Textual analysisEleanor Waring

Front cover of Q

Feature article photoThe main image is of a well known celebrity and is using direct address because she is looking straight into the camera, this creates the idea that she is interacting with the audience as she is staring right at the audience, it makes the audience feel connected with the artist. Also she is the main focus on the cover, attracting the demographic to buy the magazine. People will look up to her and want to look like her and be like her. This is called male gaze. Also this image won’t just attract just the female audience but males too because Cheryl is seen as a sexual attraction to many men. The feature photo also creates a sense of style, this is because of the way she is posed and her facial expression. The colour Cheryl is wearing also conveys a rockstar, stylish sense to the image because she is wearing all black, with unusual jewellery and her makeup is also heavy black. This also indicated that the magazine is unique and different as it is showing a different side of Cheryl. She is normally seen as a ‘sweetheart’, that produces pop music not rock music, but in this photo she isn’t portrayed in this way suggesting she has a different side to her or she has changed. This also makes the audience want to buy the magazine as they can find out why Cheryl is portrayed in a rebel way compared to what she is normally presented as.

The mastheadThis masthead is bright and stands out on the page as it is more of a logo than a masthead and very recognisable for the one letter word ‘Q’. The white Q and the red background contrasts well and as a result looks effective and also the audience can easily read the masthead and recognise the magazine. Also part of it covers the celebrities face, this show the importance of the masthead.Date and price This convention has to be shown on a front cover of a magazine, however it is in small font because it make the audience less likely to see the price and therefore are not likely to be put off buying the magazine. The price of the magazine is quite expensive which also suggests it s a monthly magazine and the social class of the audience would be C1and above as they would be able to afford it.

Colour SchemeThe colours and content used in this magazine aren’t stereotypically preferred by any gender, this suggests that Q is aiming both sexes. Also the colours are more mature colours. The colours grey, red, white and black aren’t commonly used to attract children. This tells me that this magazine isn’t aimed at children. Red and white are the iconic colours of the Q magazine, this means the audience will recognise that this is a Q magazine.

The layoutThe layout of this magazine is organised. There is quite a lot of text on the front cover, but not too much. The text is sorted into columns so that the feature article photo is easily seen. Due to the well organised and neat set out, it implies that this magazine is a more expensive monthly magazine rather than a cheaper weekly magazine.The white background on the text that names some top artists makes the writing stand out and easily readable because of the contrast of colours.

PuffThe subheading stands out on the page because the name is recognisable and would attract attention of the audience as they would want to know the ‘untold story’ and images of this artist. Also it makes the audience feel involved and as if they are the first ones to see the unseen information about such a well known artist.

PuffThis is drawing attention to the audience that this magazine has a massive market and is very successful, therefore this helps persuade the audience to buy the magazine as it must be a good magazine and they might want to find out why.

Feature HeadlineThe feature headline is based at the bottom of the front cover in three rows and it helps structure the magazine layout. The way the last line of the feature headline is in the style of a banner makes the magazine look more professional. The title starts saying ‘3 words’ and then the rest of the title is three words long. This is a clever pun used because Cheryl’s new album at the time was called 3 words. The whole of the feature headline is in the colours white and red which makes it stand out on the page and easy to read, catching the audiences attention almost immediately as it’s eye catching. By including the celebrities well known name ‘Cheryl Cole’ in the title, it draws in the demographic as they might be fans of her and want to know what the article about her in the magazine is saying. The title increases in size and ‘Rocks’ is the largest word and it in red which suggests that this word has significance and importance. This is also in red which could symbolise lust and sexual attraction, which is reinforced in the feature article photo. Also ‘rock’ relates to the image as Cheryl looks like a rock star, which is unusual for her character.

Front Cover Of Mixmag

FreebieThis is another way of attracting the audience because they aren’t just getting the magazine with their purchase, they are also getting a free CD. The audience are getting more for their money. This is the Unique Selling Point of the magazine because it makes this magazine stand out and different from other music magazines.

