Magazine Analysis.

Font/Codes and Conventions

The Masthead is big and out there it can easily capture a potential reader’s attention or a regular reader’s attention by its colour. The text is sans serif font. The colour is a simple red background and white text however, the colours used are more than enough to catch the reader’s attention a bold red relates to power, royalty and this shows how exclusive and powerful this magazine is and the people they feature. The white text stands out easily in the magazine.

The masthead using the abbreviation XXL for extra extra large gives the impression to the reader that this magazine is humongous that

Font/Codes and Conventions

The Masthead is big and out there it can easily capture a potential reader’s attention or a regular reader’s attention by its colour. The text is sans serif font. The colour is a simple red background and white text however, the colours used are more than enough to catch the reader’s attention a bold red relates to power, royalty and this shows how exclusive and powerful this magazine is and the people they feature. The white text stands out easily in the magazine.

The masthead using the abbreviation XXL for extra extra large gives the impression to the reader that this magazine is humongous that

*I would just like to point out my double page spread was part of a 7 page article on Lil Wayne. This page relates into my double page. So, I wanted to add it in so my double page spread analysis would make sense.

By-line

Which is in-between the Stand first Legacy giving credit to the writer Jeff Weiss and the person who took the images of Lil Wayne, Attiba Jefferson.

Stand first

The standfirst is used in conjunction with the word Legacy this suggests that the interview will be about what Lil Wayne has produced over the years and what he has achieved. The standfirst also relates to the front cover where the cover head was “nothing left to prove” which means that Lil Wayne has achieved everything that he has to and like the cover head says he has nothing left to prove which would mean that he has reached his peak as an entertainer.

The standfirst is kept simple with the colours black and a creamy white giving it a professional feeling. In addition, the patterns used catch the reader’s attention because it’s different.

Pull quote

This is a good way to pull the reader in. They have used the pull quote wisely here it’s in caps lock which indicates that Lil Wayne is angry that they have even suggested that he has a “short man’s complex”. However he says he has “a big heart” which suggests that his big heart compensates for his height.

Language

The language used in the double page spread is not formal in contrary its informal the reasoning behind this is it keeps the audience more entertained, giving the feeling they’re there with Lil Wayne. Another reason, for the informal address is because people who read the XXL magazine and reading Lil Wayne’s article are likely to be into the thug and gangster idea of things it’s a source of entertainment for them. So if the interview was in a formal address they probably wouldn’t enjoy it.

For example, extremely derogatory terms are used such as “n**ga” However, in the black community this is a very common word to use to describe oneself or equivalent to the abbreviation bro which is used instead of brother.

Drop Cap

A drop cap is used indicating the start of the interview with Lil Wayne, this is very effective as it enhances the look of the folio as it is used at the start. In addition, it drops down into the text below.

Font

The font used in the double page spread is a serif font. The reasoning behind this is probably because they’re mainly used for body texts anyways (body texts are used in magazines, books, online magazines meaning the main font). They’re said to be easier to read and helps keep the reader’s attention span because it doesn’t hurt the eyes.

In addition, this double page spread is part of a 7 page article on Lil Wayne. So, they probably wanted to use the most eye friendly font.

Image

Lil Wayne is on the “A-Side” showing that this is a special entertained who must be acknowledged and only his image is used on the “A-Side” contents page. It’s like Lil Wayne, is given a royalty like status within the hip/hop genre.

A medium close up of Lil Wayne is used fairly similar to his front cover image. However, Lil Wayne has less expression on his face than he did on the front cover, he looks much more relaxed and less aggressive than he did on the front cover. And the photo is much clearer all his tattoos and gang signs are easier to make out. The main focus of the image is his face. It is almost as if Lil Wayne is looking right into you. You can make out his diamond teeth and his gold necklace showing off his wealth and status. This would appeal to upcoming African-Americans as they could envisage themselves in the same positions.

