Deconstruction of front covers

By Georgia Leaper

Masthead:The typography of the masthead is rounded and capital letters which makes it bold and in-your-face. This conveys the genre of the magazine which is Hip Hop as it is associated with being upfront and loud.

As well as this the masthead is orange which is similar to the model’s hair, Nicki Minaj, and again conveys the genre of the magazine. The colour is very vibrant and intense, which is similar to the music that Nicki Minaj creates and is famous for.

Model:They have used Nicki Minaj as the central image. The model’s pose is stereotypically un-feminine and is more masculine because her hands on her hips portray power. As well as this her straight face suggests to the audience that she is a serious character.

It is suggested that the model is very confident through her direct address. This is because she is not conforming to the male gaze and is looking directly into the camera lens. This compliments the ideology that hip hop music is rebellious and in-your-face, which reinforces the hip hop genre of the magazine.

She is also seen as powerful through the use of mise-en-scene; she is wearing lots of silver jewellery which has connotations of wealth and success. This would appeal to the audience of aspirers as they would dream of having the money to buy such items, which reinforces the uses and gratifications theory that the magazine would be used as an escapism for these people. As well as this, ‘bling’ has connotations of hip hop as it is often seen and mentioned in hip hop artist’s work, and therefore the association reinforces the hip hop genre of the magazine.

“Notorious K.I.N.G” typography:

The typography of the tag line uses a graffiti like font. Graffiti is greatly associated with rap artists as it can be used to promote themselves as an artist in the streets. Moreover, this reinforces the hip hop genre of the magazine.

Use of buzz words:

By using the buzz word “uncensored” an element of excitement is added to the front cover. This is because it is suggesting to the audience that something is being revealed which is usually covered up. By doing this, the audience would believe that they are discovering something first that others may not know. This reinforces the uses and gratifications theory that magazines are used for information and personal relationships as they can read the exclusive article about Shaq (information) and then share what they’ve found out with another person (personal relationships).

Colour scheme: The colour scheme is orange, black and white. These are all solid colours which represent the solidity and strength of the magazine. This and the covering of the masthead by the model’s head portrays how well known and popular the magazine is as the magazine is still recognisable although some of it is covered.

Layout:

The layout of the magazine is very clean and all the tag lines are spaced apart and quite short. This creates a unique product as most music magazine front covers are hectic and have a messy feel. The different layout to other music magazines represents the speciality of VIBE which would appeal to the target market of reformers who wish to stand out from the crowd.

Tag lines:

They have included well known hip hop artist’s names to give the magazine credibility. By advertising an article about Kayne West the magazine would appeal to an audience interested in the hip hop genre.

Masthead:The masthead for “Kerrang” conveys the musical genre for the magazine which is rock. The typography uses only a white font against a black background. The black conveys the rock genre as is has connotations of rock/punk followers as they are usually stereotypically dressed in this colour. The white font contrasts to the black ground which makes the masthead stand out and thus appeal to the target demographic as Kerrang is aimed at individualists, who stereotypically are determined to be different.

As well as this the masthead is big, bold and loud. This compliments the rock genre of the magazine as their music as connotations of intensity as it is associated with being played loud and involving a lot of shouting.

We can see that the magazine is well known as the model’s head is covering some of the masthead. Although partly covered, the audience can still make out the name of the magazine because the typography of the masthead is so well known. From this it is suggested to the audience that Kerrang is a popular and successful magazine and thus gives the brand credibility. This would appeal to the audience of social class C1 as the audience are typically young people who do not have much money to waste.

Use of pugs: The front cover uses pugs to attract the audience’s attention and disperse a short piece of information. In the “collectors cover #1” pug, the background is yellow which is similar to the colour gold. Gold has connotations of quality as it is associated with wealth and value. This reinforced the ideology that the magazine will one day be a genuine collectable and is worth purchasing.

Colour scheme: The colour scheme of red, yellow and black conveys the genre of rock of the magazine. This is because red has connotations of rebellion because it is a loud and bright colour which contrasts greatly to the simple white background. Again, this would appeal to the target demographic of individualists as they wish to stand out from the crowd.

Similarly the yellow is a bright colour which again stands out. This appeals to the main demographic of individualists yet also may appeal to a sub demographic of aspirers as the yellow has connotations of gold/quality. The audience may aspire to be a successful singer like Gerard Way and therefore, reinforcing the uses and gratification theory, would use the text for personal identity.

