1. P r o d u c t R e s e a r c h: F r o n t C o v e r s

2. The masthead uses a sans-serif font which is very clear and easy to read. The masthead has also been placed behind the cover star of that issue. This shows that the company is confident that everyone will recognise their magazine without reading the full title. The colour scheme is very simple and only uses 3 colours; blue, white and red. The background uses a blue but also a gradient effect. The cover lines are aligned to the right side of the front cover, shaping around the cover stars body which compliments the layout. The copy represents “Keri Hilson has been a very bad girl”. This shows that the target audience is towards males and this is backed up by the image of the cover star. The sexualized representation of Keri Hilson is directed at the “male gaze” (Laura Mulvey). This is constructed by the venerable pose and also the direct eye contact with the camera. Another thing is the costume is like underwear which compliments her body and gives more sex appeal.

3. The layout of this front cover is very simple. The cover stars, ‘Giggs’ and ‘Tinchy Stryder’ are on the left and right side of the magazine cover facing each other. Some of the copy has been placed in between both of them. The masthead uses a sans-serif font with a slight italic effect. The masthead is behind the cover stars which is similar to other magazine titles. This shows that the company is confident with their name and that they will be recognised. The colour scheme is very simple and only uses white, black and grey. The background has a gradient effect of dark grey on the outsides and closing in on white in the centre. The copy uses a very simple font and only black and white. The copy between the cover stars has a centre alignment which follows the shape of the cover star faces. The copy in the bottom left is a sans serif font which has been placed with a left alignment. The copy is white and has been placed over a dark part of the front cover. Overall the magazine cover uses very simple techniques to make the cover look good and interesting.

4. The masthead uses a sans-serif font that is very easy to read. The masthead is white and is inside a red box which makes it stand out from everything else on the page. The masthead has been placed over the cover star which is different to a lot of other magazines. The background is a navy colour with a gradient effect going to white in the middle. The white in the background is used to make the cover star stand out on the page. The cover star is looking directly into the camera while raising one of his eyebrows. This creates a very curious look which will attract customers to find out about ‘50 Cent’ inside the magazine. The copy uses a sans-serif font similar to the masthead. The copy uses black and white which is placed over the white and navy background. The copy on the right side of the cover mentions other artist that are in the magazine. On the left side of the cover, the copy says “ The power of 50 Cent” and this shows that there is a lot about him in the issue and plus he is the cover star. The layout is very simple with a large close up of ‘50 Cent’ in the middle of the page. There is minimal copy around the cover. The masthead is a bright colour and stands out from the dark background.

5. P r o d u c t R e s e a r c h: C o n t e n t s P a g e s

6. The contents page for the magazine vibe is very masculine with a man with gold teeth and plenty of jewellery and lots of Bling. The magazine contents page is not at all busy as the designer has not used too many colours and has opted for the eye catching brown background so that the audience would focus a lot more on the man in the background.  The subheadings are in bold and in a bigger font size meaning that the audience can see what they will be getting in a magazine. The darker sized capital V presumably for Vibe allows the audience to gain insight in to a catchy name. The background to the magazine proceeds to make the magazine more professional. The use of a male model is good as it conveys seriousness as it shows a man who could be a rapper with tattoos another indicator for rising fashion skills. In the magazine images are always important to a reader as it shows that they can view something more than text and attract a visual thought to the text, thus making the contents page more attractive. The contents page is not of the usual style and the information is displayed in the top left hand side and the page is consumed by an image of a male model whereas a normal magazine would have the contents page on the right hand side which also consists of lots of smaller images.

7. Every month the Q layout is pretty much the same. Its loyal readers are also familiar with this house style and layout and so they can easily navigate through the contents page. The red is used wisely in order to highlight and separate items. Insights are given to articles for example the picture in the bottom left about Rick Rubin may entice the reader into reading the article. this is also done with a humorous quote about The Beatles that may intrigue the reader. the layout is fairly generic however with features down the one side, one large picture on the right and a masthead at the top. The main photo shows a different side to the Muse lead singer from the front cover. The outfit makes him seem sophisticated and more traditionally dressed. The Beatles are also included in this issue, and there smart attire also could attract the older target market. Informal text is used again in the ‘Rock Nutters’ section – ‘they came, they saw, they shot people, they bit the heads off living birds, took massive amounts of drugs and generally mis-laid there minds” this show the humorous side and this funny quote would include all target audiences. ‘Regulars’ on the other side of the two sided contents and ‘Features’ are used to clearly distinguish between the two types of stories.

8. The background is very plain but professional as most big magazine names use this technique. The background is very plain but professional as most big magazine names use this technique. You can tell the background is from the photo shoot and it isn't edited in because you can see the shadows of the cover stars. The copy on the left side has a left alignment but it is custom because it flows with their body shape which compliments their bodies. The pose of the models shows that there are close because their legs are intertwined but also expresses some sex appeal. This would make any male read further as it shows their could be more content of this nature. Overall the layout of this contents page is very simple as it only includes one main image unlike other contents pages which include small images around the page. There is minimal copy on the page with only 2 colours used, black and grey.

9. P r o d u c t R e s e a r c h: D o u b l e P a g e s

10. The left side of the page is covered by an advert of a music artist, ‘Devlin’, wearing a clothing brand which is sold in the store ‘JD Sports’. The whole page is a single picture which was taken with a professional camera. The new album release of the artist ‘Devlin’ has been promoted on this page. The album cover along with featured songs from the album have been place on the bottom right of the page with a black rectangle behind the information which automatically catches your attention. There is a small amount of writing on the left page, the only writing is in the advertising of an album and the name of the clothing brand that is worn by the artist ‘Devlin’. On the right side of the page there is a greater amount of writing than the left side. On the far right, there is a list of the RWD Team such as the Editors and Art Director. There is a “Contributor of the Month” contest at the bottom of the page which includes some information about the person and why they were chosen. The layout of the writing is very simple and has a left alignment with pictures that are related to the copy. The majority of the copy talks about previous and upcoming issues of the same magazine.

11. As the band shown in this double page spread are called The Teenagers it is presumed that their music is aimed at young people aged 14-18, because of this there isn't too much text within this article as young people aren't usually interested in reading lots of text. You can tell that this magazine is part of a commercial institution because of the small advertisement for the NME website at the bottom of the page. Because of the small box on the left titled 'Need To Know' it is shown that the ideology of this double page spread is to introduce this band to the reader and give them information about a band the reader may not of heard of before. The blue used over the text is some parts is used to make the text stand out and attract the reader's attention. Also the contrast between the blue and the white on the page looks cool and modern. The band shown in the main image look quite scruffy which relates to the genre of indie and shows that the band is young and appeals to young people.

12. The photograph of the Black Eyed Peas is in the centre of the page so it catches the readers attention. The photograph is shot so that it is eve-catching, with the colours faded for Will.I.Am is in the centre, but not for the other members of the group. The colour scheme of gold, grey and black. The colours are evident on flue clothes which the Black Eyed Peas are wearing and from the text around the page - i.e. the main title is shown in both grey and gold; the main article is shown in black; the highlighted quote, is highlighted in black, and the arrow text in between the text and the photograph is in gold. The text on the double page spread is created so that it is eve-catching. The text starts with a pair of arrows pointing from the photograph to the text, as if to say to the reader; if you want to read more about this group, then look over here were there is more information about them. Part of the text is highlighted in black, so that it stands out to the reader. The purpose of doing this, is to highlight a quote. so that if someone was just looking over the pages they could see the quote, find it interesting to read the entire article.