Title Block Ideas

Music Magazine Title block analysis

 The title block is very bold, and the word ‘Kerrang’ has an exclamation mark giving us the impression that it’s being shouted; this could reflect the type of music that this magazine has to offer maybe the music will be very loud and bold. The word ‘Kerrang’ is an adjective and this could be used to describe sound of the electric guitar that’s used heavily in rock music, this could also used to describe the type of sound that people would make in rock music. The text has got lines through giving us the impression, that it has been smashed up or maybe purposely broken somehow this gives us the impression that someone has smashed a guitar into the title, this is a common thing in the rock music industry the white lines could also simply represent the guitar strings. The text is black and it’s used on a white background this makes the text really stand out because black and white are complete opposites. The black text gives the magazine negative connotations and it’s commonly associated with death, mourning and evil. I think they have been used to give the magazine a dark and feel, and make it very bold so it stand out and is loud just like rock music is. The font is rough around the edges giving us the impression that the letters, giving us the impression, that the music this magazine has is rough as well.

The design of the title block is big and bold; this could mean that the magazine is ‘bold’ and opinionated. It’s red with a white outline then a black outline making black and white were probably chosen because they are two colours that are complete opposites and make the text very obvious and make it stand out more; eye-catching it makes the magazine seem very confident about what they’re selling. NME stand for ‘new musical express ‘ this is telling us what genre of music is typical of this type of magazine will be ‘new’ music, fresh from up and coming bands it could also mean it’s bringing the public new music constantly as it comes out weekly. The font is very alternative and modern reflecting not only the genre of music it contains but the audience as well. The colour red has connotations with passion this means that this magazine could be intensely passionate about what it’s trying to sell and the bands that are in the magazine. The font is quite simple yet very effective; it seems to be making a confident statement. The font is very big and masculine and this also could reflect the target audience who are predominantly men.

From the title we can see the genre of music maybe be old rock, the title has a vintage feel to it and it looks quite old because the writing is joined up this gives us the impression that this title block is more what you would find in a 50s newspaper rather than a modern magazine. They have used red which stand out from the red and black giving it a more 3D and popping effect and making it stand out more. The use of the word ‘Rolling’ gives us the impression that it may be rock and ‘roll’ music that is featured in the magazine. From the title block we can guess that the magazine has an older target audience because it has an old font. The way the letter ‘R’ twirls and flicks make it stylish and sophisticated. Using the colour red can symbolise the passion ‘Rolling Stone’ has for music and the passion it has for everything the magazinse contains such as politics and culture. The writing looks like it has been hand drawn, making it seem more artistic giving it a creative feel, this could also reflect the target audience saying that they too are creative and artistic. We can see that this magazine is going to be very informative not just on music but also on world issues.

Double Page Spread Analysis for Vibe

On the double page spread is P Diddy, I think he is used for this magazine because he is very influential in the music industry at the moment and it’s what the target audience would want. The article is an interview with P Diddy and the interviewer is using very formal language but Diddy is using slang, ‘Buy ‘em Porsches and convertible Bentleys and it ain’t no question’ he uses poor English and slang to speak this reflects back to the type of audience the magazine is addressing, black people who are very into the whole ‘hip hop’ scene who speak the hip hop lingo. The background is mainly black, like the front cover and contents page , black has heavy negative connotation and symbolizes  power. There is a white glow around Diddy making him the main focus and detracting attention away from the two women, it also make him seem god like and gives him a higher status. The article is set out very neatly with one page of pictures and one for the writing so there is the same amount of pictures to writing. P Diddy gives of a very personal and informal feel making the audience feel more connected to the article and to P Diddy. Diddy is presented as powerful and cocky, he doesn’t even have to look at the camera because he’s too good to even engage in eye contact, I think this is mainly because he is of such high status. Diddy is dressed in black which reflects his power but it makes him blend into the background mores and it makes the others who are dressed in white stand out more, this links with the text box at the end of the page P Diddy taking a back seat, also in the picture he is at the back and he is leaning on the other two as if for support so it looks like he is relying on them and they are his aid this and in the box it talk about him being a ‘team player’. He has hid foot pointing forward showing that even though is taking more of a backseat he is steal the head and he is still the decision maker, he is also presented as the tallest in the picture making him seem the most important. Diddy is draped in loads in diamond jewellery showing of his wealth.

