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Detailed Analysis of Music Magazine

Front Cover

Typography: Most of typography used in this Billboard magazine cover is sans serif. Sans serif fonts show modernity, which is suitable for the magazine cover, as it is aimed at a young target audience. Sans serif fonts are also neutral, so can be aimed at both male and female, which is also suitable for this cover, as it is aimed at both genders. The only serif font used on the Billboard cover is the name Beyoncé. This is in a serif font, as serif connotes femininity, which is appropriate for the cover as a female (Beyoncé) is the cover image of the magazine. The typography colours used are all white. This is because the colour white is classy and sophisticated, so a professional impression for the magazine cover is created. The masthead ‘Billboard’ is white, red, yellow, blue and green. This is because it is Billboard’s logo, so the magazine is easily recognised and the extra colours other than white, makes the

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masthead stand out and it’s seen as a main focus. Billboard and Beyoncé are also in a bigger font, as they are key features of the cover, so are designed to stand out and drawn in attention.

Layout: The layout technique used in this Billboard magazine cover is route-of-the-eye. Route-of-the-eye is used as it’s the way the eye natural reads, so by placing the magazine features in this route, all important and key parts of the cover will be easily seen and noticed. Route-of-the-eye is present in this billboard cover because in the top left had corner the masthead ‘billboard’ starts, finishing in the top right hand corner. The route then carries on cutting through the main part of the image (Beyoncé’s face and eyes) and the cover lines on the left side to the bottom left corner. Here is the headline ‘Beyoncé’ and the barcode and then the route finally finishes into the bottom right corner, where more cover lines are. Route-of-the-eye layout keeps the magazine cover looking simple and stops it from being over cluttered, yet still gives an effective impression. The masthead is placed at the top of the magazine as it is Billboard’s logo, so is a very important feature that needs to be placed where it stands out to readers. It’s also placed at the top, as this is where it is positioned on every magazine edition, so it keeps Billboard’s tradition up, by always being in the same place, which also makes Billboard magazines very recognisable.

Colour: The colours used on this Billboard magazine cover are very simple and plain, yet they still look sophisticated and classy, giving the cover a professional look. The main two colours used are white and a bronzy type of colour theme. The bronzy theme is present because Beyoncé has an olive skin tone, her hair has a blonde/bronze summer glow to it and she has a gold necklace in her mouth. The colours used are very neutral and suitable for both genders, therefore will appeal to Billboard’s target audience of both males and females in-between the ages of 16-26. The bronzy colour theme to the cover relates to a ‘lioness’ idea, giving the impression that Beyoncé is very fierce, dominant and powerful, which will appeal to Billboard’s young target audience, as people will look up to her. The white typography used against a background of bronzy colours creates a very sharp and eye-catching contrast, as it makes the font stand out and look clearer, drawing attention into the cover. The typography in the white also looks very high-level and stylish, as it’s a very classy and modern colour. The mast head/Billboard’s logo also has red, yellow, blue and green colours in it, which helps make the cover look colourful and interesting. The cover image of Beyoncé has very bright colours that are more high-key and lit up, so that it stands out and is eye-catching, to draw attention in to the cover.

Images: The cover image of this Billboard magazine is of Beyoncé. This is suitable for the cover, as she is an extremely successful music artist, so she fits the music genre of this magazine. However, Beyoncé is also the image of the front cover, as she has been interviewed for the magazine and having Beyoncé as the cover’s image

