XXL magazine analysis

By only having one main image on the front of the XXL magazine it straight away tells the reader about the audience which this magazine is attracting. The image used is very bold and immediately stands out. The image also gives off the dangerous sense by the confident strong stance the character is giving and the way he is dressed in full black gives the feeling of danger and threat. Also the way the character is towering over the buildings make him seem more dominant and serious. The colour scheme used on the front cover is quite plain and simple but the bright red attracts the reader’s eye and gives the sense of blood or danger which relates as well with the large image. By looking at XXL you can straight away tell the target audience and genre of the magazine. It is aimed at older teenagers mainly boys but also some girls interested in R&B/hip hop may enjoy it too. The large title has been put in the top left hand corner of the magazine and it seems quite hidden away from the image over lapping it. This makes the front cover look more image dominant as the image seems the most in control. The title instantly catches the reader’s eye and the way the image overlaps the text a small bit makes the reader look at the image after and know what the magazine is about. The artist name Jay-Z has been written in huge text just below him and is bigger and bolder than all the other text showing that this is what the magazine is all about.

The contents page of XXL is very similar to the front cover in which the images and title seem more important than the text. The main image of Rihanna a popular singer takes up the whole top half of the page. The way they Rihanna is standing and posing is quite laid back and chilled and looking directly at the audience creates a sense of rebellion. The title takes up the top part of the magazine making it the first thing the audience reads. The first letter of the title doesn’t have a capital letter and just says “the B-side” by not having a capital letter suggests it’s not a formal magazine and is quite laid back and casual. The headlines of the features in the magazine are in bold so that they all stand out to the audience and are not hard to find. The same colour scheme has been used on the contents as it has on the front cover with the plain background to make everything else stand out more like the image and text. The text is all in one block down the right hand side of the page which makes it seem lots to read however there is images which is bigger than the amount of text as there is hardly any text there. Unlike other contents pages which have the contents in three or four sections and a lot more writing which make it easier to follow and read.

This double page spread features of a stereotypically, male, R&B artist. This is the typical artist which XXL magazine target audience would be interested in. The main image takes up the whole left hand side of the double page spread and it shows the artist dressed casually, also sitting casually smoking a cigarette. This makes the page look very laid back and informal. However this image of Usher fits in well with the stereotype he is portraying. The way he has been positioned with the certain camera angle makes it so you can see his clothing and watch and how he is smoking a cigarette gives off the connotations of wealth. The text next to the artist is in a different font to everything else which attracts the reader’s attention straight to that. The word “GREATEST” stands out straight away which emphasises how important the word is. On the right hand side of the page is an interview with Usher, the whole interview uses lower case letters which makes the interview seem more informal and casual just like the image on the left.

NME magazine analysis

From looking at NME I can straight away see that the target audience for NME is teenagers, male and female and I can tell this from the male and female artists on the front cover. NME is a different style magazine to Mixmag but by looking at the magazine the audience can instantly tell what the magazine is about. However NME won’t attract all teenagers, only the ones that are interested in this type of music. With Lily Allen being on the front with her black hair and white face clearly shows the audience the genre of music because just by looking at Lily Allen you can tell she is indie/emo. The colour scheme used is mainly black, red and white. These colours suggest danger and rebellion and give the feel of an Indie/Rock look. The image on the magazine is the first thing that stands out. The picture being a medium close up instantly draws the reader’s eyes to picture. Lily Allen gives off a sense of danger by the black hair and black eye makeup and the dangerous look in her face looking straight on at the reader. The main title has different a different font to everything else and looks like the letters have been cut out of a newspaper and they have that messy look making the magazine look wacky. All the fonts have harsh sharp edges which also give off a feel of threat. The rule of thirds fits in well with this certain magazine cover as the text and picture both have their own section. However like the majority of music magazines the image is always in the middle with the text above and below or overlapping. The text is all in capital letters which looks like its shouting at the reader to pick it up and read it and gives the feel that it’s an important magazine to read.

 This contents page of NME is quite simple and easy to read. The same colour scheme from the front cover remains consistent on the contents page still using the black white and red. By using a white background it makes the contents page look easy to navigate round as the colours aren’t off putting and don’t distract the reader’s attention. The rest of the text is white black or red therefore looks presentable and tidy rather than colours all over. All the writing has been split into sections which makes it look a lot more organised rather than all over the place. All of the subheadings for each page stand out well and wouldn’t be hard to find as the white writing has been placed in black boxes with white wording therefore are straight forward and easy to read. There are two main images underneath the title and would be the first thing that attracts the readers eyes which maybe suggests the images are more important than the text as it follows straight on from the title. The images are two men singing which tells the reader it’s all about music and nothing else.

