Megan: November 2010

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Textual Analysis of Q magazine DPS

This is the texual analysis of the DPS in Q magazine.

Textual Analysis of Q Magazine DPS.

Colour Scheme: The colour scheme used on this DPS is black, white and red as the whole of Q magazine has the same colour scheme which makes it recognisable to everyone. This page is different because instead of a white background like on the front cover and contents page they have covered the background on both pages with a photograph. As the background is dark they have used a white text box on one side of the DPS with the main article in it so that the audience can read it against the background.

Photography: The photography used on this DPS is a long shot of the band My Chemical Romance, in the middle of a street somewhere in Japan or China. Three members of the band are wearing dark clothes, leather jackets and skinny jeans. The other member of the band is wearing a bright red leather coat and black skinny jeans. He stands out from the rest of the group because of the bright coat, but there is no special reason for him to stand out, as he is not the lead singer. The way they are stood is very posed and they look uncomfortable in their surroundings because they are really dressed up in a sort of way guys who like their music would dress. They are in the middle of a dirty street with lots of pollution and smoke in the air. They have had their photo taken in these surroundings because it makes them look rebellious, care free and laid-back. The way Gerard Way is stood in this photo is a very feminine pose which doesn’t fit in with the style of the image.

Writing Style: The writing style in this DPS in Q is relaxed and chatty just like the contents page and the rest of the magazine. It is very informal and speaks directly to the reader using humour so that the audience will enjoy reading it. Underneath the photograph there is a caption reading “My Chemical Romance disgruntled their mopeds hade been nicked.” This is funny to the audience because the writer is making fun of the way the band are posing in the photo. The language used is very modern and young using words like “nicked”, “you know...” and talks about “Manga” which most teenagers would know about if they like this sort of music. The title is also quite humorous “revenge of the nerds” because nerds are usually quiet and never say anything, by saying they are going to have revenge it is suggesting they are tough.

Overall Look: The overall impression given to the audience about the DPS is that My Chemical Romance are rebellious and they are down-to-earth. The idea that they are in the middle of a different country suggests they are impulsive and also have the money to be going expensive places. The bright red hair that Gerard Way has is making a statement that he is not conforming and he is rebelling against what people expect his hair to look like. The use of a photograph as a background on the first page of the DPS makes it seem as though the text was added at last minute.

Text/Picture Ratio: On the DPS in Q magazine, there is more picture than text, which relates to the rest of the magazine which also has more picture compared to text suggesting what their target audience would want from the magazine. In the main text, they have used a dropped capital at the beginning of the text, which makes it look as though the text belongs in a book/ novel.

Fonts: The fonts used in the DPS in Q are block white simple font for “the nerds” part of the title. They have used an italic style font for “revenge of” this makes it different from other magazines DPS because usually magazines have the same font all the way through the title. They have used these fonts to separate the meanings, when you see “revenge of” it is completely different from “the nerds”. In the main part of the text they have used a simple black font to make it easier for the audience to read against the white text box.

Textual Analysis of Q Magazine Contents Page

This is the textual analysis of the contents page in Q magazine.

Textual Analysis of Q magazine Contents Page

Colour Scheme: The colour scheme on the contents page of Q magazine is red, black and white. Q has chosen these colours to use as they are the typical colours found in an indie music type magazine. With a colour scheme like Q, it makes the magazine instantly recognisable. The colour scheme is repeated throughout the rest of the magazine too. This makes it look professional and connotes danger and rebellion. The colour scheme is also used on the front cover. Out of the three magazines I have analysed this is the only magazine that keeps the same colour scheme throughout. This means the magazine is unique and has something different to offer the audience. The colour red connotes rock and independency. The colour black connotes a simple and cool lifestyle and the use of white balances out the colour scheme on the pages so that it is easier to read.

