Textual Analysis: Double Page Spread

Source: Google
The double page spread above features the famous singer Lady Gaga in Q magazine April 2010. The right hand page uses 3 columns to display the article beneath a strapline mentioning her name,  As we can see Q has used its own housestyle as the magazine frequently have a large letter in L representing the chosen interviewee. The audience can immediately identify this is a section from Q magazine as they are familiar with the enlarged red letter. The bottom of the page is dated, with a page number and name of the magazine which all use Q's well known housestyle. The article uses language which reflects Lady Gaga's personality 'MOST THRILLING AND UNEXPECTED MOMENTS OF THE POP THEATRE' this is later followed by 'EVEN MORE OUTRAGEOS WAS THE OUTFITS SHE WORE...'  This creates a stong and exciting start to the interview. The text uses drop caps to insinuate the start of a different paragraph or section 'S' and 'I'. The interview uses serif font the could be described as a way of expressing Lady Gaga's outrageous character. At the bottom of the page the page number, magazine title and subscription information are available. There is a balanced ratio of picture to text. The right hand page focuses on a mid shot of Lady Gaga from at eye level. The image is in black and white and our attention is directed to her face as she appears to make eye contact with the reader. Lady Gaga appears to be exposed as she is not wearing any clothing, simple a chain and is covering her chest. Lady Gaga is fulfilling her usual perception of a unique and flamboyant character which her fans love and expect from her. This double page uses a relaxed and endearing mode of address as readers as curious to read the interview and understand the picture. It talks to its readers formally assuming they are all aware of the world star Lady Gaga.There is some use of taboo language from Lady Gaga which adds to her controversial image and the interview does not show the questions asked. However I think this double page uses a constructive layout and a strong image which invites the audience to read the text.

Textual Analysis: Double Page Spread

Source: Google

Above is a double page spread of a celebrity called Solange Knowles from Vibe magazine 2008. As we can see each page uses three columns. These are placed underneath a banner which shows several long shots of Solange as she appears to be having a good time. These images allow the audience to see that she has a fun and outgoing personality making this page more attractive to readers.There is a large shot of Solange which emerges from the design of the page as the main focal point. The use of colour through clothing and her stance represents a strong and confident indivual. Solange's feature is promoted to its audience as being exclusive to this magazine. The standfirst is printed in large font to attract the reader to read the full article as it is controversial 'FORGET HER SISTER.' This double page uses a balanced ratio of picture to text this shows that the text is important to readers as it speaks about a well-known person who maybe an idol to some of the audience. The text appears to be loosely wrapped around the images as they are porttayed as the spotlight of the double page spread. The majorite of typeface uses sans-serif font and there are no titles across this double page. This magazine uses a direct mode of address as Solange speaks directly to her audience when talking about herself and answering questions. Solange uses some semantic field when she speaks for example 'I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO FALL BACK AND ENJOY THE MUSIC'.  In both the bottom left and right corner there are page numbers (86/87) and there are also credits as photographer is  named with dates and location of the photo shoot at the bottom of the page. Overall this double page uses an effective layout which will appear strong and attractive within a magazine.

Textual Analysis: Content Pages

Source: Scan of Magazine
This is the contents page of a well known magazine called NME (New Musical Express). This contents page uses a structured layout with a clear headline 'INSIDE THIS WEEK' issue 3/12/11. There is a balance across the page with the use of images and text which create a strong and interesting contents page. There is not much use of colour as the page is predominantly black and white which gives dated and sophisticated feel to the design of the page. There is some use of colour which brings out certain pieces of information for example at the bottom of the page our eyes are drawn to the colour red an advertorial for NME subscription. The images portray the magazines focus on punk and rock music with images of a guitar appearing twice on the page. This contents page is useful for readers as it is easy to read each piece of information is put into its own section, page numbers are large and clearly placed. An image with every page description allows the reader to quickly see if this is something they would like to read. The centre of the contents page target Lana Del Rey a popular musician who will be familiar with readers. The text uses a House style which is common with NME magazines, the important information can be found in bold, the speech of artists or interviewees is displayed in an italic text and the magazine uses a majority of serif text. This content page is unique and attractive to a potential reader.

