2. Main Image – the main image of this magazine advertisement
is of the artist Jessie J. The significance of her being the main
image is that she is the artist in which the advertisement is
trying to promote. This main image takes up most of the
space in the advertisement so that it is easily recognisable as
her image is unique and stands out, people will easily
recognise her as an artist and instantly draw attention
towards the advertisement.
Mis-en-scene of main image – the main image’s significance is
demonstrated through the artists’ facial expressions. This is
significant because she is giving direct eye contact to the reader
which will entice them to look at the advertisement. Her dark
make-up matches the colour scheme of the ad and because it is
black, it has connotations of power and mystery which is a good
way to define how Jessie J comes across as an artist. The colour
of black is also evident in her clothing. It is a good colour to use
as it is a contrasting colour that can be combined with any colour
such as gold (which is also used in this ad) to express an
aggressive feel which can be linked to some of the artist’s music.
Masthead – the masthead of this advertisement is of the artists’ name
‘Jessie J’. This is because it demonstrates her as a solo artist and readers
will instantly recognise the name if they see it. It is written in big bold
writing so that readers can easily see it. The font of it is the artist’s
signature font that she uses for her name written out as an artist. It is a
feminine choice of font but at the same time can express a more
aggressive feel which can signify that her music can be listened to by
both male and females. The colour of the masthead is in gold which
represents dominance, power and wealth. This may suggest her
position as a successful artist who produces quality music for her
audience. The use of gold makes it stand out very well from the black
background which is of the main image. This enables readers to identify
the artist very clearly and may help to entice readers who are not so
familiar with the artist. The masthead is located in the middle of the ad
which again makes it easily noticeable for readers.
Album name – the name of the album ‘who you are’ is situated
underneath the masthead as it is the next most important aspect that
the reader should be able to see as it is the main reason for this
advertisement as its purpose is to promote this album. It is slightly
written in smaller font in comparison to the masthead as it is not as
recognisable. However it is written in white in order for it to stand out
from the background and it also matches the colour scheme of the
overall advertisement. This is the sell line of the magazine
advertisement as it is the product in which the artist is trying to
advertise to her audience.
Sell lines – the sell lines situated at the bottom of the
advertisement is slightly not as important as all of the other
aspects of the ad. This is because these sell lines are extra
information of the album which the artist is trying to promote. It
mentions again the name of the album ‘who you are’ with ‘debut
album’ written above it in a smaller font so that people are able to
know what those significant words used in the main sell line
meant and what relevance it had to the ad. Underneath that
includes further information about the album, here it
demonstrates one of the artists’ well known songs and how it is
included in the album. This is an effective way of promotion as it
may attract a wider audience and not just listeners who already
know her. But with the use of this, she may also be able to attract
an audience that is not so familiar with her music but may have
heard her well-known songs that are constantly played in radio
stations etc. These sell lines are written in gold and white font
which again, matches the colour scheme of the ad.
Website – the website is used in the advertisement for the purpose of
fans or readers being able to get hold of more information about the
artist if they are interested in finding out more about her. The website
includes the artist’ name which is useful as readers can easily
remember it. It is located right at the bottom of the advertisement
written in the smallest font used because it is not a very important
aspect to include in the page. It also matches the colour scheme to
stand out from the black background.
Colour scheme – the colour scheme of the
advertisement consists of 3 main colours including gold,
black and white. Using only 3 colours is effective as it is
not too overpowering for readers to look at and its
simplicity is enticing and easy to read. These 3 specific
colours are significant to Jessie J as an artist as it
matches her signature look of an aggressive artist with a
rich persona that stands out from most which makes her
unique.
Record labels – the record labels in which Jessie J is
signed to including ‘Lava’ is included in the page with
their logo located at the bottom of the page. This is used
as it gives the company credit for their artist. It also
allows readers to know that she is an established artist
that is well-known thanks to her music label helping her
to achieve success.
3. Band name – the name of the band ‘Florence + the machine’
is located at the top of the advertisement. This is so that
readers can easily see what the advertisement is about and
what it is based on. The font is big and bold for the same
reason and its use of a unique style of font is used so that it
gives that unique sense to their identities as a band. It may
also give away a sense to how their music is like as the
feminine font gives the idea that their music may be targeted
towards a female audience. The use of a plus sign instead of
the words ‘and’ also gives away that unique effect to the
band. The band name is written in white so that it stands out
well from the dark background.
Main image – the main image of the advertisement is of the
cover album of the band. This is used as the main image
because it is the main purpose of the advertisement, and that
is to promote the album. The album is of the main artist
surrounded by a majestic looking setting with flowers. This
again signifies how the album may be targeted towards more
of a female audience. Her red hair is significant as an artist
because it is easily recognisable for readers who already know
who she is. The lungs in the main image is clearly seen and
this is significant as it ties in with the name of the album
‘Lungs’. Neutral colours are mainly used for the main image
which again gives away that majestic feel and also it helps the
image stand out from the rest of the advertisement. The
image almost looks like it has been painted which gives a
vintage feel to the album. This is the style that the artist and
band are wanting to achieve as it again demonstrates their
unique style.