Photography: The photography on the contents page has lots of images of different bands and artists that are featured in the magazine. They also have used screen shots of some pages in the magazine to show what they are referring to. This is a completely different way of doing a layout for a contents page. It is also a double page spread and on the photographs there are large numbers which show you which page they are on instead of writing what is on the page they use visual images. This makes it more fun and shows the audience they are targeting. The audience would be teenagers or young adults. They have also used a picture of the front cover of that magazine at the top showing what magazine is. On the photographs they have used a close-up shot, medium long shot, high angle shot and long shot. This gives a different range of camera angles and makes it more visually interesting. The expressions on all of the artists faces seem serious and natural. All of them look posed.

Writing Style: The writing style used on this contents page is modern and for older teenagers. It has a relaxed connotation. They use an informal tone which makes the reader feel closer to the writer. They also use humour. The audience would like to read something that is funny because they would enjoy reading it and it wouldn’t feel like a chore. The language used is chatty and fun. Words like “bah!” humbug!, “shit” and “gadget heaven” are used to make the reader feel as though they are talking to a friend. They also use quotes from different artists and write as though they are talking directly to you.

Overall Look: The overall impression given to the audience is that it is a chatty and a fun magazine that you can find out about all the latest bands and artists. The way it is set out makes it look like its a website page on the internet. Instead of all the pages being written out, they have made it more visual with photographs then with the page number on them. It has a very easy design to follow and the audience can read what they want to quickly and simply.

Text/Picture Ratio: There is more picture than text which appeals to that type of audience they are targeting which is young people, who usually do not want to read a lot of text and would rather look at pictures instead. The pictures take up most of the page and the text goes around the edges.

Fonts: Simple typing text for most of the information and for the bolder titles they have used a rock style font. The title is in the same font as the bolder titles in the main text. The font is black and the background on the title is red. They have used a black font for the main text because they have a white background.

Textual Analysis of Mojo Magazine DPS

Double Page Spread analysis from Mojo magazine.

Textual analysis of Mojo DPS
Colour Scheme:The colour scheme used for the DPS in mojo is mainly black and white with some light blue highlights. These colours have been used because it makes the pages look old fashioned and vintage. Using black and white in an article makes it look sophistocated and also links to the artist mentioned. The artist is Cee-Lo Green who is a soul singer. Soul singers are stereotypically down-to-earth and less outrageous. This is why they have used black and white because when you think of soul music these are the colours that come to mind. The use of the light blue, shows he is a bit different from other soul singers. They have used a white background for the DPS, this makes the photograph stand out against it and draws more attention to the dark parts of the text

Photography:The photography used in this DPS is a close-up shot of Cee-Lo Green. He is a famous soul singer, that has brought out a new album recently that has become really popular. The article is talking about his new album and what he feels about it. In the photograph Cee-Lo is looking in the camera from the corner of his eyes. This makes him seem mysterious and suspicious. He has a very serious facial expression and almost a frown on his face as though he doesn't like the situation of having his photograph taken. He has a black tattoo of a cross on his left cheek, this makes him seem tough and gives him an edgier personality and look. This is the main focus of the photo because he's facing in a direction that shows off the tattoo to the camera. The tattoo makes him look stereotypically rebellious and dangerous, but also religious as it is a cross. He seems to have a very interesting personality compared to most soul singers who people tend to overlook. The way he looks makes him appeal to everyone. His dark skin tone contrasts with the plain white background making him seem special and important. His outfit links to the colour scheme as he is wearing a black and white scarf. He looks famous and rich because he is wearing a bright diamond earring which is also facing towards the camera.

