The magazine uses bright colors and eye-catching text on the cover to draw readers in. However, the double page spread is quite dark and bland. Overall, the magazine aims to represent club culture through its language, images of DJs and club-goers, and focus on electronic music. However, some pages could be livened up with more colorful designs.

1. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
BY OLLIE CHARLTON

2. MY TWO CHOSEN MAGAZINES...
• DJ
• Mixmag

3. MAGAZINE INFORMATION – DJ MAG
Mission
Statement
Thrust Publishing Ltd.'s incorporation date
was 20th February 2009, so its four years
old. Their main magazine is DJ mag and the
company was originally called DJ Mag
publishing Ltd.

4. MAGAZINE INFORMATION - MIXMAG

5. COLOUR – DJ MAG
 The bright color theme is
 The front cover of DJ mag has bright colors which bring out running on through the
and express the magazine from others. The text is a different magazine, on the
colour to the background and image which put it in contents page, all the
contrast against everything else on the page. Which different headings are
immediately draws out attention to it making us pick it up. different colors, again
making this appealing to
the eye. All these bright
 The main story‟s double colors give a very happy
page spread for DJ mag is and inviting vibe, even
pretty bland when it comes though the image on the
to colors. It has the black front doesn't‟t seem that
background with white text. at all. There is also a
This gives us a glum mood as white background on the
everything about the contents page and also
background and image are on the double page
dark colors, but what „brings spread. This is to make
the mood up' is the white the other colors stand out
text. more.
 A unique thing about this magazine
is the interesting headline design. It‟s
a very bright red and yellow
„pattern‟ it looks like something you
would see in a club on the wall or
something along those lines.

6. COLOUR - MIXMAG
 The front cover on Mixmag has very dark and  What these colors do
gloomy colors. It looks like there is a flood light represent is the
coming from behind the image, this gives me different colors that
the impression that the person is at a club or you would see in the
he is in the spotlight. All the colors on the page clubs and lights you
are blacks, reds, whites, oranges and whites. would see in the clubs.
This will make the
 The Mixmag magazine is a reader know /feel its
lot like the DJ mag in the actually about „club
sense of color scheme. The music‟
main background is black
and the text is white. But the
image is the same colour as
on the front cover. This has
a continuous feel to this.
 The contents page in Mixmag is a lot different to the
front cover. There is an image in the middle with very
bright pinks purples and silvers. This makes the page
more inviting and makes it have more of a „forgiving‟
feeling rather then the mysterious feeling you get from
the front cover.

7. LAYOUT AND DESIGN – DJ MAG
 The layout and design of this
magazine is very spaced out.
All of the images fit well with
the text and it doesn't‟t look
cramped or squashed in any
parts of the magazine. This
could give the impression that
they are a very chilled group
of people that don‟t want to
cram you with information.
 The layout does go along
with the rule of thirds. All of
the text or the image line
up with one of the „lines‟  The font type they have
on the grid. This makes it used is sans serif font (no
very spaced out and is fancy flicks on the letters).
easy for the reader to They do this because it is
distinguish. very easy on the eye and
it is very easy to read. On
the cover page its obvious
that they use „word art‟ for
the main coverlines so that
they will stand out and
draw your eye to them as
soon as you pick them up.

8. LAYOUT AND DESIGN - MIXMAG
 Unlike the DJ mag, this magazines coverlines and mast head fit around
the main image. Therefore not obstructing it. By doing this it looks very
spaced out and to me it looks sort of empty.
 In my opinion I don‟t think the  The magazine carries on with its
magazine follows the rule of thirds in „empty; house style in the
regards to placement of features in contents page as the text is all
the magazine. Most of the images around the outside of the double
are directly in the middle of the page and the middle is just filled
page, although they do look „in with 2 images. This leads me to
place‟ unlike some photo‟s that believe the publishers are trying to
don‟t apply to rule of thirds. mainly focus on images rather
then on content.
 The font style used in this is also
sans serif. This suggests that the
magazine is trying to bring an
emphasized „informal‟ feel.
They do this because they
know that their readers aren't
the „upper class croquet
players‟, they are the young
club loving music fanatics.

