Analysis of R&B Front Covers

Black and yellow is used throughout as they are distinguishing colours. It also gives the impression that the target audience is both males and females use to the colours being stereotypically unisex

Bright, bold red adds contrast to the grey background . It makes the title stand out and focuses your attention on the name of the magazine

Black suit emphasises power and wealth

Colour

Red is used extensively, for this reason I believe the target audience is male

The red in the logo blends with the background. The cover is too red for my liking, a variety would have been nice

The writing stands out as its in white

The colour of his attire, yellow, compliments the yellow background effectively

Green and orange dominate the page

His green clothing compliments the green background

Again there is too much of one colour

The artist name is in a different colour showing that he is the focus of attention

This cover is quiet bright compared to other magazines. Most RnB magazines use dark colours.

What I Learnt about colour

Importance of using a variety of colours to appeal to females as well as males

Bold colours to make certain words stand out

Background colour to be kept simple

Contrasting colours (e.g. Black and white) works well

The magazine cover consists of a colour photograph of a well known rapper lil Wayne. Lil Wayne’s music is r&b/rap which suggests that vibe is a magazine which caters to R & B enthusiasts.

Medium shot showing top half of his suit. Hand gesture is his motif.

Denotation

Suit representing wealth and elegance. Contrast to typical ‘gangster’ image

Aggressive facial expression coincides with the association of the R&B genre. Masculine pose

Facial expression- frustration, annoyance. Readers wonder why.

Feminine Jewellery. Typical gold bling associated with R&B artists

Grillz are popular in R&B culture

Tattoos again suggesting masculinity and coincides with ‘bad boy’ persona the artist has adopted

Typical accessory

Expensive looking watch- wealth

Direct eye contact with readers

Casual wear makes it look more natural

Manly stance

What I Learnt

Suit worked well- challenges stereotypes thus stimulating interest and intrigue

The power of using props

Importance of artist making eye contact with prospective readers

Importance of facial expressions

‘Life and Death’ is highlighted by the different fonts and sizes. Its physically appealing.

Font

Different fonts for different article titles to show that each article has a different identity

Different thickness of letters- More appealingAnd fun to look at

Mixture of fonts keeps it exciting

Not a lot of text featured compared to other magazine

Typical accessory

Expensive looking watch- wealth

Direct eye contact with readers

Casual wear makes it look more natural

Manly stance

What I Learnt about Font

Different size writing and fonts to add variety

More text is better

Importance of making the artist name stand out

Analysis of R&B Contents Page

‘Contents’ is split up- interesting looking

One artist featured- no variety, boring

Shirtless-provocative to appeal to female audience

Large jewellery- wealth

Small font, main focus would be on artist

Only red and white used throughout for consistency

Large ‘V’ is a reminder that the magazine is ‘VIBE’. Increases brand awareness

Masthead behind artist showing that the artist is of great importance dominating the page

Reminder of what magazine

Various images, various shot sizes

Page numbers bold and clearIntroduction

to article to give an insight into what said article is about

Catchy article names to draw readers in

Male and female artists to appeal to both genders

Piercing eye contact

Close up shot to show extent of aggression

Alternative colours used to draw a barrier between the image and text

One image

A lot of text- too much, overbearing

Magazine name featured

Nice effect

Article names in bold

What I Learnt

The more images featured the better

Consistency is key

Article names need to stand out

Utilising space effectively (not leaving any blank spaces)

Analysis of R&B Double-Page Spread

Colour photograph- natural colour instead of artificial

Victorian font to make the quote stand out

Image of artist in natural surroundings- reader gets an insight into the artists world.

Image dominates entire page.

Casual wear matches surroundings

Simple and plain colours- matches costumes of artists

Natural opposites black and white utilized

Neutral colours- female and male audience

Quote from artists makes it more personal and the article relatableInterview- questions in bold

Classic gold chain representing power and wealth

‘Gangster’ pose

Aggressive, tough look

Simple as well as ‘moderness’ achieved with the black and white combination

Back suit compliments colour scheme

Lack of colour allows readers to not be distracted and focus solely on the article

Balloons- celebration of some sort possibly

Looking into the distance- audience wonders what he is looking at

Mirror image- interesting, unique

Equal balance of text and image

What I Learnt

Black and white very effective- sophisticated, neutral colours that work well with each other

Double page shouldn't have a lot of colour as the focus should be on the article

Cater to those who aren't a fan of reading by having either one large image or several small ones