Research Front Pages

1. MixMag - This magazine has a wide range of colours and this is good as it stands out from a lot of other magazines which may have been using dull colours as they did not want it to be too bright for the reader. The target audience for this product is people who like the music genre of Drum and Bass and also Dubstep. There is a large audience for this product as there are only a few magazines which use this genre as they believe that there is a small audience but this small audience is ever growing and is becoming a wider audience which wants a new magazine to view from. The layout of the page is very similar to a typical magazine as it has news features and other parts which you would expect on a typical front of a magazine. The text is varied through the page and this is done to show difference in importance between different parts of the front covers and the text which stands out the most is the ‘Pendulum’ text which has pink on black which means that it will stand out from the rest of the text. The language on the front page is quite formal as it uses serious topics such as ‘mephedrone’ so it shows how even though it is using bright colours it still has serious topics which it talks about. The background shot is a long shot of someone on a stage and the mise-en-scene makes it look like it is someone performing on stage as you can see by small parts of images. The star names on the front page create star appeal as people will recognise their name and want to read more of the magazine. This magazine tries to creates its own image with the colours which it uses and it works as it is one of the most popular magazines compared with others which are decreasing in the amount of sales they are receiving

2. Music Magazine - This magazine is set out in a totally different way to other magazines as the typical way is that there is an even amount of text on either side or this is not the same on here as it has most of the text on the right hand side and only has one section of text on the left. The title on the front page looks very informal as it makes the title look scruffy but this may be the effect that is trying to be reached as the colours on the front page look dark and the only bright colour is purple which is outlining some text and this may be to show that it is more important than other text. The title is in the largest size of text and this is important as it means that it stands out more than the rest of the text so people can easily recognise what magazine this is. The mode of address is informal as it uses text which makes it look less formal than other magazines. The background image is a long shot of someone playing a guitar and as he is the background image and there is a quote next to him we connect this quote to being from him. The mise en scene is what you would expect when someone is playing the guitar as it has the place for storing it and it also has a amplifier which makes the music louder. The audience for this magazine is very wide and this means it has a chance of appealing to a large audience but it also has to compete with other magazines which are aiming at the same audience. The other names on the front page add star appeal as they may have fans which pick up the magazine then see their name and then want to buy it because they may have information which they may not know about the band/artist. This magazine has a totally different look to a typical magazine and this may work if people like the way it is set out but they may not like the massive change from a typical magazine layout.

3. iDJ - This magazine is aimed at an audience which enjoy drum and base and reading about upcoming and new DJ’s. There are bright colours on this magazine and as this was released in the summer it relates to this with the surrounding of the people as it is advertising some of the festivals which are happening in the summer. The colour gold which is dominant is all around the page as it shows wealth. The way that the title of the magazine is shining shows how it is valuable and this makes it stand out from the rest of the text as the colour silver is brighter than all other colours. The page layout is not as similar as other magazines which show how they have tried to keep a similar style while still having their own independent style. The mode of address is neutral as there are no features which make it very formal but there are no features that would put it into the informal zone. The shot is a long shot of three people in a car which is being twisted which shows how they are excited for the summer. The mise-en-scene for the background image is that it looks like a stereotypical image from a festival as it has tents and places where people are sleeping. There are some other names in the DJ industry which people who listen to lots of drum and bass would know who they are as people who listen to other music such as rock would not know who these people are. This magazine is similar to some with the content which it has but it has tried to use some presentational features to make it stand out from the rest.

4. Q Magazine - This magazine has a typical layout which you expect from a magazine which looks to a range of different music genres to get its audience, the text is very spread out over the page and the four dominant colours are white, grey, black and red with red standing out the most from all of these. The use of the colour red means that it will stand out from all the rest of the dark colours, so they have used this colour for the text which they want people to see the most e.g. the title of the magazine. ’100 most shocking moments in music’ appeals to people who want to read about celebrities and what they get up to which may be embarrassing for them. The font which is being used is a formal font as it is in a way which is very clear and it still stands out and makes an impact on the other images which are being used. The biggest text size is ‘Lady Gaga’ and this is star appeal as her name may be easily recognisable be a lot of people as they have heard about her in the news and on music channels. There is then her in the background when she is topless with the phrase ‘has risen’ which shows how she is finally revealing who she really is. The shot is a long shot as it tries to show her whole body but her upper body stands out more as she has more colours further up her body. The mise en scene is very simple as she is wearing trousers which have spikes on either side and her gloves are long with spikes on the ends which show how she is trying to seem evil in this image. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy a wide range of music from pop to r&b which means that it has a wide audience to appeal to but it still has to compete with lots of other magazines which have the same audience. This magazine is very similar to lots of other magazines in the way it is set out which shows how it has tried to follow the trend on how they are set out.

5. Kerrang - This magazine has a layout which has most of the information around the edges of the page rather than having the text spread all over the page. The fonts for this magazine relate to the colours which have been used for the text and this is trying to display a dark and mysterious feeling to the front cover and this relates to the audience which would be young people who enjoy rock, screamo and hardcore music which would be the main focus of the magazine and the dark colours of black and white which are dominant. The background image is a medium shot of three people who are in the band ‘Green Day’ and we can work this out by the text which is in front of the people. They are also wearing all black which relates to the theme of evil and if someone who enjoyed music like drum and bass were to pick up the magazine they would put it back down as the colours for this magazine are relative to the only genre of hardcore music. There is no mise-en-scene in the image as there is only their costumers which also back up the ‘evil’ point. The banner down the left hand side is using freebies and other ‘star names’ in the hardcore music genre to attract more people who may be fans of the magazine which means that they are expanding their audience slightly. This magazine is very different to other magazines as it uses its dark colours to attract a specific audience rather than using lots of bright colours to make the magazine stand out.

