Magazine Language Analysis

Example taken from Q Magazine, interview of Plan B

ANY OTHER PROJECTS ON THE PIPELINE?

"I'm working with an English singer called Delilah [not to be confused with French chanteuse Sophie Delila, who he recenly appeared onstage with] She's fucking amazing.

• Fairly open ended question
• Varied sentence lengths
• Use of swear words
• Lexical Field of music
• Use of brackets
• Opinion
• Facts
• Conversation seems friendly - long answers instead of one word answers

Features that could be included

•  Emotive language
• Pronouns
• Introduction about the appearance of the artist
• Promotion
• Informal
• Use of varied punctuation

Font Audience Feedback

UNCUT

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This is the font that my audience chose out of the four options. I do really like this font because it is contemporary and simple. It successfully portrays style and tune to the text in the flow of the curves. It is a unique style of font and should therefore be easily recognised by the audience.



Magazine Name Font Analysis

UNCUT

I quite like this font because it is simple, and slightly contemporary. The curls add a sense of style to it. I may use this for my magazine because I think that is successfully portrays style and tune to the text in the flow of curves.

UNCUT

I like this font because it is simple, clear and modern. It would be easily recognisable as a brand font because of its block colour and bold style. However it does not really portray the idea of a music magazine.

UNCUT

 I really like this stencil style font. I think it looks contemporary and bold. The style of it means that it would be recognisable and unique to differentiate between other music magazines. I may use this.

UNCUT

I really like this font. I think that the black and white outline around the text and the style makes it look ‘cut’ out. It has a stencil effect, and is stylish and bond. I think it is similar to the style of font used on the ‘Rolling Stones’ magazine and has an appearance of class. It is recognisable and will be unique in the reader’s eyes and portray not only music, but style among music.

My Music Magazine Name Choices

Shuffle – iPod phrase/variety

Uncut – not edited, includes everything

M – Stands for music

Wire – headphone wire

Icon – music icon

Amplified – music term, amp, exaggerated

Encore – play again, concert phrase

Interval – musical interval, break in a concert

411 – American phrase meaning gossip

‘Uncut’ is the magazine name my focus group chose.

Music Magazine Names

Music Magazine Name & Connotations:

·         Heat – ‘hot’ news

·         Now – current news

·         Look – you’ll see what you want to see/easily remembered

·         Instyle -  up to date

·         Glamour – tackier edge/fashionable/clothes off

·         Shout  - loud news

·         Mizz  - teenage/youthful

·         Rolling Stones - music

·         Vogue – high fashion/glamorous/fashion houses

·         Kerrang – guitar term/reflecting sound/font

·         Q – from Men’s quarterly/unisex/opulence/answers/forming a queue/worth 10 points/difficult letter/unique/musical Q

·         Cosmo – 21^st century name/handbag size (A5)/diverse content

·         Elle – feminine/for women/French for ‘she’/positive/beautiful

·         NME – changed name/contemporary

·         Woman’s Own – just for women/relevant content

·         Nuts – body/sexuality/outrageous

·         FHM - for him magazine/radio

·         OK – accepted/up to date news/positive

·         Hello – speaking to the reader/

·         Closer – closer to lives of celebrities/relationship

·         Pick me up – easy to pick up/

·         Grazia – posh/glamorous/opulence

·         Tops of the Pops  -only the best music/positive connotations/younger audience/radio + tv show

·         Take a Look – look inside for news/gossip

·         Bella - young beauty/Italian culture

·         Men’s Health – just for men

·         Smash Hits – 70’s phrase/hit music of time/charts

·         Woman’s Weekly – just for women/will have relevance

·         Country Living – information relevant to living in the country/help make your life better

·         Horse and Hounds – upper-class/related to hunting

·         Red – ‘hot’ news/easy name to remember

·         Marie Claire – for women/glamorous sounding/delicate

·         Radio Times – upper class connotations/

·         You  - information just for ‘you’/something everyone will be interested in

·         Bazaar ­ - glamour/opulence connotation

·         Gentlemen’s Quarterly – 4 times a year/

·         Lucky – lucky to be able to read this news

·         Shape – health related/can help, encourage you to get in shape

·         Nylon ­ - fabric of fashion/fashion main contents

·         Vanity Fair – opulent connotations/fashion/upper class women

·         Newsweek ­ - news weekly

·         The New Yorker – a magazine for people living there/relevant topics + information

