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Textual analysis

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TonishaMedia

The document analyzes the design elements of magazine covers for Q magazine and Mojo magazine. For Q, the red masthead stands out to attract readers' attention. Photos use medium close-ups to feel personal. Pull quotes and headlines entice readers to learn more inside. Mojo also uses bold design and photos to attract readers. A free CD inclusion and cover details about articles are meant to increase interest and sales. Both magazines employ consistent color schemes and layouts to build recognizability.

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Textual Analysis
Examples of Q magazine covers
Masthead: The red and white combination of the masthead and title stands out on the cover, making the magazine stand out on the shelf. Also, by putting the title in a block, the design of the magazine is separated from others, as most magazines are just a title on the regular background. This makes Q unique, representing their aim to be different to other magazines and include articles that others wouldn’t. The colour red isn’t associated with any particular gender, so the key audience for Q is both men and women. Red also has connotations with the feelings of love and passion, representing the passion the magazine and the readers have for music. Each magazine has the same colour masthead, making them easily recognisable. Buzz word: The word “exclusive” is used to interest the audience in the article. This makes the reader feel like the article is individual to them and they are more inclined to want to read it. It also makes Q seem like a more unique magazine, as they have articles that no other magazine has. The font is in bold, making it stand out to the reader. Barcode, date line and price: The barcode, date line and price is a convention of magazines. They are all necessary to give important information. The date allows the audience to recognise when the magazine was published, allowing them to see that the magazine is current and new. If the reader is a collector of the magazine, the date will allow them to remember when they purchased that particular edition. The price allows the reader to know how much they’re paying, however, it’s in very small text, as the publishers want the magazine the sell. The price isn’t going to convince them so buy the magazine, and some may even decide not to buy the magazine due to the price, so it is kept small and barely noticeable. The barcode is clear and separate from the headlines, so that it’s easy to see, therefore making it easy to scan. Headline: The headline is in a large, bold font so that it stands out to the readers. This makes it immediately obvious what the main article of the edition is. Fans of Robbie Williams who don’t usually read Q will also be attracted by this as they’ll want to read the article about him, so will buy the magazine. Featured article photo/main image: The image used on the cover of the magazine is always an artist which the magazine has done a feature article on in that publication. The camerawork for the photo used is a medium close up, as are many of the photos used on the front cover of Q (see previous slide). The medium close up makes the reader feel like they’re closer to the artist in the photo, and therefore it feels more personal, presenting the idea that the article on them inside the magazine will be personal too. This makes the reader want to read the article more as they feel like they’re going to find out lots of new information. High key lighting is used, which creates a bright image, and suggests happiness and positivity. However, the shadows on the side of the face suggest that fill lighting wasn’t used. The shadows create a slightly darker feel, representing that some of the article is going to be about more serious topics. Colour scheme: The colour scheme for the cover is a combination of red, white, black and grey. The background is white, which makes all of the text stand out against it, particularly the red and black. This makes the cover stand out on the shelves, so that people easily notice it when they look. The costume for the character also fits in with this colour scheme, as he is wearing red. Not only does this make him stand out against the background along with the text, it creates a sense of unison with the magazine, and gives the impression that he has a connection with it, therefore suggesting to the audience that there’s also going to be a connection within the article about him. Pull quote: Pull quotes are short quotes taken from an article in the magazine, often from the main article from the featured cover artist. They are used to give snippets of what the reader can expect to find if they read the article, encouraging them to buy the magazine. In this case, the quotes that have been chosen are presented like secrets that have never been told in any other interview before. After reading them, the audience will want to know more; they’ll want to see if there’s more to the story and if there’s more secrets. They’ll then be more likely to purchase the magazine out of curiosity. The pull quotes are presented in speech bubbles. This makes them stand out so that they’re easily noticeable when somebody is reading the cover. It also makes them feel more like they’re actually coming from the artists mouth, making them appear to be more honest, which will intrigue the reader and make them more likely to buy the article.
Date line: The date line is placed on the contents page as well as on the front cover, as another reminder to the audience. By putting the month of the release, it reminds the audience that the magazine is a monthly publication. The year is so that the audience can easily differentiate between the publications as they may have been collecting them for years, and it would get confusing if they didn’t have a way to tell them apart. However, the date line is in quite small text and it placed in the top right corner. As we read from left to right, this wouldn’t be the first thing that the audience notice, showing that it is not an important as the rest of the text on the page. Main image and pull quote/blurb : The main image takes up the majority of the page, showing the importance of the image, and that it is intended to be a focal point. The image is of a very well known artist, which shows that the magazine is of a high quality, as they have interviews with prominent people. The audience then trust that the magazine is worth buying. A small heading shows the name of the artist, so that, if there’s anyone who doesn’t recognise him, they can still find out who he is. The blurb under the heading is a pull quote, to show the audience a brief part of the article, so that they and easily decide if they want to read it. This section of writing is in a white box, to ensure that the text is easily readable against the image. The camerawork for this image is different to the cover. Most of the covers for Q use medium close up shots, however a medium shot is used here. The image on the cover is also usually very well lit, but the lighting here appears softer. If the reader is on the contents page, the main image isn’t necessarily needed to encourage them to pick up the magazine, as they’re already reading. Therefore, they create a much more subtle image which ties in to the look of the page, creating a very sophisticated look. Hierarchy: The text in the contents is in a hierarchy, which is dictated by the font size and colour. The sub headings, which are the headlines for the individual articles, are in a larger font. The text is slightly bold and written in capital letters. This is to put the sub headings at the top of the hierarchy. They are intended to be the first thing that the reader sees as they scan down the list, giving them the most important information first. From this, they are able to quickly scan down the list to find the articles that they want to read. On the same line as the sub heading is the page numbers. These are in red rather than black, and are separated from the sub headings with a small line. While the text is a different colour to make it stand out and be easily readable, the page numbers are very close to the side of the page, suggesting that, while they are important for the reader, they’re not the focal point, and they’re slightly lower down in the hierarchy. Below each sub heading is a description of the article. The font size that the two previous areas, and they aren’t written in capital letters like the sub headings. By doing this, and positioning the description below the sub headings, it suggests that this is the least important section, and is intended to be read last. After reading the subheadings and finding out what articles are available, the reader can find out more information by reading the description. Logo: The logo for Q magazine is used as the masthead on the cover, and is repeated on the contents page, which is easily recognisable to an audience. It also allows people to see that this belongs to Q, so if they see the page without being told prior, they know who owns the copyright. Sub image: The sub image is related to a side article in the magazine. It’s much smaller than the main image, showing that it’s not intended to be the focal point. However, the article is important and the publishers want the audience to know about it, so they advertise it more than other articles by using a sub image. Shapes: The use of square box shapes is repeated throughout the page. They are solid blocks of colour, which contrast the blank background, making them stand out to the readers, and drawing their eyes to this area. The boxes are used for the headlines, which separate the rest of the information into easy-to-read sections. Putting the headlines and boxes makes it even easier to separate these sections to the readers. The text in the boxes is white, which also allows it to be easily readable, by standing out. Composition: The layout of the contents page is set out in a 3x3 grid. This creates a very simple and clean look for the page, by ensuring that information isn’t scattered around. The page is much easier to read this way. Colour scheme: The colour red, white and black make up the colour scheme for this page. Most of the covers for Q magazine also follow a similar colour scheme, sometimes adding in extra colours for effect. However, the main colour scheme is these three colours. This makes Q recognisable to readers, as they follow a similar style for each publication.