The headline of this double page spread from NME is set in the same style as the front cover. By using the same style text shows that the front cover and double page spread are related are talking about the same person. The white background is quite plain therefore the reader’s attention is just mainly set on the text and image. The image is similar to the front cover and is a picture of the main person, Lily Allen. She takes up the whole of the right hand side of the double page spread showing that she is controlling and over powering by taking up so much space. The way she is standing and looking directly at the reader suggests she immediately wants lots of attention. Again the colour scheme is the same as the front cover and contents, using black red and white to give off certain messages. However the red on the double page spread is used in Lily Allen’s clothing and the way she wears the clothes suggests she is quite manly especially from the way she is standing with the shirt on. The text is in 4 columns all on the left hand page quite crammed in closely together, there isn’t much writing as the image and title takes up three quarters of the page suggesting they are more important and what the magazine is about. From looking at the double page spread you can immediately tell Lily Allen is the total main focus, mainly from the photo, but also from the title being a quote of what Lily has said, and when her name is mentioned in the text, it’s in bigger writing and a red font.

Vibe magazine analysis

Vibe magazine keeps the same sort of theme throughout so the audience who enjoy reading Vibe can easily relate and identify the magazine. The main title ‘vibe’ is in bold and in yellow font and it almost takes up half of the A4 page which stands out and attracts customers. Another thing which Vibe magazine keeps the same is the image. Most of the time there is just one main image on the cover of a famous celebrity, with usually a close up of the artists face or sometimes, like this magazine it is a mid-shot of Ciara’s whole body. Most magazine covers have a large image of the artist looking directly at the camera which maintains eye contact immediately which creates a relationship between the magazine and the reader as they feel involved in the magazine. The image of Ciara giving direct eye contact creates a certain look which intrigues and intimidates the reader which will maybe make them want to open it and read more. The main features of the magazine are placed all around the image of the artist. The text is written in different fonts, all different shapes and sizes which suggest the magazine has lots of variety in it and not seems all the same.

The contents page of Vibe seems to crease the same layout as the front cover and also other issues of Vibe magazine. However it has a different colour scheme to the front cover. The whole page is set in black and white but there is a sense of grey/navy too it. The contents page has a blank background with a grey/dull colour too it which gives the sense that the writing and images are more important than colour and isn’t taking away all the focus. The word ‘Contents’ is written on 3 lines creating an unstable sort of look but still look original and new. The list of the features of the magazine have been placed in the bottom right hand corner of the page with page numbers in bold so they can be easily seen but the writing in normal font. The artist who appears on the front and the artist who appears on the contents and double page spread will be similar which links all the pages together well and allows different poses and the pictures too all be different.

The double page spread from Vibe magazine focuses directly on a R&B genre. The colour scheme used throughout the double page spread is quite plain just like the contents page. It uses dull colours in the background and the background images using only black, white and blue. However by just using these dull colours makes the double page spread appeal to both a male and female audience and by doing this can be an advantage on increasing the fan base of the magazine. The girl on the double page spread is wearing an orange/red dress with high heels. This image doesn’t use dull colours however uses the total opposite and uses bright colours compared to the background which suggests the image is more important than everything else. From the artist wearing a colourful dress enables her to stand out the most as well as her name being written in the headline before the text in bright blue so the reader knows straight away who she is. The two pages are different in terms of layout as the first one had 3 columns of lots of text compared to the second page where there is only one column and a small quote since there is a huge establishing shot almost dominating the page.

