Media Studies work

1. Vibe is a music magazine produced by Quincy Jones that features articles about R&B
and Hip Hop artists but also actors and other entertainers. The codes and
conventions of R&B genre are stereotypically that males are usually topless to
appeal to female audience and show off there masculinity and status to other men
however they can also be stylishly dressed for the same reasons as it can make them
look like a ‘boss’. Females are also exploited for their sexuality as they will dress to
appeal to men or show other women that they can be attractive and in charge.
Jewellery is also used to show off status and represent the stereotypical ‘Gangster
lifestyle’.
Billboard is owned by Prometheus global media group and is a music magazine
aimed at a mainstream audience, its genre is mainly popular music from the charts.
Codes and conventions of this genre are that the content included appeals to a mass
audience and the music is usually from the charts and very popular. Also the
magazine will have a more positive feel and be based around the latest trends.

2. The Mastheads on the cover pages are iconic signs as they represent the brand
identity for the magazine. Vibe uses bold font and a mixture between capital
letters and lower case, this makes it look more interesting and readers can
recognise this. Also the use of the intense red colour can have culturally
symbolic signs of passion, love, danger or anger. In relation to the magazine the
preferred reader will see the connotations of the colour red could be
interpreted as passionate and dangerous as the magazine manipulates the rock
and roll lifestyle for the R&B and hip hop genres as seen in the main cover line
‘Miguel sex, drugs and R&B’. In contrast billboard magazines main cover line is
‘Our Woman Of The Year Beyoncé’ This is a more positive article as it is praising
her where as Miguel is being shown as rebellious in a cool way. Moreover an
indexical sign of ‘ViBe 'magazine is the main image where Miguel is seen posing
in a stereotypical ‘rock star’ pose. Similarly billboard uses bold font and colour
to appeal to its audience the use of colour blocking to fill letters is an iconic
sign for the magazine. The prominent female used as the main image is a
symbolic sign of elegance and power as Beyoncé is a well known female singer
and her pose shows off her figure in a regal way. The symbolic signs of blue and
white for the colour scheme has a preferred reading that the magazine
represents her positively as blue and white together can be seen as water
which is refreshing, so the magazine offers refreshing insights into the music
industry. The oppositional reading could view Beyoncé as posing provocatively
as her dress shows off her body and doesn’t cover her up, however the iconic
and indexical signs all show that billboard has more positive connotations and
a wider more main stream audience who are aware of the genre.

3. Contents Pages:
The vibe contents page has the iconic signs of the magazines mast head and ‘V’ logo
graphic this makes readers identify with the magazine as they are familiar with its brand
identity. There are indexical signs of a stereotypical ‘Gangster’ used as the main image,
from this picture the preferred reading shows that the magazine represents urban culture
as the pose and props used conform to this, as he is barring his teeth and flashing his large
chains. Billboard uses a superimposed layout and a more balanced image to text ratio than
vibe the iconic signs are the typography used as readers can automatically relate to the
magazine. Similarly to vibe, billboard has a main image of a male however the indexical
signs show that there are more positive connotations as he is wearing a suit and looks
business like the preferred reading will identify him as a role model because he is ready to
work and prepared. Also the low key lighting is an indexical sign that makes him appear
mysterious an oppositional reading shows that the will want to discover his secrets in the
magazine. Typography is used as an iconic sign for the mast head and the logo as an
indication to the branding of the magazine, on the other hand a mixture between serif and
san serif font is an indexical sign and creates an informal feel to the magazine and indicate
a mature demographic as the serif font is usually used as a formality for a higher class.
Billboard uses mainly san serif font this is more informal and appeals to a younger
audience the preferred reading is that billboard is a trendy magazine and the typography
can be seen as youthful and interesting. The symbolic sign of the deep red color in ‘ViBe’
has negative connotations that add to the stereotype as the deep red can represent danger
and in society ‘gangsters’ are viewed as dangerous. However an oppositional reading to
this would be that despite the gangster lifestyle there are still firm morals and ethics as
there is a tattoo that has religious connotations and one that talks about respect this
subverts from the stereotype and shows that an indirect representation of the ‘gangster’ as
the main image is that he has morals and the readers can see it as a positive as he has
beliefs. The white with the outlines of other colors on billboards contents page are iconic
signs to the magazines brand identity they also create a house style the oppositional
reading of this is that the magazine has a clear message with additional interesting content
so it offers a fresh perspective.

4. Double Page Spreads:
Image: The main image is an indexical
sign as it links with the headline of the
article as Bruno Mars looks as if he is in
floating in space but still cool and in
control. The preferred reading makes
the reader look up to Bruno as he looks
like he is in charge.
Masthead: This is used
to in keep with the
house style and as an
iconic sign for vibe.
There is also use of a
barcode, the preferred
reading is that vibe is
including the codes and
conventions of
magazines.
Layout: The image to
text ratio is balanced
here as they each have
one page and the
design is very simple
the preferred reading
of this is that the
magazine doesn't need
much to be interesting.
Typography: This is an iconic sign as the font used is
specific to the house style for vibe. The preferred
reading will make links to the picture of Bruno Mars
and the headline as it is a direct representation. Also the
colouring make the ‘Mars’ stand out an oppositional
reading would be that there is a double meaning and it
could refer to the planet and ‘Mars’ being the war
planet.