Layout: The layout for this spread is very simplistic. The left page is solely an image of the artist. As it takes up the full page, it is the focal point of the article, drawing the readers eye towards it. On the opposite page is the article. The background is white with red graphic art in the shape of a D. From research, I’ve found that this is a common design feature of Q magazine. They often use this design for their main feature article, using the first letter of the artist’s name for the graphic art. This makes the double page spread recognisable as being from Q magazine. The colour used for the graphic art is red, which ties in with the colour scheme that is usually used in Q, as it’s the same colour as their masthead. The composition of the right page is a 3 column grid. Underneath the cover line, the text for the article is set in 3 columns, with clear alleys to separate the sections of text. This makes the article look very easy to read, so it’s appealing to the reader. There is a hierarchy in the text, with the cover line in a larger, bolder text with a different font style to the rest of the article. There’s very little white space on the page as the article takes up he majority of the space, suggesting to the reader that there’s lots of information, so the magazine was worth their money. Main image: The main image is a photograph which is shot using a medium close up, allowing the reader to be close enough to feel like they’re getting an honest interview, however, enough distance is left to create an aura of mystery around him. It is in black and white to convey the idea of sophistication and maturity. The artist in the image is only young, and he wants to be taken seriously by the adult readers, so he adds the black and white filter to try to appeal to them more. This is reinforced by the character’s costume, as he is wearing a suit and tie, in order to make himself appear to be more professional to the readers. He has a prop, which is a microphone hanging around his neck. This conveys to the audience that the artist is serious about music. The target audience for Q is older, and they may not be interested in a younger artist, so he’s trying to convince them to read the articles by showing that he is serious about what he’s doing. Drop cap: A drop cap us used at the beginning of the cover line. This grabs the attention of the reader as it stands out. If their eye is drawn to the text, they will likely carry on reading the cover line. From this, they can decide if they want to continue with the article. Cover line: Interestingly, a masthead isn’t used to introduce the article. Instead, a cover line is used. Usually a masthead grips the reader, however the article is about an upcoming artist, so if the publishers used his name as a masthead, the majority of readers wouldn’t know who he is, and therefore wouldn’t bother to read the article. Using a cover line allows the readers to learn who the artist is, so they can decide if they want to read the article from that. Page numbers: The page numbers are quite large a the bottom of the page, so that they’re easily readable for the audience, allowing for quick navigation through the magazine. Next to the page number is a sub heading to tell the audience what the article is, so that, if they’re just flicking through to find a page number, and they forget where they need to be, the sub heading can help them find the right article. Colour scheme: The main colour scheme is black and white, with red for the graphic art. This colour scheme fits with the rest of Q magazine, creating a sense of cohesion between the different pages in the magazine.
Examples of Mojo magazine covers
Plug: The free CD is a key part of Mojo magazine, as they release a new one with each publication, so fans of the magazine will already know about it. However, new readers won’t, so by putting a plug on the cover, new readers will be able to find out immediately that there’s a free CD, and they’ll be curious about what it is, so they’ll want to know more. The colours of the plug are intended to stand out on the shelves. The yellow box is the only area of the cover in this colour, so it’s very obvious against the rest of the colour scheme. The black text in the yellow box also stands out, as the colours contrast, meaning that the yellow background will first attract the attention of the viewer, then the text will stand out to them and they’ll read it. Masthead: The masthead is behind the main image, meaning that the publishers have confidence that the magazine is recognisable despite not being able to see the full name. The font is bold, and is designed to look like it has a shadow, which creates a 3-dimensional impression, making the masthead standout, despite not being able to see the whole thing. Like with Q, the colour is gender neutral, suggesting that the magazine isn’t aimed to any particular gender. The term ‘mojo’ is defined as ‘a magic charm, talisman, or spell’ or ‘influence, especially magic power’ in the Oxford dictionary. By choosing this name, the idea that the magazine is unique and special is enforced. Sub image: The sub image is related to an article inside the magazine. This is used to attract the audience, as if they recognise the person in the image, they’ll be more inclined to pick up the magazine. Cover line: The cover line give the reader an insight into the article featured on the cover. Here, it suggests that the article is going to be about the journey of the artist from her beginnings. This interests fans, as they’ll want to know the story, but also could be of interest to people who are just curious. If there was no indication as to what the article was about, they may not have wanted to bother reading it, or picking up the magazine. However, by briefly mentioning what the article contains, people who had no prior interest may now have an interest. Flash: The word ‘plus’ creates the impression that there’s even more in the article than the reader thought, making them excited to read the article, so they want to buy the magazine. Featured article photo/main image: The main image for the cover is in black and white. This creates an appearance of sophistication, which is done to appeal to the target audience. The average reader age for Mojo is 43, which is a lot older than many other music magazines. Because of this, the publishers want to make the magazine continue to appeal to them, as not many other magazines do. This will keep their audience, and they’ll continue to sell well. The photo is a medium close up, however, this isn’t used on every cover (see previous slide). Mojo use different camerawork for each shoot that they do. Repetition: The cover repeats the idea of putting an important, stand-out bit of information in a brightly coloured box. This ensures that the information is noticed by the audience, so the information chosen to go in the boxes will be things that the publishers want people to know about. For example, saying “the only interview” appeals to the audience, as they see it as an exclusive interview that other magazines don’t have, and therefore other people won’t have read it. Mojo want to make sure that the reader knows this exists, and so they use the box to catch their eye, meaning that more readers will see it, and more people may end up buying it. Headline: The font for the headline is different to the rest of the text on the cover, making it a focal point. While the colour fits in with the rest of the colour scheme, none of the nearby text is the same colour, which makes the headline stand out against its surroundings. The tracking between the letters is quite big, so that the headline fills the width of the page, creating a sense of importance. Barcode, date line and price: Mojo have chosen to put the barcode, date line and price in the bottom corner of the cover. This suggests that it’s not a majorly important part of the cover to them, and they don’t want to audience to notice it. They want the audience to be drawn in by the cover, and not notice the price, as they may not want to pay for the magazine. Colour scheme: The colour scheme is mainly blue, red and black, with small amounts of white. Sticking to one colour scheme makes the cover look clean and tidy, whereas using a collection of random colours would look messy and careless. Readers are more likely to buy the magazine if it looks professional.
Main image: The main image is a black and white photograph. However, whereas the cover that I analysed was a very clean style of black and white, this one appears more like an old photograph. As Mojo is a magazine which prides itself of articles about older, classic bands, this style fits in with their aim and target audience. The image is shot with low lighting, which creates shadows on half of the characters face. This creates an aura of mystery, intriguing the reader and making them want to read on. The character is holding a prop, which is a guitar. The magazine is very proud of their music knowledge, and want to show this off to the audience, so they represented this through the inclusion of a guitar in the main image. White space: The masthead has white space on each side. This draws attention to the masthead, making it the focal point. This area of the cover is in a 50% text, 50% space balance, but the text is placed in the centre, splitting up the white space, and ensuring that the readers eye is drawn to the masthead. Date line and issue number: The contents page has the date line and issue number just like the cover. Just like on the cover, the text is very small, showing that it’s less important than the rest of information on the page. It’s also separated from the rest of the text with the use of lines. Page numbers: The bottom corner of the page has the page numbers. This is repeated throughout the entire magazine, as it makes it easier for the reader to navigate through the magazine. The text is very small, as it’s not supposed to be there to be a major part of the cover. It’s only intended to be there for when the reader actually needs it, so it’s kept small and out of the way. The positioning of the page number is conventional to magazines, as most magazines will put their page numbers in either the bottom or top right hand corner. This is to ensure that it’s easy for the reader to find. The name of the magazine is printed at the side of the of the page number, in the same font as the logo. This repetition is to make sure that the logo is constantly in the readers mind, reminding them that they’re reading Mojo and making the logo easily recognisable. Masthead: The masthead is the usual logo for Mojo, repeating it and making it recognisable to the reader. The font is the biggest on the page, showing that this is a very important part to the page. The font is also is black, which contrasts with the white background, making the masthead stand out to the reader. It also ties in with the theme of having everything in black and white. Banner: The contents page in every magazine that Mojo publishes contains a banner. The banner is in smaller text than the masthead, and is positioned beneath it, showing that it is intended as a secondary piece of text to support the masthead. In each magazine, the same format for the banner is used. The start of the phrase “London. Memphis.” remains the same, however the last place name in the list changes with each edition. This creates consistency for the contents pages, establishing a recognisable trend. It’s also intriguing for audiences, as they’ll be curious to know what the next place to be featured will be. Layout: The layout for the contents page is very conventional to other magazines. The articles are listed down the side of the page in a bold font, with a description of what they contain in smaller text underneath. This shows a distinct hierarchy, as the names of the articles are intended to be seen first, with the descriptions read after, once the initial interest of the reader has been grabbed. The page numbers are to the left of the list in a different colour, separating them from the rest of the text, making sure that the reader’s eyes aren’t drawn to them instead of the more important text. The cover story is between two lines, making it stand out from the rest of the text on the page, so that it’s easy to find for the readers who bought the magazine in order to read the cover story. Pull quote: A pull quote, along with a short description of who said it, is included on the contents page to interest the reader and make them want to read that article. The text is separated from the rest, by using a larger font, however, not putting it in bold like the sub headings. No other text on the cover is like this, making it unique so that it stands out from the rest of the page.