Contents Page Analysis for Vibe

The content Page uses one main big image, in the image is Eminem in a suit with his hands clasped in a serious business-like manner this links in with the Front Cover because that was very business-like as well. From the front cover I thought the magazine would be quite serious, and the contents page continues that theme and makes me think that the target audience is still black males aged around 16-30. There is low key lighting in the picture which sets a very shady mood and this gives is the impression that Eminem is up to no good and a bit of a bad character, the fact that everything is quite dark links back to the contents page giving the magazine a dark, serious and eerie feel.  The colours used for the fonts are quite dull, but the text is clearly not the main aspect as the font is very small and the text takes up very little space. I think the picture might be the main focus so we know what to expect of the magazine as a whole just be looking at the Front Cover and Contents Page. This issue of the magazine concentrates particularly on Hip Hop and Hip Hop in today’s society has bad connotations and is portrayed as very dangerous and aggressive and this links with the picture of Eminem and the main image on the Front Cover. Only some of the headlines have are in bold with and orange heading, giving us the idea that those stories are more important and we are drawn to those stories more. The Contents page does have the name of the website, but it’s not well advertised and it’s very small with a fine font. The unique bar code logo is quite noticeable and is on the top left hand corner where is on most of the other pages.

Analysis of Front Cover - 'Vibe' Magazine 2

The picture on the front of the magazine is a mid shot which shows us a direct mode of address making the subject on the cover of the magazine seem extremely confident because they seem to be looking directly at the audience head on. Everyone is wearing black, which is a colour of authority; power and mystery this makes us believe that these people are very important and very high up. The people Behind Diddy are wearing a little bit of black whilst he is completely in black proving him to be the most important and powerful of them all, he is also standing in front of both of them giving us the impression that they are maybe following behind him, he is the leader and they are just not as important than him.’The Target Audience for this magazine is likely Black Male 16-30 year olds who are interested in Rap, Hip-Hop and RnB music.The picture also links with the anchorage text   ‘Diddy’s Commission ‘  Black also can represent submission and P Diddy could submitting some of his power to someone else, or commissioning new people to work for him but we get the impression that he is dealing in very serious business their facial expression and their positioning is very business-like and there are wearing suits and ties which is also very business-like. The Anchorage Text also says ‘Welcome to the Darkside ‘and the whole image is dark and everyone is dressed in dark colours heavily linking with the anchorage text.Overall the artist is giving the impression that he is a powerful force, not to be messed with and he is very serious about his job. The front cover is set out in a very neat and organised, and there are no buzz words but there is a graphic which is a plus sign giving is more information about what the magazine is going to contain and it’s in red so it stand out against the red back drop. From the front cover layout it’s quite obvious that this magazine will be quite expensive. The title block is big and bold showing the magazine’s confidence and importance it’s showing that ‘VIBE’ is a name to be recognised and it’s popular. From the Front Cover we can tell the magazine is going to be very neat and classy, and possibly quite serious. From the Puffs we can see that we are going to find out what Eminem and Dr Dre are ‘cooking up’ this would appeal to fans of Eminem and Dr Dre which is fans of Rap and Chart Music. There is no slogan but the title is so big and bold that it attracts the reader without there being a slogan. The colours used are black, white and a little bit of red. They don’t appeal to my because they are too boring but it suits in with the style of the magazine and the main image because it makes the magazine more serious and business like. The White and Red stand out a lot on the black background making it the title and secondary lead stand out a lot. P Diddy and Rick Ross are wearing sunglasses links to the colour black, giving them a mysterious look and the Janelle Monae is not wearing glasses and is at the very back making her inferior to the two men, this could be saying in the ‘rap’ society women are not as good as men. P Diddy and Rick Ross are wearing  what appears to be expensive jewellery, enhancing their power and Janelle is not wearing any expensive jewellery, also Rick Ross has tattoos adding to his intimidating look. P Diddy appears to be the tallest showing he is the most powerful in the picture, then Rick Ross and the girl is, the shortest showing that she has the least power in the picture. All the puffs go around the main image emphasising, the people in the image. The Red Box  says ‘Power Player’ and this links to the main image because they look very powerful.

