Music Magazine - Textual Analysis

1. Textual Analysis
By Eliza Chapman-Smith

2. Masthead – old fashioned
font shows that is
established and respected.
Blue is ‘typically’ a boys
colour so you can see that
they are aiming this issue
towards men.
Primary Story – they put the
name of the artist in a larger
font and in a different
colour from the description,
but the same as the
masthead. This gives her
equal importance. The
description includes
alliteration which makes it
punchier and more attention
grabbing.
Secondary Story – includes
prestigious names and brief
information about upcoming
tours. The title font is quite
bold, compared to the
following text.
Main Image – she is wearing
her signature look of a beehive
and strong eyeliner. This,
along with her casual clothes,
suggests that the directors of
the shoot wanted her to look
iconic and unmistakeable, and
for her to choose how she was
presented. This showed her
importance in the music
industry as she was allowed to
dictate how she looked on their
cover. Her stance is quite
casual as well but she is
making herself look vulnerable
by hunching her shoulders and
looking up to the camera.
Front Covers

3. Masthead – deep dark
colour represents luxury,
which is typical of the genre
depicted on this cover. It is
subtle but still portrays a
richness. This is backed up
by the gold in the rest of the
cover.
Primary Story – the name of
the artist has been put in
larger text and in a different
colour to the description.
The text links to the main
image, which keeps the
whole thing together. They
have used alliteration which
makes it more attention-
grabbing. It also quite
defiant and angry which
makes the reader intrigued
as to what the story says.
Main Image – it is a medium
close up shot. The artist is
standing quite casually and
has a happy expression on his
face. This suggests that he is
comfortable in the situation
and wants to portray himself
as being a nice person. He has
still has maintained an air of
superiority and
professionalism by wearing a
simple black and white suit.
Secondary Story – they have
used gold to signify that this
genre places emphasis on
money and wealth. They give a
title and a very brief
description to explain the
stories.

4. Masthead – the colours are
quite poppy and girly, which
suggests that the target audience
for this issue is women. There is
a gradient in the colouring
which makes it more interesting
than just having one colour. The
font it quite simple and blocky,
which means it stands out,
compared to the thinner more
intricate font used in the rest of
the cover.
Primary Story – the name of the
subject of the story is in quite
small font, maybe this issue was
from when she wasn’t
particularly well known.
Main Image – she is in quite a
vulnerable stance, with her
back to the camera, her
shoulders hunched, looking
back over her shoulders. This
could be portraying her age
and novelty in the music
industry. She has quite a lot of
skin on show and she is
wearing quite a skimpy dress
so she could be trying to
emphasise her femininity.
Secondary Stories – the front
cover is cluttered with secondary
stories, they are clearly trying to
entice people to but their
magazine. A lot of the stories are
lifestyle advice, so the people
that buy this magazine are
probably looking for help in
their day to day lives, trying to
be ‘better’.

5. Masthead – the name of the
magazine is just one letter
so it can be quite large and
dominate the corner. The
background colour
contrasts with all the other
colours on the cover, which
makes it stand out more.
Secondary Story – there are
quite a few secondary stories
on the cover, but not so many
that it looks cluttered. The
same colour has been used
throughout to give uniformity,
but different sizes and fonts
stop it from being to boring.
The descriptions of the stories
include humour and informal
language to encourage
customers to buy it
Primary Story – her name is the
most prominent feature of the
primary story description which
shows her fame and
importance. They included a
quote to make readers want to
read the rest of the story. The
final statement is quite
dramatic, which again makes
readers intrigued.
Main Image – it is a close up,
which implies that the
following interview is going to
be detailed and private. Her
hair, make up and nails look
flawless to show that she is very
glamourous and sorted. She is
making direct eye contact with
the camera which suggests that
she is confident and successful.

6. Contents Page
Heading – the word has
been split into random parts
which are quite hard to
read. It has been shaped
around the figures which
implies that they are very
important. A very black font
has been used, so as not to
draw focus from the image.
Description – the font is more
detailed than that used for the
heading but it a bit smaller. It
is also shaped around the
figures, which adds to their
sense of importance.
Main Image – the girls are
dressed in clothing very
typical of the genre: hip
hop/R&B. Their stances are
very strong and dominant
which suggests confidence
and also some element of
hostility.
Background – the
background is very light,
much lighter than the text
and the people in the photo.
This allows the features to
stand out and be the most
prominent thing.

7. Heading – the title of the
magazine has been put in a
contrasting colour which
makes it more prominent.
The word ‘contents’ has not
actually been used, which
makes the page feel more
casual.
Main Image – a shot of a
building has been used,
presumably one that has
relevance to the articles in the
magazine. It is quite a simple
shot, with strong symmetry
which makes it very striking. It
is quite a casual photo as it
looks as if it was taken while
the photographer was just
walking around. This
strengthens the sense that this
magazine is in touch with the
real music industry.
Descriptions – a very simple
font has been used and the
layout is fairly basic. This
allows the information to
stand on its own and you
don't get distracted . The
headings are emphasised as
the colours are inverted, but
still monochrome to retain
the simplicity. An offer has
been placed at the bottom of
the page in the contrasting
colour of yellow, which draws
attention.
Background – it is very plain
and white which fits with the
choices in all the other
elements of this contents
page.