Q Magazine analysis

Q Magazine is an interesting magazine as the title doesn’t give away anything about the genre as its simply just one letter. However the letter is the one thing that stands out the most as it has a huge red background and the letter Q is in white. The title has been put in the top right hand corner which is the first thing someone will look at when reading a magazine as they read their way down. As the title doesn’t give away much about the magazine it includes text that will interest the reader to read more such as “10 exclusive interviews” then having 3 famous people’s names underneath clearly tells the reader who the interviews are by. By seeing this on the front cover will draw the reader in. The way the front cover shows the artists that are in the magazine such as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Dave Grohl will attract a certain target audience who like these artists. However the image gives away the genre too. The picture stands out a lot from the camera angle being a full body shot it takes up most of the page and by the way they are standing.  All 3 artists are standing in a different stance which suggests the magazine has lots of selection inside it. The layout is different but still organised with the text being all down the left and the image on the right. The text is all in different fonts such as bold, sharp edges, capital letters or rounded edges. This makes it seem as if the magazine has lots of variety too it which will make the reader want to open it and read. It keeps the same colour scheme throughout it and uses mainly blacks and reds and a white background to make the image stand out. These colours are consistent throughout the contents page and this makes the writing stand out against the white background. It also makes it look professional and tidy but still shout out to the reader to read it.

The colours used in Q contents page is the same as the front cover. It uses blacks, reds and white to keep it the same and look tidy and not too messy. It has a serious design look to it by the way the writing and pictures have their own section and are spread out neatly. The fonts used on the front cover and contents are the same fonts and are all bold and straight to the point which makes the cover easy and quick to read rather than a funky font which is hard to read. With the target audience being older mature teenagers, the way the fonts and layout looks quite serious it shows a positive representation to the target audience. There is a main picture of a band standing looking at the reader and a smaller one of one person. These images give the reader a visual sense of some of the things that will be found in the magazine. Also there is a list of what's in the magazine which is neatly laid out on the left hand side next to the main image, although there is a lot of writing the way it’s been laid out looks presentable. The way the contents gives lots of detail of the magazine it gives the reader a sense of the value for money that they’ll get from buying the magazine. The whole layout of Q contents page is presented efficiently with the writing being in boxes which is used to guide the reader's eyes around the contents page.

Q magazine attracts an audience that enjoy listening too indie/rock music and the way Q magazine is presented draws in an audience of people that like Indie music well. The colour schemes used in the double page spread are white, blue and black. The white is used for the whole background which helps to make the black and blue writing stand out well on the page. The main large image of a band shows the 4 members walking through water towards the audience with a serious look to their faces. The blue colour used on the double page spread gives the feel it’s used  to represent the water since the band are walking through this the colour and image link well. The smaller image on the right hand page of the double page spread is a close up image of a singer. This image stands out a lot by the mise en scene of the photo as its been taken at that exact moment with the snow and rain so this image as well as the other one links well with the colour scheme. The target audience not just for Q magazine but for this certain double page spread is fans of Indie music which can be both male and female that like enjoy indie/rock music. With the two images being one of the main focuses of the page it also represents the target audience they are trying to attract because of the style of clothing they were this also attracts the indie/rock lovers.

Mix Mag music magazine analysis

From the front cover you can tell that Mix Mag is wild and funky which suggests that it is aimed at a young target audience. The magazine has a title of “Mixmag” which suggests the magazine has a “mix” of different things inside it which will question the reader and make them think of the genre of magazine. The title is right at the top in the middle in big bold writing and has a curved font to it which makes it look more girly and interesting rather than blunt and sharp edges to make it seem serious and strong. The colour scheme all throughout the front cover is pinks and black, this makes it seem very girly and sweet targeting a girl audience, however the black font even though there isn’t much, gives a sense of danger and rebellion which makes the magazine seem not all girly like it has a twist to it. The large image is placed bang in the middle of the front cover under the title with the writing surrounding her. The girl has a different type of stance to her; she has her hand on her hip which looks like a typical laid back “bad girl”, this fits in well with the pink and black fonts where it seems girly, but the black seems dangerous. The camera angle is a full body shot right onto the girl so you can see her full outfit and wild style. Her style gives off the sort of “wild” look with her hair and makeup all done so it’s noticeable. All the bracelets on her wrist and her dog in her hand she seems like a typical girly girl which matches the genre of magazine. The main story on this magazine is “Celebrity DJ’s should just be stopped” the image of the girl seems to be there to back up the argument by the way she had earphones around her neck and is standing in front of a set of decks. This front cover fits in well with the rule of thirds as it looks well organised with the writing spread out and the picture placed right in the middle. The magazine clearly states what the genre is with the head title “The world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine”. I think this had been placed here as the image, title and colours don’t give off a big feel of what the genre is with the black and pink, wild picture and mixed title. Therefore by having a smaller title above clearly states to the reader what it is they are reading.  Mixmag covers all the codes and conventions of a typical “girly” music magazine such as including a main image of a girl, the same colour scheme throughout and smaller pictures in the corner to give more of an insight to the magazine.