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will help Billboard sell more copies of their magazine. This is because Beyoncé is a world-renowned performer with millions of fans, with the same target audience as Billboard. As of this, readers will see Beyoncé’s face and automatically be intrigued by the magazine and will be persuaded to purchase it. The camera shot used is a close-up, this is so that Beyoncé’s face is the main attraction to the cover, so it’s clear she is the main focus and that this Billboard edition is based on her. It also creates a dramatic and eye-catching look for the magazine. Mise-en-scene has also used been in the image, as a necklace has been used as a prop. The necklace is in Beyoncé’s mouth, as she is posing with it. This unusual and quirky pose with the necklace shows Beyoncé is posing in an arousing manner, which connotes a seductive and ‘sexy’ look that creates intimacy for the magazine, so that Beyoncé will appeal to the male gender, as well as the female. The pose is also very fierce as well as lustful, so it signifies Beyoncé to appear as a very strong and powerful woman, which helps the magazine target the female gender. Beyoncé is staring right into the camera, which helps create the fierce look to her pose, as it shows her confidence in herself. The cover image is made up with bronzy colours. This empathises Beyoncé’s dominant womanpower even more, as it relates to a ‘lioness’ look, which connotes Beyoncé to seem extremely influential, important and high-powered.

Language : Billboard is present at the top of the magazine, obviously because it is the masthead and name of the music magazine. Beyoncé’s name has been used as the cover line for this Billboard magazine, this is because she’s the main focus of the Billboard edition. The language is also in short sentences, which signifies the text to be more dramatic and adds emphasis on this. The language also connotes Beyoncé to be a very successful and powerful woman in the music industry, as the language lists many things Beyoncé has done. For example, ‘Live at Roseland’, ‘Concert Film’ and ’26 Songs live’. This will help Billboard sell more copies of their magazine, as Beyoncé is shown as extremely impressive and victorious, so many people will aspire to her, persuading them to purchase the magazine copy.

Conventions : This Billboard music magazine cover is very conventional as it includes many typical features that are expected on a magazine cover. For example, the cover contains a large masthead and cover story, which are conventionally big, bold and bright, as they are important magazine features, so need to be easily seen and clearly stand out to readers’ eye. The magazine cover is also conventional, as the typography fonts have a strong contrast, as both serif and sans serif fonts are used against each other, which make the page more appealing and eye-catching. The Billboard cover is also conventional, as the medium-close of Beyoncé is much stylised, which signifies her to look very glamourous and very high-powered. This close-up is also very conventional for a popular music artist on a music magazine cover, as it focuses on the face, so that it is easy for the audience to recognise Beyoncé. Finally, this Billboard music cover is again very conventional as of the

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layout. This is because the technique route-of-the-eye is used. This pattern is conventionally used because it keeps the cover looing simple and uncluttered, but also effective, as readers view the magazine in a certain way, so that they notice everything. The layout is also conventional, as part of the typography is placed on the left third of the magazine. This is conventional for a cover, as when magazines are placed in magazine stands, only the side of the cover may be seen. So having most of the text in the left third of the cover, the typography may still be seen, so that audience’s will still notice it in a magazine stand and be drawn to the writing which should hopefully persuade them into purchasing the Billboard magazine.

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Contents Page

Typograp hy: There is a high amount of typography on this Billboard contents page. In the left third of the page, there is a column of typography running down. This typography is then separated into rows, telling what is on which page in the magazine. The typography size is relatively small in comparison to the font sizes I analysed on the previous Beyoncé Billboard front cover. This is because there is a lot of information to be displayed, and it would not all fit on the contents page in a large font. Also, the fonts used are smaller than what they would be on a front cover of a magazine, as the contents page does not need to be as eye-catching as the front cover, as it is the front cover that sells the magazine to readers and not the contents page. However, to keep readers interested, the contents page still