8. Heading – the name of the
magazine has been put in the
corner for continuity in terms
of the colour scheme. The
title is directly next to it in a
contrasting font and colour.
The colour scheme exhibited
in this top line is the one
evident in the rest of the
page. This is also the location
of the issue date.
Description – the colour
scheme is very consistent
(black, white and red) which
makes the magazine look
more professional. There is
the occasional accent of gold
which adds a sense of luxury.
Background – the designer
has chosen a simple white
background which allows the
other features of the contents
page to take prominence.
Main Image – it is a simple
shot of four band members.
They are facing towards the
camera which demands
attention, but they are
dressed quite casually which
makes it feel more informal.
This is indicative of the genre
as the artists tend to be very
wealthy/successful but they
still outwardly look normal.

9. Background – the colour of the
background is a light shade of
blue-grey and there is a darker
K that is aligned to the left. It
is very subtle which allows the
image and text to stand out.
The subtle shades make the
page look more expensive,
which is in keeping with the
aesthetic of the genre.
Main Image – the subject of
the image is a famous artist,
who is dressed quite formally
in a suit and standing in
quite a confrontational
stance. What seems to be a
woman’s arm is holding on to
him and his ‘heart’ which is
the only thing of any colour
in the image. This choice of
image makes him seem
superior.
Heading – the word
‘contents’ has been split into
parts that make it quite hard
to read. The font is very
simple so this, combined
with the illegibility implies
that it isn’t the most
important part of this page.
Description – the words that
explain the articles in the
magazine are very small and
hard to read. This backs up
the idea that it isn’t as
important as the photo.

10. Double Page Spread
Background – it is
very plain and white
which lets the other
features stand out,
and adds to the
mundane feel of the
spread.
Heading – the format of the heading is very disordered
due to the varying sizes and colours. The words in black
are more visible than the grey words so they are
emphasised. The font is simple which gives it a basic
mundane feel.
Text – the layout of the main body of text is very basic and
plain which contrasts with the ramshackle format of the
heading. It is black which fits with the monochrome scheme of
the res of the page.
Main Image – the figure in
the image is looking up at the
camera rather sheepishly.
This is in keeping with the
tone of the heading. He
seems to be ungroomed and
casually dressed which is
indicative of the genre and
article.

11. Background – the most of the background is
simple white but there is a shock of colour in
the form of the large red L that acts as a sort
of watermark. This is very simple but it is still
effective.
Main Image – the subject isn't
wearing anything but she is
looking boldly at the camera,
this may be implying that, in
the article, she will, by choice,
be bearing all. It is in black
and white which makes the L
in the text stand out.
Heading – the heading is just the name of the
artist which means the reader must continue
on to know what is in the article. The varying
fonts contrast and make the simple title more
interesting.
Text – it is arranged very
simply as is everything else
on the page. The beginning
letter of each paragraph is
larger which is a traditional
way of adding decoration to a
body of text. This is
contrasting to the image and
her ethos, as she is definitely
not traditional.

12. Background – it is a pale pink colour which is
a typically girly shade, she could be trying to
emphasise her femininity in a generally
male-dominated industry.
Text – it has been wrapped around
the figure, showing her importance.
It is in simple black font with a few
emphasising words highlighted in
black, white and blue.
Heading – the name of
the artist is in a blocky
font in a slightly darker
pink than the
background. This
emphasises it which
adds to the impression
that she is the most
important thing on this
page
Main Image – she is dressed in her typical style, quite
unique and original. Her stance is quite unusual, very
angular and shapely, which makes the whole page look
more bizarre. This is in keeping with her image, slightly
psychedelic and wacky.

13. Title – they have used one of Beyoncé’s signature
words in the title, to show that they talking about
her specifically. They have then used a word which
is not as commonly used about her, which piques
interest the varying typography keeps it looking
interesting, and the chosen colour makes it stand
out from the background.
Picture – she is making eye contact with
the camera but she almost looks bored,
which makes her seem superior. She has
very strong makeup which shows that she
is proud of her femininity. The metal
makes it look more expensive.
Text – they have aligned the text with the
picture to draw attention to it and its
subject. There are talking about Beyoncé’s
alter ego, Sasha Fierce, and how her
parents dealt with the difference. They also
detail the many achievements Beyoncé has
had.
Background – they have used the
stereotypically girly colour pink to be the
background, but they have used a gradient to
take it from light to dark (this could symbolise
her growing up, as mentioned in the article).