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.