Anaylsis of contents pages by Lucy Barker

Analysis of similar product research, contents page by Lucy Barker

I have analysed Kerrang, a rock music magazine because I want my magazine to not be based on a specific genre based on the ‘genre is dead’ hypothesis. So I took a look at this magazine to see if I could incorporate ideas that are used to encourage rock fans to buy my magazine.

The group ‘parkway drive’ presented on the contents page are represented as a powerful group, the camera shot which is a wide shot and the group are looking down at the camera prove this. They are dressed casually and the lead singer is placed in front of the other 4 band members because this shows he has a more important role or is more widely recognised. The background is dark which reflects on their music. The way they are represented is very different to how other bands are represented of other genres.  

The first things that people see when they look at the contents page is the image and directly beneath that, the advertisement for a competition which is content in the magazine. The plug for the competition is used and placed on top of the image in a clashing bright red and yellow colour to catch the attention of readers. Although this doesn’t break conventions it is unusual for it to be the main feature of the contents page, the reason it is the main feature of the contents page is because it’s a large competition which would attract many readers. This also tells me that readers of ‘kerrang’ magazine who are interested in rock style music would be interested in participating in competitions. A summary of the content is listed on the right side in a vertical column. The text is mostly bold apart from where the page is explained underneath, in some cases. This is so it stands out next to the bold dark image, I will need to consider this if I use a dark foreground in any image used in any part of my magazine. Most of the magazine articles are included in the contents page which is different to the pop magazine we analysed. There is an advertisement for subscription in the bottom corner which is average sized, it blends in with the house style and fits in well and I think it is easy to miss. The house style uses colours such as red, black, white and a bit of yellow. These colours look sophisticated and attract the target age group of 16+ they aren’t gender specific either so are appropriate for all genders. The title placed in a banner has the kerrang logo, every time it is written as a title it is presented in the same way because then it makes a statement for itself, gets the reader to recognise it and becomes a symbol to represent the magazine. It is what readers will look out for when they try to find the magazine in shops and because it is so important this is why it looks the same each time it is used.    

The image of a man near a space ship on the image placed near the writing, written by the editor, is an indexical sign because the editor James is going to blast of his rocket and ‘to have a bash at Felix Baumgartner’s recent death-defying freefall from space’, this recipient is pointed towards a meaning. The dark clouds in the background of the image are an iconic sign because they closely resemble darkness which signifies the type of music that the band plays.

The mode of address is appropriate to the target audience of kerrang because the medium doesn’t really affect the way it is read it has a casual register and written as it would be spoken not as it would be written for example abbreviations such as ‘YG’ are used and fans of this band would use this so it would be like they are getting information of a friend rather than a magazine. Most of the music magazines I have analysed us this register because it appeals to a young audience. The register can also be explained by the domain, the magazine is about rock music so the language used will be similar to the language used by rock music fans in order to appeal to them. The tenor is informal because the matter of the magazine is  informal.   

I have learnt from analysing this contents page that to appeal to the same target audience as kerrang (16+) I need to keep my codes and conventions sophisticated and use colours and text that appeal to all genders.

Analysis of mixmag contents page- similar product research by Lucy Barker

The contents page of ‘mixmag’ magazine uses only one image which is a code that ‘kerrang’ also used but interestingly ‘we love pop’ used many. This is because lots of images would appeal to the younger target audience. The house style uses a black and white colour scheme and smart font of a around a size 10 and then smaller underneath to explain the names of pages. The colours are smart and are the same colours used on the front cover because then it links to two together and creates a house style that readers can recognise. The contents page doesn’t have many codes because they have kept it simple and smart, which gives it a sophisticated look.     

The woman in the picture, which is a cut away/action shot isn’t looking at the camera and is dancing because she is in a club and she’s having a good time. Because she is a woman her beauty is highlighted and although she is looking down we can still see that she is made up, she is wearing eye shadow, we can also see that the model chosen has a small physique and the woman that we can see behind her have also been chosen because of their size and beauty, it keeps within the conventions of representations of femininity. No males can be seen clearly which shows that the woman are being represented as part of a context, they are sticking together as a sort of team.  