The contents page of Mix Mag is very similar to the front cover as it uses the same colour scheme of black and pink but uses white font. Again, using the pink and black put together still makes it look girly but with the black doesn’t make it seem to “girly and perfect”. The title of the page is at the top of the page in the right; this is so the audience can clearly see what it is they are reading. The huge image underneath immediately draws the reader in too look at the image especially with the bright colours and wild look. The image is a medium shot of people dancing in a club, looking down on them with party poppers all around them. This huge image takes up a whole third of the page and is there to highlight one of the cover stories that is mentioned at the right hand side of the page. The writing fits around the big image well as it doesn’t overlap to make it look too over crowded it starts on the left and works its way around the picture. There is a smaller image on the image which follows from the front cover picture and is a similar picture to the front with the same girl but doing a different pose. This tells the audience what page this is on and with it being a big image on the front cover they’ll recognise the image straight away. The style of font on this page is different to the front cover as the front covers font was mostly curved or bubbly to make it seem girly and fun however the font on the contents has more sharper/bold edges which has been done to make it easier to read as the reader will want to check pages therefore making the writing easy to read will help the reader.

The double page spread from Mix Mag is very different front the front page and contents. The colour scheme is totally new colours using blues and yellows immediately attract the reader’s eyes from being so bright. The main story on this page is the main story on the front cover. When the reader looks at this double page spread they will immediately look at the title 'Welcome to Lame Acadamy”.  The main title stands out so much because it’s the biggest thing on the page and takes up half of an A4 piece of paper. The background behind the black text is bright yellow which has been used to highlight the page. The yellow background has good use as it gives off different messages. Firstly it shows off the huge title straight away and almost seems as if it’s acting like a sun. This is shown through the way it has been placed in the top right hand corner and is also shaped like an interpretation of how someone would draw a sun. The lighting on the picture seems to be coming from the yellow in the corner looking like a sun shining down creating this affect. The blue and yellow colours have been used to create a different feel to the magazine rather than having the black and pink throughout. This whole double page spread seems completely based on the image of the girl because the picture takes up the whole of the other side of the double page spread and the girl is dressed very glam and by having all the paparazzi surrounding her and being interested in her wanting to take her picture.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1. What makes you buy a certain magazine?

• The person on the front
• The cover stories
• The colour scheme

2. What do you look for in a magazine?

• Stories
• Gossip
• Music
• Interviews
• Images

3. Which magazine do you find most enjoyable to read?

4. What types of things do you like reading in magazines?

• Interviews
• Stories
• Gossip

5. What do you like about front covers?

• Lots of images
• Bright colours
• Stories

6, How do you like the layout of contents pages?

• Blocky style
• Image dominant

7. What type of music do you listen too?

• Indie
• R&B
• Pop
• Rock

8. Who is your favourite band/singer?

9. What colour schemes do you find interesting?

• Black, white and purple
• Black, white and grey
• Black white and navy

10. How do you like everything presented?

• Spread out
• Organised
• Messy/Wild look

11. What image would you expect to see on the front of an RNB/Pop magazine?

12. What would you prefer to read about on a double page spread?

• Interview
• Gossip
• Music news
• Article

13. What type of article would you enjoy reading on a double page spread?

• Celebrity gossip
• New music
• New bands

My front over and contents page

School Magazine Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of meal media products?

In my magazine the codes and conventions I used in my magazine was keeping the same colour scheme throughout my front cover and contents. I used the colours blue and white which are quite simple colours and don’t clash. Using the same colour scheme made my magazine look presentable but not too over the top with colour. I got this inspiration from the style models I looked at in the lesson as they all kept the same colour scheme as well in there front cover and contents. All the magazines I looked at had an image on the front cover which I thought was a huge code and convention to a front cover as it gives the reader a good understanding of what the magazine is about therefore I used my own image on my front cover and contents which showed clearly what my magazine was about. All the style models had a big title at the top or middle of the page which immediately got the readers attention and I got inspiration to do this too by using the schools name at my title in big writing. The rule of thirds was used in most of the magazine covers which made them look organised but still presentable so with my magazine cover and contents I used rule of thirds to organise my writing and pictures.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I had to use Photoshop and a Nikon D3000 SLR camera in order to construct my magazine together. Photoshop was used to create the actual magazine front cover and contents and I used all the appropriate tools to help me create it. I had to learn about all the tools in Photoshop to be able to use it effectively. I also had to use the camera to take my own photos of things I wanted in magazine therefore I had to learn about all the different buttons and settings on the camera in order to take a suitable photo for my magazine. The photo I needed to take was a medium close up of anything I wanted, I used two students from Whitley Bay High School to make my magazine look more realistic and give a clear view of what my magazine was actually about. To make my photo look professional I had to use all the skills I learnt in lessons such as auto focus and zoom to make my photo a medium close up, this took time and patience but it worked effectively in the end.

