My analysis of the contents page, front cover and double page spared of clash magazine.

1. Second Magazine Textual
Analysis
By Alice Brown

2. Magazine front cover analysis;
The background colour of this magazine is a light
shade of blue that compliments the faded tone
of the magazine, it appears very natural and
allows the main image to stand out and contrast
against the light colour, making it bold. The tone
of the magazine is very relaxed which is
uncommon, this will allow the magazine as a
whole to stand out against other that use
aluminous colours.
Laying has been used within the process of
creating the magazine, this is evident in the main
image partially covering the masthead, where as
other cover lines have partially covered the main
image, this gives a simplistic though effective
representation of the magazine being high class.
The layout of the magazine is again, very
simplistic, with just one cover line, a main cover
line, the masthead and the barcode appearing on
the magazine it allows attention to be focused on
the main image. The white text also adds to the
‘relaxed’ and ‘calm’ feel of the magazine.

3. The cover, as previously mentioned, features few cover
lines, with just the main cover line and another small
cover line that are actually being featured.
The first cover line reads names of various artists implying
that the magazine’s content involves an affliction with
these artists in some way. This is a great use of celebrity
endorsement as not only does it vary in artists, giving a
wide range of artists that potential readers may be
interested in. the use of not elaborating about how these
artists feature in the magazine creates a sense of mystery
for the readers as they are left wanting to know more.
The main cover line is larger than the other one and
features at the bottom of the page covering the main
image, it reads “HIGH LIFE BEHIND THE SWAG OF A$AP
ROCKY” this cover line may influence readers that are fans
of the artist to read more, to find out about his personal
life and how he lives normal life.
The price and barcode appear in an unusual place, it
appears just below the mast head on the right side of the
page. This placement shows another deviation from the
traditional layout, which again, allows it to stand out
against other magazines.
I like that there are few coverlines although the ones
placed serve as hook in devices, showing that the
magazines content is not d

4. The main image displays the artist A$AP Rocky,
the image is positioned centrally and rather than
having a mid shot, that is commonly used in
magazine front covers, this is a headshot that
relates to the cover line that implies that the
magazine will tell us more about his personal life,
making a close up (personal) shot relevant.
The image as mentioned earlier, is layered
amongst the cover lines to create a professional
appearance.
The artist appears to be giving a slight smile
which leaves questions for the audience about
his emotional state.
The clothing choice is controversial, he appears
with a leopard print towel and a hat on his head,
which would usually clash with the low tone
colour scheme that has been shown in the rest of
the magazine, but a slightly faded filter allows for
a continued simplistic effect.
The idea of a rapper in a calm, simple setting also
seems controversial as the media usually displays
rappers in extravagant settings, this gives
another implication that his private life contrasts
against his life in the media.

5. The masthead displays Clash’s logo, that is used in the same font and positioning throughout all issues of the
magazine, and is most commonly seen in white, and is rarely seen in another colour. These consistent features of the
logo make it staple to the magazine, which also makes it recognizable to readers. The white colouring is eye catching
to readers as well as complimentary to the colour scheme of the front cover. It attracts readers with a simplistic
approach, this also applies to the style of font used, which is appears in capital, bold letters that can also be described
as san-serif due to the fact that the letters are not in a font that gives detailed or ‘curly’ features.
The title “clash” is an effective name because it may give an insight into what the magazine features, maybe a clash
between the different genres of music that they show, or celebrity arguments. That word is a commonly known and
isn't an extensive or superior use of language so it is easy to understand and interpret for readers, even if they aren't
well educated, which allows the magazine to reach a wide range of audiences.
The idea of a common word as a magazine titles is a good technique as it not only creates a new meaning of the word
for readers but it also allows audiences to question a deeper meaning. I would like to emulate the simple bold text in
my own magazine as I think it looks more professional and gives the magazine a sense of simplicity which makes it
individual.

6. Theories;
Bulmer and Kat’s Uses and Gratification theory applies to this magazine front cover in two ways; the magazine
could be used for an escape from reality, as it allows readers to draw their attention to the artists life and their
successes as well as mistakes rather than their own, this allows them to forget about their daily troubles and
routine by occupying themselves with the magazine. The magazine is also used for entertainment purposes as
it implies that it is giving exclusive detail into the artists life.
Barthes’ Connotation theory can be applied because when we look at the artist, readers instantly perceive him
to be a rap artist of some kind due to the connotation of his features, e.g.; gold grill, backwards cap, leopard
print towel on his head. This allows readers to make an assumption of whether they will have an interest in
what the magazine has to offer.
Dyer’s Stars and Constructions theory also applies due to the fact that we are able to recognize this person
because of the traits that fame has allowed him to develop such as the gold grill and his personal style.
Although the magazine speaks of breaking his social construction by featuring an article that is about his real
self.

7. Overall, I think the nude, pale colours
compliment the complete look of the magazine
and I would like to emulate this style in my own
magazine.
The font used is very minimal and keeps the
potential readers interested and questioning
what’s inside, although I think the target
audience is kept to a minimum by using this
technique. I would like to use a minimalist
technique in my own magazine but I would also
like to add more cover lines that work towards
enticing the potential readers and gaining a larger
target audience.
I like the positioning of the magazine as It
projects the main image as the most important
part of the magazine and mages it stand out,
unlike most magazines the main image is a close
up which creates less space for cover lines and
allows for a simplistic style.
I am also fond of the positioning of the main
cover line that is in an unusual place but stands
out a lot more than other main cover lines that I
have seen.

