Existing Magazine Double Page Spreads

Before creating my magazine double page spread I decided that it would vital to research into existing R&B magazine double page spreads so that I can understand the required features which should be included in my own R&B magazine. Also it enables me to create an awareness of R&B magazine in the context of the R&B genre as well as in the text of a magazine. Researching into similar product could insist me with the ideas of what I should include to make my magazine fit in with existing R&B periodicals but also stand out from stereotypical R&B magazines due to the uniques features.

Double Page spread Analysis 1

Majority of the people on the double page spread are black males whom are well known in the hip hop industry. The language used on this double pages spread is informal. There is a lot of slang used this is because this better relates best with the teenagers who are teenagers. I can tell that this magazine is aimed at older teenagers and this is because there is a lot of swearing words which have been used which most teenagers use.

The images are of the musicians on the streets where most teenagers spend most of their time so by using the streets it bringing a memorable setting of what the target audiences are used to.

There are blocks of primary colors which had been used and this is because they all stand out from each other because they’re bold and eye catching. Each of the colors represents a different section/information which has been displayed which allows the audience to understand the structure of the information on the page.

Double page spread analysis 2

Existing Magazine Contents Pages

Before I create my magazine contents page I decided that it would vital to research into existing R&B magazine contents pages so that I can understand the required features which should be included in my own R&B magazine. Also it enables me to create an awareness of R&B magazine in the context of the R&B genre as well as in the text of a magazine. Researching into similar product could insist me with the ideas of what I should include to make my magazine fit in with existing R&B periodicals but also stand out from stereotypical R&B magazines due to the uniques features.

Contents Page Analysis 1

Image: There is a long shot of a female wearing a minimal amount of clothing; she takes up half of the portrait page. The background color is grey and the costume the girl is wearing is grey as well which doesn’t allow the clothing to stand out very much. The lady in the image is young which gives the reader the feeling that it is targeted at the younger generation. The word ‘Contents’ is written in capital letters and isn’t written in one whole line which gives it a youthful and new way of writing.

The headings ‘features’ and ‘fashion’ is a different font from the description, the description is in depth. Only the main topic are shown on the contents page which shows that the magazine may include a lot of in depth specific stories rather than a lot of random information which you may find in other magazines e.g. quizzes.

Only two font colors have been used and this may because they want the magazine to have a clean mature look.

Although the contents page contains a image of a female it comes across as sexual due to the minimal amount of clothes as well as the position which the lady is sat in. The magazine shows that it is targeted at males and this is through Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze which pinpoints ladies being an ‘object of desire’ to the males. Through the perspective of Mulvey’s theory it suggests to the audience that this contents page is mainly to provide pleasure to males through the females being an ‘object’.

Contents Page Analysis 2

On the Vibe magazine contents page there is a two shot of two young ethnic females posing. The image is the most important feature on the page as it is the largest item. The females are dressed up provocatively with there breasts not fully covered, short dresses, shiny legs revealed as well as high healed shoes. which tells me that this magazine could be targets at young ethnic males as through Laura Mulvey's theory she expresses that women are represented to provide pleasure to men which means that women are used as sexual objects. 

There are minimal sections on the magazine page which show that the information in the magazine may not be overwhelming as the audience (young people) may not enjoy reading a lot.

The colours which have been used are very classical (green, black and grey) this reinforces that the magazine is more of a mature and clean look as it isn't full of different colours which corrupt the the magazines look.

Contents Page Analysis 3

There is a mid shot of the musical artist 50Cent's body is facing the contents, I believe that it is very important to include a image of somebody or something famous so that the intended audience find it easier to identify with the information which may be included. The colours which have been used for the text correspond with the colours on the musicians clothing. I believe that this is a interesting idea as it shows that there is a link between the information which has been provided as well as the image which has been shown. The artist is looking at the lens of the camera which looks like he is looking at the audience which allows the audience to know that thy have been considered as they are being looked directly at. The use of the artist facing the

Black hardcore men are usually stereotyped to listen to R&B music so by using the stereotypical figure in this magazine it creates a sense of tradition as the musician is nationally recognized to belong to the particular genre. The features on the contents page are written in black and bold however the information on the features are a few words long which are very concise. This in particular is a good idea as the audience who read this magazine aren't interested in reading long texts as they find it off putting. 