Writing Style:At the bottom of the page there is a separate box with an image of John Ledgend, who is also another soul singer. In this box it shows his opinion of Cee-Lo Green and he also agrees that he is "quality". this gives you another opinion and makes it more believable. The title of this box is "We're not WORTHY" the use of capital letters stand out to the reader. When they see this they will wonder why competition in the soul industry would be telling everyone how good Cee-Lo is. The writing style in this DPS is classical and also shows how much of a star Cee-Lo Green has become. They respect him and appreciate his music. The language used shows he is highly reccomended. Phrases like "soul confessor" is a play on words as he is a soul singer and they are saying he is the best in his business. In the title they use a quote from him which makes the text more interesting and makes the reader want to read what else he has said in the interview. "I am not ashamed." also this would make the audience think, why would he be ashamed? or what is he not ashamed of? Words like "phenomenon", "breakthrough" and "adoring" describe to the reader what people think of him and how wanted he is becoming. Other language like "vibrant", "uplifting" and "soulful" suggests Cee-Lo Green's personality. Language like this makes the reader want to love him and listen to his music.

Overall Look:The overall impression this DPS gives the audience is that he is the new up and coming star and that you need to watch out for him because he is going to get even bigger and better. The design of the pages has a large close-up shot of Cee-Lo Green taking up a full page on one side and then the article on the other page. This is a simple structure and also most common. Many magazines use this structure as it looks and work the best.

Text/Picture Ratio:In this DPS there is equal amounts of text and picture as one page is filled with text and the other is filled with a picture. This appeals to both types of readers, those who like pictures more and those who like to read more. In the rest of the magazine there is more text to pictures, this shows it is a more mature magazine and is more dedicated to the articles.

Fonts: The fonts used in the DPS is a simple rounded font. The most important words the writer wants to stand out to the reader are made bold. The title has a very large style font which takes up half the page and then the article is written in a small font ith some pieces written in italics, separating them from the rest of the text. They have used a dropped capital at the beginning of the text which makes it like a book or a newspaper article. The writers of the articles names are written underneath the title, the fonts used for the names is in the same font style as the Mojo logo which makes it seem as though the people that work for the brand also deserve the same font and are part of it. They have used a large font for the title which takes up half of the second page. This is so it doesn't overwhelm the reader and make them think there is too much to read. The words that stand out most are the text with the blue colour, as it contrasts with the black and white.

Textual Analysis of Mojo Contents

This is the textual analysis of existing music magazine Mojo's contents page.

Textual Analysis of Mojo Contents Page

Colour Scheme:The colour scheme used on the contents page of Mojo magazine is red, white and green. The text is red and white but the background used on the contents page is a photo that takes over the page. On the photo there is a couple stood in water in front of a lot of green trees, this gives the effect that green is part of the colour scheme. The red and white refer to the typical colours used in an indie/rock magazine as they connote a rebellious lifestyle.

Photography:

The photography used on the contents is a large photo of a couple stood in a lake, maybe in the middle of a park. There are trees in the background and water surrounding them. The man looks as though he has just dived into the water as he is dripping wet, whereas the woman looks dry and is holding on to him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, in a protective way. There is a person walking past in the background near the trees but it has been blurred out. This makes th emain focus appear on the couple, they are the most important part of the photo. The facial expression on the man looks happy and almost as if he is proud of himself. The woman's expression looks shy as though she is hiding behind him, but claiming her property over the man, with her arms around him and her hands clenched into tight fists.

Writing Style:The language used on this page is new and exciting. Words like "exclusive" and "anarcho-punk" and "rattlebag", they are clearly used to relate to the reader who will know and use words like these in their life. Phrases like "gives you the skinny" and "the lowdown" are phrases that will be used frequently in this music style.

Overall Look:The overall impression this contents page gives the audience is that it is a relaxed, modern and exciting magazine to read because of the language used and the photography in a park. At the top of the page, there is the Mojo logo, which is instantly recognisable. Underneath that is three place names separated by full stops. This makes it look professional and makes it easier to read. The place names are where Mojo is sold, this shows the audience how popular Mojo is in other countries aswell, not just in London where it is made. They have put a quote underneath the photo of the couple, which suggests to the reader that this is what they have said, makes it more believable and interesting to read. On the contents page it shows 4 different main features with a small paragraph of writing underneath them to give the reader a bit of information and background on what they are going to be reading about. In a separate section at the bottom of the page it shows the cover story. This is separated from the rest of the articles because it is the most important and most likely one of the reasons the reader has picked up the magazine. Magazines are a non-linear text so they can look at the contents page and choose what they want to read first. More writing is given under the cover story which shows it's importance.

