Analysis of existing products

Front cover

Masthead :Represented by the Billboard logo, this one is seen on every edition of the mag, so it is easily recognizable. The font is rather simple a light grey color to bring out the main image, the main attraction of the magazine.

Slogan :A way for the magazine to make its advert.

Main image :A Lady Gaga picture, she has a provocative pose showing a bit her chest and opening a bit her mouth to appeal the male gaze and attract a wider range of audiences through sex appeal. However it may also appeal to women because they would like to be as pretty, original and sexy as Lady Gaga. Moreover, we can notice a direct stare in order to form a connect with the audience or possible buyers. Then the picture hides the masthead like she was more important than the magazine.

Bar code, Price and Date :Essential parts to a magazine.

Anchoring text : “Lady Gaga” in big font to show the importance of the singer.

Headline : This one informs audience that there is an article about the singer in the magazine. So it is a way to promote the main image, as a banner

Sell line :On the both sides to force the audienceto observe the whole cover

The main colors of this cover are the grey, purple, and Black;

some light pop colors.

Masthead : The “Q” is very big and bold and isn’t covered by the picture of Cheryl Cole. The red in background

Slogan :In a banner at the top, it is the first thing to look at different colors to masthead.

Puff :Inform buyers about a consecrated page to John Lennon’s last weekend; a possible interview of him.Main image :The close up shot of Cheryl Cole is studio taken with rain changing her image to appear more “rockstar” than “popstar” and shows the singer looking directly at the camera with her fist against her face. The reader feels equal to her with this pose. She is dressed in black and seems pale, red lipstick and tongue, ties in with color scheme, metal stud ring; easily related to rock. The fact to show her tongue touching her ring appeal the male gaze.

Anchoring text/ Headline :“3 words” is also the name of one of Cheryl’s singles. So the magazine tries to attract her fans and encourage them to buy it. “Cheryl Cole” is the singer’s name, it is in white to highlight her and make her advert in the same time. “Rocks” shows the main genre of music for this magazine issue.

Bar code, Price and Date :Essential parts to a magazine.

Sell line :On the both sides to force the audienceto observe the whole cover. We can notice “The 10” top is in different color and size, to attract the audience’s look on it.

The main color of this cover are the black, the red and the white;

rock colors

Contents pages

Title :It is big and bold, and stands out with the background making it easy to read. Also we can say that it is the content page because it is its title.

Logo’s magazine :Vibes brand identity is again displayed inside the magazine as a large item on the page, emphasizing its importance.

Colors :Black and white colors are used here, so very neutral colors, like the colors of the model clothes. This is because they contrast each other well making the white writing of the masthead and the black writing of the sub-titles stand out. Thus, it is easy to read and gives a very modern and fresh feel to the page which is how the magazine want to be represented.

Main image :It is a very eye-catching mainly because of the interesting pose that the model is doing. The reader’s attention is focused on her legs as opposed to her face. This “sexy” pose appeal more male gaze’s focuses. Moreover the model is a famous singer who is probably the main subject of the magazine for this issue.

Sell-lines :The articles listed in the contents page are divided into two headed sections; “Features” and “Fashion”. According to these words, you know immediately the contents is going to inform you what the magazine includes and what you can find on that page. Furthermore, they are in bold so they stand out and seem important. Also, we can notice there are the names of each photographers and writers who contributed to each articles.

Images : There isn’t a main image but several pictures of different pop stars presented on this page, some who are well known around the world and others who aren’t as popular. This instantly shows that this particular music magazine relates and would interest many people and not just one specific target audience. The sizes of the images on the contents page are fairly large, mid shots only one is a long shot which would therefore create an enigma for the reader; also some are tilted as to create a collage like feel. They are captioned with short, snappy phrases to attract the reader in; this is accompanied with page numbers so it is quicker and easier to find that particular story. Some images are represented with a white border which makes them even more eye–catching.

Sell-lines/Layout :This page helps the reader to navigate through the magazine as it is a fairly simple layout with bold page numbers with relevant headings and phrases on the second page of the contents. The layout of the page (being on 2 pages) is effective as it makes it a lot more interesting and eye catching for the audience to see everything that’s on offer inside the magazine.Skyline/Banner :of what’s inside the month’s issue accompanied with a subscribe section and a boost filled with a quotation.

Title :Is big and bold, in black with a white background to making it easy to read.

Colors :The choice to put a white background it is interesting to highlight the different pictures easily. Then, colors’ pictures bring freshness and cheerfulness to the contents pages.

Date and issue :They are clear in the top left in a banner under the title for readers can localize easily the magazine.