The image in the contents page is an indexical image because signs that would be inferred include that the girl is having fun dancing in a club and the connotation of this would be that she is in a club. ‘VIP’ is used as a polysemous sign because it can mean ‘very important people’ or ‘very important pages’ it signifies different things but it only matters that the reader realises it signifies ‘very important pages’ otherwise people won’t understand why the heading is ‘VIP’.  The signs and signifiers are linked to the register because the signs used will only be understood if the readers reading them know the casual register very well, which they do because they use it in everyday life.

Although the medium is written the magazine keeps to the conventions of having a medium of language that is typical of speech. This stands out to the younger and young adults target audience. The domain is influenced by dance music vocabulary, words that are used and specialised in the dance music world such as ‘techno’. The tenor is informal, making the register casual. For example ‘where you at?’ is used as a heading for one of the pages included in the content, this language is copying that of the readers, they may use this when talking to their friends about dance music, so to make it more of a group the magazine also uses this language.  

I have looked at this particular magazine because it focuses on the genre of dance music and I would like to cover lots of different genres including this one which may attract the higher end of my target audience of 18 year olds. I have found out that the signs I use will signify different things to different people, this can be influenced by their age group and social class so in my magazine which I want to appeal to people of middle class and a younger audience I will need to use signs that are recognised widely by my target audience as well as limit the amount of images I use so it appeals to my target audience.

Representations of masculinity & femininity by Maddy Ryder

Femininity in the media

The expectations placed on women by the media 

have remained similar for decades, putting pressure on females in the public eye to behave and appear a certain way. Although through movements such as feminism women are given more power, and almost equal voice, there are still roles that they are expected to fulfil  simply because they are female. Progress has been made, but not that all of it was positive. Over the past few decades women have become more sexualised, and it is now expected, not scandalous, for a female celebrity to show some skin. Women are also expected to act as part of a group – TV programmes often portray them as part of a family, or group of friends – and are not often given the honour of hero of the story. They are, more often than not, the hero's prize. Unattractive, geeky women do not have they same luck, often paired with men who are equally unattractive and geeky. Women are expected to be attractive, young and skinny. 

The average female, specifically young girls, consequently feel inadequate in comparison; female eating disorders, such as anorexia, have risen, occurring in girls as young as 8 years old. Beauty appears to be the most important feature, often overshadowing others (for example, a female politician who has done a lot of good in the world may have her appearance greatly criticised by magazines, while a perfect woman who is a perfect nightmare may be idolised). There is certainly pressure in the music industry, especially the mainstream genres, for women to be sexy, large-breasted, skinny, pouty minxes, (although they are not, as men are, allowed to sleep around, for fear of being called whores, sluts, or worse) and there is a shortage of females in genres such as metal or rock, which appear to be male-dominated.

Our magazine is aimed at teenagers, and will feature people within that age group, so sexualised or suggestive imagery will not be used.

Masculinity in the media

Men in the media are having harsh, almost impossible expectations placed upon them, which in turn affects

the average male, who feels inadequate in comparison;

in the last few years, male anorexia has risen alarmingly). Males in the public eye must be masculine, tough, independent men, the hero of the story. 

Their job is to kick butt and get the pretty girl. God forbid they appear weak or vulnerable.  Different genres, such as rock or metal, require the males to look like a tramp who raided

a Halloween shop. Long hair, fierce expressions, and an outfit that wouldn't look too out of place in a child's nightmare. If one of these artists turned up in a pink shirt, or ever dared to point out that they did, in fact, find puppies adorable, they would probably be mauled to death by enraged fans.

This role, however, can be changed based on the intended audience. Young males,

especially pop singers and boy bands who appeal mainly to young females, make a living out of their boyish good looks, baby faces, and floppy-haired innocence. They appear to stop ageing at 12, and often appear

in magazines who seem to

be unaware of any colour outside of pink.

Our magazine will feature younger, teenage males rather than adults, so the images used will be more like this and less like the highly buff ‘manly’ adult men featured in other aspects of the media.

Anaylsis of contents page By Lucy and Maddy

 look

Anaylsis of contents page by Lucy Barker and Maddy Ryder

We chose to analyse this contents page because it is aimed at the same age as our target audience. It is aimed at 10 - 15 year olds and our target audience is 14 - 18 year olds. We wanted to take the more sophisticated ideas so that we could get the more mature 14/15 year olds to read our magazine. We are also going to look at other magazines that our aimed at 16/17/18 year olds. so we can get the wide range of ages.