Textual Analysis: Content Pages

Source: Scan of Magazine
This is the December 2011 issue of DJ music magazine. In the image on the left we can see the contents page which can be used by magazines as a lure to encourage readers to continue reading the magazine.This contents page has been organised into three main columns with a strapline saying 'Contents'. The contents page uses a majority of text in sans-serif font with some use of serif font. The graphics on this page appear to be faded and slightly blury which adds a mystery and interest to the layout of the page and the information on it. The images used on this page look dated and follow one genre of music which gives the audience an idea of the type of music which will be found inside the magazine. This page is well organised with its layout and the colours which it uses. We can see a colour scheme in the first two columns which emphasises the information on each page. This content page differs to usual magazines as it has several focus points split by the columns 'Focuses' 'Comin' up' 'On the floor' 'Music' and 'Tech'. Readers are able to find  quickly which section they would like to read in the magazine and what is in this section. The magazine uses several features, these are a great way of attracting readers. This content page has an indirect mode of address as it doesn't have a large use of words such as 'You' and 'I' which are usually key methods of attracting the audience to read specific articles and pages.The images used on the contents page reflect the genre of music which this magazine represents. The images allow us to have an idea of what we can expect from the contents of certain pages in the magazine, for example the two pictures labelled 64 and 140 using celebrity faces. They show lots of energy, movement and colour which relates to Dance music. e.g. the DJ decks which appear to jump out of their frame and into the contents page this exaggerates the atmosphere and liveliness of this music genre.

InDesign

Above is a result of my first attempt on Indesign. I was able to learn how to place pictures and text into a layout and adjust sizes and colours 

Textual Analysis: Front Covers

Source: Google                                                     Vibe is a music magazine which is no longer published but remains an online service which is issued every few months by InterMedia Partners. This is the April 2008 issue priced ay £4.99. Vibe is a music magazine which features mainly R&B and hip hop music and artists. This issue is focused on Janet Jackson who comes from a well-known family who are successful in the music industry. Here Janet Jackson is represented as being fun and flamboyant as she holds her camera up to the audience whilst keeping a relaxed yet confident pose on her face. This cover uses a medium-long shot of Janet Jackson. She appears to be dressed very casually in a vest and jeans which embodies the chilled and relaxed approach which music from this genre expresses. This page uses warm colours which appear to set the mood of the front cover. For example the pale orange colour which is used for the title Vibe and appears several times on the cover lines. Janet's head seems as if it is slightly covering the title of Vibe. There is a strapline at the top of the page. This is common across most issues of the magazine and gives the impression that the artists are emerging on top of the cover. Each cover uses a different colour theme, depending on the style and image of the model. Vibe usually used quite bright and distinct colours however here we see the use of blue which is used to make certain pieces of information stand out. For example 'RIHANNA: EXPOSED' and 'JANET LIKES TO WATCH'. This cover adopts a quite simple layout and graphics which are still effective. A faded grey background makes the information look more appealing. Vibe uses several famous names in its cover lines which is likely to attract readers e.g. Jermaine Dupri and Angel Lola. There appears to be a balanced ratio of pictures to text it uses lots of cover lines but does not dominate the page ovr the image of Janet Jackson. The cover lines have a house style appear in capital lines across the whole front cover making them seem more exciting. This magazine is limited in its audience as it only appears to address R&B and Hiphop music. This issue is unique as it is a limited edition using the 'FIRST EVER PHOTO ISSUE'. I think it is a good font cover because the image is different, quite fun and interesting and the front cover has a strong focus on music including lots of celebrities and attractive cover lines.

Textual Analysis: Front Covers

Source: Scan of a Magazine                                                    Q magazine was first published by Bauer Media Group in October 1986. Q music magazine is published monthly and is priced at £3.99 and the image on the left is the January 2012 issue. The title Q always appears on the front cover with a tag line 'DICOVER GREAT MUSIC' this is can also be known as the brand identity of the magazine. There is a hybrid of music in the content of the magazine it does not focus solely on one genre making itself a mass market product. Q is a diverse brand name as it also has a radio show which may make it familiar and known by more members of its audience. The front cover of this issue illustrates a strong importance of design and the use of colour.  The background appears to be a clash of clours and symbols creating a good display and base for the graphics of the cover. The variety of colour could be related to the freedom of expression through music and dance. The model on the front cover appears to be a simple person who is dressed normally like myself or a member of the target audience would be but he has been uplifted by music and is enjoying himself. This creates a message to the audience that this issue focuses on normal people who enjoy music and shows the fun and excitement that can be gained from this magazine and the music and artists inside this issue, this image is attractive to a potential reader. There are several cover lines which appear on the cover of Q magazine each of them using indivial designs and colours making them seem distinct. 'THE SECRETS OF COLDPLAY' uses a modern and youthful font. This font makes the cover noticeable it is also suggests that it reaches out to an audience who are likely to be teenagers or young adults. This font is different as it emphasises the mention of a famous band called Coldplay. This distinct font is used to advertise Coldplay featuring in the issue including a byline of the article in order to catch the attention of readers who maybe fans of the band. This issue could be described as essential to its audience because it focuses on Q's progress this year '2011 REVIEWED' displayed in bright yellow font as a strapline. The cover   has a majority of its font in sans-serif but still uses some serif font. For regular readers this issue is nice as it looks over all the events that have happened this year which they have been following and prepares them for new issues in the new year. This cover has a conventional layout however portays a modern up to date theme.  I think it is a successful front cover which jumps out at its audience and would be noticeable on a shelf with other magazine covers.

