Billboard magazine Rihanna front page analysis

2. Main image- The main image is a mid shot of artist Rihanna, she is posed directly facing the audience,
she also look quite provocative which could be attract the ‘male gaze’. This would also appeal to
females/fans of Rihanna who admire her/aspire to be like her. She is wearing quite a revealing top that
allows the audience to see her gun tattoo. This represents her as fierce and strong minded which is also
reinforced with her big red curly hair. The colour red has connotations of power, fire and passion and the
curls could represent her free spirited personality. It could also represent the passion she feels for her
music. In comparison to the fierce and rebellious representation, the colour of her top is white/beige
colour which has connotations of innocence and purity. In this image Rihanna is portrayed as going
against an innocent representation which would appeal to a younger audience who would be intrigued
with rebellious representation. Her red hair contrast and stands out against the blue background which
immediately draws the focus to Rihanna. The background also has red roses in the background which
connote love which could again represent Rihanna’s love for music which has made her successful today.
Masthead- The masthead is in a very simple and informal white font which would appeal to a younger
audience of teenagers and students. This masthead is used on every edition of the magazine which helps
boost the brand identity as it is easily recognisable. The word ‘billboard’ is also a form of advertising
which is used to attract audiences. This could show that the magazine has a lot to offer which would
appeal to readers. The ‘b’ and the ‘d’ in the masthead are filled in with the colours red and yellow, these
are both neutral colours which shows the magazine is aimed at both young men and women.

3. Plug- A plug is used at the top of the magazine above the masthead, ‘Register now! Film & Tv Music
Conference’. This is in capital letters and a yellow font which draws the attention of the audience and shows
it’s a form of advertising. The colour yellow has connotations of success and innovation which suggest that
the conference will be very interesting which would further entice the audience.
Layout- The magazine is in an ‘L’ layout so you instantly read from left to right as all the sell lines are on the
left hand side of the page. On the right hand side of the page a pull quote is used, there are no sell lines
surrounding it which suggests the pull quote is important and will be enough to entice the audience by itself.
The main image of Rihanna overlaps the masthead, this shows that the masthead is iconic to the magazine
and the audience can recognise it without it being al shown. It also suggests that the magazine relies heavily
on their cover artist to entice the audience as Rihanna is the main focus of the page. The colour scheme
consists of white, black, red, yellow and blue. These are all simple and neutral colours. The dark blue/purple
background compliments the yellow text on the page, this makes the magazine look astatically pleasing and
purple and yellow are complimentary colours (opposite each other on the colour wheel).
Headline-The headline of the magazine says ‘The Re-Reinvention of Rihanna’ in capital letters, overlapping
the main image of Rihanna. The magazine uses this as the headline as it is a play on words that would entice
the audience. It says ‘Re-REinvention’ instead of ‘reinvention’, this would attract the audience, who as fans of
Rihanna would know Rihanna’s nickname is ‘Rhi Rhi’. The second ‘RE’ is also in capital letters which further
emphasises the pun. It could also appeal to the audience as it suggests that Rihanna is reinventing herself
again, this would intrigue the audience who want to be the first to know how she’s changed. The alliteration
also creates emphasis on Rihanna’s name further showing that there will be an article entirely based on
Rihanna.

4. Pull quote- The pull quote ‘my fans don’t really know who I am’ automatically entices the audience as they
would believe that they already know who she is/what she’s like as Rihanna is regularly shown in the media.
By suggesting that the fans don’t know who she really is suggests that she will disclosure information about
her true personality. This would appeal to the audience as they’d believe the only people to know the truth
about Rihanna would be them and the other Billboard magazine readers. It suggests that they’d be reading
an exclusive issue that no one else has seen yet.
Date and price- The date and price are shown towards the bottom of the magazine which is a common
convention of magazines. The price is very small which shows Billboard don’t want the audience to focus on
the price it shows that they distract the readers attention with the main image and sell lines which entices
them to buy it without looking at the price. The price is $6.99/ £4.36. This shows that the magazine is quite
expensive for a magazine, therefore would be aiming at people with jobs who could afford it. The date is
shown on the magazine to reassure the audience that the magazine is up to date.
Barcode- The barcode is placed at the bottom of the page under the date and the price. The barcode is also
a common convention of magazines as the audience will need it in order to purchase the magazine.
Cover lines- The cover lines are arranged on the right hand side of the page in a black font which is
highlighted in white. The highlighted cover lines draw attention to the main idea that will attract the
reader then the reader is further enticed by the information following the title. The cover line ‘titles’
are in a bold black font which is bigger than the text underneath them which shows they are of
importance on the page which will catch the gaze of the reader.