The media is specifically targeted at young girls because the males are represented in a way that sustains their interest. They focus on the male’sphysique and attractiveness which is what the pop genre tend to do, and their audience look for this.

The contents page has a appropriate mode of address, it isn’t very sophisticated which is good because the readers want gossip to be delivered to them in a casual register, one that would occur when talking to friends. For example ‘The wanted drop their trousers and dropped onto our front cover’ this is directly talking to the reader and makes it easier for the audience to read and also makes it more leisurely. It is signed by ‘Emily (not editor)’with a ‘X’ which is polysemous because it could mean a variety of things, but it is meant to be interoperated as a kiss.

Lots of images are used rather than text and pictures of the freebies (posters) are used to entice the readers in, so that when the readers pick up the magazine and check to see if the content is good it’s there to encourage them to buy it. The drop quotes are placed under the photo’s because they are important and show that that particular artist has been interviewed. The colours and house style of the contents page are very similar to that of the front cover they include colours such as blue, pink, and hints of yellow but no orange. This is used to link the two together and make itlike part of the magazine it also helps when the reader is trying to find the contents page, after first picking it up after they have viewed the front cover. A variety of font colours are used to make it look more attractive and appealing. The text is never placed on top of an image it is always placed underneath unless it is a plug or a pug, not only does this make it easier to read but also ensures that the picture is easier to see and isn’t hidden because it is more important to the target audience because they focus on the looks of the artist.

Certain elements of the contents page are not mentioned on the front cover such as the Carly Rae Jepson turtle body story, this is because although it is not as important as the cover stories on the front page it is still going to attract the reader. Other elements that were mentioned on the cover stories such as the wanted’s interview are mentioned on the contents page too because it is the main feature of the magazine so is mentioned a lot to try and get the reader to buy the magazine.

This will help us to develop our ideas for our contents page because the language is informal which would also appeal to our target audience and the different colours of text attract attention.

Questionnaire

Target audience research by Lucy barker and Maddy Ryder

We handed out 20 questionnaires to males and females of the age 14 + below is an example of one of the questionnaires we handed out. 

Media Questionnaire

1.What is your age? _________

2. What is your sex? Female Male
3. Which genre of music do you favour? (Tick as many as you like)

Pop

Rock

Soft rock

Punk

Soul

Indie

Metal

R&B

Other (please specify) __________________

4. How much would you be willing to pay for a weekly music magazine?
   £1.00 - £2.00

£2.00 - £3.00

£3.00 - £4.00

5. Which colours do you prefer? (Place number in box 1 = best 8 = worst)
   Purple Orange
   Blue Black
   Yellow Red
   Green
   Pink
6. Do you read magazines based on reputation? (Please circle the one that applies)
   Yes / No

7. How did you find out about your favourite music magazine?
   _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What do you like most in a music magazine?
   Gossip, personal information

Interviews

Quizes

Concerts and dates

Freebies

Behind the scenes

Other (please specify) ______________________

9. What freebies would you most enjoy?

CD

Posters

Wrist band

Tickets

10. Would you be interested in participating in competitions? (Pleas circle the one that applies)
    Yes / No
    If you answered yes please specify ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Do you think it's important for a magazine to have a brand/logo? (please circle)
    Yes / No         
    
    
    
    

Anaylsis of Double Page Spread by Lucy Barker

Anaylsis of Similuar product- double page spread by Lucy Barker and Maddy Ryder

We decided to anylse this double page spread becuase it is aimed at a more sophisticated audiance and we can compare it with younger targeted double page spreads.

The first thing we noticed about the text when we saw it was the pull quote which stands out because of the bold text used. This will draw the reader’s eyes to the text and make them want to read the article to find out what it’s all about. The text and pictures are laid out in a very blocky way. It makes it easier to read because it’s not disorganised and all over the place, it also makes it more interesting because part of the picture has been cut off and placed beneath the article. The Headings, placed beneath the pictures are good because they are also in bold and say who it is in the picture for those who have turned to the page for one artist or band and may not know the others, so they might start reading about it and get more interested. They are also good because if you don't recognise the band, the name is there to clarify who it is in the picture. The first sentence is in bold to signify were the article starts. We thought that because the focus is on 3 different artists there is a bit too much going on, we are going to focus ours on one artist because that will look less confusing. We think that the font size is about 8-10, it’s fairly small but the kerning is quite big.