Double Page Spread Analysis

The Title ‘the man who owns the world’ enhances his superiority.

This links to the superior look he has on the front cover and 

It’s also is relevant to the article which talks about how

influential, great and superior Bowie is and how artists

of Today still idolise him.

The theme throughout the article is black, white and pink,

this also links to the front cover in the article all important

text is written in pink and on the front cover and

also the first picture of the article David Bowie is

highlighted in pink  which, emphaisis his

importance.

This page is taken up mostly by the image of Bowie

and Twiggy two phenomanal icons of their time

in different industries.

In this particular image Bowie is made to look condident

and dominant, he is looking head on and Twiggy

is lower down than him emphasise his importance.

The feature article is based on David Bowie, Bowie made music and was in his prime mostly in the 1970’s so the target audience may be Forty year olds , but the target for NME magazine may be 20 -45 because David Bowie made an impact on for generation even if they wasn’t alive when Bowie was in his Prime. The target audience may also be quite young because it talks about how young, modern and very popular musicians of today, such as Brandon Flowers and Lady Gaga, this will appeal to a younger audience because they may not be interested in David Bowie but they’re interested in the artists writing the story and what influence Bowie may have had other them.

The language is very formal, and they use a lot of sophisticated metaphors and simile’s to compare Bowie to current up and coming ‘synthpop’ bands such as MGMT. They are not addressing people who are new to David Bowie, they’re addressing people who are already dedicated fans of David Bowie and know his work and listen to that indie rock music.

Colour is used to emphasis important things such as the artists’ names that are influenced by Bowie and also the artists that have covered his songs. It links to the masthead which is also pink ‘Why Bowie means more than ever’ whenever there is text idolising Bowie it is written in pink emphasising his importance.  Pink is also used to highlight the website and the graphic at the top is a lightning bolt which is associated with Bowie is also the colour pink along with the artist’s names

The text used is in block capitals which is rather masculine which links with the target audience who are mainly men.

The double page spread is set out very neatly and it’s easy to find information, the text is mostly written around the images making the images stand out more and important. Very Organised

The magazine is mainly taken up by text though there are several images relevant to the text. The proportions of text to images are about the same, though images are slightly higher.

NME - Contents Page Analysis

The pictures on the contents page are rather large and all different sizes so the readers are instantly more drawn to the pictures than to the writing also beside each picture is the page number big and bold so you can instantly se the picture and just go straight to the story, under the images is text from the articles making information more accesible. Most of the Cover Stories are the ones with the pictures and they have a quote from the story, making use more drawn to them. The text on the Contents Page is relevant to the text on the cover. The information is simply and clearly presents do it’s easy to go to the story you’re interested in, the text under the images are all different fonts depending on the atmosphere of the story, and how serious it is. There is not that much text on the contents page; maybe there Target Audience prefers pictures to words. The Colours on the contents page are still Black and White, but now the writing is black and the background is white this is simlar to the front cover which uses the same colur theme.  The red box on the bottom right hand side promotes the subscription of NME magazine. There is no Magazine Logo placed anywhere on the page. There are a few Promotional features that don’t stand out that much on the page:

On Repeat

Upfront

etc

There is also a promotional feature that talks about subscription to the blog for a good price.
The Magazine has no Franchises, the only real advertisment is on the inside cover for a well know sports clothing shop.