Magazine Front Cover analysis

Before creating my magazine front cover I decided that it would vital to research into existing R&B magazine front covers so that I can understand the required features which should be included in my own R&B magazine. Also it enables me to create an awareness of R&B magazine in the context of the R&B genre as well as in the text of a magazine. Researching into similar product could insist me with the ideas of what I should include to make my magazine fit in with existing R&B periodicals but also stand out from stereotypical R&B magazines due to the uniques features.

Front Cover Analysis

Vibe Magazine front cover analysis

Extreme close up: On the Vibe magazine front cover, there is the use of a extreme close up of a rap star this is so that we are able to see his expression and also because this rap star is very popular it tells the audience that he would be expected to appear in this magazine. The rap star on the front cover is a black male and the background is blue which brings out his appearance very well as his skin tone and the background don’t clash with each other. There is an outline of yellow text which is in contrast with the background colour which is blue; this allows standing out from the whole page. The person is lookin

Masthead:  Written in capital letters and is bold however hasn’t got any fill colour in it; instead it has the background layout. This makes the masthead stand out to the audience this is because the image is behind the text which shows that although the image takes up a large proportion of the page, the masthead has got the most importance as it it’s the item which is on the top layer.

Strap line: “T.I. TALKS ABOUT PRISON, PARENTHOOD & HIS EPIC ALBUM” T.I is a well known rap musician, the fact that his story is written in the strap line draws the audiences attention to what is going to happen in the magazine. This strap line shows that it is aimed at older male teenagers till mid twenties who listens to rap/R&B music this is because the key word in the strap line is ‘PRISON’ and ‘PARENTHOOD’. This strap line is directed at this particular audience as the stereotypical people who read this magazine listen to T.I’s music and/or served time in prison meaning that the audience can relate well with the magazine as a part of their identity is written in this magazine

The top of the magazine has the largest text size however as you go down further down the page the text decreases in size, I believe this has been done because most peoples attention is primarily drawn to the top left hand corner so that’s the first thing they would see, meaning that the text at the top of the Vibe magazine is the most important as well as interesting to the audience. There is minimal writing on the front cover which gives the magazine a fresh clear to the point magazine, the reason that there is minimal text on the front cover is so that the audience can have a quick and easy understanding of what is going to happen in the story.

Billboard Front Cover Analysis

Long shot & Masthead: The Billboard magazine has got a long shot of the musician (Mary J. Blige). The costume that she is wearing is white which matches the fill colour of the masthead. This might have been done to show that there is a similarity between the image and the masthead or that they belong together with each other. She hasn’t got much of her body revealed which shows that she is a elegant woman and also that the magazine might also be formal and aimed at the older generation (25+ years). The masthead has got three primary colors which fill in the circles in the letters.

Strap line: ‘FIERCE’ VS. ‘FEARLESS’ this strap line shows two opposition words being used, which may mean that in the magazine there will be a contradiction or the going against of a personality being shown in the magazine.

The background is a dark black/grey door which is in contrast with the long shot as well as the masthead. There are not very many stories that have been written on the front cover; however there is a lot of description about each story. This gives the magazine a clean unclogged feel as it looks modern and fresh. The audience who look at this front cover will not be distracted by different colours or too much text which allows them to have a clear understanding of the stories which have been named on the front cover.

XXL Front Cover Analysis

Extreme close up: On the front cover of the XXL magazine, there is a close up of a music artist (The Game) his image is the over powering property on the page as it takes up majority of the page. The model is holding two fingers to his head on side of his head with a angry face. The man looks like the stereotypical gangster (black male, tattoos on his body, angry and scary looking appearance) this has been done because most people associate rap music with this type of a person.

Masthead: The masthead is three letters long which is easy to remember. It is written in capital letters which looks like it is shouting/speaking loudly to the audience or person who looks at this magazine.

Strap line: “A DECADE OF DOMINANCE” this strap line tells me that maybe the magazine or rap music as a genre has brought dominance to society for ten years as this genre of music is believed to have a influence on the people on the people who might read it.

The use of black, red and white text conveys that it may be a magazine which is directed to the stereotypical male as these colors are very bold and masculine. E.g. the red text reinforces danger, heat and fire. There is a tattoo on the models chest area which shows that the man is manly, strong and keeps a lot of memories. The name of the model (The game) is written across his chest with no fill color which reinforces that his name is a part of him and his life as they are linked together. Also most young R&B music fans have tattoos on there bodies and share the same appearance as the R&B star on the magazine front cover so this helps the target audience to identify with the R&B star as they share some similarities.