9. IMAGES – DJ MAG
 The main image on the front is a long shot of a  Branston and Stafford‟s representations
single person called Porter Robinson. According to and steryotypes theory can be applied
DJ Mags reader profile they say their primary target here because as soon as we see
audience is 26 year old males. You can see this with someone like this or hear about
the image. He looks like someone who would go someone like this we immediately think
out clubbing with hos friends every of young males/females who go out
week, reflecting/representing the present target clubbing and like dance music.
audience.
 From stereotyping the
image on the front we  In my opinion the
can assume as to what double page spread
we will expect in the doesn‟t reflect the
magazine. Articles „clubbing‟ ( or dance
about clubs, new ) vibe at all. It is all
music, new artists etc. dark colors and
gloomy colors which Is
completely different
to the inside of a club.
Perhaps they are
trying to imitate the
dark outside of the
club before you go
in, and then you go in
and its all guns and
blazing.

10. IMAGES - MIXMAG
 Immediately after looking at the main image on the front
cover you can tell that this is a magazine for „clubbing‟ sorts. It
has bright lights with a dark background which is a good
representative of inside a club. There is also a man standing
behind the head (possibly on a podium) who looks to be the
DJ, again representing clubs and dance music.
 The use of the
clothes and bright
colors again reflects
the types of people
who would
constantly be in
these clubs. (double
 We can see the stereotypical
page spread)
images running onto the
contents page as there is a
women who is fairly attractive
and who is wearing a tight  The usage of a skull and the dark ominous
„shirt/skirt‟ (don‟t know what background can make us think on the
its called). This Is the kind of girl steryotypes of Goths and depressive
„average‟ people would think people, this would possibly draw someone
would always go to clubs. This away from picking up the magazines but
image can also be slotted into people who have been in clubs would know
Mulveys Male gaze theory. that this so the sort of thing hat goes on.
(Branson and Stafford's)

11. POSE, STYLE, HAIR AND MAKE-UP –
DJ MAG
 The pose from Mr. Robinson on the
front cover looks very un-natural to
me because no-one walks around
like that. The magazine company
make him do that pose to make it
look like he is „upset‟ or down about
something. This may make the
reader want to read further about
why he looks like this. It‟s a very
staged picture.
 Again on the double page
spread, the image and style
and hair etc. is pretty much
the same facial expression
but the stance is a little
different. This stance looks a
little bit more natural if he
was leaning up against a
wall or something like that
but otherwise it doesn't‟t look
natural at all.

12. POSE, STYLE, HAIR AND MAKE-UP –
MIXMAG
 The image of the women on the contents
page looks like she doesn't‟t know that a  The image on the
picture of her is being taken. This makes double page spread
the image very real and not staged at all suggests an excited
because if she is in a club then she wont yet serious mood
be concentrating on people, she will be because of the facial
concentrating on having a good time. expressions of the
And this is what it looks like is happening; man and the way
which is good for the magazine because that he is standing.
it will make the reader want to go where
she is at.
 This image
gives of a sort
of creepy and
uncertain
feeling to it.
The pose is
natural
because its
 The picture on the opposite side
what
is very different though. This could
someone
be saying that there is two sides
would do but
to a clubber. A wild party animal
un-natural
and a posh side who can be
because it
nice and gentle.
looks like that.

13. COMPOSITION AND FRAMING –
DJ MAG
 In this picture on  All the images that I am going to
the contents focus on are long shots (from the
page he is also in waist up). The do this to not only
font of a black show the persons facial
background. expression but to also show their
Perhaps he is just body stance and body
a mysterious language. So this means the
character who images are obviously
likes to keep to cropped, or they have covered
himself? up the bottom half of his body...
So it is digitally manipulated in
 The first thing you that sense but in special
notice about all effects, it has none.
of these photos is
that they are
very dark and
you wonder to
yourself how this
fits into dance
music.
 The background on both of these main images is a black backdrop.
This could have been used for many reasons. Maybe to express his
emotions or maybe to represent to outside of a club or dark
alleyway.

14. COMPOSITION AND FRAMING –
MIXMAG
 These two magazines  When
are very common when presented
it comes to the image with these
section. All of the shots pages
on this magazine are your eyes
also long shots. Apart immediat-
from the one on the ely go to
front cover, that‟s an the bright
extreme long shot. colors and
the
interesting
photos.
This is
what the
company
 This image is the extreme long shot (its wants
to big to fit on the page). This one from a
looks slightly manipulated because magazine.
there would be other lighting effects
and different things in a club
environment.
 The background on these two images is
in a club so we can obviously see this.
But the image with the suited man is a
different story. He looks like he is in a
posh hotel or possibly a mansion getting
ready for a sit down dinner.

