Main Task: Introduction

Hello my name is Amy Smalldon. I study media at Christ The King Sixthform College. By my teacher i have been set a task by my teachers to do the following: Front cover, contents page and a double spread for a music magazine. My magazine is going to be based on a hip-hop based genre and for this project i am going to be doing research on a different variety of hip-hop magazines and discussing the different textual layout and coverlines and all the different research methods there are.

I chose to study this course at Christ The King Sixthform College because i like to be creative and have a good understanding of the different varieties of magazines that are solds world wide. This course involves a lot of picture taking and i do enjoy taking pictures, not just of myself but of the surrounding around me. I will be looking at the way different hip-hop magazines are layed out and the different ways they are written.

Main Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis

Denotation: The magazine cover consists of a colour photograph of a young attractive women looking directly into the camera. This shot is a medium close up showing her head, arms and waist. She is standing with the strike of a little pose giving of a 'slutty' look with the costume she's wearing. A leotard outfit with what looks like an american looking police hat. The background of the photograph is a mixture of two blues, dark and light and also the photograph image covers the whole of the magazine cover. Behind the image is a 'vibe' masthead and to the sides of the image there are several different coverlines in white and red.

Masthead: Vibe masthead is very distinctive: plain white with no outline or drop shadow just a plain simple heading. The font for the masthead is similar to 'sans serif' and it is all in capital letters. The font used is similar to the font that is used on the 'heat' magazine and cannotes the popular trends going on around the world as this font is used quite a lot. The name 'Vibe' isn't a very well known name so it suggests that it's a new thing going on, something new to try and is suggesting that you 'try something new' everyday.

Character: The cover photographer is of one of Keri Hilson the worlds well known singer and is very popular in the industry. Keri has been known to play a role if a film that hasn't yet been released 'rip the runway 11' as a performer. Keri is the type of character that is always changing her look, always wanting to be unique and many of her fans tend to try and be more and more like her everyday.

Composision: She is posed in a very suggestive 'get over here' kind of way. Her pose, body language and costume are previewed in a very sexually suggestive way.

Costume: Keri's clothing is a very tight seductive leotard outfit, showing lots of cleavage. This costume has clearly been given a lot of though and chosen carefully to appeal to a wide range of a target audience of the magazine, who are most likely going to be male and they like that 'bad girl' type but some female may look into this magazine as they like Keri Hilson as a singer and look up to her as a role model.

NVC: Her non verbal communication is also very seductive as she is flaunting what she has and with her mouth slightly open showing off her white teeth and her eyes half open looking directly into the camera.

Lighting: The lighting is high key and the photograph is designed to display the brightness of Keri's future and that she is looking to go far.

Setting: The setting has two different colours of background a light blue and also a dark. This cannotes that there can be a dark side to the singer and that you can't always judge a book by it's cover. Her costume blends in more with the dark side of the front cover as it's darker and more mysterious.

Cover-Lines: The main cover line that relates to her photograph says 'Keri Hilson has been a very bad girl'. This relates to the pose and her body language in the photograph. The different cover lines tell us that this magazine doesn't just concentrate on the sexual pose that Keri is doing, it also concentrates on other singers/rappists/music producers and different song genres. The cover lines don't just talk about music and artists and producers it also talks about life going on in the populated area such as 'Teenagers merked for death' this shows that there is alot of crime going about involving teenagers and that it has become so bad that it is resulting to death. The only thing mentioned on the cover lines that doesn't relate to music is that they're advertising open gifts on a certain page. All the fonts used are the same through out and this cannotes tradition, it shows that 'vibe' magazine hasn't been going for long but it's consistancy of font style wants to be continued for a long period of time. This explains to the readers of 'vibe' magazine that they will recieve accurate and challenging information.

Target Audience: By taking a glance at this photograph on this front cover you can tell that the magazine is suitable to anyone; male or female and that it is suitable for the ages of 16 and over. They would have a good knowledge and understanding of what is being produced in the magazine and a definite interest in a wide range of music and new relseases in the music industry. They are likely to be well educated in the magazine and will have an interest in music, even more than what some young adults do already.

