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.

Convention of a magazine

Front Cover

Contents page 

Double Page Spread

Textual analysis of a double page spread

Denotation - The cover image on the double page spread has the main artist slightly to the left of the magazine fully facing the camera. We can see from her hip upwards making this a medium shot. The colors of the pages are related to the article as well as the artist. The layout of the texts has been put into four columns throughout the page.

Headline - The headline of this article is ‘The gospel according to Nicki Minaj’. ‘The gospel according to’ is in bold black serif font which shows that it’s elegant and classy, however ‘Nicki Minaj’ is in bright bold pink letters which is associated with her latest album  ‘Pink Friday’ this also connotes more up-to-date or modern feel to the page. There’s a wide selection of fonts used in these two pages to make it look more fascinating.

Nicki’s name is printed in the biggest size font which alerts the readers instantly that this article is focused on her. The colour pink which is the color it’s written in connotes youth, love, femininity and beauty. The color pink could have been used to reflect upon Nicki Minaj’s persona. 

Strap-line - The strap-line of this article is in serif font which connotes tradition and could link to the ’10 commandments’.

‘Bow down mortals, the newly crowned Day-Glo queen of hip hop stands before you. Jaimie Hodgson joins the throng and inscribes the 10 commandments of our saviour’ this is in black which adds a serious and more formal approach to the double page spread. The strap-line informs the readers about Nicki Minaj and her rise in success. This mirrors her accomplishments through her career. This shows that she’s a strong hip-hop singer who can get through obstacles. 

Character/model - The main article star is Nicki Minaj who is an American based singer and a rapper.

Composition - The model is looking directly at the camera. Her position makes her look like a doll; she looks rather stiff and plastic like. Her pose is very unnatural making her like a mannequin in a store window. However this is a perfect and expected position for Nicki Minaj as her character in the media is portrayed as wild and extravagant. Nickiis famous as she is shown as a life size Harajuku Barbie.

Costume - Nicki is wearing an on-going zebra patterned top this is very ‘in’ for this season right now. This will appeal more to the relatable the younger readers. Her ring which says ‘ICON’ could be telling us that she think she’s an icon in the hip-hip music industry. This may also connotes that she’s proud of herself and is confident about bold statements about herself.  She also has a necklace with different colors which may illustration her fun, wild and exciting personality.

Facial expression (NVC - Non-verbal communication) –  Her facial expression is very blank and serious which could denote that she’s very serious about her job and what she does best, create music. She has purposely opened her eyes widely which consists of a glaring gaze. This could show her darker side. Her hands are not interrupting her body position which connotes confidence and assurance.

 

Lighting - There is no shadow on both pages which connotes that she’s a happy person with no darkness in her life. It appeals to the audience that she’s a happy person full of energy.

Setting - The background is plain pastel pink which her fans can relate to as it’s her most distinctive colour. It adds a ladylike touch to the page as well as youthfulness and attractiveness. The background color also links to her album named after the color pink.