Layout: The page is split horizontally with a balance of 50% image and 50% text. This makes the layout very simple and easy to read the text. As the target audience for Mojo is older adults, the publishers use this layout in order to try to appeal to them. A crowded design is more youthful, and wouldn’t appeal to most of the readers of the magazine. There’s a clear hierarchy with the text, shown in the different font styles and sizes used. The masthead is at the top of the hierarchy, as it’s the biggest, with the reference being the lowest on the hierarchy, as the text is the smallest on the page. The hierarchy directs how the audience should read the text on the page. The publishers want them to start with the masthead, in order to grab their attention. They then want them to move on to the cover line, in order to gain more of an overview of what the article is about. The next piece of text for them to read is the actual article. This isn’t at the top of the hierarchy as the publishers want to grip the audience with the masthead and cover line first. If they delve straight into the article, the readers may get bored and stop reading once they find out what the article is about. However, they get to find out what the article is about first if they read the cover line before the article. This hierarchy is also shown in the type contrast, as the font used for the masthead and cover line is different to the font used for the article. Main image: The main image is of the band the article is written about. The shot used is a medium close up, to allow the reader to feel like they’re close to the band. The image takes up the full bottom half of the page, making it the focal point of the page. This implies that the text is only there to support the image, and give extra information to the reader. Once they see the image, they may be curious to find out more. The props used are pies thrown all over the characters. This conveys that they’re playful, which ties in with the masthead, allowing the reader to find out about their personalities before even starting to read the article. Masthead: The masthead uses the colour yellow in order to convey the idea on fun, which parallels what is written, as well as the idea being conveyed by the image. The repetition of the word fun reinforces this idea, as well as catching the reader’s attention with the use of rule of three. The change in punctuation for the final “fun” would interest the reader into reading the article, as they become curious at why it was used, and why the third word is a question rather than an exclamation like the first two. Cover line: The cover line is written in yellow boxes, in order to match the colour of the masthead, and make the text stand out. Most of the text is in black, in order to contrast the bright background and make the text readable. However, certain sections are in red, making them more noticeable from the rest of the cover line. Credits: In the cover line are credits, including the writer. This is so that the audience know who wrote the article, and, if they want to read more by him, they can do. The publishers want the writer to get the credit that he deserves, so they put his name in red, to make him stand out against the rest of the cover line. Reference: A reference is used to give the readers information about when and where the image was taken. This isn’t necessary to their enjoyment of the article, so it’s written in the smallest font, and is positioned at the side of the page where it’s out of the way, and won’t be the first thing that the reader notices. Page numbers: The page number is in very small text in the bottom corner of the page. The text is small as it’s not a part of the article, and is just to aid the reader in navigation through the magazine, so it doesn’t need to be in a large text. Page numbers are a convention in magazines, so the readers will know where to find them anyway. Article: A drop cap is used to open the article, clearly showing where the article starts, so that it’s easy for the reader to see where the article starts. A smaller drop cap is used later on in the article to show the reader that it’s the start of a new section. The text is set out in 3 columns to make it easy for the reader to follow.
Examples of Rock Sound magazine covers
Masthead: The masthead is large and bold, but is in a very simple font, making it clear to see, so that the audience can easily read it and know what the magazine is. The name of the magazine is very self explanatory, as it focuses on rock music. By using this name, people who are unfamiliar with the magazine will instantly know what to expect inside, so even if they’re new to Rock Sound, they may have an interest simply because they’re a fan of rock music. Around the ‘R’ in the work ‘Rock’ is a circle, with the colour of the outer ring matching the colour of the masthead. This is a logo, which makes the magazine easily recognisable to an audience, so that they can familiarise themselves. After research, I found that Rock Sound have changed their logo a few times since their first edition. This shows that they want to keep up to date with new trends by changing their style to fit with what’s current, suggesting that they’ll also do this with their articles, by following interesting and current bands. On average the audience of Rock Sound is in their early 20’s, so they’ll want to know about the music that’s being released now. Featured article photo: Rock Sound usually feature bands on their covers rather than singular artists (see previous slide) so they tend to use different camerawork to other magazines, in order to fit the whole band in. Here, they used a medium long shot to make sure than the whole band is visible to the reader. This allows the reader to become familiar with the whole band. The costumes that the characters are wearing are coordinated with it each other, in similar colours and styles. This allows them to appear as a whole rather than five individuals, allowing the audience to see their bond as a band. People who haven’t heard of the band before will see this and thing that they’ll have a strong connection with each other, leading to better music, and may be more interested in reading the article inside the magazine. The blocking of the characters places the lead singer at the in the centre of the cover, slightly in front of the other members. Lead singers in bands are usually the most recognisable, so choosing this particular blocking allows the band to be easily recognisable to their fans, so they’re more likely to buy the magazine. The photo uses key lighting and filler lighting to ensure that every band member is fully lit and can be seen clearly. Menu strip: The menu strip allows the reader to easily see what other bands are going to be in the magazine without having to look inside. This makes it easier to see, meaning that, when they pass the magazine on the shelf, they have more chance of noticing it. If they see the name of a band that they like, they are more likely to pick up the magazine and possibly buy it. The text is in white and yellow text, which makes it stand out against the dark background, so there’s more chance of the audience noticing it. By putting the band names in alternating colours, there’s a clear differentiation between them, meaning that the text is easier to read, and it is less confusing, particularly for people who aren’t familiar with the bands and could struggle to read the names if they didn’t already know them.Website: Rock Sound put their website domain with the barcode, so that if people want to find out more, they can do easily. However, the text is small and in the bottom corner, meaning that the publishers would rather the readers bought that magazine than read the article for free online, so they try to make the text less easy to notice. Barcode, date line and price: The barcode, date line and price is on a white background so that it can be seen on the dark background. However, it’s small and in the bottom corner, meaning that it’s not intended to be the focus of the cover. Layout: The layout of the cover is quite crowded and busy. As Rock Sound has a younger target audience, they want their cover to appeal to them, so they give it a more youthful look Headline: The headline is in a bold font so that it stands out to the audience, in order to catch their eye. The colour of the text fits in with the colour scheme of the rest of the cover, which is mainly red with white and yellow and small amounts of black and blue. The headline has been put in a box, which makes the background of the text white rather than just the main image, so the text is easier to read. The box makes the headline stand out to the audience even more. Sub heading, sub image and cover line: This is used to show the audience other articles that are in the magazine, so that even if they aren’t interested in the band on the main image, they may be interested in the other articles, and they can easily see what else is available to them. The text is in a red box, which allows it to stand out against the main image, as well as fitting in with the colour scheme. The sub images tie in with the text to make the sub headings stand out even more. Pull quotes are used to give extra information to increase the audience’s interest.
