better information anywhere else

•Feature pages organised into columns to appear sophisticated and formal, it also makes the information easier to read and decide which bits interest the audience

•Use of familiar ‘Q’ logo is continuing the house style to organise the magazine

•“All you need to know about the coming year in music.” gives the impression that Q is the holy bible of music news and you have to know it in order to be ‘cool’

•Contents title is a convention to identify the function of the page •Conventional identification of the date

so the audience now how current the news is as music news develops rapidly

• Q has own conventional articles which are included in a separate section so regular audience members can find their favourite or most commonly used sections

• Letter from editor is a conventional feature of a contents page as it highlights the theme of the issue and gives insight into its creation

• Cover lines are promoting well-known rock artists such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Bring me to the horizon

• This defines the genre, however shows it is for a younger audience as they are new rock bands in comparison to The Beatles or Rolling Stones

• The font used is sans serif to match the informal and youthful tone of the magazine

• Target audience between the ages of 16-40 represented by the new rock bands and action filled appearance

• The images are anchored with feature pages to reduce polysemy

• Audience members may see the picture, be interested in the specific artist and then want to read the article, thus page numbers are a must

• There are a wide range of shot types including a long shot of a crowd, close ups and mid-shots

• The variation in shot types creates different levels and movement to the contents

•Unconventional composition of image as it is not staged

•Action shot shows excitement and entertaining behaviour

•Crowd surfing links with the genre of rock as it has connotations of being dangerous, cool and worshipping the band

•Faded colours with a slight vintage effect to match the long historical roots of rock and to match the rough sound of rock music

• There is a faded and cracked effect on the title which connotes the rough, harsh and loud genre of rock music

• Many iconic rock logos, symbols and titles use this faded effect to show damaged possibly caused by the rebels of rock

• Main colours include red, black and yellow

• These colours are very masculine and dull which represents the boisterous and male-dominated genre of rock music

• Red, black and yellow connote danger and extremism

• Conventional use of issue number and date to inform the reader how current and up to date the music information is

• Use of red stripes against the black make the contents less bland and more interesting

• Advertisement of subscribing to the magazine in a feature box to encourage the audience to continually support what this magazine has to offer in a time where magazines are being dominated by the internet

• Use of font which resembles handwriting to make the print less harsh and informal and more fun

•Dominant colour used is pink which has connotations of youthful femininity thus identifying a young and mainly female audience•White background in contrast to the vibrant pink to make it stand out

• The puff used on the contents to emphasise “WIN!” as competitions are popular due to the exclusivity of winning

•Established smash hits logo which is easily identifiable due to its popular brand and extensive merchandise•Use of youthful slang such as “gossip "and “whatever” means that the audience can relate to the language and informal tone

• “Everybody's talking about” creates an heir of excitement that the audience should be talking about a particular subject to be popular, current and ‘in the know’

• Letter from editor is a common convention as it announces the theme and most exciting parts of the magazine

• It also sets the informal voice of the magazine

• Polaroid pictures, paperclips and lined paper give the contents a ‘scrapbook’ appearance which is intimate, personal and informal

• A wide range of colourful images in mid-shot and close-up to enhance the fun and enjoyment of the contents

• Conventional identification of “contents” to inform the audience of the use of the page

• Target audience of mainly females between the ages 7-15 portrayed by the colour pink, chaotic layout and use of popular chart bands

•Use of drop cap usually used in articles to intertwine the contents page with contents of magazine

• Small black Colum showing all the Smash Hits team just in case a particular writer or editor is popular with the audience

• Images are anchored with pink page feature numbers

• Identification of popular artists such as Mcfly,Sugababes, Eminem and Blink 182 broadens the audience as they are from different genres

• Busy layout contained by colour boxes as minimalism is not appreciated by the younger generation

• Use of sans serif font to match the smooth genre of pop and informality of the page

• Conventional half page split with image and text as image adds vibrancy and the reader does not want to read excessive amounts of text

• Large and bold headline of block capitals to emphasise the talent and importance of Noel Gallagher

• Ironic headline as there is an oasis song called ‘The importance of being idle’

• Unconventional camera angle to represent noel being an inspirational leader in the realm of indie music and his confidence to represent himself in any way he chooses

• Use of bold and bright drop cap heavily emphasised by the black outline to be a visual page feature and to make the article eye-catching

• “Noels 5 greatest moments” adds a personal touch to the article and integrates the text with the image so they look connected

• Pull quote amongst the article highlighted by a black box to show the importance and relevance of that quote or to convince readers to read the whole article

• Particular quote shows the humorous and entertaining character of Noel

• Stand first of “At the end of Oasis’ biggest year ever, the Godfather of indie holds court exclusively” adds depth to the headline

• Limited colour palette of red, black and white as that simplicity limits chaos and increases sophistication

