1. AS MEDIA STUDIES
CASE STUDY
ANALYSIS OF CONTENT AND DESIGN OF A MUSIC MAGAZINE
You will prepare a detailed case study of a music magazine of your choice looking at the content and
design to bring together all your learning so far, that is to say, audience, institution, media language
and representation. This POWERPOINT presentation will go on your blog and will be evidence of
AO2.
You will present your case study in John’s lesson the week beginning 27th September 2010 lasting no
more than 5 minutes and your colleagues will score your presentation on its clarity and
professionalism. The purpose of this scoring is to ensure that you target your audience appropriately
so that they fully understand what you are trying to communicate. This is important as you need to be
thinking about the audience constantly if you are to achieve high grades in your practical production to
the more practice the better!
As you can see there are lots of bullet points to cover and you will not be able to cover them all in your
presentation. You will need to decide what are the key features you wish to discuss BUT you must
cover all three headings. You will cover all the bullet points in a separate written piece of work that will
be handed in at the same time as the presentation.
Analysis of the Front Cover
• What type of photograph is on the front cover?
• It is a close up, medium shot or long shot?
• Discuss the composition of the image.
• Why is the image on the front cover important?
• How does the image attract the audience?
• How do we know what is inside the magazine?
• How is information arranged on the front cover?
• Why has this information been arranged like this?
• What colours have been used on the front cover?
• Why have these colours been used?
• Are there any iconic signs?
• What are they?
• Are there any symbolic signs?
• What are they
• Are there any indexical signs?
• What are they?
• How do these signs appeal to the identified audience?
• What colour is the masthead?
• Is this significant?
• What type of font is used?
• Why do you think this font has been chosen?
• Is there a website for the magazine referred to?
• Why do you think this is?
• How much is the magazine?

2. • Where are we told how much it is?
• What representational issues can you identify (e.g. gender, stereotype, positive/negative,
mediation
• How is language targeting the audience?
• Who is producing this magazine?
• Do institutional factors affect the look of the magazine?
Contents Page
• Give a denotative description of the layout of the contents page
•
• Give a connotative analysis of the layout of the contents page
• How many fonts have been used and why?
• Range of different fonts, bold, italic and plain, around 6 different fonts. Different ones
used to make page seem like more is going on.
• What images have been used and why?
• Photographs have been used, to show images of the people that are featured in the
magazine and also, in contents page different quotes have been used and a photo of the
person being quotied is put ontop of quote
• Analyse the representational issues in the images
• How is language targeting the audience?
• Coloquial language is used, and some sarcastic comments, aswell as the celebrities
quotes
• Give examples
• “Are you serious, I still smoke weed everyday” Wavves, Nathan Williams goes out with Beth
Cosentino. Who’d have thunk it?
• Discuss the use of colour using denotation and connotation
• All writng is in black, backround is in white, photos are coloured images except one
• How does this attract the audience?
Double Page Spread
• Give a denotative description of the layout
• Give a connotative analysis of the layout
• How many fonts have been used and why?
• What images have been used and why?
• Give an analysis of the representational issues in the images
• Discuss the register, how does this target the audience and why?
• Give examples of the register identified
• Discuss the use of colour using denotation and connotation
• How does the content target the audience?
Homework
Prepare a 5 minute POWERPOINT presentation for John’s class week beginning 27th September
Write up all the bullet points individually
Put your presentation on your blog