Main image: The main image takes up around half of the space on the page, making it the focal point of the contents page. It acts as the background for the page, with the rest of the information layered over the top. The character in the image is shot using a medium close up, conveying the idea that the reader will be able to be close to him and find out information, however there will still be some distance, and the interview isn’t going to be a tell-all. A shallow depth of field is also used to blur the background and force the audience’s focus onto the character of the image rather than the background. The background in the image is barely visible, ensuring that the reader is focused on the character. Key lighting and fill lighting are used to light the character’s full face, and make sure that there’s no shadows across it, so that the reader can clearly see him. Colour scheme: The colour of the text are white and light blue. The colour blue is used to match the clothes that the character is wearing, as he is wearing a light blue striped t- shirt. The colour black is also included in the cover, as the background for the list of articles and for the a small amount of text. This ties into the characters costume too, as his t- shirt has black stripes, as well as his jacket and glasses. Masthead: The text for the masthead is in the largest font of all of the text. This places it the highest on the hierarchy, making it the most important part of the page. However, the font style and colour is the same as the sub headings, making sure that all of the text ties in with each other and the page works as a whole. Date line and issue number: The date line and issue number are both beneath the masthead in a smaller text, placing them lower down on the hierarchy. They’re not intended to be the first thing noticed, instead being put there in case the reader needs them. Very little leading is left between the masthead and the date line/issue number, as neither of them are a part of the actual information on the contents page, so they’re kept separate in their own space. and a small description of the article beneath. By following the conventions, it’s easy for the reader to recognise that this is the contents page, as there isn’t a headline to inform them. Shapes: The use of a block shape for a cover line allows for the text to stand out against the rest of the text on the page, so that it’s easily noticeable for the reader. The colour of the box also fits in with the colour scheme, as it’s light blue. There is also a long box used as a background to the contents list. This allows the text to be read, as the main background to the page is the photograph, which may make the text difficult to read as it isn’t a solid colour. Using this block allows for a solid colour background for the text, so that it’s easily readable. The colour of the box is black, which fits in with the colour scheme and contrasts the lighter coloured text, so that the text is able to stand out. Pull quote: The pull quote is the only section of text which is in black, allowing it to stand out from the rest, as it’s different and unique. It’s also on a white background, which contrasts with the darker colours in the rest of the background, allowing to further stand out from the rest of the page. If the text stands out, the audience’s eyes will be drawn here first. The quote has been carefully chosen to create peak interest in the readers. Rock Sound is a magazine focused on rock music, so the mention of Justin Bieber, who is a pop artist, is unusual for the reader. This will make them curious to read the article, as they’ll wonder how a pop artist fits in here, so they’re more likely to read the article. The page number of the article which the pull quote is from is next to the quote, allowing the reader to easily find the article that the quote is from. The page number is also in light blue, which fits in with the colour scheme followed on this page. Website: The URL to the Rock Sound website is at the bottom of the page, beside the page number. The text is the smallest on the page, showing that’s lowest in the hierarchy and isn’t intended to be noticed first. However, when the reader does look at the page number, they’ll see the URL. Firstly, this reinforces the name of the magazine, so the reader is more likely to remember it. It also means that readers who didn’t know about the website will be able to find out about it, and can then look it up if they’re curious, making the text subtle publicity for the website. Layout: The layout is the same style as the other contents pages. It follows the same conventions by having the articles in a list down the side of the page, with the sub headings in bold, the page numbers in a different colour to the left,
Pull quote: The pull quote is used to draw the reader into reading the article, especially if they’re just flicking through the magazine. The text used is almost the same size as the masthead, putting it high in importance in the hierarchy, showing that the publishers want the readers to notice the pull quote. Shapes: Boxes are used to separate the article text from the background image. This makes it easier for the readers to see the text, as there is a more solid background. However, the shapes are quite faded, so that the audience can still see the background image, showing that the background image is of high importance, and the publishers don’t want to cover it up. Cover line: The cover line is in a white text, which doesn’t stand out against the light coloured background. The size of the text is also quite small, and the font style is quite thin. It’s also positioned in the top corner of the page, so that it’s out of the way. These features make the cover line quite difficult for the reader to see. This suggests that the cover line isn’t used as an important part of the page, and the publisher’s don’t see it as an important thing for them to read. The cover line is intended to support the rest of the article, rather than being used to draw the readers in to the article. The baseline for the cover line is a slight slant, whereas the rest of the text on the page is horizontal, creating a separation between the sections of text. Layout: The article is set out in two blocks, which are positioned on each page. This is designed more to look appealing to the readers, rather than being easy to read and follow, as the target audience are younger, and would prefer an interesting layout to a clean one. However, the text is still well organised, as it’s kept in the boxes rather than being scattered around the page. Each section of text (the article, the cover line and the pull quote) are positioned in each corner of the pages, leaving the centre of the page free of text, so that the band in the image is visible to the reader. This is to make the image the focal point of the pages, with the text supporting the image. Main image: The main image is a medium long shot of the band the article is written about. All of the members are wearing similar outfits, as they’re all in black and dark colours. This conveys the idea to the readers that they are a unit, rather than individual people. The main image is used as the background for the pages, making this image of the band the point of focus of the page. Sub image: The only sub image on the page is the image of the band’s album cover. It’s quite small, therefore making it less important than the main image. It isn’t intended to be a focal point for the pages, instead being used as support for the article, as it discusses their album. The sub image is used so that the readers know what the band’s album cover looks like, helping them to find it if they’re interested after reading the article. Graphic art: The graphic art is a logo, which is used throughout Rock Sound Magazine, therefore making it recognisable to the readers. It is to show that the band featured have a song on the free CD which comes with that edition of the magazine. As it is in yellow, it stands out from the rest of the page, drawing in the reader’s eye, so that it’s one of the first things that they notice about the pages. Colour scheme: The colour scheme is very simple for these pages. The text is all white, so that it stands out against the background image, which is quite dark. The boxes used as a background for the text are black, to create a solid contrast against the white text. The boxes also match the darker tones in the main image. The only diversion from this colour scheme is the graphic art, so that it stands out on the page.
Conventions Definition: a ​common way of ​showing something in ​art or writing Conventions of a magazine are aspects that are common throughout many different magazines. Mainly, conventions are seen within the style of the magazine (e.g. colour, fonts, etc.) however can also include things like writing style. Masthead A common convention with the magazines I have analysed is that the masthead is placed at the top of the cover page and is the biggest text on the page, placing it higher in the hierarchy. This is something that I will consider when creating my own magazine cover. Page numbers On all of the magazines I have analysed, there has been page numbers in the bottom corner of the page. This is seen in every magazine, regardless of genre or style, and it is therefore very important that I include page numbers in my magazine. Pull quotes All three of the magazines here have used pull quotes in some way, often on more than one occasion. Pull quotes are extremely important to magazines, as they are very effective at attracting the reader’s attention and encouraging them to read the article. I’m going to ensure that I include pull quotes in my magazine too because of this. Featured article photo The cover of a magazine always has a main image which covers most of the page. This image is of an artist who has an article about them within the magazine. I noticed that for single artists on the cover, medium close up shots are often used to convey a more intimate feel, whereas band photos are taken with long shots in order to fit in more people. This is something that I will need to take into account when choosing who will feature on my cover. Contents page Under each subheading on the contents pages, there’s a small description of what the article is about in smaller text, to give a bit more information to the reader. This is used on all 3 contents pages that I analysed, so I will also use it on mine.

