Blog 3 - Analysis of Existing Magazines

I have chosen to research two music magazine covers, one contents page and a double page spread.

The two covers are from MIXMAG and MOJO. They are both popular music magazines. The first title is aimed at the dance market and the second publication is aimed at rock fans.

MIXMAG Front Cover

The title is situated at the top of the magazine in large print and sharp (citrus) orange colour. It stands out. The font is in lower case and a serif typeface. There is a tag line directly above the title “the world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine” in smaller white lettering. The title draws attention and the tag line informs the consumer about the subject matter.

The central area of the front cover displays an image of a pretty woman. She is the main feature in the magazine. It is a head and body shot. It is staged. The lighting is soft and she is staring directly from the page drawing the attention of the consumer. She is wearing a gold necklace signifying wealth & success. She make up and hair do suggest sophistication and her complexion is perfectly smooth, Her nails are varnished and manicured. She has her left arm around a white pole which acts as a partition on the page.

The cover features the use of different types of grammatical symbols such as question marks, exclamation marks and quotation marks. I think they have been introduced to engage the consumer. They add life to the text and provoke thought. There are two columns of text running down the left hand side and right hand side of the magazine. The text is written in two colours; orange and white presumable to grab the reader’s attention. Different sizes of text are used to highlight the importance of the magazine features Both lower case and upper case lettering is evident. The language is informal and chatty. Alliteration is used such as “Marrakech Madness” & “Worlds wackiest Synths”. The headings are short highlighting the features inside. There is a bar code on the bottom left hand side together with publication date and selling price in a discrete format. The cover also lists the celebrities mentioned in the magazine which is another device to make the magazine appealing to as larger an audience as possible. On the top right hand corner there is a symbol of a running man used to promote the article “don’t stay in” which provides information about forthcoming events. The running man signifies urgency and enthusiasm. The use of symbols, inset pictures and text on an angle are devices used to hook interest. Finally a free CD promoting music was stuck to the bottom left hand corner of the front cover. Providing freebies such as a CD helps sell magazines. . The front cover is glossy and thick suggesting luxury and well to do. Also the reflection of light caused by the glossy finish would be eye catching in the shop. The cost of the magazine is £4.20. Shadows have been introduced to highlight some of the test.

MOJO Front Cover

Although the MOJO magazine is aimed at a different music audience from the MIXMAG publication the design of the cover incorporates the same format and techniques. The title is located at the top of the page in bold black lettering in a distinctive serif font. The middle “0” is obscured by main image on the front cover. A tag line in red is evident signifying that this is a music magazine. The central portion of the front cover is occupied by the main image. A head and shoulder shot of a man. He is the main feature inside the magazine. The photograph is shot in a studio. He is staring outwards. He is middle aged wearing a black t shirt. He looks good, fit and healthy. His hair has been carefully groomed. The background is a white brick wall signifying a link to the man’s music – “another brick in the wall”. His arms are folded.

Again there is two column of text of either side of the page incorporating different colours and styles of font. There are four principal colours on show; red, silver, white and black. The language is engaging with the use of question marks, exclamation marks and quotation marks to engage the consumer. This design includes headings framed in different geometric shapes such as circles and rectangles with contrasting backgrounds. Some of the text is set at an angle and there is a small image of one of the musicians featured in the magazine on the top right hand corner. This is a picture at the height of his popularity so the intention here is to use nostalgia as a hook to grab readership attention. A free music CD is stuck on the bottom left hand corned of the front cover to entice the consumer to buy. The front cover has a matt finish. The cost of the magazine is £4.50.


MIXMAG Contents Page

The magazine has two contents pages. The header and footer is the same on both pages detailing the title (masthead) , edition and contents along the top and website, edition and page number along the bottom. The title uses the same style as on the front cover but is smaller. This helps to create a house style and brand image. A large full length picture of a female recording artist featured in the magazine takes up much of the room of the page. The associated page number stands out and is in a fancy font. There is another small picture of the main draw on the contents page together the page number in a special font. The size of the page number is in proportion with the size of the image. The other contents are listed in a column on the right handside. There is a bold heading and a sub heading in each case. Along the bottom of the page above the footer is a band of text talking about the free CD and listing the tracks. The background is black and the writing is in white to make it stand out. The second contents pages show a large image on the right hand side of the page directly above two smaller images. Once again the page number is individually stylized. The other contents are listed in a column running down the left hand side of the page. The black and white theme is carried over. The images are bright and arty. There is a small image of the front cover in the top left hand corner together with a list of the people responsible for producing the magazine.

Mixmag Double Page Spread

The main feature in the magazine concerns a female radio one DJ, Annie Mac. The two page spread is about her. There is a stylish full length image on the right hand page. She has one hand on her hip and gazing outwards at the reader. She is dressed in black and white clothing, a short black sparkly mini skirt and vest top. She is still wearing the gold chain around her neck and chunky plastic bangles and ring. She is standing in a pool of light against a black background broken up by a spots of white light. Her demeanor is confident ands independent. There is a lack of fun and humour. The connotation of the image is dark. The black background with white spots spills onto half the left hand side of the page giving continuity. The story is written on the bottom third of this half of the page in small white text. The left hand side of the left hand page has a white background. The title of the feature and a summary of the piece are set an angle to add interest. Yellow letters are included in the title to perhaps signify gold. This might appeal to the aspirational desires of target audience. The headline lettering is large and in bold text and stands out. The feature is about a single woman who is successful and has her own style of fashion. The feature is about achieving success, Annie Mac appears to challenge the stereotypical image of dance DJ’s. The first letter is embellished to create interest and the language is conversational and in tune with the readership. .