Component 2

1. Magazines: Vogue (1965)
• Media
Language
1: Media Language
• Representati
ons
• Media
Contexts

2. Learning
objectives;
Apply Semiotic analyses to
magazine covers & articles
Magazines: Vogue (1965)
1: Media Language

3. QUESTION:
People say you should never judge a book by its cover.
However, you should probably ALWAYS judge a magazine by its
cover!
Why?
How does it achieve its purpose?
What is on the cover of a
magazine?
What is the function of a
magazine cover? What should it
do?

4. Masthead:
Iconic part of
the mag’s
branding –
usually the
same each
edition. Can be
so iconic as to
even be
partially
covered up!
Main Image:
Key Signifier of mag’s
brand identity. Image
will tell you the genre
& imply target
audience. Usually
photograph – but
could be illustrated
Strapline:
Conveys a sense of the
magazine’s identity, ethos,
ideology, attitude!!
Coverlines:
Short descriptions
of the magazine’s
content used to
entice readers to
buy. Lots of
coverlines may
imply a full, busy
mag.
A few may be
used stylistically.
Main Coverline:
One coverline will
dominate on the front
cover and will usually
act as anchorage for
the main image.
Small
Images:
Give a visual
dimension to
other stories that
are on the cover
Unique Selling
Point:
USPs give the audience
impression of exclusivity
or value for money.
Date line:
Usually accompanies the
price and sometimes the
barcode

5. On the worksheet analyse the front cover of the magazine commenting
on:
• Layout & design – how have things been organised? What does this say about the
magazine?
• The masthead – why has the magazine been given that title? What are the
connotations?
• The main image – what impressions does it create of the magazine, what meaning is
there?
• Colour schemes & mise-en-scene – analyse the background & overall tone of the
cover.
• Typography – what kind of fonts have been used throughout? Why have they been
used?
Extension: In addition to these elements – decide on codes that have
been used on the cover specifically as an appeal to the audience, to raise
their interest and to stand out from their competitors.

6. Magazine covers:
Genre, Audience &
IdeologyMagazine covers don’t just try to
stand out from the crowd in a
bid to get bought! They subtly
tell us who should be buying
them by providing clues about
their genre, target audience &
most importantly – their
ideological content!
What assumptions can we
make about the Target
Audience?
What genre of magazine is this
(or is it part of a sub-genre)?
What evidence is there that the
magazine embodies the
following ideologies:
• Music is a passion
• Celebrity culture is
important
• Artistic integrity is important
• Sense of humour is
important
• Music is more than just
entertainment
• Knowledge of music is
important

7. In the remaining boxes on your sheet, decide on the genre, audience and
ideologies. Remember to use codes from the cover as evidence:
People will usually tell you that they buy a magazine because of the subject
matter – in other words, the genre of magazine is what interests them.
Why is it perhaps more important that a magazine makes it clear what the
ideological stance of the text is, even if this is not explicit from the cover?

8. Component 2 Exam set product: Vogue magazine
(1965)
Vogue is an international fashion
magazine with over one hundred and
twenty five years of history.
The original American magazine
launched by Arthur Turnmure was
started in 1892 and British Vogue will be
Watch the video made to celebrate a century of
British Vogue and make notes on the following:
• Key people and moments in Vogue’s history
• What the magazine stands for, it’s ideological
content
• Words to describe the magazine – either used in
the video, or based on how you feel about the
magazine
Research Point Beyond the classroom:
The set text we are going to study is
an edition from 1965. You may
remember the Component 1
products from a similar time.
Go back to your notes on this text,
but also conduct some research of
your own as to what was happening
in Britain during this era…

9. Exam set product:
Vogue magazine
(1965)Quick Questions:
• Genre
• Target Audience
• Appeals
From the codes analysed, is it
possible to deduce the main
ideological concerns of the
magazine?
Detailed Analysis
• Masthead (inc. typography)
• Layout & Design
• Mode of address (language)
• Main image
Give reasons why it is important to
have a good contextual knowledge
of the era in which this edition of
the magazine was published to
understand the cover fully…
Hint: Remember textual analysis
from Component 1…
Signifier & Signified
Denotation & Connotation

10. A little more context & a semiotic approach to
cover analysis…To have the best understanding of the magazine
you will need to conduct your own research into
the era. However you can watch this video and
make notes on what was going on with Vogue in
the 1960s to get a better understanding of the
magazine cover and its contents…
How does the video help us to understand more
about the front cover of this 1965 edition of Vogue?
In what ways does it reflect the context in which it
was produced?
Someone else who was busy
in the 1960s, was Roland Barthes.
What were the different types
of Semiotic code Barthes identified?
• Enigma
• Action
• Semantic
• Symbolic
• Referenti
al
Apply these to the
magazine cover –
remember to use the
contextual
knowledge you have
if relevant!