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Textual analysis

  • 2. Examples of Q magazine covers
  • 3. Masthead: The red and white combination of the masthead and title stands out on the cover, making the magazine stand out on the shelf. Also, by putting the title in a block, the design of the magazine is separated from others, as most magazines are just a title on the regular background. This makes Q unique, representing their aim to be different to other magazines and include articles that others wouldn’t. The colour red isn’t associated with any particular gender, so the key audience for Q is both men and women. Red also has connotations with the feelings of love and passion, representing the passion the magazine and the readers have for music. Each magazine has the same colour masthead, making them easily recognisable. Buzz word: The word “exclusive” is used to interest the audience in the article. This makes the reader feel like the article is individual to them and they are more inclined to want to read it. It also makes Q seem like a more unique magazine, as they have articles that no other magazine has. The font is in bold, making it stand out to the reader. Barcode, date line and price: The barcode, date line and price is a convention of magazines. They are all necessary to give important information. The date allows the audience to recognise when the magazine was published, allowing them to see that the magazine is current and new. If the reader is a collector of the magazine, the date will allow them to remember when they purchased that particular edition. The price allows the reader to know how much they’re paying, however, it’s in very small text, as the publishers want the magazine the sell. The price isn’t going to convince them so buy the magazine, and some may even decide not to buy the magazine due to the price, so it is kept small and barely noticeable. The barcode is clear and separate from the headlines, so that it’s easy to see, therefore making it easy to scan. Headline: The headline is in a large, bold font so that it stands out to the readers. This makes it immediately obvious what the main article of the edition is. Fans of Robbie Williams who don’t usually read Q will also be attracted by this as they’ll want to read the article about him, so will buy the magazine. Featured article photo/main image: The image used on the cover of the magazine is always an artist which the magazine has done a feature article on in that publication. The camerawork for the photo used is a medium close up, as are many of the photos used on the front cover of Q (see previous slide). The medium close up makes the reader feel like they’re closer to the artist in the photo, and therefore it feels more personal, presenting the idea that the article on them inside the magazine will be personal too. This makes the reader want to read the article more as they feel like they’re going to find out lots of new information. High key lighting is used, which creates a bright image, and suggests happiness and positivity. However, the shadows on the side of the face suggest that fill lighting wasn’t used. The shadows create a slightly darker feel, representing that some of the article is going to be about more serious topics. Colour scheme: The colour scheme for the cover is a combination of red, white, black and grey. The background is white, which makes all of the text stand out against it, particularly the red and black. This makes the cover stand out on the shelves, so that people easily notice it when they look. The costume for the character also fits in with this colour scheme, as he is wearing red. Not only does this make him stand out against the background along with the text, it creates a sense of unison with the magazine, and gives the impression that he has a connection with it, therefore suggesting to the audience that there’s also going to be a connection within the article about him. Pull quote: Pull quotes are short quotes taken from an article in the magazine, often from the main article from the featured cover artist. They are used to give snippets of what the reader can expect to find if they read the article, encouraging them to buy the magazine. In this case, the quotes that have been chosen are presented like secrets that have never been told in any other interview before. After reading them, the audience will want to know more; they’ll want to see if there’s more to the story and if there’s more secrets. They’ll then be more likely to purchase the magazine out of curiosity. The pull quotes are presented in speech bubbles. This makes them stand out so that they’re easily noticeable when somebody is reading the cover. It also makes them feel more like they’re actually coming from the artists mouth, making them appear to be more honest, which will intrigue the reader and make them more likely to buy the article.
  • 4. Date line: The date line is placed on the contents page as well as on the front cover, as another reminder to the audience. By putting the month of the release, it reminds the audience that the magazine is a monthly publication. The year is so that the audience can easily differentiate between the publications as they may have been collecting them for years, and it would get confusing if they didn’t have a way to tell them apart. However, the date line is in quite small text and it placed in the top right corner. As we read from left to right, this wouldn’t be the first thing that the audience notice, showing that it is not an important as the rest of the text on the page. Main image and pull quote/blurb : The main image takes up the majority of the page, showing the importance of the image, and that it is intended to be a focal point. The image is of a very well known artist, which shows that the magazine is of a high quality, as they have interviews with prominent people. The audience then trust that the magazine is worth buying. A small heading shows the name of the artist, so that, if there’s anyone who doesn’t recognise him, they can still find out who he is. The blurb under the heading is a pull quote, to show the audience a brief part of the article, so that they and easily decide if they want to read it. This section of writing is in a white box, to ensure that the text is easily readable against the image. The camerawork for this image is different to the cover. Most of the covers for Q use medium close up shots, however a medium shot is used here. The image on the cover is also usually very well lit, but the lighting here appears softer. If the reader is on the contents page, the main image isn’t necessarily needed to encourage them to pick up the magazine, as they’re already reading. Therefore, they create a much more subtle image which ties in to the look of the page, creating a very sophisticated look. Hierarchy: The text in the contents is in a hierarchy, which is dictated by the font size and colour. The sub headings, which are the headlines for the individual articles, are in a larger font. The text is slightly bold and written in capital letters. This is to put the sub headings at the top of the hierarchy. They are intended to be the first thing that the reader sees as they scan down the list, giving them the most important information first. From this, they are able to quickly scan down the list to find the articles that they want to read. On the same line as the sub heading is the page numbers. These are in red rather than black, and are separated from the sub headings with a small line. While the text is a different colour to make it stand out and be easily readable, the page numbers are very close to the side of the page, suggesting that, while they are important for the reader, they’re not the focal point, and they’re slightly lower down in the hierarchy. Below each sub heading is a description of the article. The font size that the two previous areas, and they aren’t written in capital letters like the sub headings. By doing this, and positioning the description below the sub headings, it suggests that this is the least important section, and is intended to be read last. After reading the subheadings and finding out what articles are available, the reader can find out more information by reading the description. Logo: The logo for Q magazine is used as the masthead on the cover, and is repeated on the contents page, which is easily recognisable to an audience. It also allows people to see that this belongs to Q, so if they see the page without being told prior, they know who owns the copyright. Sub image: The sub image is related to a side article in the magazine. It’s much smaller than the main image, showing that it’s not intended to be the focal point. However, the article is important and the publishers want the audience to know about it, so they advertise it more than other articles by using a sub image. Shapes: The use of square box shapes is repeated throughout the page. They are solid blocks of colour, which contrast the blank background, making them stand out to the readers, and drawing their eyes to this area. The boxes are used for the headlines, which separate the rest of the information into easy-to-read sections. Putting the headlines and boxes makes it even easier to separate these sections to the readers. The text in the boxes is white, which also allows it to be easily readable, by standing out. Composition: The layout of the contents page is set out in a 3x3 grid. This creates a very simple and clean look for the page, by ensuring that information isn’t scattered around. The page is much easier to read this way. Colour scheme: The colour red, white and black make up the colour scheme for this page. Most of the covers for Q magazine also follow a similar colour scheme, sometimes adding in extra colours for effect. However, the main colour scheme is these three colours. This makes Q recognisable to readers, as they follow a similar style for each publication.
