An overview of We Love Pop magazines.

1. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.

2. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.
All three of these are frontcoversof popmagazine ‘We Love Pop’.Theyall share manysimilarities
and differences,these similaritiesallow asymbioticlinktobe portrayedmakingthe magazine look
professionaland recognisable.Eachof the mastheadsare placedinthe top lefthandcornerin
signature displayfont.Eachof the mastheadsare writteninthe exactsame colouran fontto ensure
the magazinesbrandidentityisshownperfectlyandsothe readercan easily findthe magazine on
the shelf,thiswill preventtheirattentionbeingswayedbyrival publications,astheireye willbe
instantlydrawntothe magazine theyare loyal to . Asit iswritteninboldblackfont the masthead
will catchthe reader’sattentionquicklyandtodraw themintoreadingthe magazine.Astheyare all
inthe top lefthandcorner itis the firstthingthe readerseeswhentheylookat the frontcover,as
the westerneye movesfromlefttoright.
Each magazine’smastheadreplacesthe word‘love’witha‘ shape.All of the heartsare a
bright,vibrantpinkcolouragain,makingsure the magazinesfun,bright,highenergybrandidentity
isshownthroughoutas the colourpinkisgirlyand exciting. The use of aheart shape ismore visual,
creative,unique andfunthana simple wordandthisservestobothattract and reflectthe target
audience. Italsocreatesa familiarfeeltothe magazine aswe can recognise thisbrightpinkheart
and wouldmake usthinkof pop.The readercan alsoeasilyspotthishearton a magazine shelf and
straightaway understanditisa ‘We Love Pop’magazine.
The mastheadsitsinside aspeechbubble ineachof the three magazines,whichagainisanother
similarity,the speechbubble islookscartoon-like tocreate ayoungand funkyeffect.Itisoutlinedin
black,againto make sure eachof the mastheadsstandoutand grab attentionandto highlightthat
thisisthe masthead.Thisspeechbubbleisinthe same positiononeachmagazine tocreate
continuitythroughout.The bottomof the speechbubblesitsnexttoanimage of one of the
additional artistphotographs,tomake itlookasif that certainartist issaying‘We Love Pop’ making
it more excitingforthe readerandmore personal andprovidingthe ideathatthe celebritygivesthe
magazine theirapproval.Byusingaspeechbubble itisas if the magazine isspeakingouttothe

3. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.
reader,like afriend.Italsomakesthe mastheadsoundasif it isbeingspokentothem.Thiswould
create effectonthe readeras it givesafriendlyapproach.
The speechbubble sitsontopof a rectangularblockof colour,intwo of the frontcoversthe colour
isa familiarbrightpink,the same pinkwhichthe heartshape isfilledwith,againtocreate a
continuous,neatandprofessional look.However,unlike twoof the frontcovers,one of themsitson
a blue background.Yet,thisisbecause the same colourblue isfeature inotherelementsof the
magazine.Forexample,the fashionsectioninthe bottomrighthandcornersitson a blockof blue
colour,to ensure there are nottoo manycoloursbeingusedonthe magazine,thiswouldmake the
magazine appearmessyandunprofessional.Therefore,inthe similarothertwofrontcoversthe
colourpinkisusedfor boththe main sell line andadditional sell lines.Similarly,the final frontcover
magazine usesthe colourpinktosurroundthe mainsell line.
Anothersimilaritybetweenthe three magazinesisthe slogansused,whichsitabove andbelow the
masthead.The firstsloganstates‘Gossip.Fashion.Boys.Uncensored!’byhavingthese sortsnappy
wordssittingabove the masthead,itstatestothe readerwhat the magazine consistsof andby
keepingitshortandsweet,itiseasyfor the targetaudience toreadquicklyandgrabs there
attentionenoughtomake themwantto readmore,as too much informationonthe frontcoveris
boringand time consuming.Also,the wordsusedare commontosee on a pop magazine asthisis
everythingwe wouldexpecttosee inside apopmagazine.Byeachof the magazinesincludingthese
wordsit wouldmake itfamiliarforthe reader,sotheyknow thatall of theirmagazinesinclude
everythingtheywanttoreadaboutand alwayswill.Eachof the magazinesinclude thesewordsin
the exactsame font to ensure itiseasyto readand familiartothe reader.Theyare all alsowrittenin
blackto make the magazine lookprofessional andeye catching.The word‘uncensored!’iswrittenin
white unlike the otherwordswritteninblack.Thismakesthe wordstandout,makingit seemmore
interestingandexcitingasthe readerwouldbe excitedaboutwhyit’suncensoredandwouldfeel
exitedtogetultimate gossip. The ideathatthe informationis‘uncensored’ isalsoalure,as it
suggeststhatnothingwill be heldback. Also,the exclamationmarkappearsoneach cover to ensure
the readerknowseachmagazine will feature outstanding,excellentgossipandtogenerate asense
of anticipationandexcitement. However,the full stopsall appearindifferentcolourssuchas,white
and yellow,tomake sure thatalthougheachmagazine will alwaysfeature thisamountof gossip,
fashionandboys,all of the issueswillhave differentinformationanditwill alwaysbe funand
interesting.
Each of the magazinesinclude astrapline underneath the masthead.Itstates‘Don’tbore us.Getto
the chorus’ thiscatchy sloganismemorable asitappearsoneach of the magazines,asitrhymesand
it isshort andsnappy.Aseach of the magazinesincludeit,itsuggeststhatthe magazine will never
be boring,itis full of excitingnewsandgossip.Also,the word‘chorusremindsusthatitisa music
magazine. There issignificance inthe ideathat,ina popsong,the chorus isthe bestbit,the
catchiestandgreatestbit.Thisreflectshow the magazine constantlyprovidesonlythe bestbitsof
popnewsand gossip. Inthe final frontcover,The Wantedseemtocover the slogan,however,loyal
membersof the audience wouldstill be able toknow whatthe slogansaysas itfeaturesonevery
single issue of the magazine.Italsoremindsusof how catch andmemorable the sloganis.This
wouldbe effective asitgivesthe magazine afunand friendlyfeel,asthe readerfeelsasif itknows
the magazine.
Unlike the firsttwofrontcovers,the final coverincludesa turquoise headline withthe text‘DAPPY
VSGRANNY:WHO WILL WIN?’writteninwhite.Thiscapitalisedskyline grabsintrigueanattention,
as ‘We Love Pop’doesnotalwaysinclude askyline,makingthisparticularissuestandoutfromthe
rest.It still however,fitsinwiththe magazine andlooksfunandvibrantwhichisaconventionof pop

4. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.
magazines.Notice thatthe artistusedisagaina pop artisttherefore Dappyfitswiththe pop
magazine genre.
Notonlydoesthe final frontcoverinclude askyline,it alsoincludesasmall photographinthe top
leftcorner,similartothe secondfrontcoverwithJessie J. One of the imagesisof a pugdog witha
fun,colourful collaronanda speechbubble comingoutof itsmouth.Similarly, the finalfrontcover
includesasmall feature article photograph of SimonCowellwithasmall speechbubble comingout
of itsmouth.The use of thisaddsa touchof funto the magazines.Asitiscommon for‘We Love Pop’
to include thissmall image itcreatesanticipationtowhowill be onthe nextissue.Althoughthe first
frontcover doesnotinclude thisimage,itincludesapuff instead,inthe same place,toensure this
funelementwill notbe missed.
Puffsare usuallyincludedonmagazinesingeneral.Yet,the puffsusedinpop magazinesare usually
filledwithvibrantcoloursandexciting,chattygossip.
Thiswas takenfroman issue of ‘We Love Pop’magazine andas we can see the
puff isa vibrantfuchsiapinkto grab the reader’sattentiontothe gossipinside.
In thisexample,the magazine istalkingtothe readeras a friend,remindingus
of the chatty tone a popmagazine has,therefore,the readercanfeel asif the
magazine isa friendtothemas the magazine revealssecretstothem.
However,itisunusual that one of the three of these magazinesdoesnotincludeapuff asthisis a
conventionof popmagazines. But,the firstfrontcoverwithOne Directionfeaturestwocircular
puffs,one filledwithpinkandthe otherinblue.Thisstickstothe colourscheme of thismagazine to
make it appearprofessional,alsoastheyare bothcircular itmakesthe magazine appeartidyand
professional.The writinginsidethe puff iswhite toensure there isacontinuouslook.The finalimage
includes afunky,spikedshape asthe puff.Itisbrightyellow makingthe shape lookalmostlikeasun
shape,toadd to the happy,brightbrand identity.
Anothercommonfeature of these frontcoversisthe use of a fashionsection.Thisfashionsectionis
commonlyusedinall popmagazines asnot onlydoesthe magazine focusonmusic,theyusually
include severalpagesof clothesandfashionasthe targetaudience isforyoungfemale teens,and
theywouldbe excitedbythis. Eachmagazine includesseveral itemsof clothingtograbtheir
attentionandto make sure that theyknow exactlywhattype of fashionisincludedandwhatthey
shouldbe wearing. Thisindicatesthe factthat popmagazinescovera range of subjectmatterthat
will be of interesttothe targetaudience,notjustmusic.Thisremindsusthatthe interestsand
requirementsof ayoungteenage girl are unlike those of amale fanof indie rock.She needstoknow
the magazine will coverarange of herfavourite things- thiswill persuade hertobuyit.

5. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.
In eachof the magazines,the mainsell likeiscentre of the frame andwouldsitinfrontof the main
artistas the sell line wouldusuallybe aboutthe mainartistfeatured. Theyare all bold,capitalised
and eye catchingto ensure the readerisdrawninto the main sell line.Eachof the sell linesfeatured
on these particularfrontcoversare diagonal tomake it lookinteresting,funkyandfun,addingtothe
excitingbrandidentityandmaking‘We Love Pop’standoutfrom normal musicmagazines.Ineach
of these magazinesthe colourpinkisusedforthe sell line,oritisusedforthe sell line tositinfront
of.Pinkisusedthroughouteachof the magazinesasit isa typical feminine colourandmakesthe
magazine lookbright,vibrantandgirly,whichwouldbe adoredbythe targetaudience. The topicin
mostof the mainsell-linesisgossipridden.
In all three of these examples,we canclearlysee how the mainsell linesare full of chatand
exclusiveinformationaboutcelebrities.
The coloursusedin all three of these frontcoversare similar.Theyall seemtofeature onlyfouror
five maincolourstouse for the textand to highlightkeyareasof the magazine.The maincolours
usedare black,white,turquoise-blue,yellowandpink.These coloursrepresentthe pop genre
brilliantlyastheyare funand nice to lookat, whilsttheyalsoreflectthe fun,vibrantpersonaof the
target audience. Theyfill the coverswithexcitementandmake themlookintriguing,yetthe black
and white keepitformal andprofessional as toomanycolourscan become messyanduntidy,taking
away the professionalismof the magazine.
The artists usedinall three magazinesare popartists,barringone whoisTaylor Launterhowever,it
iscommon to see handsome youngmenonthe frontcoveras it isexcitingforthe feminine teen
audience,astheywouldfindhimappealingtolookatand wouldthenwanttoread and buythe
magazine. Theyare likelytobe fansof the ‘Twilight’franchise andwouldhave acrushon him. All of
the artistsbeingpop artistswouldshowthe genre of the magazine clearlysoitis easyto grab their
target audience’sattention.Asitwouldbe unusual tofeature abandsuch as ‘The Killers’onapop
magazine astheywouldusuallybe featuredonarock magazine.All of the imagesfeaturedonthe
magazines,the artistappearssmiley,happyandenjoyinglife.Whichaddstothe funbrand identity
of the magazine.Theyall use directaddresstogive afriendlyapproachtoreaderas itmakesit more

6. ‘We Love Pop’ An Overview.
personal,asif theirartistislookingat them, invitingthemtoreadthe magazine.Considering
patternsinrelationtoothermise-en-scene elementsforexample,costume,bodylanguage,hairand
make-up.Considercompositionof andtype of shottoo.
The mode of addressusedthroughoutall three frontcoversisformal andchatty.Thisgivesa friendly
and humorousfeel tothe magazine.Theyall use buzzwordssuchas ‘Exclusive’‘New’and‘Shock’
grabbingour attentionandmakingusexcitedbythis.Theyalsouse funandmemorable language
techniquesforexample,the onamatapiaof ‘GULP!’isfunnyforthe reader.One of the magazines
alsousesa PUN such as ‘DAMN GLAM STYLE’ nexttoan image on PYI,referringtohisupbeat
memorable song‘gangnamstyle’.All the chattylanguage gives aninformal approachtothe
magazine.Andastheyall include thistype of addresswe feel asif the magazine isafriendtothe
readeras it usestermsa youngaudience wouldunderstand,ratherthanthe language beingtoo
formal and difficulttounderstand.Byusingshortsnappysentencesandwords,the readercanbe
drawnintoreadingthe magazine asit makesitappear funand easyto read.
These are all examplesof howthe language usedinpopmagazine issimilartohow tenage girls
wouldtalkto theirfriends,highlightinghow the readercanrelate tothe magazine makingitsound
humorousandinteresing.
Finally,the pugfeaturedinall three magazinessitsinthe same place (the bottomrightcorner),as
the pug includesthe leastimportantinformationsuchasthe barcode and the price. The magazine
wouldwantto presentthe price of the magazine here asthe westerneye movesfromlefttoright,
therefore,the readerwouldbe able tosee all of the informationfeaturedinside the magazine
before seeingthe price.Thisiseffective asthe readerwouldbe tooexcitedaboutall the gossip
inside thattheywouldnothesitate tobuyit. Froman aestheticperspective,itisalsoa part f the
frontcover thatis not goingtoenhance itin anyway.
In conclusion,fromcarryingoutmyoverview ithasallowedme to,indepth,getawider
understandingof popmagazines.Ithasshownme how theysuccessfullyaddresstheirtarget
audience byusingchattyvocabularyandinformal language.How the use of colouris usedto attract
itsaudience andfill themwithenthusiasmandexcitement.The use of puffsare insertedtograb
attentionandgive a sneakpeaktoultimate gossipof what’sinside.Therefore,overall,‘We Love Pop’
isa brilliantpopmagazine whichincludessuccessfulfeaturesof how tocreate an attentiongrabbing,
gossipfilledmagazine whichitsloyal audience see,asa friend.