Text/Picture Ratio:On the contents page of Mojo there is more photo than writing because the photo is all over the page and the text is just over the top at the side. This makes the contents page look simple and wouldn't confuse the audience with too much text. The way it is structured makes it look thought out and planned.

Fonts:The fonts used on this contents page is the Mojo logo font which is recognisable and rounded. For the rest of the text they have used a simple typing font. It is bolder on the titles and artist names so that they stand out to the audience and grabs their attention. Most of the text is written in a white font. The main story is the cover story and to make this look different and show it's importance it is separated and written in a black font. Extra bits of information and text on the page is written in a red font.

Publisher: The publisher of Mojo music magazine is Bauer Media. They have a range of audiences because they make magazines for gardening and horseriders aswell.

Textual Analysis of Mojo Magazine Front Cover

This is a textual analysis of existing magazine Mojo.

Textual Analysis of Front Cover Mojo

Colour Scheme: The colour scheme of this magazine is mostly black and white but with use of dark gold to highlight different aspects of the front cover. There is also use of grey. These colours connote old fashioned, vintage effects. Mojo could have used these colours to link to the artist appearing on the front cover, which is Queen. They are an old, classic and iconic band. The colour scheme used is also classic. It could be described as old fashioned as the main photograph is black and white and also most of the writing and font around it is black and white, like a greyscale photograph. This gives the magazine a sophistocated edge. Like it is trying to appeal to the most dedicated and knowledged fans of "real" classic music sound. The audience then wants to be part of it and would buy the magazine.
Photography:

The photography used on this magazine is a medium close-up of Freddie Mercury. He is the most iconic member of the band as he had a lot of publicity, and he is the lead singer of the band Queen. He was also the most outrageous. This photo takes over the whole page and there is use of superimpostion. Freddie's head covers the middle of the masthead, this is automatically assuming the audience will know what magazine it is and will be loyal readers. The band name "Queen" stretches from one side of the magazine front cover to the other and is over the top of the photograph of Freddie Mercury. The pose he is doing makes him look reserved and shy, like he is hiding from the camera behind his big black fluffy coat. His hand is holding his arm in even further like he is hugging himself, making himself as small as possible. This is a complete contrast to his actual personality, which is outrageous and confident, he likes being in the spotlight. The main focus is then drawn to his eye, which is looking directly at the camera and stands out against the darkness of the background of the magazine.

Writing Style: As it is the front of the magazine there are short pieces of text giving the audience an idea about what they can read about. The language used on the front cover relates to the effect the magazine is trying to get across to their audience. Words like "modern", "legend", "revolutionaries" and "ultimate" show the reader what type of magazine it is and what lifestyle they want the audience to associate with Mojo. On the front cover, it also refers to the music and bands talked about in the magazine. Bands like "Radiohead", "Kasabian" and "MGMT", this shows the audience what type of music Mojo represents. In this edition, Mojo makes you think about what type of music they represent because it would be thought of as Indie but mentioned on the front cover is Cee-Lo Green who is a soul artist and Queen would be classed as Rock or Classic Rock which means the lines are blurred on which type of music magazine Mojo is.

Text/Picture Ratio:On the front cover of Mojo there is an equal amount of picture to text because the photo takes over the whole page and the text surrounds it in small paragraphs. In the rest of the magazine there is more text than pictures, which shows the audience of this magazine is different from Q. Mojo is supposed to be taken more seriously and the audience would be older. If you read this magazine you will find out about bands in and in-depth way compared to other magazines, it is more mature. There are also a lot more articles Mojo than there are in Q.

