Textual analysis of a music magazine front cover

Denotation – The cover model star’s face is looking straight into the camera but her body is turned facing away from the camera. The image has been taken with a medium long shot (Knees to head). The masthead is behind the cover star. On the left hand side of the magazine are the main cover lines which are in the colors  black, yellow and white. The cover star’s name is written in large bold fonts.

Masthead - The masthead is the name of the magazine “Billboard.” The font is plain black but by filling the characters b, o, a and d in the colours red, pink, blue and yellow makes the masthead look more fun and flexible towards each issue and layout.

By using the black bold font it shows that the masthead has a serious fact to it letting it appeal to youths as well as the older audience.

An actual “billboard” is linked with large advertisements which are seen all around cities to promote certain products or company.

This connotes that the “Billboard” magazine is highly noticeable.  This could show the value and the successfulness of the magazine.

From the masthead “Billboard” the readers can expect first class artists who have topped the charts along with music related interview or news. 

Cover lines – The main cover story of this issue id ‘Katy Perry: Inside the court of the new queen of pop’. This articulates the readers that she has risen to the top and has become the new Queen of Pop music. This cover line displays her success and power over the music industry. The only font that’s different is ‘Katy Perry’ which is in a serif font. This makes her name stand out which shows that she’s the main focus of this magazine’s issue.

The other cover lines show other artists in the same genre as Katy through an interview. These artists are Taylor Swift, Mike Posner and The Mercury. This denotes that the whole magazine isn’t just focused on Katy’s success and that there are other rising artists as well. All of these artists that have been mentioned are all American which reveals that the magazine is U.S based.

The magazine features articles about ‘Facebook’ which is a social network site. This informs the readers that Billboard isn’t just about music, it also tells then about the real time information. By having cover lines such as this makes the magazine more flexible in terms of the audience.

Character/Model – The cover star of this Billboard’s issue is Katy Perry as her song “The one that got away” remixed by B.O.B topped the 100 chart.

Composition –  Her body language and pose suggests she’s shy. Furthermore, her hands are covering her upper body which suggests she’s trying to protect herself in a physical or emotional way. Her complexion and ladylike pose connotes innocence and modest.

Costume - Her outfit consists of a brown dress which has been decorated with vintage style pastel flowers in the colours of light pink and yellow. The light pastel colours make the brown dress have a “mother nature” feel to it. The dress is strapless and above the knee. As she’s covering up the upper part of the dress this connotes innocence and purity but there is still a sense of provocativeness due to her flirty dress. This will apply to the male readers as they will be attracted to her physical appearance. Her floral dress can be linked with the “flower power” of the 60’s and 70’s. The flowers on her dress may symbolize a new beginning (spring season), beauty and womanhood. The majority of the audience that can relate to this are women.

Facial expression (NVC - Non-verbal communication) – Her mouth is slightly open showing some of her teeth which may show her curiosity or seductiveness. Her head is slightly tilted making her eyes look at the camera in an very seductive way.

Background - There isn’t much of a setting. It’s just a clear plain pink pastel backdrop. Her outfit and the pink backdrop contrasts which makes her highly noticeable and the colour pink is associated with love, desire and comfort.

Lighting - The lighting looks like she’s being hit from a high angle. I can see this by the way the shadow is shown beneath her. The lighting we see creates a warm and welcoming feeling which may mirror Katy Perry’s personality.

Target audience – The target audience for this magazine are both genres roughly in the between 16-25 years old. I think that there are more female readers than males due to the contents. I think that these readers will have an interest in American music or pop culture. They may also be associated with social media or networks such as Facebook which appeals more to the younger audience.