·         Yorkshire Life  - relevant to readers who live in Yorkshire/improve your life there

·         Good Food  - the magazine will only be relevant/decent/positive connotations

·         Good Housekeeping  -life improvement/self-help/positive connotations

·         Bliss  - positive connotations

·         Diva – attitude/youthful

·         Playboy  -for men/sexual reference

·         Entertainment – energetic/relevant content

·         Empire ­­-  grand/opulent

·         New York – city stories

·         People -  for everyone/about everyone

·         Reader’s Digest – digest information given to the reader

·         Jackie - big sister/for younger audience

·         Forbes ­ ­- upper class connotations/appeals to men/wealth

·         Private Eye – contemporary/political events/view of what is going on/alternative opinion

Magazine Research Analysis

The style of music magazine I am going  to re-create is the style of 'Rolling Stone'. I like the vintage style of this magazine and how each issue appears to have a colour theme. The main image on the front cover acts as a background and there is only a pale colour behind the image or non at all. The cover lines are kept brief - neat and tucked to the side separated by lines. 'Rolling Stone' tends to shoot images for their front covers in a raunchy, sexual style and this striking style really attracted me to the design of the magazine. The style of magazine is basic and therefore there is nothing to distract the audience from the main image.

Denotative & Connotative Analysis - Q Double Page Spread

Denotative & Connotative Analysis - Q Double Page Spread

　

　

There is a border around the article going over the gutter of both pages.

The border which goes around the article is creating cohesion between the two pages. The pattern of it goes all around the edge yet the main image on the left overlaps it showing the dominance and power of the photograph.

　

The whole page conducts a negative, plain white background.

By giving the article no colour for a background and simply using a negative white, it makes the feature appear clean, fresh and modern. The text and the main image stand out against this somewhat boring background, and therefore it gives the image the attention of the article.

　

The main image on the left has been cropped.

The main image is cropped at the legs and it overlaps the border at the bottom and the top. The powerful stance the artist is photographed in represents the artist herself. She is posing in a seductive manner, and wearing very little clothes - this radical appearance reflects the artist and her music. The artist is wearing one of the main colours featured - black - this contrasts with her skin and the background making it stand out vividly to the reader.

　

The only three colours featured are red, white and black.

The combination of these three colours is featured throughout the magazine. The red is the brand promotion of the identity of the magazine and is the main colour which stands out over the two pages. Q wants this colour to be a constant advertisement and reminder to the reader that the magazine they are reading and have chosen to purchase is Q.

　

The statements the interviewer makes are in red, capital letters.

The statements are in red so that they stand out and by using capital letters the reader can distinguish between the statements and the answers of the artist.

　

The article is set out in three main columns with no full stops at the bottom of them.

By arranging the interview in columns it makes it easier for the buyer to read as a full page of text can be off putting. Breaking it down into short paragraphs makes it far more approachable as a piece of writing everyone will want to read. By not ending with a full stop at the bottom of the each column it means the reader has to go to the top of the next one to continue reading the article.

　

The website of the magazine is on the bottom left of the right hand page.

The logo is featured three times over the double page spread. Q does not want the reader to forget they are reading and enjoying their magazine. By placing it where the article concludes it makes it the last feature the reader sees before they turn the page.

　

The magazine logo is in the bottom left corner, bottom right corner and straight after the full stop which concludes the article.

By featuring the website it is another way of Q showing they are up-to-date with the media and the most recent events. They are advertising yet another way the reader can get involved with the magazine and feel a personal connection to the writers and its contents by explaining how they can easily subscribe.

　

　

The pull quote is centred within the article in the middle of the right hand page underneath a thick, red strip.

After the reader has first noticed the main image the feature that stands out most on the right hand side is the pull quote in bright red capitals underneath a thick, red strip. By showing the pull quote they have chosen central to the article it makes the buyer want to read the interview - the magazine will tend to choose one of the slightly more outrageous or enticing statements from the interviewee to feature as a pull quote to encourage readers to read on.