Textual Analysis: Front Covers

Source: Scan of a Magazine                                            NME published by IPC Media is a magazine which could be placed in both the genres of Indie and Mainstream music and could be described as a hybrid. NME abrieviation for New Musical Express has been published weekly since March 1952,. Its main competitors is likely to be Kerrang as this is also another successful music magazine published weekly. This is issue no. 48 which is priced at £2.40. The front cover of the magazine is strong. Using key features to attract its audience such as a mid-close up shot and an image which has a person using direct eye contact with the reader. This is good method of catching the readers attention because the use of eye contact invites the reader to want to know more about the magazine. It allows them to look closely at the detail of the picture, which on this cover is the photo of Amy Winehouse revealing her piercings and tattoos. This edition aims to attract its reader by using a celebrity face, Amy Winehouse was a popular musician known and loved by many people. Readers and particularly fans may feel they can relate strongly to the content of the magazine as they were able to watch the events of Amy Winehouse's life. A specific cover line invites us into the life of Amy 'INSIDE HER SECRET STUDIO SESSIONS' which is a world exclusive to this magazine filling a niche in its market with other music magazines. This is an example of an effective cover line which puts us in a position of curiosity and interest. The image of Amy Winehouse is convential for our generation of magazines, celebs are often presented with their own trademark in this case it could be argued that Amy's tattoos and piercings are unique and represent her own unique taste in music. The front cover of this edition uses three main colours for its graphics black, red and white. These three colours are manipulated so that they work well producing a colour scheme across the page whilst they are able to clash making individual pieces of information stand out against Amy Winehouse's fair skin and dark hair. The front cover uses a direct mode of address, when reading the cover a reader feels as if all the information is captivating and aimed specifically at them. 'NMW AWARDS VOTING IS A GO! HAVE YOUR SAY'. There are several cover lines which each address the audience differently making each story seem appealing and exclusive to this issue of NME. This edition is also made exclusive as it contains 'FREE CLASSIC AMY POSTERS' this is a form of advertisement of the content inside the issue which is appealing to those members of its target audience who are a fan of Amy Winehouse's music. The masthead is in captials, this suggests that the magazine is quite formal and would be directed at late teens and adults. The simple yet practical layout shows that the audience are likely to mature stepping away from a typical teen magazine. This edition creates a mass market audience as it has several band names  appearing in a strapline which are in competition. 'KASABIAN vs BOMBAY vs NOEL vs MONKEYS vs VACCINES' this unites several fans of these groups and makes them attracted to this magazine and also advertises the NME Awards. The use of quotations in the cover lines is a lure 'I THINK NOEL WAS PHONEHACKED' it makes the audience intrigued to know who is speaking and adds an element of danger to the storyline which is entralling for potential readers. The majority of text is presented using sans-serif font however serif font appears occasionally on the cover. I think that this front cover is well designed in its layout of graphics, a lot of text appears on the cover so that it does not feel empty howver it does not over shadow the image of Amy Winehouse allowing her to remain the main focus of the page. This cover is able to balance the advertisement of celebrities and music bands whilst displaying a few of the articles inside.

Magazine Comparison

Above I have looked at the content of 4 different but successful magazines. Looking briefly over the quantity of pages, advertisement and a few articles inside the magazine's.

ACTION PLAN!!

5/12/11

• Write Action Plan
• Compare Magazines
• Textual Analysis

12/12/11

• Review Textual Analysis
• Begin Audience Research

Christmas Holidays

• Look at Audience Research and Internet Research to begin conducting my own research

2/1/12

• Finish Audience and Internet Research

9/1/12

• Complete Layout Designs
• Plan Photoshoot

16/1/12

• Photoshoot
• Review photos and consider taking more

23/1/12

• Make Front Cover

30/1/12

• Make Contents Page
• Begin Double Page

6/2/12

• Make Double Page

20/2/12 Half Term

• Finalise Pages
• Start Evaluation

27/2/12

• Finish Evaluation

DEADLINE 2/3/12

NEXT

I will now be starting my main task!! Developing skills which i have learnt from creating Student Room I will now make my own Music Magazine :)

Evaluating My Student Magazine

Having now completed all the tasks for my preliminary task: Front Cover and Contents Page for a student magazine. I am now going to finish by evaluating my work.

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

The traditional conventions of a student magazine include a masthead which gives a magazine its brand identity. An image on the front cover, in this case using a mid-close up shot. The picture represents the magazine and gives an idea of what can be expected inside the magazine. A few cover lines which summarise some of the most exciting features of the magazine. As the magazine is aimed at students I chose to use a font which is modern, lively and appealing. This contrasts to a formal  font you would expect to see on magazines.

