Textual Analysis

By Eliza Chapman-Smith

Masthead – old fashioned font shows that is established and respected. Blue is ‘typically’ a boys colour so you can see that they are aiming this issue towards men.

Primary Story – they put the name of the artist in a larger font and in a different colour from the description, but the same as the masthead. This gives her equal importance. The description includes alliteration which makes it punchier and more attention grabbing.

Secondary Story – includes prestigious names and brief information about upcoming tours. The title font is quite bold, compared to the following text.

Main Image – she is wearing her signature look of a beehive and strong eyeliner. This, along with her casual clothes, suggests that the directors of the shoot wanted her to look iconic and unmistakeable, and for her to choose how she was presented. This showed her importance in the music industry as she was allowed to dictate how she looked on their cover. Her stance is quite casual as well but she is making herself look vulnerable by hunching her shoulders and looking up to the camera.

Front Covers

Masthead – deep dark colour represents luxury, which is typical of the genre depicted on this cover. It is subtle but still portrays a richness. This is backed up by the gold in the rest of the cover.

Primary Story – the name of the artist has been put in larger text and in a different colour to the description. The text links to the main image, which keeps the whole thing together. They have used alliteration which makes it more attention-grabbing. It also quite defiant and angry which makes the reader intrigued as to what the story says.

Main Image – it is a medium close up shot. The artist is standing quite casually and has a happy expression on his face. This suggests that he is comfortable in the situation and wants to portray himself as being a nice person. He has still has maintained an air of superiority and professionalism by wearing a simple black and white suit.

Secondary Story – they have used gold to signify that this genre places emphasis on money and wealth. They give a title and a very brief description to explain the stories.

Masthead – the colours are quite poppy and girly, which suggests that the target audience for this issue is women. There is a gradient in the colouring which makes it more interesting than just having one colour. The font it quite simple and blocky, which means it stands out, compared to the thinner more intricate font used in the rest of the cover.

Primary Story – the name of the subject of the story is in quite small font, maybe this issue was from when she wasn’t particularly well known.

Main Image – she is in quite a vulnerable stance, with her back to the camera, her shoulders hunched, looking back over her shoulders. This could be portraying her age and novelty in the music industry. She has quite a lot of skin on show and she is wearing quite a skimpy dress so she could be trying to emphasise her femininity.

Secondary Stories – the front cover is cluttered with secondary stories, they are clearly trying to entice people to but their magazine. A lot of the stories are lifestyle advice, so the people that buy this magazine are probably looking for help in their day to day lives, trying to be ‘better’.

Masthead – the name of the magazine is just one letter so it can be quite large and dominate the corner. The background colour contrasts with all the other colours on the cover, which makes it stand out more.

Secondary Story – there are quite a few secondary stories on the cover, but not so many that it looks cluttered. The same colour has been used throughout to give uniformity, but different sizes and fonts stop it from being to boring. The descriptions of the stories include humour and informal language to encourage customers to buy it

Primary Story – her name is the most prominent feature of the primary story description which shows her fame and importance. They included a quote to make readers want to read the rest of the story. The final statement is quite dramatic, which again makes readers intrigued.

Main Image – it is a close up, which implies that the following interview is going to be detailed and private. Her hair, make up and nails look flawless to show that she is very glamourous and sorted. She is making direct eye contact with the camera which suggests that she is confident and successful.

Contents PageHeading – the word has been split into random parts which are quite hard to read. It has been shaped around the figures which implies that they are very important. A very black font has been used, so as not to draw focus from the image.

Description – the font is more detailed than that used for the heading but it a bit smaller. It is also shaped around the figures, which adds to their sense of importance.

Main Image – the girls are dressed in clothing very typical of the genre: hip hop/R&B. Their stances are very strong and dominant which suggests confidence and also some element of hostility.

Background – the background is very light, much lighter than the text and the people in the photo. This allows the features to stand out and be the most prominent thing.

Heading – the title of the magazine has been put in a contrasting colour which makes it more prominent. The word ‘contents’ has not actually been used, which makes the page feel more casual.

Main Image – a shot of a building has been used, presumably one that has relevance to the articles in the magazine. It is quite a simple shot, with strong symmetry which makes it very striking. It is quite a casual photo as it looks as if it was taken while the photographer was just walking around. This strengthens the sense that this magazine is in touch with the real music industry.