The artists on the “B-Side” such as Tia Mone , ,TeeFLii , Soulja Boy , Bishop Nehru and a few others . These artists are as the contents page describes compared to Lil Wayne’s status are “B-Side” entertainers they’re successful in their own right however nowhere near the success of Lil Wayne.

The poses given by Soulja Boy and Waka Flocka Flame (WFF) are fitting into the African-American gangster stereotypes with their chains especially Soulja Boy with his

Cover Story

The cover story is continued on the contents page on the “A-Side”. Even though Lil Wayne has been involved with hip/hop for almost two decades there seems to be no evidence of him slowing down he seems to be ploughing through and even XXL is saying that he has a “claim for hip-hops throne” This shows that he must have a wide fan base because he’s receiving all this attention.

The Cover Story is even given a different colour connotation grey, red, and white to make it stand out compared to the other cover stories which are given a simple image and a black and white description. This automatically, draws the reader’s attention into the grey box as it is different and strategically well placed next to Lil Wayne’s image. It’s even labelled “cover-story”

Language

The language used again is informal for example words like “what’s happenin”, “bae” which is an abbreviation for two words babe or

Image

Lil Wayne is on the “A-Side” showing that this is a special entertained who must be acknowledged and only his image is used on the “A-Side” contents page. It’s like Lil Wayne, is given a royalty like status within the hip/hop genre.

A medium close up of Lil Wayne is used fairly similar to his front cover image. However, Lil Wayne has less expression on his face than he did on the front cover, he looks much more relaxed and less aggressive than he did on the front cover. And the photo is much clearer all his tattoos and gang signs are easier to make out. The main focus of the image is his face. It is almost as if Lil Wayne is looking right into you. You can make out his diamond teeth and his gold necklace showing off his wealth and status. This would appeal to upcoming African-Americans as they could envisage themselves in the same positions.

The artists on the “B-Side” such as Tia Mone , ,TeeFLii , Soulja Boy , Bishop Nehru and a few others . These artists are as the contents page describes compared to Lil Wayne’s status are “B-Side” entertainers they’re successful in their own right however nowhere near the success of Lil Wayne.

The poses given by Soulja Boy and Waka Flocka Flame (WFF) are fitting into the African-American gangster stereotypes with their chains especially Soulja Boy with his

Colour

The use of colour is kept the same as it was with the front cover, Black, white and red all three of these colours help each other stand out separately

Font

The font used is sans serif. Which is used throughout the whole tenure of the magazine which helps the audience follow a sequence of steady fonts.

Language

The language used again is informal for example words like “what’s happenin”, “bae” which is an abbreviation for two words babe or

Puff

A puff is used here “Free exclusive wordplay mix CD” this is a smart way to catch the reader’s attention because Wordplay are a hip-hop magazine so they’re likely to have good tracks on there so for example , the price your paying could be worth it.

“GZA Full Exclusive Interview” another puff here

Masthead

The masthead is a catchy name “wordplay” it even makes the reader wonder what is the play on words hence the masthead being called “wordplay”. The masthead is conventionally in the top third of the magazine. However, the artist Wisher is covering some of the masthead which shows the value they give to their artist or that they’re confident with their fan base that they don’t need to show the masthead completely because it would easily be recognised. This is an indication that they could have a faithful fan base.

Font

The font used is a serif font which is used throughout the front cover and magazine. This is used for easy reading because serif fonts are usually considered easier to read. The serif font is also carried out into the body text.

Cover lines

The cover lines are all kept the same hinting that they give all the artists the same value however one artist is given prominence over the others and that’s “GZA” it isn’t fully in your face but you can see it and it does stand out. It is kept conventional as the cover lines are only used in the left hand third. There seems to be a structure as the magazine is kept clear and concise.

GZA is the main artist and holds a lot of power within hip hop as he is the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan he established himself in the Wu-Tang Clan as he was the first to receive a record label.

Target Audience

The target audience I think is 14+ it is hip hop rap so I reckon it would definitely appeal to the African-American audience. GZA is 48 years old when this magazine was shot he was 46 so I reckon an older audience

Image Analysis

The image used is very clear it has not been blurred to make a certain part of the image stand out however they have made sure that the face has not been covered.