6. DJ - This magazine has a page layout which appeals to its audience which is people who enjoy music from DJ and drum and bass music and this can be described by the colours which are sued as they are brighter than some of the other colours on the magazine front covers and the way the text is laid out on the front page is more dominant on the left. There is a variety of fonts being used on this front cover and there are certain ones which stand out more than others and this is the information which they want to be displayed clearer as it is more important and it is easier to read. The more dominant text is also in a larger font which also shows the fact that they want certain text to stand out more than other text which will attract more people as the main text is ‘scorching’ and this could be talking about the background image, the magazine or the summer. The colour pink which the text is in relates to the background image of two women who seem to be on a beach in the middle of summer, this background image adds sex appeal and the target audience for this magazine are dominantly more likely to be men and this is why they have used this image for the background. The mode of address on this front cover is informal as the background image already takes the front cover out of the very formal category as in the very formal category would not want women in bikinis as they would find it disrespectful. The shot for the background is a medium long shot as it shows their bodies but it also focuses on their facial expressions as they show emotions which are positive the mise en scene focuses on the costumes as they are in bikinis which also shows how it is the summer and the background of the bright sun and the small section of beach which can be seen also seems to make people think that it may be the summer in a different country which has more sun than the UK. This magazine is different to others as it has a very positive front cover as other magazine covers are telling real stories so use darker colours, this one will stand out more against other covers.

7. XXL - This magazine is very similar to the last one in the way that it is set out and this is what some magazines try to do to be different to the magazines where they have all the text spread evenly on the front cover. The text which has been used on the front page of this magazine is bold and the main colours for the front page are red, black, white and these can represent the American themed colours. The text which stands out the most is the largest text and is also in white set out on darker colours which means it will stand out from other colours such as black and dark red. The mode of address is very informal as it uses taboo language and even though it is covered up you can still understand what it says and I think this formality relates to the genre of hip-hop and rap as this is what you expect to relate taboo and vulgar language to. The shot which is being used as the background is a medium long shot which shows his upper body and part of the lower body and this is used because it shows his power and his position backs this up as he is in a boxing position which shows his strength. The names down the left hand side of the page are well known rap stars and this relates to what the audience wants to see and they connect to the genre of the magazine which is rap and hip-hop. The typical features for this genre are that most of the colours which are included on the front cover are not as bright as what you would expect on a typical front cover of a magazine.

8. Blender - This magazine has a typical layout which you would expect on a music magazine. It is laid out so that the main image is Britney Spears in a medium long shot which shows how the main focus of the magazine is her and this means that people who like her music are more likely to want to buy the magazine. There are 3 dominant colours and these are orange, black and white and these are the most dominant as it shows a mix of dark and light colours and the colour that stand out the most is the orange and this is why they have put the orange colour on the most important parts of the cover. The text is more relaxed than powerful and this relates to the colours as orange and white can show relaxation and the way that the text flow also shows this point. The mode of address on this front cover is a neutral tone as there is no very formal language but then there is no ‘taboo’ or ‘vulgar’ language which shows how it is not in the informal section. The use of the scene in the image on the background has a smoking ash tray at the bottom which connotates stress and how some people try and over-come the stress. There is also a ‘red bull’ can which shows how she may be drinking energy drinks because she believes that is the only way she can get through the day. The audience for this magazine is mixed as there is a wide range of artists along the top which shows that this magazine is aimed at a wide audience and the artists show that the age will be for under 30’s as it is music which a younger generation may prefer.

9. NME - This magazine does not relate to what you would expect from a stereotypical magazine cover, this has much more of the text on the left hand side and on a typical cover the text would be evenly spread between both sides. The font is consistent on the page and this is useful as they use a wide range of colours and if there was also a wide range of texts it would be hard to read some of the text. The colours which are included are green, red, white, yellow, blue, white. The colours red and green relate to the Christmas theme as it is the colours which you think of when you think of Christmas. The colour white can represent snow as it is a feature which you want when you think of Christmas and all o these colours give you the image that this magazine is going to be a Christmas special. The mode of address on the front page is informal as they do not use complete sentences and try to keep words simple. The sentence ‘Their favourite worst nightmare before Christmas’ would not be in this structure if this magazine was in a more formal tone. The shot of the image which is the background is a long shot of 4 people and it is at a low angle looking up at them which shows power. Their outfits show that it is Christmas based as they are dressed as elves and there is also the prop of the Christmas trees in the background which adds to the Christmas theme. The audience for this magazine is for people who enjoy alternative and rock music and this audience has a very large fan base which means that they can try and appeal to a lot of people but there will also be lots of other magazines trying to aim at the same audience.

10. Vibe - This magazine is aimed at an audience which enjoys rap music and one of the biggest stars in the rap industry at the moment is Eminem and as he is on the front of the magazine people will see the magazine and want to buy it because it has a ‘star appeal’ on the front which people may want to buy the magazine and as he is a world star it will attract more people to buy the magazine. The title stands out from the rest of the colours as all the text around the title is either red or black or grey and the title uses all of these colours to create a mix of colours which makes it stand out. The text on the front page shows the main headlines and topics which will be in the magazine and they do this so that people can see what is in the magazine so if they like what they see on the front cover they are more likely to buy the whole magazine to read more in-depth about the certain topics that they want too. There are also more stars on the front ‘Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-z, T.I’ which shows how there fan base for this magazine is large as these are some of the biggest stars in the rap industry and when people see these names on the front of the magazines they will think that they have really tried to get the biggest stars possible just to try and sell the most. The language is very direct on this magazine as it tries to get the point across without using long sentences otherwise it may bore the reader. The font is very bold which shows how it stands out from other magazines.