 In the first image props such as sunglasses and a gun are used to represent the band in a cool humours manner. They are also wearing the same shirt which establishes them as a group. The second band are also looking quite casual, they are associating themselves with like a laid back sort of music such as soft rock, there not too extreme for example wearing lots of dark make-up and having face painted blood on their faces or topless showing off their abs. The third image is similar the artist is representing the same type of music because after all they are all from the same genre of magazine. 

 Iconic signs such as the sunglasses make them look cool and mysterious and the gun would be seen as danger and violence. However this can be interpreted differently by different people. For example some people may find this funny. The 'Mmmmm' used in the quote underneath the picture is polysemous because it means various things. It could mean a good thing a bad thing or could be sarcastic.

 The tenor of the language used in the double page spread is informal, for example 'piss-taking'. The domain has affected the formality because it’s talking about a band which plays informal music and the language speaks to the audience in a way you would speak to your friends and family and people that are more than acquaintances, it writes in this way in order to appeal to the targeted audience. The register of the double page spread we are analysing is casual because it includes informal language you might use with your friends. Colloquial language such as 'ribbing' is the norm type of language used in the articles. The swearing makes it unsuitable for young people, so the target audience that this magazine is aimed at is people over the age of 16.

 Analysis of Double Page Spread by Lucy Barker

The article is 5 pages long and mentioned in a cover line on the front cover of the magazine. The drop quote looks like part of the picture and helps to break up the text. The drop capitals are in a box, like a picture which makes them stand out and also brakes up the text. The mode of address is appropriate to its target audience, of mature adults, not young teenagers or young adults, because the language it uses language that is common amongst the adult world, and writes about topics that would not sustain the interest of a younger audience. Anchorage is used to explain the main image, the text is not too large which is good as it doesn't need to be; it is also a white colour to make it stand out against the bright goings on in the captured photograph. It is there to explain the action shot.

The photograph of Ellie Goulding with the royal family is an iconic sign; it closely resembles what it signifies. It shows the reader how important this person is. The semiotics are used as a type of pun, 'Ell-ite' meaning that Ellie is elite. This appeals to the audience because it's a clever witty pun and is the type of thing that the target audience may also do. The register of the text is casual. It is used to make the readers feel like they are having a conversation with somebody they know, it makes it easier to read. The register works with the signs and signifiers to create a casual approach to the page spread, like it is something that may occur in casual conversation; this makes the reader feel comfortable when reading it. 

Analysing this has helped me to come to terms with what is appropriate to use in order for my target audience to interpret signs. I know that different age groups interpret things differently and that I need to find out more about my target audience.

Anaylsis of Double Page Spread 2 by Lucy Barker

 

I have chosen to analyse this double page spread because of the similar target audience it is aimed at.

The image used is positioned to spread over both pages which makes it look good because it becomes the main focus and is what our eyes are attracted to when we first look at the page. This is a convention used by many magazines because it makes the pages join together rather than look like two separate pages. The background of the photo has a lot going on in it, but it blends in and doesn’t look to messy because the colours used in the background are also used in the font and in the boxes. I could use this technique using the re-colour tool in my magazine. There are also two other smaller images used, placed in the bottom corners of the double page spread. This link to the article and it makes the layout look more interesting, this would appeal to young teens; who would need more than words to sustain interest in the article, this is important to think about when I do my double page spread. The font is about a size 8/10 and various colours are used so that it stands out from the background and to distinguish who says which quote. Plugs are used to pull out quotes and make them stand out; this also brakes up the text to make it look less daunting.

The bands are represented as quite independent. They stand together and are smiling which makes them look friendly and this is supported in the questionnaire type article. They are represented as 3 very different looking people; the reason why they are not made to look really sexually attractive and more casual is because for the target audience of young teens this is not appropriate. They are interesting to look at because they are dressed individually; they each have their own style and because they aren’t hard to look at this isn’t a problem for the target audience.