Total: 812 Words

Preliminary Task: Contents Page FINAL

Preliminary Task: Front Cover FINAL

Preliminary Task: Front Cover & Contents Page Mock Ups

Preliminary Task: Front Cover Conventions Diagram

Preliminary Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis

Setting - There is no setting however if there was to be a setting, I think a natural surrounding would suit best, for example it could be the park, the college building or somewhere in the college area. Having a natural, calm and rural area will represent a quiet and calm atmosphere. Having a black background makes the poster look sophisticated and professional however it doesn't attract the target audience because a black background is boring and a very dull image. 

Costume - The young man's outfit portrays a casual yet simple student look and his clothing blends in with the background which creates contrast between the two; also the white blends in with the lighting and is very eye catching because once you take a glance at the image/magazine you immedietly see the white t-shirt. The subject is wearing a Jesus cross necklace which could be fashion statement but can also suggest that he is religious and could possibly go to a religious school. It is suitable for a college magazine because he is wearing no inappropriate slogans or clothing. The reason for the subject not wearing something like a business suit would be odd because generally college students would be able to wear their own clothing and also college is known to be a friendly community and not a professional work area.

Props - The books the man is holding is 'Law, business, society' this shows that he is a student studying law and politics or something similar, this represents that he is hard working, intelligent and possibly studying to get into university and achieve higher knowledge of these subjects. 

Lighting - From the image I can tell that the lighting is low key and artificial, also the light shows the subjects details clearly. looking at the black background and the subject's jacket, the light is directed shined on the top half of the subject's body from mainly his shoulders to his head and this suggests that the subject is the main focus. Also the light creates a gentle and calm feeling which is suitable for the poster because if a strong and bright light is shined then it could over-power the whole poster image making it look harsh. 

NVC - The subject is smiling which implies that he enjoys college, possibly his subjects and the path he's chosen to go. The way the subject is carrying/holding the books is rather masculine and it clearly shows what subjects he has chosen to study in his career path. Again the smile is simple and casual; not too cheerful. This indicates that college can be enjoyable however it can be hard work and stressful.

Masthead (Logo) - The masthead is a lime colour which gives a natural and calm feel but because of it's bold and large typography, it stands out well creating a balance. The masthead logo stands out from the background mainly because of it's lime green colour and the fact that it important but some of the title is covered by the image of the young college student. 


Dateline - The dateline is small and this indicates that the magazine issue could be used/suitable for a year or more; or when it goes out of date then the magazine could be 


Main Image - This front cover represents an image of a normal, everyday student people would generally see, relating to the magazine. The main image stands out because it takes up most of the poster and over powers all the other elements making the main image stand out and attracting the target audience. 

Cover-Lines - The cover lines use up the blank spaces, this makes the front cover look busy however not too informative. They do not over power the Main Image or the heading because the font is small and the colour scheme on the font contrasts with the whole of the poster. The cover lines convey the main points in the magazine which would attract and help separate texts which makes it easier for the audience to pick out what part they're interested in reading.

Main Cover-line - The Main cover-line is larger than the subheadings but smaller than the heading, this creates an impact on the top half of the magazine making it look more bold which grabs more attention. Also the size suggests that it is a interesting topic or piece information which would interest the target audience.

Left Third - The main cover-line is on the left third so it stands out on the shelves in shops. There isn't too much text so people will not get bored looking at it. The colour's scheme contrasts with each other making it look proffessional so people would take the magazine serious. Also both colours stand out from the black background making it stand out on the shelves.

Bar-code - The bar-code is placed on the bottom left so it does not intervene with the elements on the front cover which means that the bar-code is insignificant.

Selling Line - Is short and simple and relates to the subject of the magazine. People do not usually notice it and ignore the fact that it is there because it is minor element to a front cover.

Website Link - The website link is small so it does not over power anything on the front cover; this also shows that the link is unimportant.