Front Cover
"Classic FM"
I have chosen to analyse the front cover of the classical music magazine, “Classic FM” as I find the interpretation of women to differ from other such musical publications. Women are not presented in a way in which they would fall into one of the four stereotypical categories, but women are featured based on their talent and success. For example, throughout the pages of heavy metal magazine, “Kerrang!”, women are only ever featured in the form of a fan or a ‘de-feminised artist’ (where the artist embodies male qualities and traits). Other examples being, pop magazine “Top of the Pops”, they portray women as ‘girly stereotypes’ (where the artist exaggeratedly feminine) and the R&B magazine “Vibe” whom depict women as ‘sexual objects’ (where the entire image of the artist is sexual and provocative).
Let us begin with the masthead of the magazine: the masthead dominates the page with its size. The font type is in bold and uppercase letters, which gives the impression of masculinity and assertiveness. This is a clear indication that the Target Audience (TA) are male, as men also, embody these characteristics. However, the masthead does not contain the rough and raucous type of masculinity, like a magazine such as ‘Kerrang!’ would, but holds more of a refined and composed mannerism. This aspect strongly reflects the style of music that this magazine promotes as well as the style of the TA. The letters of the masthead have been broken up by colour, the ‘class’ of ‘classic’ is in black, whereas the rest of the font is in white. This highlights the fact that this magazine is aimed at the elite. The use of black and white reinforces the idea that this is a male dominated magazine. The colours are of course, classic, traditional and elegant. As for the ‘F’ of ‘FM’, that has been coloured in red and is in italic. The colour red is seen to symbolise love and affection and the use of Script font adds to the idea of this. Script is a font type that inserts the feeling of intimacy and personality into a piece of writing. Therefore the colour red, mixed in with the black and white, suggests that classical music is not only an interest of the TA, but a passion.
The ethoses of “Classic FM” are to provide its audience with a printed organ of classical music. They want the TA to use the magazine as a source of relaxation from their hectic work fixated schedules and grandiose lifestyles. As a typical reader of “Classic FM” is likely to be middle aged, have had an opportune education and privileged upbringing. They now have prosperous and fulfilling professions, as well as the desirable family and home. Life is bound to get tough for the TA and so, “Classic FM” is the perfect definitely
Moving onto the image: the camera angle used here is called a medium shot, whereby everything from the waist upwards, is in view of the shot. We have a clear picture of the woman’s face, which is conventional for a front cover of a magazine. The background is plain white; the simplicity relates to the idea of purity, innocence and elegance which reflects the classical music genre. Also, the use of this colour creates and clean and fresh expression of the magazine.
The woman is wearing a salmon coloured cotton blouse and her pose is confident yet modest. The colour scheme is neutral, which refers to the woman’s natural beauty. Her hair, make-up and clothing allow to her appear feminine and womanly. Without revealing any flesh she appears respectable. “Classic FM” avoids using females on the front covers of their magazines that appear in any way artificial, as it would appeal to the wrong type of TA and promote the wrong impression of the magazines content and the style of music. However, the woman here remains poised, appearing reputable, which represents the character of the TA. Her body language appears friendly and non-intimidating. There’s a degree of pride in her expression, yet there’s no trace of conceit or arrogance in her appearance, which the TA may find endearing. They are likely to admire her illustration of natural beauty and find themselves attracted to her because of her expression of charisma and talent.
Sell lines: The main sell line states “’My Musical Mission!’ How the presenter is winning new friends for classical music”. This sell line refers to the main image of the woman and her name is Myleene Klass. She is originally known for being a contestant on the talent show ‘Pop idol’ and for winning a place in the pop group ‘Hear’Say. Klass has a history in the mainstream music industry, but today she edges more towards the genre of classical music as she plays the piano. She is recognizable to the TA because of this and also because she participates in other types of media such as television presenting and advertising. This sell line indicates what the main feature is about, and for those who only recognise Myleene Klass as a presenter are being informed of her skills as a classical musician in this issue. This in particular may be tempting for fans of Myleene Klass who would not normally read “Classic FM” – this is a way of attracting a different TA and/ or expanding on the same one. The main TA of “Classic FM” may find this issue tempting, as her involvement in the magazine may be surprising considering she is commonly associated with television and this sell line would intrigue the curiosity.
The main sell lines are positioned in the left hand third because it’s the first area of the page that will grab a person’s attention. Also because these sell lines inform the TA of the magazines content in this particular issue, which establishes their importance in reference to luring in readers. The page is not cluttered with too much information, but appears strategic, organised and clean. The layout reflects the mannerisms of the TA, whom are also likely to be neat and tidy.
The sell-line: “Fiddler on the surf, Aussie Virtuoso Richard Tognetti reveals his other great passion” reflects a different interest of the TA. The man in the article related image is holding a surf board. It is evident that “Classic FM” highlights other areas of interest for the TA, apart from that of classical music. In this case, the additional interest could be water sports. This may also indicate the TA’s taste in Australian traditions, which shows the TA as individuals who like to travel to experience alternative cultures and immerse themselves in the more therapeutic and composed types of sport.