Also this separate image of the free CD stands out on the magazine, catching the audiences attention. Also it tells the reader what CD it is.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme is bright and vibrant, this is unusual for a magazine that is a January addition as it would usually suggest a summer addition as the colours used are summery, bright colours. However Mixmag is a dance and clubbing magazine, therefore the choice of colours are because dance music is always up-beat and lively and also in clubs there are a lot of bright flashing lights, so the colours fit in with the theme. It suggests that the magazine is worldwide and could also imply that the audience might go to countries like Ibiza and Magaluf where there are a lot of clubs and young people and it is fairly hot all year round.

BarcodeThis is a convention that allows the audience t buy the product

Date and PriceThis convention has to be shown on a front cover of a magazine, however it is in small font because it make the audience less likely to see the price and therefore are not likely to be put off buying the magazine. Also because this magazine is quite expensive it suggests that mixmag is a monthly magazine.

Feature article photoThe main image is of a celebrity called David Guetta. He is DJ and is well known for making successful dance and club music. This therefore attracts the audience of this magazine because Mixmag is about clubbing and dance music and David Guetta would be popular to people would enjoy dance / clubbing music. David Guetta is wearing sunglasses, this again isn’t usual for a winter magazine, so this may suggest that the magazine is worldwide and could also imply that the audience might go to countries like Ibiza and Magaluf where there are a lot of clubs and young people and it is fairly hot all year round. Also the choice of colours could be because they signify the bright strobe lights that are featured in clubs.

Feature headlineThis headline is using a swear word, this suggests that the audience of this magazine is young adults as the majority use the same language, therefore this also makes the audience relate the magazine. Also this adds to the informal and less serious vibe that the magazine has. The feature headline doesn’t give much away as it suggests that david guetta had a big, busy year. Therefore this is a way of persuading the audience to buy the magazine as they will want to =find out what 2009 held for the celebrity.

PuffThis is empathising how successful and popular this magazine is. It is a good selling point as it will attract more readers as they might feel they should get involved with reading this magazine too and see why it has been voted the worlds biggest dance music and clubbing magazine.

MastheadUses white serif font in yellow. The yellow makes the writing stand out on the magazine because of the dark background. This makes it easier for the audience to recognise the magazine. The masthead is recognisable to the audience as it is like a logo. The font is informal suggesting that this magazine is less serious and the audience are like younger adults that are more fun than serious.

Sub imageThis is used to give the audience an idea of what is inside. It also is a clever way of making the reader want to read on. If they want t read on then they would have to purchase the magazine.

RWD

MastheadThe type of font this masthead is in, is quite informal and understandable (easily readable). This is suitable for the audience as young adults don’t want to buy a magazine that looks serious. They want to buy a magazine that looks fun. Also the colour of the font is white, this makes the title stand out as it contrasts well on the black background.

SubheadingThe subheading is of the artists name. This is to make the audience recognise that it is Jessie J on the front cover. It says ‘in her own words’ which infers that inside the magazine there is an article on her where she may have been interviewed, this will make the audience feel persuaded to buy the magazine as they will want to see what she is saying. Also the dark background makes the subtitle stand out, drawing more attention to it.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme consists of black and white. This conveys the idea that the artist is stylish and therefore so is the magazine. It also makes the magazine look unique. Another reason why the colours are black and white might be because the issue date is February and this is a winter month, so this may suggest that the magazine made the theme as ‘cold’ colours but still make the magazine look good and appeal to the target audience.

The layout The layout is very simple and quite plain, as there isn’t much included on this front cover. This implies that the main focus of this issue of the magazine is the celebrity. Also the magazine RWD must be well known and have a good reputation if the magazine company feel confident enough to not have to advertise much on the front cover. It implies that this magazine is popular enough to attract enough audience just with a simple design.