15. WRITTEN CODES – DJ MAG
 What's different about the text on the front cover and on the contents
page to the image, is that they are bright and nice colors. From these
colors we can tell that there will be a nice inviting article inside. If
you‟re someone who likes these magazines you would be able to tell
what's inside from the text on the front.
 The strapline and the coverlines are the biggest text on the page and
they are defiantly big enough to be red from a distance and I think
they would defiantly stand out on the shelf because of the bright
colors.
 They suggest the interests of the readers by putting the main text in a
different color or style so its eye catching so the reader will notice it
first and think “oh I want to read about that”

16. WRITTEN CODES - MIXMAG
 Although this magazine is very colorful, the straplines and
coverlines is what‟s letting it down. They are red colors but they
are very bland and numerous magazines have either white or
black text on the front, this is what puts it aside against other
magazines.
 Just from quickly looking at the magazine I can tell that its going
to have several articles on lots of different clubs from different
countries and different people and DJ‟s.
 The colors may be letting it down but the size and „weight‟ of the
text compared to photo is very good. Its quite big and it‟s a
completely different color to the background so it stands out very
well. Its also positioned very well because no matter how the
magazine is stacked on the shelf, some of the text will be showing
because there is a big title at the top and then all the cover lines
are going down the sides. – defiantly big enough to read from a
distance.

17. LANGUAGE – DJ MAG + MIXMAG
 The language used in this magazine is obviously what you would have expected from
something like this.
 Words like „grim, skanky, (curse words)‟ and, more subtly, slang terms are used in this
magazine to address the reader to make them feel like they are actually in the club. They
make them feel like this by using the sort of language and addressing them how they
would be used to be addressed in a club or something like that.
 But what tricky‟s me is that some of the language used is very sophisticated and formal.
This might back up what I was saying earlier about the man in the suit. Even though they
are talking like common people, they also have a nice posh side.
 Its almost like this sort of people have a different dialect to humans. They come up with
new words that are only used in clubs and hen they are used outside of clubs they sound
unfamiliar and no-one understands them.

18. OVERALL IMPRESSION – DJ MAG
 DJ Mag‟s text is very colorful and very  The double page spread is very bland
eye grabbing which is very important and very dark colors. This isn't very
when designing the magazine. It has inviting and doesn't‟t want the person
the right size and layout of text so that who picks it up to read it.
its not to big and not to small.
 To me all the pages seem the same
 The language used is very inviting to and they all aren't the most beautiful
those who talk like that. It makes them works of art ever.
feel like they are part of something and
not just clubbers.  If I would change this I would defiantly
put more color in the double page
 Its easy to know what the main storyline spread and in the magazine in general.
is going to be as soon as you look at it If the magazine is about dance then it
because of the picture and the text so should have that dance vibe to it
you don‟t have to read through the which include lots of color and lots of
whole thing. excitement.
 The framing and layout of the front  The one and only existing element I
cover, contents page, and double would use in my magazine is the „Porter
page spread is very clean and very Robinson‟ masthead. I really like the
nicely spread out. This will help the way they have made that word art
reader to get a clear idea of what is and I'm defiantly going to try and
happening, and not just „all in your imbed it into my magazine.
face‟

19. OVERALL IMPRESSION - MIXMAG
 This magazine has a lot more color
then the other one. BUT it is only really
about 5 colors maximum.
Red, black, white, orange, and
another one. It would stand out
against some other magazines
because of the big white  The layout and design of all the
background, but against other music features on the page are fine to
dance magazines, it might not be the emphasize the image but to me the
one that grabs your eyes. page looks kind of empty because
there isn't anything on the page. If I
 The contents page and the double would have changed something I
page spread are the ones which would have moved a few of the
looks most like they belong in a coverlines so that they lined up with
dance magazine. They have nice the picture (maybe) and then made
bright colors and natural poses so them a bit bigger so the reader
that it actually looks normal and not would know exactly what the main
completely staged. story is about instead of not knowing.
 As before, the language is very
inviting to people who use that sort of
language. They have clearly done
their research so that they know how
to use their words to manipulate
people into buying their magazine.