GZA has an angry thug like look on his face fitting into his hip hop rapper stereotype. His hood is up meaning he is slouching looking directly into your eyes he looks kind of intimidating in my opinion.

Price

Puff

A puff is used here “Free exclusive wordplay mix CD” this is a smart way to catch the reader’s attention because Wordplay are a hip-hop magazine so they’re likely to have good tracks on there so for example , the price your paying could be worth it.

“GZA Full Exclusive Interview” another puff here

Cover lines

The cover lines are all kept the same hinting that they give all the artists the same value however one artist is given prominence over the others and that’s “GZA” it isn’t fully in your face but you can see it and it does stand out. It is kept conventional as the cover lines are only used in the left hand third. There seems to be a structure as the magazine is kept clear and concise.

GZA is the main artist and holds a lot of power within hip hop as he is the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan he established himself in the Wu-Tang Clan as he was the first to receive a record label.

Target Audience

The target audience I think is 14+ it is hip hop rap so I reckon it would definitely appeal to the African-American audience. GZA is 48 years old when this magazine was shot he was 46 so I reckon an older audience Price

Contents Page

I searched throughout the magazine and I did not come across a conventional contents page. This in my opinion is very unusual because a contents page is needed for structure and to guide the reader where to go. They’ve clearly tried to do something different. However, I do not think it is clear.

They’ve tried to talk about GZA and other artists giving some background information on them.

They’re very confident of their magazine describing the folios within their magazine as “Glossy” and “Juiciest”.

They haven’t given page numbers to go to as a conventional contents page would do however they have talked about most of their artists in the description which indicates they’re present the magazine as if they’re talking to their readers.

Colour Scheme

The colour scheme is a vibrant red background which and the masthead is in white. The text is written in black.

The colours used are simple yet effective not to vibrant but not so pale it’s a good mix of colours.

Image Analysis

The image used is not conventional to many of the hip hop and rap magazines out there. There are images of the gangster stereotypes however there is some politics involved too.

For example, if this image is analysed carefully the clown in the red and yellow represents McDonalds and he has money in his pockets which indicates he’s rich and the way this is achieved is by companies such as Lloyds and Visa this is probably done by charging card usage. The

Font

The font used is a serif font which is used throughout the magazine giving a simple and easy to read magazine which allows the reader not to lose concentration.

Image Analysis

The image used is not conventional to many of the hip hop and rap magazines out there. There are images of the gangster stereotypes however there is some politics involved too.

For example, if this image is analysed carefully the clown in the red and yellow represents McDonalds and he has money in his pockets which indicates he’s rich and the way this is achieved is by companies such as Lloyds and Visa this is probably done by charging card usage. The

Standfirst/Masthead

The masthead is out there in your face “GZA” it was also on the front cover indicating that they’re giving GZA all the attention.

The standfirst is kept simple it is in white and the background in conjunction is GZA at one of his GIGS which is a reddish/ orangey colour.

The standfirst doesn’t function as a drop cap leading the reader in however it does start of simply the reader is somehow drawn in.

By-Line

Which is right next to the standfirst acknowledging the interviewer Thomas Hankins and the photographer Anis Ali.

Pull Quote

The pull quote “I am amazed by the beauty and greatness of the universe, from its origins to its infinite existence and all the things that fill it” this is an unusual quote in my opinion by a rapper because they’re usually associated with gang culture and thug life. So , for a rapper to say something is beautiful and with a lot of meaning is unusual it also relates to the photo in the ‘contents’ folio because it is talking about the universe and relating to

Image analysis

The image used is also used in the background it is GZA in his comfort zone at a gig playing to an audience.

His microphone is in his hand his dj is in the back and they’re clearly having fun and enjoying themselves which relates to the fact that the magazine refers to him as a “one of the most gifted

Font

The font used is serif font again for easier readability

However the questions are in block capitals however I reckon this is done to make the questions stand out from the answers.