Magazine Analysis

Lucy Fleming

• The black, white and red colours contrast against each other to grab the attention of the audience and make it stand out. The Red hair could have connotations of love and passion which could suggest a target audience of women, although it could also connote danger and anger to suggest a secondary audience of men.

• The bold red hair of the model could suggest that she is going against the norm and trying to be original, which could make the audience aspire to be like her.

• ‘NME’ have used celebrity endorsement to catch the eye of the audience, they have also conformed to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze by the way that the model wears makeup and has long flowing hair.

• Buzz words such as ‘special edition’ are used to make the audience think they are getting a one off product and a better deal.

• The font of the masthead is bold and the white colour contrasts against the red background to make it stand out.

• A barcode is used as a common convention of the magazine to allow the customer to buy the product.

• A variety of different musicians such as ‘jack white’ and ‘Biffy Clyro’ are used as kickers as a last way of getting the audience to buy the magazine.

• The subheading ‘I would never have got through the X factor auditions” also appeals to fans of ‘The X Factor’.

• The high neckline of the models top makes the magazine appropriate for a younger audience, and the gold jewelry she is wearing suggests that she is wealthy and higher class.

• The black, bold font of the banner stands out and grabs audience attention.

• The red and white colours contrast against each other to grab the attention of the audience and make the magazine stand out.

• The model’s hairstyle is quite messy and the clothes he is wearing are very casual which suggests that he is quite effortless which could make the audience aspire to be like him.

• Celebrity endorsement is used to catch the eye of the audience and attract fans of the band.

• Buzz words such as ‘ultimate’ are used to make the audience think they are getting a one off product and a better deal.

• The font of the masthead is bold and the white colour contrasts against the red background to make it stand out.

• A barcode is used as a common convention of the magazine to allow the customer to buy the product.

• Other musicians such as ‘The strokes’ and ‘Fleet Foxes’ are used as kickers as a last way of getting the audience to buy the magazine.

• The subheading “their most explosive interview ever” uses the buzz word ”explosive” to persuade the consumer to want the magazine even more.

• The banner is large and bold so therefore stands out and grabs audience attention.

• The Masthead is placed behind the image to make the celebrity the main focus of the cover.

• The green colour of the models coat could have connotations of youth and freshness, which could suggest that ‘the Arctic monkeys’ new music is young and fresh which could suggest a teenage target audience.

• All of the images on the cover are males which could suggest a male target audience.

• The image on the cover supports the idea of the male gaze, this is shown from the pose that he is in and the fact that he is wearing limited clothing.

• Celebrity endorsement is used to catch the eye of the audience and attract fans of the artist.

• Buzz words such as ‘new’ and ‘big’ are used to make the audience think they are getting a one off product and a better deal.

• Although the masthead is quite bold, the image is placed in front of it to make the image the main focus of the cover.

• Contrasting subheadings such as ‘The new American heart throb’ and ‘punk rock fight club’ are used which could be used as a kicker to get a larger audience to buy the magazine.

• The price of the magazine is written very small which suggests that it is expensive.

• The red colour of the subheading ‘The new American heart throb’ could show connotations of love and passion which is likely to appeal to a female target audience.

• The use of the colour grey is very neutral and blends into the cover which makes sure that the customer’s eye is mostly drawn to the image.

• The model is looking to the side to suggest that he is ‘playing hard to get’ with the consumer. This could make the audience want to buy it even more because they find him intriguing.

• The logo of the magazine is placed at the top in a bold font to attract the reader.

• The main image is quite large and relates to an article in the magazine.• There is an option to subscribe to the magazine, it has a black

background to make it stand out against the white background of the contents page.

• The subheadings are highlighted in black to contrast against the white background to make them stand out.

• The advert at the main colours on the contents page are black, red and white which are quite masculine, the main image on the page is also of a male, this could therefore suggest a male target audience. The colour of the clothing in the picture is also black and red which blends in with the overall colour scheme.

• The advert at the bottom includes the buzz word ‘save’ to make the audience think they’re getting a better deal and more value for money.

• The image could show the theory of the female gaze, this is because the man is wearing a tight vest and is showing off his arm muscles.

• The image shows male musicians with guitars and long hair which could suggest an indie or rock genre of music, which would therefore appeal to the ‘indie’ or ‘rock’ stereotypes.