Feature article photoThis image is of a celebrity called Jessy J and would be recognised by the audience. She is using direct address because she is looking straight into the camera, this creates the idea that she is interacting with the audience as she is staring right at the audience, it makes the audience feel connected with the artist. Also she is the main focus on the cover as there isn’t much text on the front cover and there isn’t any other images. This gives the feature article photo importance. Also the shot is a close up of the face which focuses all of the audiences attention onto her, attracting the demographic to buy the magazine. People will look up to her and want to look like her, be like her and relate to her. This is called male gaze. The image doesn’t show any background, it is just the celebrities face. Also this image won’t just attract just the female audience but males too because Jessy is seen as a sexual attraction to many men. In this picture jessy j looks like her normal iconic self, presented in a hip hop / R&B way. This suggest that the audience to this magazine will like that sort of music. Jessy J looks stylish and cool in this magazine, therefore it implies that the magazine is also cool and stylish like her.

Q Contents Page WhitespaceThe background consists of white space this is because it helps the reader not to get easily distracted to something else on the page. Instead the audience has their attention on where the main stories are in the magazine. Also the white background contrasts well with the black text, so it makes it easily readable.LayoutThis contents page has a simple but effective layout because it includes the main stories and where to navigate them in the magazine. However this contents page doesn’t tell the reader where every story in the magazine is. This is effective because the page doesn’t look too clutter and therefore cant confuse or bore the reader and it makes the navigation of the magazine simpler and easier for the reader.

LogoThe logo is featured on the contents page because then the reader is reminded that they are reading Q magazine.

The Colour SchemeThe colour scheme is white, black and red. This is the main colour scheme of the magazine, especially red. This is used to remind the reader that they are reading Q as these are the recognisable colours usually used.

The images are used as another way of telling the audience whereabouts to find that story in the magazine. Using the pictures to do this is clever as it doesn’t mean the reader has to waste time looking at a list of titles and their pages. Instead the reader can just look at the image and go to the page it says. The image has to be of something related to the story but also it has to be a story of something the audience will recognise so they know what the article will be about. So in this case the article on page 48 features the celebrity Lana Del Ray.

Here are little brief snippets of information that will be on the article. This is a way of making the reader want to read on and see what is on the rest of the article.

This is the biggest image on the contents page, this suggests that it is the main article in this magazine as it is the biggest the draw most of the audience’s attention to it. Lana Del Ray, in the image, is using direct address as she is looking straight at the audience. Also the image is a extreme close up of part of her face. This extreme close up shot and the use of direct address empathises a closeness and a connection to the audience. It also creates the idea that she is almost trying to reach out to the audience, for them to pick to read the article she is featured in before any other article in the magazine. The blood on her face may suggest that she is hurt, this could be because Lana Del Ray’s song’s are often about heartbreak, love or have a negative feel to the song. Therefore the blood could symbolise the emotional pain that is featured in her tracks.

Mixmag Contents Page

WhitespaceThe background consists of white space this is because it helps the reader not to get easily distracted to something else on the page. Instead the audience has their attention on where the main stories are in the magazine. Also the white background contrasts well with the black text, so it makes it easily readable.

LayoutThe layout of the contents page is again simple but effective layout because it just features the main stories and where to navigate them in the magazine. This means that it doesn’t tell the reader where every story in the magazine is. This is good because the page doesn’t look too cluttered and therefore can’t confuse or bore the reader and it makes the navigation of the magazine simpler and easier for the reader. Also the images are the other may of navigating where this article is in the magazine. The picture has to be recogonisable to the audience so they know what the article will be. Here are little brief snippets of information that will be on the article. This is a way of making the reader want to read on and see what is on the rest of the article.

The images are used as another way of telling the audience whereabouts to find that story in the magazine. Using the pictures to do this is clever as it doesn’t mean the reader has to waste time looking at a list of titles and their pages. Instead the reader can just look at the image and go to the page it says. The image has to be of something related to the story but also it has to be a story of something the audience will recognise so they know what the article will be about.

The FontThe font of the title is repeated font. It is the same as the font on the front cover. This makes the magazine recognisable to the audience as they will know that mixmag uses this font for its magazine. Also this font used isn’t serious, suggesting that this magazine is fun and for more younger, less serious readers.