The font style used for the majority of sell-lines is in Serif; this font is conventionally used for formal documents, which suggests this musical publication as quite prim and proper. The style of music is also established as the middle class are more likely to listen to classical music. Other types of font such as script and sans serif are infrequently included within the sell-lines, to differentiate parts of the text and make the content stand out. The use of colour on the sell-lines creates an attention grabbing effect, for example, all of the sub headings of the sell-lines are in large red font and the descriptions are coloured in grey. Mode of address is established as there is evidence of continual style, font and colour.
Contents Page
"Vibe"
I have chosen to analyse a contents page from the R&B music magazine, ‘Vibe’. Firstly, let us begin with the image. We are presented with a black-African woman who has been placed at the very bottom of the page and is lying on her back, on the floor. This could perhaps represent the position of which women hold in traditional, patriarchal society, or the perspective of them in music industry or simply the view of women that a typical reader of ‘Vibe’ would have. Her legs are up in the air as she creates a ‘V’ shape from the knees upwards, which represents the title of the magazine, ‘Vibe’. Behind this, another ‘V’ shape is formed but in the style of lettering. The giant ‘V’ is only noticeable through the white outline. This outline gives the illusion that strings are attached to the woman’s feet, which gives the impression that the Target Audience (TA) are the ‘Puppet masters’. On a much wider scale, this imagery presents the values and beliefs of the TA in relation to women, sex and control.
The woman appears to have long dark hair yet it has been placed in a way that is unnoticeable. I believe this is intentional as the attention of the target audience has been deliberately diverted elsewhere, to places such as her bust, waist and legs which are all areas of intrigue to the male TA. The woman is dressed in what appears to be a leotard; the material clings to her body and accentuates her womanly figure. To add to the one-piece, the woman is wearing a tight-fitting belt around her waist which further emphasises her curves. The woman’s neck and wrists are decorated with sparkly and chunky jewellery to express the idea of wealth. On her feet she wears a pair of satin high heels in order to elongate her legs and further emphasise the glossiness through the fabric of the shoe. Every item of clothing and piece of jewellery in this shot is placed in a way that will appeal to the male TA. The position of the woman – on her back and showing off her legs, links in with the idea of sexual power as it plays out the roles of women in the ‘bedroom’ – being vulnerable and under control. The woman teases the TA with the arrangement of her legs, as the rest of her body remains still and motionless, her legs appear to circulate in the air. This can have a mesmerising effect on the TA, urging them to read on.
The woman makes eye contact with the camera which is inviting, intimate and alluring. This concept of sexual dominance relates to the content of the magazine, as conventionally R&B music is based on sex, power and money. Therefore the iconography is reflecting the genre of music that this magazine is based on.
The woman’s make-up shimmers against the light, this relates to the idea of glamour and wealth, which are two things often mentioned in R&B music. The tones used on her eyes, cheeks and lips all match the colour of her clothing and accessories as well as the shades of the background and text. The theme of colour is soft and hazy yet elegantly brazen; the use of monotone creates an array of ardour, which links in with the idea of sexual desire – a common interest of the TA. The image of this woman relates to the brand identity of ‘Vibe’ as the magazine is known for its use of provocative and sexual images. There is a distinctive theme of gender dominance in each issue of ‘Vibe’ magazine: the woman is half naked, fragile yet playful where as the man is impervious and invincible.
This contents page of ‘Vibe’ uses a range of different fonts with the text, for example, the title of the page is ‘contents’ and a display font has been used for this particular word. It is in block capitals and coloured in white. Against the monotone background, the text stands out as it is the brightest attribute to the page. The word ‘contents’ is presented in an attention grabbing way with its portrayal of style and colour, because it’s the first thing that the TA should look at. The contents page is the second most vital aspect of a magazine – apart from the front cover, ofcourse. It withholds all the information that the issue entails, and therefore has the added pressure of being gripping, persuasive and alluring with its use of iconography, images and text. The ultimate aim of a contents page is to convince its readers to continue reading. The colour white has been chosen for the title of this page because it’s a colour often associated with R&B music. For instance, R&B artists are usually pictured wearing white clothing. The colour white, is traditionally connected to the idea of innocence and purity. This is ironic considering the subject matter of R&B music, as it mainly focuses on sex, power, money and violence.
The lettering of the word ‘contents’ has been broken up into: ‘co’, ‘nten’ and ‘ts’. Each segment sits underneath each other, creating an edgy and urban effect, whilst reflecting the style of the magazine and its TA. Below, there are two subheadings, the first states “Features” and the second states “Fashion”. They are both coloured in black and in a script font and differs to the other types of text used on the page. It’s elegantly and tastefully presented, which represents the smart, well groomed and mature face of the TA. Below “Features” there are three specific page references which indicate the focal features of this issue: Interviews with and articles of the R&B artists, "Ciara", “Pretty Ricky” and “Robin Thicke”. The names of the artists are in bold and sans serif, where as the surrounding text is in serif. Below “Fashion” there are two specific page references which are fashion related, the first referring to an article about five male designers and their new approach on style. The second reference is about the R&B artists "P-diddy" design “Sean John” celebrating a decade in fashion. Not only does ‘Vibe’ talk about music, which is the basis of the magazine, but it also features additional aspects such as fashion, which relates further into the interest of the TA.