Fonts:The fonts used on Mojo's cover are the same all over the page. This makes it look sophistocated and professional. It is a block style font with a vintage effect. They have used gold and grey for the colours of the fonts making them stand out against the white and black background. Over the top of the masthead at the top of the page, they have used a gold handwritten style font where it says music magazine". This makes it seem more personal as though the editor or maker of the magazine has gone in at last minute and added it themselves. It gives the effect of spontaneity

Publisher:The publisher of this magazine is Bauer Media. This company also does Empire and Kerrang magazines. They target a range of audiences. For example, men's magazines, women's magazines, gardening and motoring.

Textual Analysis of Q magazine Front Cover

This is a textual analysis of existing magazine Q.

Here is the Front Cover.

Q Magazine Front Cover Analysis

Colour Scheme:The colours used are red, gold, black and white. These are typical colours you would find in an indie music style magazine as they have a unique connotation and also appeals to both males and females. Red, gold, black and white are also "British" colours as they seem royal and reflect the Union Jack flag. Q is a British magazine so they choses these colours to reflect that. People who buy this magazine could also feel pride that they are from Britain when they choose this magazine.

Photography:The style of the photography used is fun and playful. They have used a long shot, which shows the full body of both the artists. They have used this for a reason, to show their feet. This is the main part of the shot which gives away the effect of the magazine and draws the audience's attention to the magazine. The man in the photo is stood in a very masculine pose, as though he is on edge. His feet are not firmly on the ground and looks as if he is about to jump, the way his arms are slightly lifted at his sides looks as though he is defensive against himself, like he is going to start a fight. His facial expression is quite aggressive, looking directly at the camera with a straight expression. The woman in the photograph is jumping and has her head tipped back with a big smile on her face. This pose looks playful and like she is enjoying herself. Her feet show she is jumping because one of her legs is bent and the other is only slightly bent. Both the artist's feet have different angles on them which sets the photo apart from any other magazines front cover photography. The way she has her hand on the man's waist as she is jumping seems as though she is trying to get him to have fun too and join her. The facial expression she has is happy and carefree. This connotes she isn't posing for the camera, it is a candid shot as though she is ignoring it. They both have a very natural pose and looks as though the photographer has caught them off guard.

Writing Style: On the front cover they have used shortened titles, just using key words so that it gives just enough information for the audience to know what is in the magazine. It gives them a quick preview into what they could read about. In the language on the cover they have used hyperbole. Words liek "huge", "massive" and "of the year" makes the magazine seem bigger and better than any other magazine and gets the audience excited to read that one instead of the others.

Overall Look:The overall impression given by this magazine is professional because of the use of the same colour scheme so it doesn't look too busy and doesn't distract the reader's attention. The look is also simplistic because there is a plain white background then a use of bright colours in different sections on the front cover. The main photograph on the cover takes over the whole page which really makes the magazine what it is. The photography suggests a fun and spontaneous lifestyle. When the audience see this they think that if the cover looks fun and carefree then the rest of the magazine will be that way too, and will have the same style of music. The clothes worn on the photo are unique and connote a cool and "indie" life, which links to the type of music that is featured in the magazine.

Text/Picture Ratio: On the cover there is more picture than text, as too much text on the front would bore the audience and it wouldn't persuade them to read it. Throughout the rest of the magazine there are equal amounts of text and picture on each page. This creates a balance and caters to the audience that like to read and the audience that like to see pictures.

Fonts: The fonts used on the front cover vary but still manage to look professional and not too fussy. The main titles of the features in the magazine are bold, thick and square font. Then the extra bits of information added to those titles are thin and are in a simple black font. The titles use the colours red, gold and black mostly. Where the titles are white, they have done a red background around it, as this is the only way you would be able to see it because the background is white too. The way this is done makes it look as though it had been cut out of a magazine and makes it look rebellious. Another font on the front cover used to give us extra information, is an italic style font in black this gives variety and makes the cover look different and stand out against the other magazines.