I think that the font i chose to use creates a current and up to date magazine which students can relate to. Inspirations for my magazine were two very different magazines, Student ID (a magazine which has a strong focus on student life outside of school) and College Life (my own school magazine directed at adults, parents and students with a strong academic and religious focus). From Student ID I was able to see the importance of social life and enjoying being young. Reviewing College Life I was aware of the importance of academic life and my school's conception of its student's. Both these magazines allowed me to understand what student's want and how others view this. I could then make my magazine individual, fun, interesting and useful for students stepping aside from the traditional approach of student magazine focused on socialising or one which promotes only school life. The use of colour was an important factor as it enabled me to make my front cover and contents page attractive to readers. After working on my own front cover and contents page I think it is important that a magazine keeps some boundaries for example the cover lines and an image without these features a magazine will loose its appeal to readers avoiding vital features. Therefore I thought it was necessary for me to include basic conventions but manipulate them through colour design and presentation in order to portray my own ideas.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my student magazine I have decided to represent students and teenagers. This age group would target students from the age of 15-18 years old. I think this magazine will relate to students of this age group as they are beginning to mature, education and a social life become important at this age, this magazine allows me to link two large factors of their lives.  As I mentioned in the previous teacher i felt that it was significant that my magazine represents both the social and academic life of students instead of being focused on one. Media products can stereotype students to be immature, reckless, big headed or in converse naive, sheltered and geeky. I aimed to create a balanced representation which shows students can have fun going out and be focused on success in school. On my front cover and contents page I have used images of my friends to represent students. They appear to be friendly and fun to be around, this is the message which i would like my readers to receive. I have used some colloquial language throughout the page e.g.'Which uni is best for you?' this is best suited for modern teenagers as they tend to take a relaxed approach to life. I have also been aware of the proportion of text and pictures as a majority of responses to my questionnaire's said they would prefer to see more images. Therefore I have included several images across the contents pages using text for cover lines and an editorial letter. I think that my magazine was successful by representing the image I want to be portrayed of students, they are represented as fun and hardworking going against stereotypes.

 What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?


Institution's most likely to distribute my student magazine would be my own school. It is less likely that other institutions would distribute my magazine as it is influenced by St Edmund's College. However my magazine would be useful to other institutions and organisations with gcse and 6th Form students. As it deals with topics which are a part of their own life. My school already has two student magazines, Avita Pro Fide and College Life. These magazines target old Edmundian's, parent's and friends of the school. Therefore there is a gap for my magazine as it targets solely a specific group of teenagers who do not have a magazine available to them.


Who would be the audience for your media product?


The target audience for my media product would be teenagers 15-18 years old both males and females.  My magazine will include interesting information for males and females, although I expect the target audience to be predominantly females as they spend more time reading magazines. The ideal audience would be young people studying gcse's A levels or at college. These students will be to open up my magazine and relate to issues in the article maybe find humour from the topics inside it and have suggestions to help them cope with any pressure they are facing academically or socially. ''Students spotted outside the class room'' My magazine has uses common interests such as 'I'm a celeb' or famous singer 'Rihanna' to relate students to each other and preparation for the world and university.


How did you attract/address your audience?


I felt that a vital feature necessary to attract my target audience was by understanding their preferences and using colour and design effectively. ''9/10 people answering my questionnaire said they would not read a magazine if the front cover does not attract their attention'' In order to involve the audience with my magazine I created a questionnaire to allow me to find out what students want in a magazine, using multiple choice questions and questions where they could express their own ideas. I had a successful response and was able to base ideas for my magazine on these reults. I also conducted a poll on my blog to find out which name title was most liked for my magazine. 50% voted Student Room and also being my favourite title I chose to use it.


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


Producing this magazine allowed me to broaden my computer skills through various programmes. I used Photoshop for the first time and through practice I am now able to edit images to portray specific features which I want to be presented. I also understand the uses of the tools available on Photoshop. I used a digital camera and learnt how to transfer photos from the camera media card onto the computer to be used for the magazine. Although I had previous experience using Windows Publisher I became aware of other tasks which can be performed on Publisher. I became conscious of the effects of saving images as different types of files. I also learnt how to scan images to allow them to be used electronically. All of these skills contributed to the outcome of my front cover and contents page. One of the vital programmes which I learnt how to use and have adapted to is blogger. I was previously unaware of this site and after some guidance I feel confident using the website, posting my blogs and ideas for my magazine. Technological processes are an essential part of producing and presenting magazines.

Overall, I am very happy with my final front cover and contents page. I was able to include all of my own ideas and they were presented as I wanted :)

Final Cover and Contents Page

 

After 3 weeks preparation above is the final outcome of my cover and contents page! :)