Album name – the album name ‘Lungs’ is situated underneath the main image
which gives a nice structure to the advertisement as it looks organised and
easy for the audience to read and understand. It is right underneath the lungs
in the main image which is significant as they both link to each other. The lines
included above and underneath it helps to make it stand out even more as it
gives a separation from everything else in the ad which is good because that is
what the advertisement wants readers to focus on. The font is quite simple
which is effective as it demonstrates to readers the band’s simplicity. It is big
and written in white to again, capture the attention of readers. ‘Lungs’ is a
unique name for an album but this again gives the understanding of how the
band are like.
Date of release – the date of the release of the album is located underneath
the name of the album. This is so that it can easily been seen and readers are
able to know when it comes out. The font is smaller than the album name
because it is not as important however the colour of it matches the overall
colour scheme of the advertisement.
Album information – right at the bottom of the page, readers are able to see
the different forms that the album can be released in. Such as a CD deluxe, just
a CD, Vinyl or through digital. This is not a typical factor to include in an album
magazine advertisement as it is not always necessary but in this case, this
shows the artist/bands unique element and can be accounted for as a unique
selling point which may entice more listeners. The contrasting ways in which
listeners can listen to the album from vinyl which is old school to digital which
is a more modern way of listening to the album, signifies that she is able to
attract a wider audience and not just a particular group of audience but a wide
range of them.
Website – the official website of the artist/band is located at the
bottom of the advertisement as it is not as important and not a
factor that will attract readers straight away. Therefore it is also
written in a smaller font. This is included in the advertisement as a
unique selling point as fans of the artist/band or new readers who
are interested in finding out more about the artist/band can go and
visit the website for more information. Hopefully visiting the
website will entice them to want to buy the album more.
Record labels – the record labels of which Florence and the Machine are
signed to are credited in this advertisement. This is evident at the bottom of
the page where the logos of the record labels are used. This is used to give
credit to the label and give them some recognition. Also people who are
familiar with the music labels will know their popularity and hopefully other
artists that are signed to that label which will enable them to get an idea of
how successful and good the music of Florence and the Machine produce.
Colour scheme – the colour scheme of this
advertisement uses a mixture of dull but also neutral
colours. This colours may be relevant and may link to
the type of music that Florence and the machine
produce. You can tell from the use of colours that her
music is calm and collective as the use of neutral
colours create a tranquil vibe.
4. Main image – Like most band/artist magazine
advertisements, the typical convention of having the main
image taking up most of the page is evident here. This is a
typical convention for most magazine advertisements because
the artist is the main focus of the poster as they are trying to
promote their album. The main image is normally of the
album cover however, in this case, it is just an image of the
artist Rihanna. This is used because she is already a well-known
artist, that seeing only a picture of her would already
entice an audience to read her poster. The image takes up
most of the page because it is the most important aspect and
because of its size, it can easily been seen.
Mis-en-scene – Rihanna here is seen in dark colours while
wearing many rings, a shaved haircut, big earrings and dark,
bold makeup. This demonstrates a ‘hard’ look which gives the
impression that the music included in the album is outgoing
and fun. Rihanna’s look has changed over the years to keep
her listeners interested. From a ‘good girl’ image to a
transformation as seen here as a ‘bad girl’, this will entice
readers to listen to her music and see how she has
transformed as an artist. The use of the many rings is on trend
which signifies that her music is up to date and is music that
can be counted as ‘popular’. Not only does her look give the
audience a look into her as an artist, but it also suggests that
she is a trendy artist that everyone listens to.
Colour scheme – the colour scheme of this advertisement
mostly consists of black and white. This is not a very
interesting choice of colours however, because Rihanna is
already a very recognisable artist, the use of bright colours so
that the poster is easily visible is not necessary as Rihanna’s
image is already very enticing for the audience. However, the
use of black and white can also be significant as it can suggest
her transformation into a ‘bad girl’ image which black and
white have connotations of power and mystery. The colour
red is also included but only on the significant texts. This
signifies energy, power, passion and determination which
could relate to her album.
Example music – two of her popular songs ‘Russian Roulette’
and ‘Hard’ are located at the bottom of the page in large bold
writing. This is used to allow readers to get an idea of what
sort of music is included in her album. She has used two of her
most popular songs so that people who are not so familiar
with her less popular music but has most likely listened to the
example ones written in the poster, will entice them to buy
the album. It is written in red which is significant because it is
the factor that stands out the most in the poster. This is a
unique selling point because when people are able to identify
it, it will make them want to buy the album because of the
popular songs that are included. The font is written in
masculine, powerful font which may demonstrate how
Rihanna’s music can also be targeted towards a male
audience and not just a female’s.
Logo – Rihanna’s signature logo of ‘R’ is located right at the
top of the page. She decides not to use her full name on the
logo because she it is already recognisable. It is included at
the top because that is the main logo of the album and as the
main image is not of the album, the R can make the audience
spot the album easily in shops.
Masthead – the masthead is of the artist’s name so that
people can easily recognise her. It is written in big bold writing
with a black boarder around it to make it more enticing and
visible to the audience. ‘The New Album’ is written
underneath it in a smaller font. It allows the audience to see
the promotion element of the poster and because the
adjective ‘new’ is used, makes readers more interested.
Parental guidance – the parental guidance logo is situated in
the poster. This is to let people know that her music may
include explicit lyrics which may not be appropriate to a
younger audience. This is significant because it goes back to
the point that she has transformed her image as an artist from
a ‘good girl’ to a ‘bad girl’. This makes the audience more
interested and also makes her as an artist more interesting.