PuffThis is advertising what the free product is in the magazine. It tells the demographic a bit about the product and it is made to make the audience feel like they are getting more for their money. It is a great selling point and will influence the audience to buy more issues of the magazine if there is a free product every time.

ImageThe image is quite personal as the people in the image are looking straight at the audience, therefore this makes the audience feel connected with them as they are using direct address. The people in the image are crouched and leaning in this also creates a sense of closeness to the audience and the need for the audience to read about these people that are featured in this article. The image is a long shot and it takes up most of the page. This suggests that this is the main article in the magazine. It is the main attraction in this certain issue of mixmag and the image size emphasises the importance of this certain article and it implies to the audience that they should read this article. The people in the image look like they have been in a photo studio to have these pictures taken, the background of the image doesn’t suggest anything about the genre of music these people are involved in. This infers that these people are professional and well respected as they have gone to a photo studio to have these images taken.

The clothes they are wearing are stereotypically associated with rap or R&B music. This suggests that these people are artists within that genre. So this would attract the audience that are interested in this genre of music.

RWD Contents page

The contents heading is in the same font as the name of the magazine is in on the front cover. This is used to remind the reader that they are reading RWD magazine. Also this heading ‘contents’ is in bold and it is larger than any other text on the page because its role is to attract the audiences attention to the contents information below.

This contents page seems to include all of the pages in the magazine, which differs to Q magazine. However this contents page has still been created in a simple and easy way so that it allows the audience to navigate around the magazine well. The page numbers are in bold because it helps separate the different headings. It is also useful tat the page number is in bold because it helps make it more clear which number that particular article is on.

The four images instantly draw attention to them because the contrast of the white background makes the images stand out more. The four images are of young people which suggests that the target audience is also young people. The two pictures on the left are taken in a studio which may indicate that them artists are more professional. All four of the artists look like they are artists of different genres, this may make the readership of this magazine bigger as the magazine is for lots of different people that are interested in different genres. The man on the top right looks like they are an R&B artist, because of the clothes he is wearing. The girl in the bottom left may be looked up to by young girls as they may like her style and want to look like her. This is called male gaze. Also this image won’t just attract the female audience but males too because she might be seen as a sexual attraction to many men. All of the artists featured in these images aren’t well known, this implies that they are new artists.

The white space is useful as it makes the black font on the page stand out, making it easier and clearer to read. Also the whitespace draws more attention to the text and the images.

Q Double Page Spread

Feature photoIn this photo Cheryl is presented as multi genred as she is known for her pop music but in this she is giving off a tougher image that maybe suggests she is posed in a rockstar role.

People will look up to her and want to look like her and be like her. This is called male gaze. Also this image won’t just attract the female audience but males too because Cheryl is seen as a sexual attraction to many men. The feature photo also creates a sense of style, this is because of the way she is posed and her facial expression. The long shot of Cheryl takes up half of the double page spread, this shows the significance of the photo.The colours of this photo are mainly black and pale colours like Cheryl’s skin. So this creates the image to look like its black and white, which are the iconic colours of Q magazine. Also red is another iconic colour to Q magazine and this is also used as Cheryl’s lip colour on this photo.

TitleThe title of this double page spread is unusual because ‘Cheryl’ is in lower case and the last part of her name is in capitals. This my be because her last name is iconic to her image and she is well known for that last name. Therefore the title has been structured this way to capture the audiences attention to the ‘cole’ because when they see that they will instantly know who is featured in this article. Apart from the artist’s name, there is no main title for the article. This intrigues the audience as they dot know what the article s about and it will persuade them to read onwards to find out what thy have put bout this famous person.Graphic ArtThe use of the enlarged red C that is behind the text shows the significance of Cheryl and it not only links to her but to Q magazine because it is in, the magazine’s most iconic colour, red.