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needs to be intriguing and stand out to audiences to a certain extent, so that they carry on reading. To do this, Billboard has made the titles of articles on each page in a slightly bigger and bolder typography to the rest. This is because they are important key features on the contents page and also readers can easily see what the magazine includes, what part they want to read and yet at the same time keep them interested, as of the eye-catching parts of typography. On the list of typography running down the left third on the magazine page, there is a mix of both serif and sans serif fonts. For example, the titles of articles on the contents page are in a serif font, whereas then the writing underneath is in a more sans serif font. This gives the typography used a strong contrast, making the contents page appear very appealing and engaging. Important and key parts of the text running down the left hand side of the page are in a different and brighter colour. They are either in blue or green. This is done so that, instead of just making them bigger and bolder, still in the black font colour, like other important parts text have been, it gives the contents page more colour and makes it more interesting, fun and eye-catching for audiences to read. The headline ‘Contents’ is the biggest and boldest part of typography on the page. This is because it is the main key feature as it is the title of the page and with it being so big and bold, it immediately stands out to readers, and they know exactly what they are reading. The ‘Contents’ typography is in a sans serif font; this is because it is a less serious and less traditional font type, which is associated with younger generations. The use of the sans serif fonts, helps signify the magazine to be young, fun and modern, which will appeal to its target audience.

Layout: The layout used on this Billboard contents page is very unconventional. This is because it does not follow the route-of-the-eye pattern. Instead it is organised in columns and rows. The layout is very ordered to make the contents page easy to read and to look sophisticated. There is a higher ratio of typography to image, however the images are more apparent as they are larger and more eye-catching. This concept links in with Billboard, as imagery is always a main focus in their magazines.

Colour: The main colours on this contents page are red and white. This is because in the main image on the page, the girl is wearing red and white and the background of the page is white. Red is not the colour most often used on the page, as black is used a lot, however, it stands the most, as the red and white outfit is the first thing you’re eyes are drawn to when looking at the page. The red and white outfit links in with the theme of this magazine edition ‘Xmas in July’, as red and white are conventional Christmas colours, so they connote the festival season. The image of the woman also stands out more compared to the other images on the page, as it has the brightest and eye-catching use colours, so that reader’s eyes are straight away drawn to the image of the woman. Blue and

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green are also used on the contents page, this is because it helps add colour to the page to make it look more interesting and eye-catching, but also blue and green are colours associated with younger people, so they connate fun and youth, which will help Billboard appeal to its target audience. Also, the colours used (red, blue, green, white and black) are very neutral colours, which will help Billboard appeal to both genders of their target audience. Most of the typography has been printed in black. This is because the writing is the more serious part of the contents page, and black is a more serious colour, so by using this colour it helps signify the more traditional part to the page. However, black is also used over the white background because using black and white together adds class and a classical element to Billboard’s design of the contents page.

Images: Four images have been used on this Billboard contents page. The main image is of the girl, in the middle of the page. This image is very dramatic and extravagant, as of her quirky pose and the bright and alerting outfit. This image is extremely eye-catching and draws attention in, as soon as you glance at the page. Mise-en-scene has also been used in the image of the woman. This is because she is holding a red and white candy cane, as it matches her outfit and links in with the theme of the magazine ‘Xmas in July’. This is because a candy cane is associated with the Christmas period. The woman is also wearing a bright red feather bower, which is very big and fluffy. This makes the woman stand out even more, and makes seem fun and bubbly, suggesting Billboard is a young, enjoyable and friendly magazine. Three more images have been used down the right third of the page. These images are all very different, so the contrast between them connotes Billboard magazine covers many different news topics, to appeal to a wide audience. Mise-en-scene has been used in these images, as one man is holding a trumpet and a cartoon man is holding a guitar, which signifies Billboard is a music magazine. In the remaining image, there are 5 men, who look part of a rock/punk band. This shows audiences that Billboard caters for many genres of music and this is why it appeals to such a large target audience and is so successful.

Language: The language used is very short and sweet. For example, short sentences are used so that when readers looking at the page, they can immediately see what is in the article, by just glancing. The contents page language also explains in more detail, under the bold cover lines, what the articles are about. This is done because it’s the contents page’s job to give a small preview of what readers should expect to read inside the magazine.