  • 5. Layout: The layout for this spread is very simplistic. The left page is solely an image of the artist. As it takes up the full page, it is the focal point of the article, drawing the readers eye towards it. On the opposite page is the article. The background is white with red graphic art in the shape of a D. From research, I’ve found that this is a common design feature of Q magazine. They often use this design for their main feature article, using the first letter of the artist’s name for the graphic art. This makes the double page spread recognisable as being from Q magazine. The colour used for the graphic art is red, which ties in with the colour scheme that is usually used in Q, as it’s the same colour as their masthead. The composition of the right page is a 3 column grid. Underneath the cover line, the text for the article is set in 3 columns, with clear alleys to separate the sections of text. This makes the article look very easy to read, so it’s appealing to the reader. There is a hierarchy in the text, with the cover line in a larger, bolder text with a different font style to the rest of the article. There’s very little white space on the page as the article takes up he majority of the space, suggesting to the reader that there’s lots of information, so the magazine was worth their money. Main image: The main image is a photograph which is shot using a medium close up, allowing the reader to be close enough to feel like they’re getting an honest interview, however, enough distance is left to create an aura of mystery around him. It is in black and white to convey the idea of sophistication and maturity. The artist in the image is only young, and he wants to be taken seriously by the adult readers, so he adds the black and white filter to try to appeal to them more. This is reinforced by the character’s costume, as he is wearing a suit and tie, in order to make himself appear to be more professional to the readers. He has a prop, which is a microphone hanging around his neck. This conveys to the audience that the artist is serious about music. The target audience for Q is older, and they may not be interested in a younger artist, so he’s trying to convince them to read the articles by showing that he is serious about what he’s doing. Drop cap: A drop cap us used at the beginning of the cover line. This grabs the attention of the reader as it stands out. If their eye is drawn to the text, they will likely carry on reading the cover line. From this, they can decide if they want to continue with the article. Cover line: Interestingly, a masthead isn’t used to introduce the article. Instead, a cover line is used. Usually a masthead grips the reader, however the article is about an upcoming artist, so if the publishers used his name as a masthead, the majority of readers wouldn’t know who he is, and therefore wouldn’t bother to read the article. Using a cover line allows the readers to learn who the artist is, so they can decide if they want to read the article from that. Page numbers: The page numbers are quite large a the bottom of the page, so that they’re easily readable for the audience, allowing for quick navigation through the magazine. Next to the page number is a sub heading to tell the audience what the article is, so that, if they’re just flicking through to find a page number, and they forget where they need to be, the sub heading can help them find the right article. Colour scheme: The main colour scheme is black and white, with red for the graphic art. This colour scheme fits with the rest of Q magazine, creating a sense of cohesion between the different pages in the magazine.
  • 6. Examples of Mojo magazine covers
  • 7. Plug: The free CD is a key part of Mojo magazine, as they release a new one with each publication, so fans of the magazine will already know about it. However, new readers won’t, so by putting a plug on the cover, new readers will be able to find out immediately that there’s a free CD, and they’ll be curious about what it is, so they’ll want to know more. The colours of the plug are intended to stand out on the shelves. The yellow box is the only area of the cover in this colour, so it’s very obvious against the rest of the colour scheme. The black text in the yellow box also stands out, as the colours contrast, meaning that the yellow background will first attract the attention of the viewer, then the text will stand out to them and they’ll read it. Masthead: The masthead is behind the main image, meaning that the publishers have confidence that the magazine is recognisable despite not being able to see the full name. The font is bold, and is designed to look like it has a shadow, which creates a 3-dimensional impression, making the masthead standout, despite not being able to see the whole thing. Like with Q, the colour is gender neutral, suggesting that the magazine isn’t aimed to any particular gender. The term ‘mojo’ is defined as ‘a magic charm, talisman, or spell’ or ‘influence, especially magic power’ in the Oxford dictionary. By choosing this name, the idea that the magazine is unique and special is enforced. Sub image: The sub image is related to an article inside the magazine. This is used to attract the audience, as if they recognise the person in the image, they’ll be more inclined to pick up the magazine. Cover line: The cover line give the reader an insight into the article featured on the cover. Here, it suggests that the article is going to be about the journey of the artist from her beginnings. This interests fans, as they’ll want to know the story, but also could be of interest to people who are just curious. If there was no indication as to what the article was about, they may not have wanted to bother reading it, or picking up the magazine. However, by briefly mentioning what the article contains, people who had no prior interest may now have an interest. Flash: The word ‘plus’ creates the impression that there’s even more in the article than the reader thought, making them excited to read the article, so they want to buy the magazine. Featured article photo/main image: The main image for the cover is in black and white. This creates an appearance of sophistication, which is done to appeal to the target audience. The average reader age for Mojo is 43, which is a lot older than many other music magazines. Because of this, the publishers want to make the magazine continue to appeal to them, as not many other magazines do. This will keep their audience, and they’ll continue to sell well. The photo is a medium close up, however, this isn’t used on every cover (see previous slide). Mojo use different camerawork for each shoot that they do. Repetition: The cover repeats the idea of putting an important, stand-out bit of information in a brightly coloured box. This ensures that the information is noticed by the audience, so the information chosen to go in the boxes will be things that the publishers want people to know about. For example, saying “the only interview” appeals to the audience, as they see it as an exclusive interview that other magazines don’t have, and therefore other people won’t have read it. Mojo want to make sure that the reader knows this exists, and so they use the box to catch their eye, meaning that more readers will see it, and more people may end up buying it. Headline: The font for the headline is different to the rest of the text on the cover, making it a focal point. While the colour fits in with the rest of the colour scheme, none of the nearby text is the same colour, which makes the headline stand out against its surroundings. The tracking between the letters is quite big, so that the headline fills the width of the page, creating a sense of importance. Barcode, date line and price: Mojo have chosen to put the barcode, date line and price in the bottom corner of the cover. This suggests that it’s not a majorly important part of the cover to them, and they don’t want to audience to notice it. They want the audience to be drawn in by the cover, and not notice the price, as they may not want to pay for the magazine. Colour scheme: The colour scheme is mainly blue, red and black, with small amounts of white. Sticking to one colour scheme makes the cover look clean and tidy, whereas using a collection of random colours would look messy and careless. Readers are more likely to buy the magazine if it looks professional.
  • 8. Main image: The main image is a black and white photograph. However, whereas the cover that I analysed was a very clean style of black and white, this one appears more like an old photograph. As Mojo is a magazine which prides itself of articles about older, classic bands, this style fits in with their aim and target audience. The image is shot with low lighting, which creates shadows on half of the characters face. This creates an aura of mystery, intriguing the reader and making them want to read on. The character is holding a prop, which is a guitar. The magazine is very proud of their music knowledge, and want to show this off to the audience, so they represented this through the inclusion of a guitar in the main image. White space: The masthead has white space on each side. This draws attention to the masthead, making it the focal point. This area of the cover is in a 50% text, 50% space balance, but the text is placed in the centre, splitting up the white space, and ensuring that the readers eye is drawn to the masthead. Date line and issue number: The contents page has the date line and issue number just like the cover. Just like on the cover, the text is very small, showing that it’s less important than the rest of information on the page. It’s also separated from the rest of the text with the use of lines. Page numbers: The bottom corner of the page has the page numbers. This is repeated throughout the entire magazine, as it makes it easier for the reader to navigate through the magazine. The text is very small, as it’s not supposed to be there to be a major part of the cover. It’s only intended to be there for when the reader actually needs it, so it’s kept small and out of the way. The positioning of the page number is conventional to magazines, as most magazines will put their page numbers in either the bottom or top right hand corner. This is to ensure that it’s easy for the reader to find. The name of the magazine is printed at the side of the of the page number, in the same font as the logo. This repetition is to make sure that the logo is constantly in the readers mind, reminding them that they’re reading Mojo and making the logo easily recognisable. Masthead: The masthead is the usual logo for Mojo, repeating it and making it recognisable to the reader. The font is the biggest on the page, showing that this is a very important part to the page. The font is also is black, which contrasts with the white background, making the masthead stand out to the reader. It also ties in with the theme of having everything in black and white. Banner: The contents page in every magazine that Mojo publishes contains a banner. The banner is in smaller text than the masthead, and is positioned beneath it, showing that it is intended as a secondary piece of text to support the masthead. In each magazine, the same format for the banner is used. The start of the phrase “London. Memphis.” remains the same, however the last place name in the list changes with each edition. This creates consistency for the contents pages, establishing a recognisable trend. It’s also intriguing for audiences, as they’ll be curious to know what the next place to be featured will be. Layout: The layout for the contents page is very conventional to other magazines. The articles are listed down the side of the page in a bold font, with a description of what they contain in smaller text underneath. This shows a distinct hierarchy, as the names of the articles are intended to be seen first, with the descriptions read after, once the initial interest of the reader has been grabbed. The page numbers are to the left of the list in a different colour, separating them from the rest of the text, making sure that the reader’s eyes aren’t drawn to them instead of the more important text. The cover story is between two lines, making it stand out from the rest of the text on the page, so that it’s easy to find for the readers who bought the magazine in order to read the cover story. Pull quote: A pull quote, along with a short description of who said it, is included on the contents page to interest the reader and make them want to read that article. The text is separated from the rest, by using a larger font, however, not putting it in bold like the sub headings. No other text on the cover is like this, making it unique so that it stands out from the rest of the page.