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BaselineThere is a quite from what the artist has said in the magazine interview. This quite has a slightly larger text and it is in a different colour to the rest of the text. This red baseline is suppose to stand out from the rest of the text so if a reader is briefly looking at the page they are more likely to read that quote as it stands out from the rest of the text. By doing this it may persuade the audience to read the whole article as they have red the quote which is a snippet of the article and the reader might want to find out what else the artist has said.

WhitespaceThe white space is useful as it makes the black font on the page stand out, making it easier and clearer to read. Also the whitespace draws more attention to the text and the images.

Mixmag Double Page Spread

The HeaderThe header ‘ the big 3’ doesn’t give the audience much clue of what the article is about, this makes the reader want to read on. The other sub-heading and images give more of a suggestion to what the article is about. The three most popular clubs in the world.

Feature PhotoThe medium close up of the two girls suggests that the clubs that are featured in the article are an enjoyable and fun place to be, this is because the girl on the right is smiling and showing the peace sign which are symbols of happiness. Also the two girls seem close, suggesting that the club featured also brings people together.

There are five different images and they are used to break up the text and make the page look less boring as there appears to be less text than there is. Also the images are to indicate to the reader what the article is about.

This shot is a medium shot. The alcohol that the man is holding symbolises fun and happiness as alcohol can make you happy. This infers that the music in this club that the article is referring to can make you happy and is worth visiting. Also because of the featuring of alcohol, the magazine aims more of a young adult rather than a teenager. The demographic could be seen as rebellious and a party animal.

This image of a women dancing in a night club. Her arms are held up this suggests that she is having fun in the nightclub and therefore advertises it well, it also adds to the theme of party animals. The image is blurred which suggests the women is in fast movement, in rhythm with the music that the club is playing.

Colour SchemeThe colour scheme is mainly black, pink, yellow and the white background. The white background contrasts well with the black font, making the text clear and easy to read. Black symbolises darkness and night time, this fits in with the subject of the article because clubs are mainly open on the night. The pink and yellow colours used are bright and catch the readers attention because they are lively colours. This may represent the bright stroke lights that are usually used in clubs.

Font The header font is Mixmag’s usual rounded font. This is used because it is recognisable and helps the reader not forget which magazine they are reading. Also the font isn’t serious, implying that this magazine is for a more younger and fun audience.

RWD Double Page Spread

HeaderThis header is made to intrigue the audience as it doesn’t give anything away and it is an unusual style of header as it is a question. The audience are persuaded to read on as they want to find out who ‘he’ is and what is ‘he’ thinking of doing. This header is in an informal font which implies that the audience to this magazine is less serious. Also the font is quite unusual, which fits in well with the music group ‘Black Eyed Peas’ because these are also unique.

Feature ImageThis image is a long/wide shot that shows all of the group members in ‘Black Eyed Peas’. It appears t have been taken in a studio which suggests that the group are profeshional. Three of the members are faded out and standing slightly behind Will.i.am who isn’t faded. The other members could be faded because they aren’t see as playing a big part as Will.i.am does in the band, so him not being faded out into the background could be empathsising that he is the main singer. However the title is intruging as it says ‘Will he won’t he?’ From singling out Will.i.am in the feature image it suggests that will.i.am is the ‘he’ that the title is reffering to. Therefore this sheds some light on what the article could be about, the audience know that the artice is about something will.i.am might do, for example he could be considering to take his career solo.

WhitespaceThe white space is useful as it makes the black font on the page stand out, making it easier and clearer to read. Also the whitespace draws more attention to the text and the images, signififying the importance of these.

This small paragraph of text stands out from the rest of the text on the page as it is bolder, larger and has a black background to contrast well with the white text (no other text is white with black background) This makes this part of the text one of the first things that the audience will read beforing reading anything else, so it means that this piece of text is intruging and as a result makes the reader want to continue to read the full article from the start.

These arrows are iconi to the RWD magazine as it is on the front cover and almost like a logo. The arrows are included on this page beasue it reinds the audience what magazine they are reading as they instantly know that these arrows are featured on RWD magazines.