School Magazines and what they include

School magazines and what they include

Fusion

Front page: The front page of “Fusion” is very eye catching with the large picture and big title. The title is placed in the top right corner but spread across the whole of the top and the picture is placed in the centre of the page at the bottom. This magazine fits in well with the rule of thirds where everything looks neat and well placed. The writing follows down from the title which will make the reader instantly read down the magazine to that writing and see what the magazine includes. The front page keeps the same colour scheme throughout it and uses bright colours to attract the reader’s eye, red and white.

Contents page: The text used in the contents page of “Fusion” uses bright colours which immediately draws the reader’s eyes to see what the magazine includes. However it doesn’t keep the same colour scheme as the front page, since it’s the contents page they may want the audience to read it all therefore using bright colours will attract them to read it. The contents page is written in two smaller lists this makes it all straight to the point and it shows that the magazine includes lots of information and the magazine is worth the price paid. The contents page only includes an image of a tape player, by not using a big picture makes the reader want to read the writing more and not be distracted by photos.

Evolve

Front page: Evolves front cover doesn’t include much writing on the front page, mainly because children won’t be interested in lots of writing they will want to see pictures. The writing is centred and most of them follow the rule of thirds aspect which makes the magazine look more organised but still interesting. It follows the same colour scheme throughout it which makes it interesting but not look too over done. There is a big bold title naming the magazine but also has a sub heading of the schools name.

Contents page: The contents in Evolve is similar Fusion contents page in which the writing is set in columns which again is straight to the point and it shows how much information is included. The colour scheme is different to the front page but still uses bold, eye catching colours. This contents page doesn’t include an image, which again like Fusion shows the writing is more important.

Top Terrace

Front page: The front page of “Top Terrace” is bright and eye catching from the title and colour scheme. The images are placed underneath the title to make the cover flow better and you can see the big image straight away. The title on all of the magazines is placed right at the top in a big font, this is done because the reader will begin at the top and work there way down. All the images on the magazine covers are all big and straight to the point. This immediately attracts the audience’s attention and if the photo is interesting it makes them want to instantly look at it.

Contents page: All of the contents pages keep the same colour scheme throughout which makes it look not too over the top but still interesting and easy to read. The contents page is different to others as it doesn’t include as much writing and has more pictures than writing. The images are spread out in different sections of the rule of thirds but they still all fit in well.

Chill

Front Page: Chill has a big title, e.g. “CHILL” which stands for the schools name being Chapel High in Long Lane. The casual language fits in well with the target audience, making children want to read more. The pictures are placed to the right of the page and all the text is on the left. This fits in with the rule of thirds and everything looks neat. The same colour scheme of red and black is used throughout the magazine just like the other magazines, by using the same colours attracts the readers attention by keeping it simple but noticeable.

Contents page: Chill has a picture of children doing an activity which straight away will attract attention to the school by looking at what sort of things they do. In the magazine “Chill” the language is quite casual, since the audience is for a younger age it all fits well for example “What’s Going On?” The contents is given in a long list which makes it all straight to the point and it shows that the magazine includes lots of information.

Bishopbriggs Academy

Front page: Bishop Briggs doesnt include much writing on the front page, mainly because children won’t be interested in lots of writing they will want to see pictures. The two pictures are centred underneath the title which makes the page flow and you can immediately see the image.

Contents page: The contents page on Bishopbriggs Academy is in a long list which is similar to other magazines and again this makes the magazine look like it includes lots of information and the reader will learn a lot. The colour scheme throughout the magazine is kept the same which makes it look more sophisticated rather than bright and colourful which would look too over done.