  • 9. Layout: The page is split horizontally with a balance of 50% image and 50% text. This makes the layout very simple and easy to read the text. As the target audience for Mojo is older adults, the publishers use this layout in order to try to appeal to them. A crowded design is more youthful, and wouldn’t appeal to most of the readers of the magazine. There’s a clear hierarchy with the text, shown in the different font styles and sizes used. The masthead is at the top of the hierarchy, as it’s the biggest, with the reference being the lowest on the hierarchy, as the text is the smallest on the page. The hierarchy directs how the audience should read the text on the page. The publishers want them to start with the masthead, in order to grab their attention. They then want them to move on to the cover line, in order to gain more of an overview of what the article is about. The next piece of text for them to read is the actual article. This isn’t at the top of the hierarchy as the publishers want to grip the audience with the masthead and cover line first. If they delve straight into the article, the readers may get bored and stop reading once they find out what the article is about. However, they get to find out what the article is about first if they read the cover line before the article. This hierarchy is also shown in the type contrast, as the font used for the masthead and cover line is different to the font used for the article. Main image: The main image is of the band the article is written about. The shot used is a medium close up, to allow the reader to feel like they’re close to the band. The image takes up the full bottom half of the page, making it the focal point of the page. This implies that the text is only there to support the image, and give extra information to the reader. Once they see the image, they may be curious to find out more. The props used are pies thrown all over the characters. This conveys that they’re playful, which ties in with the masthead, allowing the reader to find out about their personalities before even starting to read the article. Masthead: The masthead uses the colour yellow in order to convey the idea on fun, which parallels what is written, as well as the idea being conveyed by the image. The repetition of the word fun reinforces this idea, as well as catching the reader’s attention with the use of rule of three. The change in punctuation for the final “fun” would interest the reader into reading the article, as they become curious at why it was used, and why the third word is a question rather than an exclamation like the first two. Cover line: The cover line is written in yellow boxes, in order to match the colour of the masthead, and make the text stand out. Most of the text is in black, in order to contrast the bright background and make the text readable. However, certain sections are in red, making them more noticeable from the rest of the cover line. Credits: In the cover line are credits, including the writer. This is so that the audience know who wrote the article, and, if they want to read more by him, they can do. The publishers want the writer to get the credit that he deserves, so they put his name in red, to make him stand out against the rest of the cover line. Reference: A reference is used to give the readers information about when and where the image was taken. This isn’t necessary to their enjoyment of the article, so it’s written in the smallest font, and is positioned at the side of the page where it’s out of the way, and won’t be the first thing that the reader notices. Page numbers: The page number is in very small text in the bottom corner of the page. The text is small as it’s not a part of the article, and is just to aid the reader in navigation through the magazine, so it doesn’t need to be in a large text. Page numbers are a convention in magazines, so the readers will know where to find them anyway. Article: A drop cap is used to open the article, clearly showing where the article starts, so that it’s easy for the reader to see where the article starts. A smaller drop cap is used later on in the article to show the reader that it’s the start of a new section. The text is set out in 3 columns to make it easy for the reader to follow.
  • 10. Examples of Rock Sound magazine covers
  • 11. Masthead: The masthead is large and bold, but is in a very simple font, making it clear to see, so that the audience can easily read it and know what the magazine is. The name of the magazine is very self explanatory, as it focuses on rock music. By using this name, people who are unfamiliar with the magazine will instantly know what to expect inside, so even if they’re new to Rock Sound, they may have an interest simply because they’re a fan of rock music. Around the ‘R’ in the work ‘Rock’ is a circle, with the colour of the outer ring matching the colour of the masthead. This is a logo, which makes the magazine easily recognisable to an audience, so that they can familiarise themselves. After research, I found that Rock Sound have changed their logo a few times since their first edition. This shows that they want to keep up to date with new trends by changing their style to fit with what’s current, suggesting that they’ll also do this with their articles, by following interesting and current bands. On average the audience of Rock Sound is in their early 20’s, so they’ll want to know about the music that’s being released now. Featured article photo: Rock Sound usually feature bands on their covers rather than singular artists (see previous slide) so they tend to use different camerawork to other magazines, in order to fit the whole band in. Here, they used a medium long shot to make sure than the whole band is visible to the reader. This allows the reader to become familiar with the whole band. The costumes that the characters are wearing are coordinated with it each other, in similar colours and styles. This allows them to appear as a whole rather than five individuals, allowing the audience to see their bond as a band. People who haven’t heard of the band before will see this and thing that they’ll have a strong connection with each other, leading to better music, and may be more interested in reading the article inside the magazine. The blocking of the characters places the lead singer at the in the centre of the cover, slightly in front of the other members. Lead singers in bands are usually the most recognisable, so choosing this particular blocking allows the band to be easily recognisable to their fans, so they’re more likely to buy the magazine. The photo uses key lighting and filler lighting to ensure that every band member is fully lit and can be seen clearly. Menu strip: The menu strip allows the reader to easily see what other bands are going to be in the magazine without having to look inside. This makes it easier to see, meaning that, when they pass the magazine on the shelf, they have more chance of noticing it. If they see the name of a band that they like, they are more likely to pick up the magazine and possibly buy it. The text is in white and yellow text, which makes it stand out against the dark background, so there’s more chance of the audience noticing it. By putting the band names in alternating colours, there’s a clear differentiation between them, meaning that the text is easier to read, and it is less confusing, particularly for people who aren’t familiar with the bands and could struggle to read the names if they didn’t already know them.Website: Rock Sound put their website domain with the barcode, so that if people want to find out more, they can do easily. However, the text is small and in the bottom corner, meaning that the publishers would rather the readers bought that magazine than read the article for free online, so they try to make the text less easy to notice. Barcode, date line and price: The barcode, date line and price is on a white background so that it can be seen on the dark background. However, it’s small and in the bottom corner, meaning that it’s not intended to be the focus of the cover. Layout: The layout of the cover is quite crowded and busy. As Rock Sound has a younger target audience, they want their cover to appeal to them, so they give it a more youthful look Headline: The headline is in a bold font so that it stands out to the audience, in order to catch their eye. The colour of the text fits in with the colour scheme of the rest of the cover, which is mainly red with white and yellow and small amounts of black and blue. The headline has been put in a box, which makes the background of the text white rather than just the main image, so the text is easier to read. The box makes the headline stand out to the audience even more. Sub heading, sub image and cover line: This is used to show the audience other articles that are in the magazine, so that even if they aren’t interested in the band on the main image, they may be interested in the other articles, and they can easily see what else is available to them. The text is in a red box, which allows it to stand out against the main image, as well as fitting in with the colour scheme. The sub images tie in with the text to make the sub headings stand out even more. Pull quotes are used to give extra information to increase the audience’s interest.