The black conveys the rock genre as is has connotations of rock/punk followers as they are usually stereotypically dressed in this colour.

Model:

Here they have photographed Gerard Way, who is the lead singer of the band “My Chemical Romance” who is famously rebellious. The mise-en-scene represents his unruly personality through the focus on his bright red hair. His hair conveys his persona because it is not the hegemonic norm for a man to have long hair which has been dyed as it is a stereotypically feminine look. By using this look he is portraying that he is an individualist who doesn’t follow the crowd. Furthermore, this would appeal to the main demographic of individualists as they could relate to him.

His hair also suggests that the model may have a short temper. This is because red has connotations of heat as it is associated with fire, therefore he may be seen as a “hot head”. This would appeal to the audience as, following the uses and gratification theory, they may use the text as an information source. By viewing Way as a hot head, they may believe he would lash out about somebody in the interview inside.

Again the mise-en-scene reinforces the ideology that the model is wild through his use of clothing. He wears an all leather jacket and leather driving

gloves. These garments are associated with motorcycle drivers who are known for their wild,

unexpected and risky stunts. This conveys to the audience that the model is unpredictable and

would create an interest in his article.

Masthead:

The masthead breaks a code and convention as it does not touch the model’s head. On another magazine this would be seen as rebellious, however here it suggests that it is for a younger audience as it’s as if it doesn’t understand the rules that are needed to follow.

It is clear the magazine is aimed at young girls as the masthead is stereotypically feminine which is conveyed through the use of colour; Pink has connotations of femininity as it is associated with young girls.

The typography is clear and simple which conveys the youthfulness of the magazine. As the typography uses bubble writing it suggests that it is aimed at a younger demographic again because this font is usually used by young girls.

As well as this by using an image of a heart it suggests the content of the magazine is easy to read which reinforces the uses and gratifications theory and would appeal to the audience as they would use the magazine as an escapism.

Masthead:

The masthead breaks a code and convention as it does not touch the model’s head. On another magazine this would be seen as rebellious, however here it suggests that it is for a younger audience as it’s as if it doesn’t understand the rules that are needed to follow.

It is clear the magazine is aimed at young girls as the masthead is stereotypically feminine which is conveyed through the use of colour; Pink has connotations of femininity as it is associated with young girls.

The typography is clear and simple which conveys the youthfulness of the magazine. As the typography uses bubble writing it suggests that it is aimed at a younger demographic again because this font is usually used by young girls.

As well as this by using an image of a heart it suggests the content of the magazine is easy to read which reinforces the uses and gratifications theory and would appeal to the audience as they would use the magazine as an escapism.

Use of pugs:

The front cover uses pugs to attract the audience’s attention and disperse a short piece of information. “Her best interview this year” uses a superlative which suggests to the reader that the article will be better than any interview she has given to another magazine. This would attract readers because of the exclusivity of her interview.

Layout:

The layout appears very hectic as a lot of information has been compact into the front cover. This conveys the intended audience of females as it complements the ideology that men and women think differently and that women prefer a variety of topics whereas men’s minds are more concise. The range of topics is seen as the magazine does not just focus on the music but also the upcoming fashion of Summer.

Model:For the cover image, the editor has photographed Cheryl Cole who is a popular and successful ex girl band singer/pop solo artist. The image appeals to the target demographic of mainstreamers as the mise-en-scene suggests that the model is pure and suited for the audience of young girls. The model follows the hegemonic norm of society as she has long brown hair. Her hair suggests that she is a smart and independent woman who the readers can look up to. This compliments the uses and gratifications theory as the audience may read her article for personal identity. As well as this she is wearing a white dress which suggests to the audience that

she is a benevolent character as the white has connotations of purity and angelic elements. Again, this appeals to the target demographic of mainstreamers as she is not trying to be rebellious.

Colour scheme:Here the colour scheme is made up of 3 colours; pink, purple and yellow. These colours all represent he target readers which is young girls who like pop music. The pink is the typical colour to represent females, and purple is also a feminine colour as it is has connotations of flowers as it is associated with clematis’ (small purple flowers usually used in bouquets). The yellow has connotations of happiness as it is associated with sunshine. The yellow also creates a quality feel to the magazine as the colour is associated with gold. This gives the magazine credibility and appeals to the reader.

Variation of fonts:By using a number of different fonts the front cover appeals to the reader as it appears more appealing. This also suggests a wacky element to the magazine which appeals to the target demographic of young girls who are very excitable and enjoy a range of different hobbies.