• The main image is quite large and relates to an article in the magazine.

• The grey, smoky background of the image could suggest the band want to come across as quite mysterious, it could also suggest the idea of drug use.

• The main subheadings are highlighted in a red background to make them stand out against the red background.

• The main colours on the contents page are black, red and white which are quite masculine, the main image on the page is also of a male, this could therefore suggest a male target audience. The colour of the clothing in the picture is also black and red which blends in with the overall colour scheme.

• The subheading ‘Oasis Special!’ is highlighted in a box to make it stand out and could be used as a kicker to invite a larger audience to read the magazine.

• In the image the band ‘The courteeners’ are stood in the countryside which could show connotations of freshness and life which could suggest that their music is new and fresh, this could appeal to a younger target audience.

• All of the images on the page are of males that don’t really conform to the idea of the female gaze, therefore I think the contents page is aimed more at a male audience.

• The main image is quite large and relates to an article in the magazine.

• The smaller image on the page is a good example of conforming to the male gaze, as ‘Beyonce’ is wearing makeup, a low cut top and has big hair.

• The main colour scheme is black, white and purple. Although the colour black is quite masculine, the purple is quite a feminine colour, which could suggest a female target audience. The white background contrasts against the other colours and makes them stand out more.

• The main image is black and white which connotes the idea of the image being old fashioned and having a vintage style. The clothing worn in the image is also quite old fashioned and classic, which could be used to attract an older audience as well as a young one.

• Celebrity endorsement is used with ‘Beyonce’ to attract fans of her as well as the other artists in the magazine.

• A link is highlighted at the bottom in blue to encourage the consumer to go to the website of the magazine.

• The image conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s Male gaze because of the clothes and makeup she is wearing and her pose in the image. Her outfit is all black which could also suggest that she is trying to seduce the consumer.

• Her red hair in the image has connotations of love and passion, which could also appeal to a female target audience.

• The red and white stripes she is posing on could suggest the idea of an American flag which links to the heading of USA, this could appeal to an American audience. The use of red and white could also show the contrast of purity and danger, which could show that she is not afraid to take a risk.

• The name of the artist ‘Florence Welch’ is highlighted in blue to make it stand out on the page and help the audience to remember her name.

• Although the heading ‘USA’ is presented in a large, bold font the grey colour used is quite neutral which makes the image of the artist the main focus.

• The fonts used in the heading are very different, the font of ‘USA’ is very bold and masculine, whereas ‘got the love’ is a softer, more feminine font. This shows that the article is versatile and that it could appeal to both men and women.

• The image in the article conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s Male gaze, this is because she is wearing no upper clothing and uses just jewellery to cover her body. This would appeal to a male audience as she looks as though she is trying to seduce the audience. She is also wearing makeup and has styled hair to suggest that she is high maintenance.

• The image has a sepia effect to give it a vintage and classic feel which could make the audience think that the artist is precious and a one off.

• The text is written in black on a white background which is quite a safe option, although this is contrasted by the red L in the background which could suggest that the artist has a streak of danger and passion.

• The layout of the article is very simplistic so that the artist is the main focus.

• Her facial expression is quite seductive and it appears as though she is looking straight at the consumer, making the article seem more personal to the audience. The idea of her being seductive also conforms to the idea of the male gaze and is likely to appeal to a male target audience. Although she looks attractive to males, the article could also attract a female audience as it could make them aspire to look like her.

• The red ‘L’ is a good way of symbolising the artist Lady Gaga to emphasize the focus on her.

• The bubblegum pink colour background shows a strong target audience of younger and teenage girls and could appeal to fans of pop music.

• The animal print outfit has connotations of the artist being daring and confident, which contrasts against the sweet and innocent pink background. It could also show a contrast against the word ‘Gospel’ in the title.

• Her clothes are very bright and all the colours contrast against each other suggesting that she is quite daring and doesn’t want to conform with stereotypes. It could also suggest that her music is quite original and unique.

• She is looking directly into the camera to make the image seem more personal to the audience.

• A medium close up is used, therefore it allows the audience to see both the facial expressions and body language.

• The fact that she is wearing tight clothing and obvious makeup conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s Male gaze.