Media

1. Reggae Magazine Analysis
I analysed three different reggae magazines, one of them being a front cover, a
contents page and a double spread article.

2. The header “roots dancehall & jamaique’ sums up
the genre of this publication. It’s the same layout as
the masthead.
The masthead of this publication is in serif and
stamped style, this is showing how much of a bold
impact reggae has made in the music industry.
The barcode is essential as it reveals the
price of the magazine to the reader,
enabling them to purchase it. It is small
enough to fit in any corner of the
magazine without causing major
distraction. Sometimes, the date and issue
number is placed above the barcode. In
addition, the font is small and doesn’t have
to relate to any other part of the
magazine.
The quote “burning spear” is a brighter, more
luminous yellow in order to stand out from
the yellow used in the flag in the background.
The layout to this magazine consists of an elderly Jamaican
man with dreadlocks; suggesting they style and attitude of
this publication. The man is old as it represents the past of
reggae music and it’s apparent that he is not smiling. The
use of a black model is in order to represent the historical
link between the African culture and reggae music.
Rastafarian colours are used as the background
which is heavily associated with the reggae culture.
The colour symbolism connotes different meanings,
for example Green is for the verdant quality of
their Land (Africa, Ethiopia to be more precise),
Yellow - is for the wealth of Africa (again, Ethiopia)
and Red - is for the Blood they (previous Rastafari)
have shed.

3. The font is black and capitalized in order to
boldly draw the viewers’ attention. However it
doesn’t detract from the background image as it
is a darker shade of black that has been used,
making it stand out.
The contents page uses a black and white
image of bob Marley. This is fitting for the
genre of the magazine (reggae) as he is one
of the most iconic musicians within the
type of music. The image shows him
looking at the camera, shirtless and
wearing nothing but jeans creating a casual
atmosphere which fits with the feel of the
magazine.
The content page features names of some
popular reggae artists. Underneath them
are snippets of information detailing what’s
included in the interview.
The quote used above reels the reader in to find
out more about the interview and the person
who captured the iconic images of Bob Marley.
Overall the layout of the contents page is
that its simple. There isn’t an overload of
information as there are detailed snippets
under each subheading giving adequate
information about each section.

4. The logo on the top right hand corner of the
page informs the reader of the page number
and states the title of the magazine.
The extract below serves as an introduction
to the reader. This fills them in on slight
background information about the artist so
that if the reader isn’t aware of them, they
can continue reading and discover more
information about them.
The text is written in white against a black
background in order to stand out. However the
quotation highlighted in red marks an important
statement made by the interviewee.
The image is of ‘general degree’ a reggae artist
listening to headphones. He is looking towards
the camera and smiling, allowing the reader to
enquire what he may be feeling happy about
thus encourages them to read on.
The color scheme is
black and a very light
grey/white. This
contrast creates a bold
effect, arguably showing
the impact of reggae
music within the
industry.
The color scheme is black and a very light
grey/white. This contrast creates a bold
effect, arguably showing the impact of
reggae music within the industry.
The masthead is layered over the top of the central image to
immediately grab the audiences attention and inform them as
to what the article will be about. Its font is grainy which
symbolizes the concept of having deep ‘roots’ which is
something prominent within the reggae culture. Its color is
white so that it contrasts against the black t shirt that the
model is wearing.