Analysis of top of the pops magazine

1. Colours: They have used blue,white,pink and
black which all together connate the season of
winter and create a icy feel to the front cover.
The magazine relates to the season winter
because it it’s a November/December issue.
By using a lot of pink and bright colours it
immediately tells us that the target audience is
aimed at young teenage girls. However, they
have used a lot of blue so it could also appeal
to boys but because the blue and pinks are
used together it creates a more girly feel.
Header: There is a small image of
pixie Lott because it is talking about
backstage gossip about her. This
hooks the target audience in as they
want to find out more of what actually
happened. The idea of the pink being
in front of a black background is so
that the pink stands out and draws our
attention. Pixies name is also in bold
this is because it exaggerates her
importance to the reader, and makes
the target audience feel like they
should read inside.
Main image: Straight away you can see
that the main image is of a well known
pop band, so we immediately can tell the
genre of the magazine and whether we
are going to like it or not. The image is
large and is in the centre of the page
creating a focal point for the target
audience. Also, because the band are
very well known and popular within the
age group of the target audience they
are going to be appealed because they
may look up to them as idols and they
are highly likely to know who they are.
The band are also showing direct eye
contact with the target audience which
may draw them in and make them feel
welcomed into the magazine. It may also
make the target audience feel as if they
have something to tell them and its
almost real life, and if the target audience
feel a sence of importance they are
going to want to read inside the
magazine.
Other images: They have used loads of smaller
images around the front cover; of popular pop
stars. This also tells the audience that the
magazine is a pop genre and is aimed at young
teenagers, giving the audience a idea whether
they are going to like the content inside the
magazine or not. Also, the target audience are
going to find lots of images eye catching, so it
draws the reader in and makes them want to
read inside as they feel they will stay
entertained.
Coverlines: the coverlines are mainly pink and
white which creates a brand image that the
colours they are going to be seeing throughout are
these colours and when they see them it is going
to remind them of top of the pops. They are mainly
about boys and fashion, for example ‘boys real
fears revealed’ which will appeal to young girls so
tells us who the target audience is through the
coverlines.
Mode of address: the mode of address is very
informal and colloquial, as the target audience
for this magazine are going to find this more
appealing and are going to be able to
understand informal language. The language
used is very cheesy, for example ‘ dating
cringes and Christmas kisses from 1D’ which
suggests the magazine is aimed at teenagers,
as it will keep them interested by talking about
their interests and they may want to read the
magazine for advice or for something to relate
to. There are many play on words used as well
such as ‘ flirt factor’ and ‘set to sparkle’ which
are catchy and simplistic, so it is drawing the
reader in and making them want to read the
magazine.

2. Images: they have used lots of images because
they know that the institution want to see more
images than loads of writing. The images are of
fashionable clothing, perfume and pop artists
which are things that the target audience of
teenage girls will find appealing and because it is
a pop magazine they have included things to do
with pop. They have also used big page numbers
with arrows to them so the target audience are
clear where to look and it makes things easier
and simple for the younger audience to read and
follow.
Sub headings: The subheadings are in bold
because it draws the readers yes to the
most important section of the page and the
parts that show them what they should
read. The font is san-serif and has lots of
swirls in it, suggesting that the target
audience are females as there is a
stereotype of them being more creative.
Colour: the colours are bright as they have used pink
and yellow which connotes happiness, which creates
a positive atmosphere for the reader. The colour
pink is a key colour used throughout the magazine
so they have kept this consistency as it is extremely
feminine and therefore will appeal to the target
audience.
There is no top of the pops logo or ‘contents’ masthead
on the page which doesn’t follow the conventions of a
typical contents page but the heading ‘inside the mag’
makes it easier for the target audience to understand and
the basic language will be more appealing and simplistic
for them.
Mode of address: they have carried on
using cheesy language and informal
language. For example , ‘Disco Diva’ ,
‘We love boys’ ‘awww!’ , this show that
the target audience are for teenagers as
the langauge is simple and basic so they
can understand and follow .
Layout: they have kept a clear layout which is easy
to follow, so the target audience don’t find it
confusing and therefore give up reading the
magazine. They have used the rule of thirds for the
contents page as this is the page the audience
want to make sure they follow and are able to find
the information they are looking for quickely, so
the page is divided into three columns so the page
looks professional and organised.

3. Main image: the main image across one whole page is of a pop band which are very
well known and hugely liked by teenagers, so straight away the target audience are
going to be appealed to this page as they will have been previously. The image takes
up one entire page which follows the conventions of a magazines double page
spread so the target audience will hopefully know what they are looking for and
how to follow the page without getting confused. The image of the boy band is very
friendly as they are all smiling and are having direct eye contact with the readers
making them feel invited and personal. The idea of the image being ‘friendly’ will
make the target audience feel happy and could change their mood if they are
feeling down.
Colours: The background is light blue and the
writing Is purple, with a few purple stars across the
page. The use of these colours fits in with the
seasonal theme of winter and connotes a cold and
cosy feel to the magazine. This is mean the
audience are prepared for the season and they feel
like they are finding out what’s going on.
Masthead: the masthead says ‘one
direction unwrapped’. By using the word
‘unwrapped’ fits in with the idea of
Christmas and wrapping presents which
adds to the winter feel of the double page
spread and may make the audience
excited for Christmas making them happy
and excited. The masthead is capitalised
and is in purple which makes it stand out
against the light blue background.
‘unwrapped’ is also in bold and is in dark
purple highlighting the importance of the
word and will make the audience excited
as they will feel like they have loads to
discover and also creates a focal point for
the target audience as it is the biggest and
boldest text on the page.
Mode of address: the mode of address is still colloquial and informal as they
use words like ‘ding dong’ and ‘uh-oh!’ The context of the interview is about
kissing and crushes which is appealing to the target audience of girls as
stereotypically this is what they are associated with and what girls would
talk about. They have used pull quotes in the purple stars , they are in san
serif font and bold which makes the readers go straight to them as it looks
interesting and creative. The quotes could also be something that the target
audience can get advice from, which they may find appealing as they may
feel as if someone understands them or they can relate to the quotes well.
There is a top of the pops logo at the bottom of the main image to inform
the readers again of the name of the magazine so they don’t forget and they
may see it and remember the name for next time.