Double Page Spread
"NME"
A double page spread is an editorial article or feature that stretches across the two facing pages in a magazine. I have chosen to analyse a double page spread found in the music magazine ‘NME’ which features the synth-pop duo, ‘La Roux’. In this issue of ‘NME’ they include a feature on ‘The Future 50 - The Innovators Pushing Forward Music’ where they list the top 50 contemporary artists and acts that they believe are set to succeed in the near future.
This example of a double page spread uses many conventions; it includes a main image, an article headline and article subhead, a header, a pull quote, a body copy with a gutter and a caption accompanying the main image.
Let us begin with an analysis of the main image. The camera angle is a birds-eye-view shot of a woman lying on what appears to be a bed or other such cushioned decliner. I believe that this shot was used to show the Target Audience (TA) of NME, a different perspective of this particular artist. The background consists of just the bedding, as the main focus is on the reclined woman. She looks calm and content and her posture remains strong, despite her inadequate position. The image appears cold yet compelling as the woman lies on what are presumably, satin sheets of a midnight blue colour. The material gives a soft and silky impression whereas the tone creates a wintery mood. The woman wears her signature hair style, the red quiff. This artist is known for this distinctive hairdo and is therefore instantly recognisable to the TA. The make-up of the woman is fresh and bright, which gives her a pure and innocent look. Out of all of her made-up features, her eyes stand out the most having being decorated with a blue eye-shadow. To the left of her cheekbone; sit three tear-shaped droplets that have been painted on. These painted on tears give the impression that the woman is crying, this suggests the personality of the artist as being quite sensitive, and the TA must therefore feel sympathetic towards her. There appears to be a theme of the colour blue, which sets a melancholy mood. This could perhaps be in relation to the TA’s perspective of this artist or her exposure in the media. She has been presented in a way that suggests the TA must feel compassion for her. She is portrayed as a sensitive and quite isolated person because she is alone in the image and her face has been made up to look as if she has been crying. This representation indicates the style of music that ‘La Roux’ produce: ingenuous and unfeigned.
The use of clothing gives the image a futuristic yet majestic look; an indication that she is potential ‘royalty’ in popular music. The costume is lavish and luxurious as her cape boasts a beautiful embroidered pattern and the silkiness of her blouse appears delicate and sweet. Her outfit as a whole gives the impression of royalty and riches, which relates to the majestic theme. ‘La Roux’s costume here might on some level remind the reader of a stately monarch such as Elizabeth I, a Queen famed for having achieved the status of being a solitary figure of female success and triumph in a male dominated world. The same could be said for this artist in terms of her success within the music industry. There is also a suggestion of her lying ‘in state’ as a monarch would do upon their death. This could indicate that ‘La Roux’ will be a celebrated artists, who will be remembered long after her death and whose legacy will live on.
The theme of colour seems to show a consistency of black, navy blue and white, altogether creating an emotional atmosphere of different elements. For example, the midnight blue satin sheets and the navy blue cape which the woman is wearing, work together to create the assumption that this is a male magazine and that this artist in particular is quite masculine in appearance. Where as the use of light makeup gives her an innocent and fresh look. The embroidery of the cape, along with the white silky blouse and glistening piece of jewellery all create an array of femininity. Despite the fact that in some respects ‘La Roux’ is de-feminised within this image, her femininity is established and she has been presented in a fresh way that allows her success to be show cased.
Moving on from the image analysis, let us now explore the features of this double page spread. There is a combination of image and body copy with the image dominating the page which is conventional. There are uses of common features: main image, an article headline and article subhead, a header, a pull quote, a body copy with a gutter and a caption accompanying the main image.
The pull quote states, “I convince myself I am going to die about 3 times a week”. This could promote sympathy for an artist who is otherwise presented negatively by the media. The feeling of sympathy could be heightened by the almost sad expression on her face and the “tears” that are falling from her eyes. Her facial expression could also reflect the content of the article.
There are vivid uses of the colour pink on this double page spread, which is used for the text. Pink is a colour that is rarely used in NME and could perhaps suggest this countdown article being part of a special feature in this issue. The shade of pink is strong and vibrant and the use of the colour brings the article to life considering the colour scheme is otherwise dark and melancholy. The article is about the future, and by using the colour pink, the future is bright and positive. The pink suggests the dawning of a new musical era.
The number ‘10’ is also included on this page, highlighting the number at which ‘La Roux’ sits in the countdown. It creates continuity within this feature as the number is presented in the same way on each page of the countdown. The size of the number suggests its importance and the artist’s status within the countdown.
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