The title ‘Britain’s definitely got talent’ is a polysemous sign because to people who watch the show ‘Britain’s got talent’ will understand that the band became famous from appearing on the show, but too others who haven’t seen the show may think that it is just used because the band is the best of British. I need to think about polysemous signs because to my target audience it may mean a different thing. The tenor of the double page spread is very informal colloquial language such as ‘soz’ are used and this is affected by the domain. The domain has changed the language used in the article to informal because it’s talking about something informal and the article is written to inform a younger audience so is using the language that they would use in order to make it more familiar and this makes it more likely for people to read it. A casual register is used to make it more personal and so that the audience can relate to the article slang such as ‘pi****’ is used to make it seem like the language is part of a group and you have to be a ‘member’ in order to understand it. I will need to take this into consideration by finding out more about what language young teenagers use so I can also use it in my double page spread.

Initial Ideas

Initial ideas of planning Music magazine by Lucy Barker and Maddy Ryder

We decided on the mast-head 'The sound of....' because the lead will be the name of the artist which will look good because it will link them together for example, The mast-head would be The sound of... and the lead would be the artist featured in the magazine for example 'Jessie J', so that the title would appear as 'The sound of Jessie J'

The sell line is going to be 'pick me up I'm rated best music magazine 2011!' because it uses an interesting mode of direct language and the customers will find this amusing. We will use this in a plug.

We have decided it will cost £2.68. We are going to target our magazine at an average/majority class of people who are of popular culture. We aren't going to have a focus on general specific genre we are going to focus on what’s new and modern so that we can target at a wider audience. The age range we are going to cover is 14-18.

Our house style will use colours such as green, purple and white because they aren't gender specific.

Final ideas - planning a music magazine by Lucy Barker and Maddy Ryder

 The changes we have made to our planning of the magazine include: 

- A colour scheme of purple green and white in order to appeal to both genders. White will act as a neutral background colour and hints of green and purple so it doesn't clash.

-We are going to use the puff line 'the best music magazine of 2011' because the majority of our target audience said they read magazines based on reputation. 

- Reviews, interviews, behind the scenes, freebies will be included in the magazine, we will make a freebie which will be a poster so we will need to plan an extra photo shoot. We are going to do either a review, interview or behind the scenes as the double page spread and then advertise the others on the front cover to attract the target audience. 

- We are going to make the mast-head into a logo that is different bold and accepted.

Front Cover anaylsis by Lucy Barker

Anaylsis of similuar product- Front cover by Lucy Barker

I looked at how codes and conventions are used in Q magazine to get a better idea of what looks good because it is a very good selling magazine that varies its codes and conventions and is similar to the type of magazine I am going to create.

Jay Z is presented in dark clothes which contrast with this cheery expression, this convention makes him look like he can play the smart, sophisticated guy and still have fun and be comfortable which entices the readers to buy the magazine because they want to know more about him. It also makes it look more real and less set up in front of a camera. His sophisticated look makes him look dependent of thought leaving the target audience wondering what he is laughing about.

The lack of text in the foreground is a code used to suggest that his music is more important, or that he, as the main feature of the front cover, doesn’t need explaining, it also hints that he represents a more sophisticated genre of music and leaves lots of white space. This also makes the magazine stand out from all the other magazines which are usually bombarded with text and promotions. The colours used in this specific magazine issue are very plain and blend in well, this code is used to make it look rich.

The lead fits in well with the mast-head with the main feature of the front cover, the photograph, and explains to those who may not know who he is, who he is, and also grabs the attention of people who like him and his music. It gives them a better idea of what is to come inside the magazine; this is also helped by the drop quote. 

Over all I have learnt that Q magazine play around with codes and conventions to make them stand out against other competitors, and to make the artist of the front cover fit in. I am going to use some ideas and ways that Q magazine have also used in their codes, such as making the lead stand out with the text type and having the lead as the name of the artist because I think that my genre and target audience suit this style and it will appeal to them.