Descriptions – a very simple font has been used and the layout is fairly basic. This allows the information to stand on its own and you don't get distracted . The headings are emphasised as the colours are inverted, but still monochrome to retain the simplicity. An offer has been placed at the bottom of the page in the contrasting colour of yellow, which draws attention.

Background – it is very plain and white which fits with the choices in all the other elements of this contents page.

Heading – the name of the magazine has been put in the corner for continuity in terms of the colour scheme. The title is directly next to it in a contrasting font and colour. The colour scheme exhibited in this top line is the one evident in the rest of the page. This is also the location of the issue date.

Description – the colour scheme is very consistent (black, white and red) which makes the magazine look more professional. There is the occasional accent of gold which adds a sense of luxury.

Background – the designer has chosen a simple white background which allows the other features of the contents page to take prominence.

Main Image – it is a simple shot of four band members. They are facing towards the camera which demands attention, but they are dressed quite casually which makes it feel more informal. This is indicative of the genre as the artists tend to be very wealthy/successful but they still outwardly look normal.

Background – the colour of the background is a light shade of blue-grey and there is a darker K that is aligned to the left. It is very subtle which allows the image and text to stand out. The subtle shades make the page look more expensive, which is in keeping with the aesthetic of the genre.

Main Image – the subject of the image is a famous artist, who is dressed quite formally in a suit and standing in quite a confrontational stance. What seems to be a woman’s arm is holding on to him and his ‘heart’ which is the only thing of any colour in the image. This choice of image makes him seem superior.

Heading – the word ‘contents’ has been split into parts that make it quite hard to read. The font is very simple so this, combined with the illegibility implies that it isn’t the most important part of this page.

Description – the words that explain the articles in the magazine are very small and hard to read. This backs up the idea that it isn’t as important as the photo.

Double Page Spread

Background – it is very plain and white which lets the other features stand out, and adds to the mundane feel of the spread.

Heading – the format of the heading is very disordered due to the varying sizes and colours. The words in black are more visible than the grey words so they are emphasised. The font is simple which gives it a basic mundane feel.

Text – the layout of the main body of text is very basic and plain which contrasts with the ramshackle format of the heading. It is black which fits with the monochrome scheme of the res of the page.

Main Image – the figure in the image is looking up at the camera rather sheepishly. This is in keeping with the tone of the heading. He seems to be ungroomed and casually dressed which is indicative of the genre and article.

Background – the most of the background is simple white but there is a shock of colour in the form of the large red L that acts as a sort of watermark. This is very simple but it is still effective.

Main Image – the subject isn't wearing anything but she is looking boldly at the camera, this may be implying that, in the article, she will, by choice, be bearing all. It is in black and white which makes the L in the text stand out.

Heading – the heading is just the name of the artist which means the reader must continue on to know what is in the article. The varying fonts contrast and make the simple title more interesting.

Text – it is arranged very simply as is everything else on the page. The beginning letter of each paragraph is larger which is a traditional way of adding decoration to a body of text. This is contrasting to the image and her ethos, as she is definitely not traditional.

Background – it is a pale pink colour which is a typically girly shade, she could be trying to emphasise her femininity in a generally male-dominated industry.

Text – it has been wrapped around the figure, showing her importance. It is in simple black font with a few emphasising words highlighted in black, white and blue.

Heading – the name of the artist is in a blocky font in a slightly darker pink than the background. This emphasises it which adds to the impression that she is the most important thing on this page

Main Image – she is dressed in her typical style, quite unique and original. Her stance is quite unusual, very angular and shapely, which makes the whole page look more bizarre. This is in keeping with her image, slightly psychedelic and wacky.

Title – they have used one of Beyoncé’s signature words in the title, to show that they talking about her specifically. They have then used a word which is not as commonly used about her, which piques interest the varying typography keeps it looking interesting, and the chosen colour makes it stand out from the background.

Picture – she is making eye contact with the camera but she almost looks bored, which makes her seem superior. She has very strong makeup which shows that she is proud of her femininity. The metal makes it look more expensive.

Text – they have aligned the text with the picture to draw attention to it and its subject. There are talking about Beyoncé’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce, and how her parents dealt with the difference. They also detail the many achievements Beyoncé has had.

Background – they have used the stereotypically girly colour pink to be the background, but they have used a gradient to take it from light to dark (this could symbolise her growing up, as mentioned in the article).