• Red connotes danger and portrays Noel’s well known character of having a temper and being bold or outspoken

• Target audience is a mixed genre, however mainly male between the ages of 16-50 portrayed by the masculine colour palette, linear and sophisticated layout and multi-generational popularity of the band

• Use of language “exclusively” makes the article have more appeal as it becomes secretive and special

• Informal and personal reference to Noel as being “Godfather” shows loving relationship between magazine and artist

• Unconventional placing of byline and photographer credits as the audience may particularly enjoy their writing and photography, thus they are popular

• Unusual for the talent behind the article to be appreciated

• Genre of indie music is not a polished, commercialised and fake as pop music, thus suited to Noel’s scruffy appearance and a stereotypical laid-back approach to life (shown through picture)

• Mixed use of serif and sans-serif text to vary the page format to be more interesting

• Noel’s full name written in the corner in the event of being unrecognisable, however the magazine would expect a indie music fan to know Noel by first name terms

•Drop cap conventionally used to make article visually pleasing and be an interesting feature to the page

•Byline is usually below the standfirst so the audience know who wrote the article incase there are popular writers and the audience look to specifically read their article

•Pull quote to emphasise importance of that sentence and show the flavour of the article without reading all of the information

•Pull quote in red to contrast the monotone colour palette. Adds a small amount of life and stands out

• Monotone house style to give vintage, traditional or ‘old-fashioned’ essence to match the theme of the article topic being a 50th anniversary

• Stand first in faint writing so not to attract from the headline, however just add a small amount of meaning to the headline

• Informs audience that the article is written by a new film director, Tony Palmer ,thus it will be from a creative and intelligent perspective

• Reference to ‘British Music’ could be patriotic and shows pride towards the British music scene

•Quirky headline of ‘Documenting Ralph’ to attract the audience. A boring headline would deter audience from reading the articles

•Captions to anchor the images and reduce polysemy

•Unconventional use of larger captions as well-known stars are not documented through images, thus the creative images have to be explained

• Picture credits for the photographer are extremely important due to the large amount of images and their high calibre of the stylish photography

•Unconventional split page as the images are horizontal instead of vertical images

•Monotone black and white colour scheme connotes a sophisticated, classy and traditional vibe which links with the images of the orchestral band

•Layout has use of straight columns, text and strictly composed pictures to show a formal and classy tone

•Images are diverse in their composition and use of people to add excitement and depth to the article

•Older target audience portrayed by formal layout, no use of fun and bright colours and the older people in the photos, however there is a link to the current pop music scene by including Ellie Goulding in a photo which may suggest a small youthful audience

• Use of serif and sans-serif font portrays a classic vibe which salutes to the history of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s career, however also gives a nod to the modern music and future he has created • Advertisement through

other media forms such as television to integrate magazines with more popular, widespread and modern ways of sharing information

• Use of black box to make it standout

• Conventional use of drop cap to create a dramatic start to the article and to be an attention grabbing page feature

• Limited colour palette of pink, black and white so to not detract from the images

• The pink connotes femininity and youthfulness to match the target audience of mainly girls from 7-15

• Smash hits uses a large amount of pink to retain a continuous house style

• “Smash hits” logo used on the page as it is a recognisable brand due to its merchandise and television programmes, thus creates a sense of familiarity with the reader and may become a household name

• “News, Gossip, whatever” is a phrase also used on the contents to retain house style and to relate to a younger audiences informal and youthful language

• See-through headline over image as the editors want the images to be dominant to the headline

• Use of “boy racers” instead of man racers as the younger audience will relate more with boys compared to men

• Intriguing standfirst of “find out what Mcfly got up to” tempts the reader into the article and makes reading sound more enjoyable

• Picture captions used instead of a full article as younger people are more likely to read shorter snippets of information and its reduces image polysemy

• Unconventional layout as it is not a central split of half text and half images, however this may connote the laid-back and cheeky characters of the boys

• Engaging the reader with interrogatives “All about who” so they feel personally involved and do not lose interest

• Slanted boxes which contain text make the layout less linear and more informal

• Conventional use of drop cap to highlight the start of the article and to be an interesting visual feature

• Main image unconventionally placed as it does not cover half of the double page spread

• Long shot to introduce the band in full and portray their ‘boy band’ status as they are standing in a line

• Tyre track page feature to integrate the theme of the article with the layout and to make the article fun and visually appealing

• Limited text in the article as the story is told in a vibrant and fun way through pictures

• This detects the target audience, as younger girls would prefer to look a pictures rather than read excessive text

• Continuous use of the same sans serif font to create visual conformity and not to make the page too chaotic

• Large amount of varied images which all contain action and fast pace cars to create excitement

• Smash hits trying to attract a male audience as they are stereotypically more interested in cars