Textual Analysis

Ashleigh Gribben

The cover image: using Alicia Keys’ face as their cover image straight away gives a 50’s old fashioned vibe, and will automatically attract teens who appreciate the 50’s times and style. Also Alicia is looking straight at the camera which gives a connection with the audience and makes them feel as if the magazine is calling them in. Her facial features are quite relaxed and she looks very beautiful without having to be provocative.

The subheading ‘Alicia Keys’ first REAL interview’ gives off that ‘vibe’ have got an exclusive and also that her name is written in bold and then the words ‘first’ and ‘interview’ are smaller text to the word ‘REAL’ so it indicates that it’s important.

The other artists names are written small so they have less importance. The headings are all plotted around Alicia’s image, they have placed it around her instead of on her, focusing only on Alicia.

Alicia’s image is in front of the magazine and that shows that the magazine is well known and not afraid to have their cover image artist over their title.

The theme colours are really revolved around her, they go with what she’s wearing and her make-up. The only different colour is really the red. But the black, navy blues and very little white, it’s all quite dark sophisticated colours, which represent the artist Alicia is.

The big thing that stands out most is the red ‘star’ if you could call it that. It draws the reader in and it is the first thing the reader would most likely want to look at. The red and white works extremely well.

Using Beyoncé as she’s such an iconic performer will automatically draw a lot of attention to the magazine straight away.

Her pose is quite striking and sexy and it shows her persona off extremely well. Beyoncé doesn't need to be provocative to be sexy, she’s got a lot of sex appeal without it anyway, but in this cover her clothes are wet and she’s flashing a bit of cleavage and that could be to attract more male readers.

The main heading about Beyoncé is ‘Beyoncé strips down for summer 10+ pages of B like you’ve never seen her’ indicates she’s going to be very provocative in these images and she isn’t going to be dressed fully. Which will definitely attract male readers but also female because she has a very nice body and they will obviously want to see the pictures and envy her figure subconsciously.

The colours are also revolving around her, the whole sophisticated black and white colours, but also the red to attract readers, red really catches the eye and will automatically draw the reader into the magazine.

Vibe also does on this cover with the magazine what it does with Alicia Keys’ cover, they have placed their artist in front of their title.

The other artists names are written in small font, drawing the attention still to Beyoncé as if she has the importance over the other artists.

Also the whole orange ‘rap beef 2.0’ draws your attention to, it’s the only thing that isn’t a repeated colour. And the fact there has been arguments attracts your attention and makes you curious so you want to read it.