11. More Semiotic Theory: Paradigms &
SyntagmsStudying a product from a Semiotic approach
raises our awareness that every single code is
a choice made by the producer of the text or
product.
That one choice of sign will have been made
from a variety of different options. This set of
options is called the Paradigm.
A different paradigmatic choice can have a
significant effect over the whole meaning of a
text.
The producer of the text (or encoder) must also
make sure that all of the paradigmatic choices
work together and combine effectively to
convey a coherent message.
Paradigm: A set of related signs that the
encoder can choose from – e.g. the colours
from which a designer can choose.
(para-dimes & sin-tams)
What were the different Paradigmatic choices
that were made when constructing the Vogue
front cover?
What changes can you make that would
significantly alter the meaning of the magazine
cover?
Syntagm: A combination of signs that are linked
together in particular ways.
What choices made on the Vogue
cover give the magazine an overall
coherence in style & an ideological
meaning?

12. Inside the magazine: Articles
Magazine articles generally feature some or all
of the following elements:
• a title or headline: this establishes the
subject of the article and is designed to
engage the reader’s attention
• a stand first or strapline: typically follows
the title or headline & provides more
information about the focus of the article &
the angle it will take – also called a kicker
• pull quotes: these are extracts drawn from
the main body of the text & presented as a
design feature, typically in a larger
typeface. As well as breaking up longer
sections of text, they are useful for
highlighting key points and drawing
attention to key aspects of the article
• body copy: the main text of the article
• images: generally support or illustrate the
article conveying particular messages and
meanings
• captions these provide anchorage for the
images, encouraging the reader to interpret
them in a specific way
On your print out of the Picnics article, find
as many of the conventions on the left as

13. Inside the magazine: Articles
Find examples of where the picnic article
reinforces the ideologies of the magazine
whilst also ‘talking’ to its audience…
You are going to take
on a specific role to
feedback to others…
• Use of
language
• Imagery
• Layout &

14. Magazines & Genre
Organisation magazines or
customer magazine
Publications aimed at the
customers of particular
organisations or companies.
Waitrose food and Tesco
magazine are examples. These
supermarket magazines have
some of the highest circulation
figures in the UK
Business or Trade magazines
Publications aimed at people
working in particular businesses,
trades or professions. For
instance, Marketing Week is a
magazine for people working in
marketing and advertising.
Consumer magazines
Publications aimed at general
public covering a wide range of
interests. Some target broad
demographics while others
target niche audiences catering
for more specialised interests.
Vogue would fit into a genre broadly defined as: ‘The
Women’s Magazine’, these are primarily defined into
sub-genres based on their target audience and content.
They are aimed specifically at women and feature
topics that are perceived to be of particular interest to
women.
Sub-genres include:
• Lifestyle mags such as Glamour & Marie Claire
• Fashion mags such as Vogue & Harper’s Bazaar
• Celebrity mags such as OK! & Hello!
• Real-life mags such as Take a Break & Chat

15. Women’s
MagazinesThe term requires classification into a
sub-genre as a Women’s mag can
include any of the following articles:
• Health & beauty tips
• Fashion spreads
• Celebrity features
• Sex & relationship advice
• Recipes & cookery items
• Sewing & knitting patterns
• Fictional stories
• Real-life stories
• Problem pages
• Real life letters
• Horoscopes
The content of a magazine is determined
most of all by the target audience of the
magazine & its editorial philosophy –
these are the values attitudes and
beliefs of the magazine – in other words,
the ideology!
The content says a lot about who is and
who isn’t reading the magazine and
vitally – tells us the world view of the
magazine itself!
What evidence is there from inside the magazine that tells us the Genre & sub-genre of Vogue?

16. Exit Pass
From what we’ve studied so far,
write down one word on a post-it
that describes Vogue magazines,
style, attitude or ideology.
The twist is that you can only go if
your word is unique – if two or
more of you have the same word
then you BOTH have to think of
new ones until you have
something original!
The words will go here so they will
remain part of your notes in this
resource…

17. Magazine Terminology

18. Cover AnalysisLayout
Main Image
Masthead
Typography
Mise-en-Scene
Genre & Target Audience
Ideological Content

19. Cover AnalysisLayout
Main Image
Masthead
Typography
Mise-en-Scene
Genre & Target Audience
Ideological Content

20. Cover AnalysisLayout
Main Image
Masthead
Typography
Mise-en-Scene
Genre & Target Audience
Ideological Content

21. Masthead
Main Image
Mode of Address / Language
Layout
Genre & Target Audience
Ideological Content
Vogue Cover
Analysis
Appeals