  • 12. Main image: The main image takes up around half of the space on the page, making it the focal point of the contents page. It acts as the background for the page, with the rest of the information layered over the top. The character in the image is shot using a medium close up, conveying the idea that the reader will be able to be close to him and find out information, however there will still be some distance, and the interview isn’t going to be a tell-all. A shallow depth of field is also used to blur the background and force the audience’s focus onto the character of the image rather than the background. The background in the image is barely visible, ensuring that the reader is focused on the character. Key lighting and fill lighting are used to light the character’s full face, and make sure that there’s no shadows across it, so that the reader can clearly see him. Colour scheme: The colour of the text are white and light blue. The colour blue is used to match the clothes that the character is wearing, as he is wearing a light blue striped t- shirt. The colour black is also included in the cover, as the background for the list of articles and for the a small amount of text. This ties into the characters costume too, as his t- shirt has black stripes, as well as his jacket and glasses. Masthead: The text for the masthead is in the largest font of all of the text. This places it the highest on the hierarchy, making it the most important part of the page. However, the font style and colour is the same as the sub headings, making sure that all of the text ties in with each other and the page works as a whole. Date line and issue number: The date line and issue number are both beneath the masthead in a smaller text, placing them lower down on the hierarchy. They’re not intended to be the first thing noticed, instead being put there in case the reader needs them. Very little leading is left between the masthead and the date line/issue number, as neither of them are a part of the actual information on the contents page, so they’re kept separate in their own space. and a small description of the article beneath. By following the conventions, it’s easy for the reader to recognise that this is the contents page, as there isn’t a headline to inform them. Shapes: The use of a block shape for a cover line allows for the text to stand out against the rest of the text on the page, so that it’s easily noticeable for the reader. The colour of the box also fits in with the colour scheme, as it’s light blue. There is also a long box used as a background to the contents list. This allows the text to be read, as the main background to the page is the photograph, which may make the text difficult to read as it isn’t a solid colour. Using this block allows for a solid colour background for the text, so that it’s easily readable. The colour of the box is black, which fits in with the colour scheme and contrasts the lighter coloured text, so that the text is able to stand out. Pull quote: The pull quote is the only section of text which is in black, allowing it to stand out from the rest, as it’s different and unique. It’s also on a white background, which contrasts with the darker colours in the rest of the background, allowing to further stand out from the rest of the page. If the text stands out, the audience’s eyes will be drawn here first. The quote has been carefully chosen to create peak interest in the readers. Rock Sound is a magazine focused on rock music, so the mention of Justin Bieber, who is a pop artist, is unusual for the reader. This will make them curious to read the article, as they’ll wonder how a pop artist fits in here, so they’re more likely to read the article. The page number of the article which the pull quote is from is next to the quote, allowing the reader to easily find the article that the quote is from. The page number is also in light blue, which fits in with the colour scheme followed on this page. Website: The URL to the Rock Sound website is at the bottom of the page, beside the page number. The text is the smallest on the page, showing that’s lowest in the hierarchy and isn’t intended to be noticed first. However, when the reader does look at the page number, they’ll see the URL. Firstly, this reinforces the name of the magazine, so the reader is more likely to remember it. It also means that readers who didn’t know about the website will be able to find out about it, and can then look it up if they’re curious, making the text subtle publicity for the website. Layout: The layout is the same style as the other contents pages. It follows the same conventions by having the articles in a list down the side of the page, with the sub headings in bold, the page numbers in a different colour to the left,
  • 13. Pull quote: The pull quote is used to draw the reader into reading the article, especially if they’re just flicking through the magazine. The text used is almost the same size as the masthead, putting it high in importance in the hierarchy, showing that the publishers want the readers to notice the pull quote. Shapes: Boxes are used to separate the article text from the background image. This makes it easier for the readers to see the text, as there is a more solid background. However, the shapes are quite faded, so that the audience can still see the background image, showing that the background image is of high importance, and the publishers don’t want to cover it up. Cover line: The cover line is in a white text, which doesn’t stand out against the light coloured background. The size of the text is also quite small, and the font style is quite thin. It’s also positioned in the top corner of the page, so that it’s out of the way. These features make the cover line quite difficult for the reader to see. This suggests that the cover line isn’t used as an important part of the page, and the publisher’s don’t see it as an important thing for them to read. The cover line is intended to support the rest of the article, rather than being used to draw the readers in to the article. The baseline for the cover line is a slight slant, whereas the rest of the text on the page is horizontal, creating a separation between the sections of text. Layout: The article is set out in two blocks, which are positioned on each page. This is designed more to look appealing to the readers, rather than being easy to read and follow, as the target audience are younger, and would prefer an interesting layout to a clean one. However, the text is still well organised, as it’s kept in the boxes rather than being scattered around the page. Each section of text (the article, the cover line and the pull quote) are positioned in each corner of the pages, leaving the centre of the page free of text, so that the band in the image is visible to the reader. This is to make the image the focal point of the pages, with the text supporting the image. Main image: The main image is a medium long shot of the band the article is written about. All of the members are wearing similar outfits, as they’re all in black and dark colours. This conveys the idea to the readers that they are a unit, rather than individual people. The main image is used as the background for the pages, making this image of the band the point of focus of the page. Sub image: The only sub image on the page is the image of the band’s album cover. It’s quite small, therefore making it less important than the main image. It isn’t intended to be a focal point for the pages, instead being used as support for the article, as it discusses their album. The sub image is used so that the readers know what the band’s album cover looks like, helping them to find it if they’re interested after reading the article. Graphic art: The graphic art is a logo, which is used throughout Rock Sound Magazine, therefore making it recognisable to the readers. It is to show that the band featured have a song on the free CD which comes with that edition of the magazine. As it is in yellow, it stands out from the rest of the page, drawing in the reader’s eye, so that it’s one of the first things that they notice about the pages. Colour scheme: The colour scheme is very simple for these pages. The text is all white, so that it stands out against the background image, which is quite dark. The boxes used as a background for the text are black, to create a solid contrast against the white text. The boxes also match the darker tones in the main image. The only diversion from this colour scheme is the graphic art, so that it stands out on the page.
  • 14. Conventions Definition: a ​common way of ​showing something in ​art or writing Conventions of a magazine are aspects that are common throughout many different magazines. Mainly, conventions are seen within the style of the magazine (e.g. colour, fonts, etc.) however can also include things like writing style. Masthead A common convention with the magazines I have analysed is that the masthead is placed at the top of the cover page and is the biggest text on the page, placing it higher in the hierarchy. This is something that I will consider when creating my own magazine cover. Page numbers On all of the magazines I have analysed, there has been page numbers in the bottom corner of the page. This is seen in every magazine, regardless of genre or style, and it is therefore very important that I include page numbers in my magazine. Pull quotes All three of the magazines here have used pull quotes in some way, often on more than one occasion. Pull quotes are extremely important to magazines, as they are very effective at attracting the reader’s attention and encouraging them to read the article. I’m going to ensure that I include pull quotes in my magazine too because of this. Featured article photo The cover of a magazine always has a main image which covers most of the page. This image is of an artist who has an article about them within the magazine. I noticed that for single artists on the cover, medium close up shots are often used to convey a more intimate feel, whereas band photos are taken with long shots in order to fit in more people. This is something that I will need to take into account when choosing who will feature on my cover. Contents page Under each subheading on the contents pages, there’s a small description of what the article is about in smaller text, to give a bit more information to the reader. This is used on all 3 contents pages that I analysed, so I will also use it on mine.