8. Unlike the style that was shown on the front
cover, the contents page displays a lot of literal
content and is quite ‘busy’ in comparison to the
extremely minimalist style that was shown on
the cover.
The ‘contents’ at the middle top of the page is in
a serif font that stands out against other text but
doesn’t deviate extensively from the other fonts.
Directly below this, there is an introduction as to
who the front cover displays, and other text
goes vertically below, these include, ‘features’
‘regulars’ and ‘fashion’. By using so much
content on the contents page, is emphasizes to
readers that the magazine’s minimalist style
does not reflect the quantity of their content.
The main colours used are black and white, but
small pictures around the text that appears in
the middle of the page feature many colours
that are slightly faded, similar to the style of
colour found on the front cover.

9. The layout of the magazine is rather busy compared to
the cover, as previously mentioned. Although the layout
is far from cramped. The pictures used are neatly
ordered, so they all have their own space, while also
having a ‘cozy’ feel to the layout. I like the fact that the
pictures have different sizes that allow them to be more
unique while also having their own space that fits in the
magazine. The use of layering creates a close knit effect
that makes the magazine look professional while also
keeping the minimalist style.
The placement of text is different to conventional
contents pages which usually keep to one side of the
page, I like this placement but would be hesitant to use it
in my own magazine as I think it takes up a lot of space
and also means that the text has to be kept quite small.
The images used feature simplistic images that keep to
the down to earth, while also nostalgic vibe that is
reflected by the magazine. None of the images shown are
tilted, they are all kept straight which I think keeps to the
neat layout. Images that are shown have been
manipulated both by other images and by text, I think
this stops that layout from looking robotic but rather
gives it the modern twist.
Although the images do not directly relate to articles that
are being promoted, they have loose connections and I
think they give an individual aesthetic to the theme.

10. Overall, the contents page is effective in showing that
the magazine contains a large amount of content,
which is the opposite of what the front cover
portrayed. But I think it also creates a similar style
and theme to what the front cover portrays.
The placement and set out that has been used is
effective in gaining the readers attention as it is
controversial compared to other magazine’s contents
pages. Although it may stand out against other
magazines I would not emulate this layout in my own
work as the text is quite small, difficult to read and
there is an unordered layout of text. Although I do
favor the font style and the style of picture that have
been used, but I would reposition both the text and
images to create a sleeker style.
I like the colour scheme as it is very simple but also
faded and quite in fashion with the modern trend of
faded colour schemes and simplistic styles.

11. The first thing I noticed about the double page spread is the title, which reads “PRETTY MOTHER FUCKER”, it stood
out as it is a very controversial headline, that especially emphasizes the older audience that the magazine must
target. The title certainly catches the readers attention and entices them to read more about the artist and to
understand the relation of the title to the article.
Secondly, I noticed the A4 image that appears parallel to the page with text, the close up shot is an unflattering
image of the artist, with him displaying his grill. The unflattering image could have connotations of the magazine
revealing those that appear in the magazine as their natural self, raw and uncovered. By having this appearance to
audiences, readers become more interested as they feel they are getting the true stories of people rather than made
up ones.
The contrast between the extremely large
text that is used for the title and the very
small text that is used for the majority of the
article creates a good spacing technique that
draws attention to the article and also helps
to keep to the simplistic theme that has been
projected throughout the rest of the
magazine.

12. The colour scheme of the double page spread is again,
very simplistic, which is similar to the colour scheme
throughout the front cover and contents page,
although this one, unlike the other shows shades of
brown, red, gold and light pink which are contrasting
against each other and the colour scheme shown in
the contents page and front cover.
The font used in the main text is very large, as
mentioned previously, but the font is very different to
what can be found in most magazines, it is stretched
out long ways to draw attention to it and its serif style
accentuates the individual, creative style of the
magazine. I would like to use a similar (if not the same)
font in my own magazine as I think it presents the
layout perfectly in its simplistic style.
The layout of the double page spread is very effective in creating space that adds to the simplistic style, the use of
large amounts of white space contrasts against the thin or small lettering that is shown. The small pink lines with text
that manipulate the main title are a useful way to add colour to the page as without them the page would seem bare
and lacking colour, it also adds a differentiation from the ordered layout of the text which gives the page a stand out
feature.
The main image appears to be a posed shot, but as mentioned earlier it is not a very flattering picture, in my opinion
this is effective because although it is not raw in the sense that it was taken as an action shot in the celebrity’s normal
place, it displays raw attitude but while keeping the good quality of the picture.

13. Overall, I feel that this is a good double page spread as the spacing, text, font, colour and image create a similar style
to what the other main features of the magazine offer, while also giving a detailed insight into the real side of the
celebrity, making the audiences interested in the truth behind the fame.
The parts of the double page spread that I would like to emulate in my own magazine would be the font style that is
found in the main text, as it is rarely seen in magazines and projects a creative style. The next thing I would like to
emulate is the simplistic style that the magazine projects, with lots of spacing the reader will not feel bombarded
with information by a busy layout, but rather the simplistic style offers a calming while intriguing layout.
Personally I would like to use a posed shot that is more flattering to the person featuring, although I would like to
use a close up shot and would like it to cover one side of the double page spread.