'Vibe' cover research analysis

This is 'Vibe' the music magazine, as you can see this magazine is aimed at both women and men that are into music. This magazine offers information and gossip about a variety of music such as; R&B, John Legend, Ne-yo and Lloyd. This is so the magazine is aimed at a lot of people so it has a bigger customer base buying the magazine, which means more income for the magazine. 

The picture on the front of the magazine is a model called Ciara. Ciara is a well known music writer and this picture on the magazine will appeal to both sex's because it will appeal to the boys because she is what a boy 'needs' and likes from a women. this includes things like a slender figure, someone who they think is sexy and also this is appealing to them as she has no clothes on and is crouched down to cover herself up so the boys might want to buy this magazine because they will want to read on and see other pictures of Ciara. But she will still appeal to women because she is a great artist and people will want to know what she is doing and read more about her. This image isn't like a typical image on a music magazine cover, the models are usually stood up and it is a full length body shot rather then a crouched shot of the body. The reader could interpret the model being shy and a quiet singer if they don't know who she is. also they might think that she is scared to 'stand up' as that is the caption beside Ciara and she crouched down. the shot of ciara is in front of the masthead this means that the image is a lot more important than the title. This is a technique called layering it is very effective as it makes the image look bigger to the reader because they haven't got something over their head, it also shows the reader who is more important.  

The colours of the magazine are very dull and not very colourful. I think that the designer has done this so the text that is in red stands out a lot more and that is the text that is most important and because it is so bright this is what the reader will read first. The colour scheme follows a pattern of just a few colours which are red, black and white. 

I think the layout of the magazine makes a frame for the model which makes her seem bigger to the reader as they focus their eye on her. the only word that doesn't stick to the frame and structure of the page is the word 'Ciara' i think this is because the designer wanted this word to go across her body so the readers that don't know who she is will know that the model is Ciara. The designer has also made this word in upper case letters that are red this is so it catches the attention of a customer walking past the magazine.

As you can tell the language on the magazine is informal this is because the words that are used and also the text that is used. The language that is used is words like 'sex', 'gonna' and 'pretty ricky', these words tell the reader that it is an informal magazine because some of the words aren't pronounced properly, this could mean that the magazine has a lot of gossip,so automatically this attracts customers that like gossip and are nosey.

Finally, the masthead is nearly the same colour of the background so i think that customers might be able to read what the name of the magazine is called, this might also be because of Ciara head in the middle of the masthead. This shows that the masthead isn't that important as the designer wants people to see ciara more than the masthead because if people see an artist they like they will buy the magazine regardless of the name of it. 

Kerrang magazine cover, music magazine research

This magazine is called 'Kerrang' and this is the second magazine i am going to analyse. The first technique i am going to comment about it the masthead. This masthead is big and bold to stand out and catch the public eye. The word 'Kerrang' is in black upper case letters and has an exclamation mark at the end and this shows us that it is as if the title is being shouted out at as, also this might mean that this makes the reader think the magazine is an informal magazine. you can also tell it is an informal magazine from the font that is used. The word 'Kerrang' is cracked and this tells the reader that the music is too loud and it has shattered the letters. This is a good technique as it is different and it catches the audiences eye.

Secondly, the layout of this magazine is generally messy because all the sub-headings are thrown all over the page and the model that they have got on the front. The only part of the front cover that is in a frame is the pictures that are on the left side of the magazine, this creates a frame for the picture of the model in the middle.

The model on the magazine cover is holding a microphone, this could interpret that the model is singing and he could be singing too loud and that is also why the 'Kerrang' title is cracked and smashed like a glass window would shatter if someone was singing badly. The public could interpret that the band is rubbish at singing and then this might mean that people wont buy the magazine or the album or single that they have out. Also the model's face is in front of the title on the magazine, this is a technique called layering, this shows that the designer thinks that the model is a lot more important than the magazine, on most of the magazines the most important thing is going to be central and big on the front to people know who is in the magazine and know what genre of music it is. . This is because they think that the model will sell the magazine. This shot of the model is a model shot and it is mainly a head shot, this means that the model was ready for the photographer to take the picture and he was posing for it. Also he will get to pick the picture that he wants to be on the front cover where as a paparazzi shot is taken with out the model permission and whatever picture they get they will publish.

Finally, the colours are very dull and dark, which makes the reader think that the music is quite dull as well. The only colour that is on the page is the red for the title 'Converge', this makes the name of the band stand out to the reader which catches there attention. I think with the colours being this colour it will show the audience the genre of music that the music will be talking about inside. 

Front cover music magazine research

This magazine 'NME' has a lot of techniques to comment about. The first thing i am going to comment about is going to be the colours that the magazine uses. The magazine only uses three main colours which are; red, orange and yellow. This is like the sun or like fire, therefore this could mean that they are trying to get the point across that the magazine is on fire and is red hot to buy. These colours are also very eye catching for the public as they stand out. The colours suggest that it is a uni-sex magazine and both women and men can buy it.

The second feature i am going to talk about on the magazine is the Masthead. the masthead is very bold and stands out. It has a shadow behind the writing making the masthead stand out even more. The font of the mast head is informal and this makes the reader think that the magazine is informal as well. The masthead is the biggest thing on the front cover because the designers want it to stand out so it catches the eyes of the public.

Furthermore, the layout of the magazine creates a frame all around the body of the picture, meaning it will draw the eyes of the public to the picture. the designers haven't put any writing or anything else on the main part of the body so the readers can see all of the body as it is the main part of the front cover along with the masthead.

The picture on the front cover is very eye catching and makes the readers look as the magazine as it isn't what people usually like to see, this is because she isn't the typical thin, beautiful women with a perfect figure. The designers have done this because more people want to know what is inside the magazine and will want to read more. This is very clever as this magazine is the best selling magazine from 'NME'. The reader can also tell that this is a model picture and has been shot professionally rather then being a paparazzi shot, from this picture you can tell that she doesn't care what people think about her and her body because she is proud of what she has got. the facial expressions shows the reader that she is very sexy and likes posing a lot.

Finally, the language of this magazine shows me that it is very informal as it has words on the cover such as 'kiss my ass' in upper case letters. This means that it will usually appeal to people that have a sense of humor and like to find out a lot more. I think a magazine being informal will attract a lot more customer then a music magazine being formal.

Welcome To My Blog!

Hello, my name is Rebecca Mahan, this is my blog for my media studies coursework. On this blog I am going to post all my reseach and my prelim for my school magazine, then finally i will create my own music magazine.