Analysis of similuar product- Front cover #2 by Lucy Barker

I have chosen to analyse another issue of Q magazine featuring a female to compare the representations. The model, Jessie J, is dressed to show of her size and physique, she also is wearing a lot of make-up to highlight her beauty, which is important because as a woman this what she is expected to represent, especially as she is a pop artist because pop music focuses more on the beauty and physique of woman than other music genres. She is stood in a powerful stance which makes her stand out from expectations and makes her seem like she has a care free attitude. The magazine has used this central image to encourage the target audience to buy the magazine. The target audience are mostly males, but females also of an age range in the early 20’s to late 30’s because of the way she is presented and the sophisticated choice of language and use of layout.

Codes such as house style are used so that it fits in with other Q magazines and follows a theme. In this issue colours have been experimented with, like the pink used in the lead because it follows the artist who is female and therefore probably most likely to use pink. Other codes such as the border, which is small and has a banner overlapping it are used to make the background less busy so that the focus is mainly on the model, this is also the reason there is a limited amount of writing. The mast-head always stays in the same position because it is part of the house style and distinguishes the magazine from other competitors.

Conventions used such as the mast head are made to stand out. It is big and although the central image is layered on top of the mast-head it still obvious and not to be missed. Repeated and accepted codes such as the mast-head are used for familiarity. Other conventions include the lead which is always the name of the artist or band featured in the central image; this is effective because as it is a different colour and the second biggest text on the cover other than the mast-head it can be seen from a long way away.  

Looking at this magazine cover has been useful in my research because I know that I need to be keeping the conventions the same in my front cover, double page spread and contents page. I also know that I need to make really good use of my layout to make my front cover stand out from others. I have also learnt that the representation of the musician/model on my front cover is very important because it needs to be suitable for my target audience of early to late teens.

Representations of Different sexes by Lucy Barker

Representations of Feminity in the media and music 

The representation of woman focuses largely on beauty, size, relationships and sexuality. There are fewer older women in media because despite however kind or nice they are physical beauty nears the exclusion of all other values. If a woman in the media doesn't conform to social expectations they tend to be seen as dangerous and deviant. Woman are also represented differently in different countries for example British viewers adored Patsy and Edina in absolutely fabulous however the US had to severely tone down the swearing and cancel out the drug taking in order to make it acceptable. Although this is the way in which femininity is represented in media many such portrayals bear little or no relation to the reality experience by woman across the planet. Woman are also expected not to sleep around, and those that do are classed as 'whores' by the media, yet men can get away with a lot more through the eyes of the media and some men almost represent that its O.K to this.

In music the beauty and physique of woman across all genres of music is important, although in some cases talent can be a bigger priority than this (such as with elder musicians) they still require an element of beauty. In pop music this is more crucial; many artists such as x factor judge Tulisa use their beauty to promote themselves and wouldn't be as big without her looks. I have learnt that when photographing woman in my magazine I need to consider lighting and photo shopping to enhance the beauty of the woman that will make it more suitable for the readers especially if it is on a pop based article.


Analysis of Masculinity in the media by Lucy Barker

 

Representations of masculinity focus on strength, power, sexual attractiveness, physique and independence. This is very accurate in terms of how men are portrayed when spoken about or in photos in magazines and films. Even Males of 40 and over feel the need to try and buff themselves up in order to represent what they believe is an average man. Take Peter Andre for example, he feels the tan and muscles are needed to promote himself because you can't see personalities they are not visible. Many men and young teens suffer from anorexia which has increased alarmingly in recent years. Many boys find that they need to be like their role-models in magazines, setting themselves an unrealistic target due to computer programmes that tend to buff up the man.

In terms of music groups and artists, representations of masculinity range and vary. Take rock music for example, bands such as the black veil brides take the emotional dealings and power as a bigger representation point rather than sexual attractiveness and physique. Pop music however requires a great deal of sexual attractiveness and physique in order to appeal to more people to make themselves and their music more popular. However pop groups and pop artists tend to be more popular if they are young, making the pressure even bigger for 'buffness'. Take JLS for example, one of the big reasons they are so big is because they have a good physique and sexual attractiveness which creates more fans

This means that because my magazine is a mixed genre magazine, including pop so I need to ensure that if I use a male in any articles or photos that they are dressed and fashionably, and that they are represented as someone who is attractive although this is not as important as talent and power, this is because the magazine is about music not men’s health. This is important as it appeals to my target audience. They should also be not too old, under the age of 40.