Analysis of a front cover three.

Top of the pops is one of the leading music magazines for the younger generations; it has been around since the 1960’s. This front cover is very conventional as it focuses on Vannessa Hudgens and Zac Efron, two young stars that are widely recognized by a younger audience mainly due to the films high school musical. The magazine will appeal to both boys and girls as Vanessa is a beautiful model that boys will find attractive and girls will admire to be and Zac is a typical cool heart throb that boys will try and relate too and girls will have a crush on, making them both the ideal teen couple to be on a magazine targeted at a young teenage audience. Therefore the magazine immediately targets at its target audience. It captures the eye of a younger age range as it is very bright and contains vibrant colours that would attract people to buy it. The colours it uses are all very unisex and playful therefore it keeps its target audience large, the contrast of colours also helps separate different articles and helps to vary the information so the reader is aware of the magazines diversity and that it focuses on a variety of different articles and people.The front cover also acts as a contents page, it is very clear to the younger teen age range what the magazine will have inside For example: 'Sexy Hollyoaks Hunks' with an image of the Hollyoaks stars topless. The words and images fit together well as they explain one and other to identify the story easily, the fonts and lettering are all very fun, bubbly and large so that they are visible to read. The cover consists of varied images that gives the magazine a contrast and shows the readers that it’s not all just about reading into music, but also musical movies and other types of media as well, however music still being the obvious central theme. The front cover image is very busy and has a lot going on although it is noticeable who we are meant to focus on, the main image of Vanessa and Zac looks very summery and relaxed as the pose they are both conveying is almost like they are laying on a beach. The makeup is not very glamorous although they both have a sun tan glow to them and their clothes are very casual so that the younger teen audience can relate to them as they just look like casual teens themselves. As top of the pops is very well known there masthead is hidden behind the main centre image, however because the company is widely recognized due to the fact they used to have a TV show out too they don’t need to highlight their company name as such but they need to focus on what the magazine contains more.
Therefore all the straplines are very noticeable e.g. the main strapline that relates to the front page image is “High school musical special! Zac’s love life + Vanessa’s nude pic…The truth!” As they are insinuating it is a special story it will attract readers to it more and also the words the truth as they may have heard other stories from other magazines but they are advertising it as being truthful which will attract readers to want to buy it to find out the real story. Also they are keeping their audience wide as Zac’s love life will appeal more too adolescent girls who are crushing on the heart-throb, however Vanessa’s nude pictures will appeal to adolescent boys that are curious. There are also other straplines “DANNY: I’m not confident NAKED!” this will attract the girls and encourage them to want to read more, they don't give away too much but they don't give away too little, it’s the perfect amount to have a teen hooked on and left wanting to read more, it also attracts teenage boys that may not be happy with their body image and feeling a little insecure therefore they will want to buy this to read it so they feel like they’re not the only boy out there that is unhappy with themselves naked. The varied use of images gives the magazine a contrast and shows the readers that it’s not all just about reading into music, but also musical movies and other types of media as well, however music still being the obvious central theme. They not only use different contrasting colours but they also use lots of different fonts to accompany each article that they are advertising, for example: - They have included articles on the two high school musical stars and decided to include the original film logo instead of putting the film title in their own font, this works to the products advantage as buyers are able to recognize the film by its famous well known logo title. Another example is the “5 sexy Hollyoaks hunks” headline, they have put the font in white, this contrasts with the colour of the 'hot' celebrities skin colour, showing that they are tanned and good looking, again tripping the readers into buying the magazine. They have outlined the white font with black so that the headline stands out even more, as white can easily get lost on a page and go unnoticed. The magazine includes a good variety of articles on the front page as well as inside.If the magazine was on a shop shelf I would be able to identify the stories at a glance as the pictures plus the bright colours make them clear therefore the magazine would catch the eye of the readers from a distance as the layout is big and easily read which is particularly good as it will boost sales. I feel that this product is highly successful in appealing to its main target audience and portraying just how informative and fun it can be to read. The use of colour, typography, images, slogans, teasers and competition prizes helps to encourage the reader into exploring the product more.

Analysis of a front cover two.

Vibe is a hip pop music magazine that has not been around for many years as hip hop music is relatively new and only became a popular genre of music towards the beginning of the 90's.

This front cover features a picture of Chris brown in the centre as the main attraction, this is very conventional as he fits the genre of the music magazine well. However he is a very good choice to use as an image on a front cover of a hip pop magazine as he is classed as a hip pop/ RnB singer. He also appeals to a wide audience of males and females, as he is not only a good musician and dancer who's songs appeal to all, but boys aspire to have his talents, money and looks and many young teenage girls have a crush on him due to his physical appearance.