Conventions: This contents page is very conventional. This is because the page has Billboard’s logo and date in top right hand corner. This is conventional, as it is carrying the masthead on from the front cover and makes the contents page recognisable as part of a Billboard magazine. Having the date is conventional, as

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it is very traditional to have on a contents page, which signifies Billboard is very professional. The contents page is also very conventional, as the layout is very structured and well ordered, so that it is easy to read and follow, which connotes sophistication. Another convention to this contents page is that it includes writing listing and explaining the upcoming articles in the magazine. It is also conventional as there are images which relate to the articles listed on the contents page, which makes the page more eye-catching, but also makes the articles seem more interesting to read to the audience, as it gives a more intriguing preview of them.

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Double Page Spread

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Typography: All typography used on this double page spread is sans serif. Sans serif fonts are very present, contemporary and sleek fonts to use, so they connote youth, modernity and style to The Vibe magazine. Also, Sans serif is a very neutral font, so it helps the double page spread appeal to both males and females, which is suitable for The Vibe, as it is aimed at both genders. The typography of the article is in a small font, compared the cover lines and quotes that are in a much bigger and bolder font. This is because the cover lines and quote are important features of the story, so they must stand out to readers, so that they get a quick preview of what the articles is about and so that they are persuaded to read on. The bigger and bolder fonts help emphasise this dramatic and eye-catching typography, against the smaller font size.

Layout: The layout of this double page spread is very structured and well ordered, however it does not follow the route-of-the-eye technique. The layout is instead organised so that the article is written down in columns, so that it is easy to read and follow for the magazine readers. This neat organisation connotes sophistication. The layout is also very effective because above the typography layout running downwards in columns, further up there are images of Solange Knowles running across sideways. This means the layout is ordered in opposite directions in the top and bottom half of the double page spread. This makes the pages extremely eye-catching and original, letting the reader’s eye easily travels across the page, viewing the entire article.

Colour: This double page spread has a very plain colour scheme, as it mainly has a

lot of grey, black and white. However, using black and white together creates a touch of class and adds a classy element to double page spread. For example, at the top of the pages there are several images of Solange Knowles in black and white. This put emphasis on how classy and sophisticated she is, as well as connoting a professional look for the pages. However, next to the black and white images of Solange, there is a much larger and colourful picture of her. Having just this one large coloured image of her next to black and white ones, makes the page spread look very dramatic, but also give the impression to readers that Solange is very exclusive, chic and glamorous. Her bright red dress, purple heels and other colourful clothing help to emphasise this further. This way readers will aspire to her and enjoy what they are reading, persuading them to keep on purchasing The Vibe magazines. The article typography has been typed in a grey font. This is because the cover lines and quotes are in blue or blue. Grey is a duller colour compared to black and a bright blue. So this choice of grey colour helps the quotes and cover lines stand out to readers and makes the double page spread more appealing to the eye.

Image: There are several images of Solange Knowles used on The Vibe’s double page spread. In each one she is posing in a very attractive and seductive way, connoting a sex appeal to the magazine so that it will interest men, as well as

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women. It also shows Solange off to be a youthful, confident and good-looking female, so many readers will look up to her. There are many small images of Solange, then a much larger one near the centre of the spread. The one colourful image of Solange next to smaller ones makes her to seem very fierce, powerful and supreme. Mise-en-scene has been used in Solange’s costume, as she is wearing trendy bright red dress, with purple high heels, gold necklaces and a blue/purple jacket. This outfit makes a very big fashion statement, which signifies Solange to be a popular trendsetter and fashion icon. This up-to-date and stylish look connotes The Vibe to be a very current and modern magazine, aimed at a young and image conscious target audience.

Language: The language used is very informal, so that the article will appeal to The Vibe’s young target audience. The language also relates to the music genre of the magazine, as in the quote it says ‘Fall back and enjoy the music’, which shows readers the article with be music based.

Conventions: This double page spread is conventional for suits its music genre. This is because it contains several images of a music artist, which are very striking and eye-catching. It is also conventional because it contains quotes and sub-headings, so that the reader is intrigued by the preview of the article and is persuaded to read on. Finally, the double page spread is conventional because as the layout is very ordered and structured. For example, the typography is placed in columns. This makes the pages more readable and look more professional, making audience interested to read on.