The magazine really stands out as it uses the colours black, white and yellow. The background is black therefore the white and yellow writing contrasts with this well, to make it very eye catching. The colours are very unconventional for a hip pop magazine as they set a happy mood and yellow symbolizes sunshine etc however hip pop is very well known for its rough, aggressive nature. The text fits in with the genre well as the masthead "Vibe" stands for a strong beat and is often associated with music. The headline " R U still down?" is written in slang and as a rhetorical question, making the audience want to read the article inside. All of the text is visible and in a bold font to make it clear and easy to read for all ages, as hip pop music tends to target more of a younger audience between the ages of 11-19. The main image of Chris is very conventional of hip hop as he is a young black male and hip pop is dominated by young American black culture. His arms are full of tattoos to give him that rough gangster look that is famously recognized and associated with him pop males, his clothing is very casual and his black top and scarf blend in with the background to give it a finished look. The pose relates to the title as he looks as though his asking the readers a question.

The front cover consists of several straplines however the one that captures the eye is "Drake" as the font is slightly larger than any other e.g "Chris Brown" as the front cover has a caption of him therefore there trying to sell the magazine by showing it has information inside about over hip pop stars. Also exclusive stands out as it is also one of the largest straplines on the page plus it has a white border with black writing to create a contrast that attracts the eye. All the wording is of a noticable size therefore it can be read by the reader easily and the colours help to attract the readers attention to it if it was sitting on a shelf. The language is conventional of a Hip pop magazine, therefore the reader automaically assumes it is of that genre because of the slang terms e.g "R U...". Overall the magazine gives a good indication of the genre it is based on and what you would find inside it, the design is appealing because of the bright contrasting colours that would catch the readers attention. However i think this magazine would not appeal to perhaps the older generation or those who enjoy Rock/Indie music as theres nothing on the cover to interest them.

Analysis of a front cover one.

Q is one of the UK's biggest selling music magazine as it features a wide variety of different music celebrities. However on the front page cover, Cheryl Cole is the center attraction because she is a well known celebrity especially in the UK. She is not only known for her music and prime time television debuts (on x-factor etc) but people aspire to be her because of her beauty. Therefore she's a perfect choice for a front cover as she will attract a large target audience varying from young teenage girls to middle aged men. However Cheryl cole is a very unconventional celebrity to be on the front of Q, as she is a glamourous pop lady, but Q's genre is a rock magazine. Therefore it builds assumptions that in her new solo career she may be becoming a bit more rocky, the title "Rock" also justifies this.

The colour scheme is simliar to a film noir colour scheme that uses black and white, however they add on the bold red colour after editing to add variation. The colours are very simple but suggestively sexy as the colour red can be associated with love and passion. However the black and grey contrasting background gives off a dull,mysterious, gothic look that suits the genre of magazine. But on the other the darkness could have a very diffrent meaning and could connotate the film 'Sin City' as that also consists of unexpected, underlying meanings. The image itself is very pale and has been whitened significantly to contrast with the background and make her features e.g lips stand out.All these techniques are strong suggestions of intertextuality with 'Sin City'.

Furthermore the white writing is used over the top of the dull parts to create a contrasting effect that will stand out to the readers and catch their eye.It appears to a general audience as the text is very easy to understand and can be read by most ages. The words and images all follow the same colour theme so they tie in well and create a strong effect on the reader. The title " 3 words..Cheryl Cole Rocks" is written in different text styles, fonts and alternative colour, so it stands out and the readers catch the words that are meant to be seen first, e.g "Rock" is the largest word as it is an indie, rock magazine therefore it ties in to the genre of the target audience that will be reading it. It then uses times new romans for the side heading to keep the layout simple and the main attraction on the sexual image. The pug is displayed in light grey as pugs are meant to stand out to attract the readers interests and look as though there a sticker. The headline is written in a clear text in a black banner with contrasting lettering to make it clear what they are selling "The UK's biggest music magazine", the wording makes the magazine look of a certain standard, very professional and in high demand. The brand name of the magazine is in a bold red box in the top left hand corner with "Q" in large white italic written, so it clearly visible and catches the eyes first, as it is the only italic writing on the page it conveys the high standard of the magazine.

The image of Cheryl Cole is placed in the centre as it is the main attraction of the front cover. The picture is particularly capturing as it shows a different representaion of Cheryl Cole as she is normally seen as a pretty, bubbly women, however in this photograph she comes across as dark, sexy and decieving. This impression is conveyed to the reader as she is licking her silver ring that is attached to her finger, that creates a seductive look. Her eyes seem to have a deep glare and her eye make up is heavy, dark and creates a mysterious, but sexy look.

Overall the cover is very eye catchng and would appeal to a wide audience, due to the fact it has Cherly Cole on the cover. As the picture is so unconventional and mysterious it would make me want to read inside to find out the story and also look at other photos.

AS Media Brief.

The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.