Magazine analysis 1: NYLON magazine May 2015
Cover:
The masthead refers to the name of the magazine and is displayed at the top of the magazine, The name of the magazine identifies what the magazine is about, the name NYLON - which is a clothing material, makes us aware that the magazine is one regarding fashion. The colours used for the background design of the magazine are very bright and youthful, catering to younger audiences. From the colours used we can understand that the target reader audience is young, from teenagers up to adults of ages ranging from 18-20-30-35, with issues that are relevant and interesting to read about for people of these ages. The main image of this cover is a Black and white picture of Shailene Woodley who is an American actress. The combination created by the background and the main image being black and white, gives the reader the feeling of a collage, which again is a denotation to the target audience of the magazine being younger women/girls. The black and white photo balances out the very bright background, in such a way that the magazine is still eye catching but not overwhelmingly colourful or confusing. The main cover line is “Shailene Forever” which informs the potential reader that the woman on the cover is Shailene Woodley without clearly writing her name on the cover. The magazine is able to do this because of the sureness that their target audience knows this public figure just by the first name, without needing the second name for the identification.
Contents page:
The title of the contents page is the month of the magazine issue, the title is big and in all capital letters which makes it clear and easy to see and read, however still keeping the playfulness going from the cover with the bright pink colour and stars in the background, yet again catering to the target audience. The contents page is divided into 2 columns which is a convention of magazines, this is done as it makes it clear for the audience what to read first and everything is set out neatly. The categories of the contents page have catchy names using terms and slang that teenagers use to make it more appealing to their targeted age of the audience. At the bottom of the page there is a small paragraph with credits which gives the audience insight on who the models that were photographed in this magazine are as well as who worked on the design, photographer, editor, executive director etc. this gives the readers an insight into the behind the scenes of making the magazine and also makes it more personal. The main image on the page is the largest, and is a picture of a teenage girl which further reassures the readers that the targeted audience for this magazine is of younger women/ teenage girls.
Two-page spread:
* slide to see both pages
The title of the article is “retro realness” which is a play on words with modern phrases and words used among teenagers and part of the vocabulary younger people use, which makes it appealing and interesting to read to younger people/teenagers. The colour scheme of both pages is a continuity of the cover page and contents page with the bright and happy colours, predominantly pink and light blue. The effect of a collage-like design is kept all throughout the magazine, with the text being placed on top of the pictures making it look like it's been cut out and printed on paper and stuck onto a wall or journal, yet again appealing to the target audience of young adults/teenagers. Same thing relates to the illustration which has a watercolour effect and makes it look like someone coloured it directly on the magazine page. The pictures on the double spread are of young girls, to which the readers ( also young girls) can compare themselves to and relate to. Furthermore, the pictures are presented and arranged on the page like they've been stuck on a wall as polaroids , which is a growing trend in teenage girls’ rooms/ journals. The brush font has a connotation of spontaneity, playfulness and has the effect that it's been handwritten on the page which works well in combination with the collage effect of the cover and bullet journal effect of both the contents and the double spread pages.
Fashion magazine analysis 2: ESQUIRE magazine October/November 2020
Cover:
The name of the magazine is Esquire which has a meaning of ‘’a polite title appended to a man's name when no other title is used, typically in the address of a letter or other documents’’ as well as a historical meaning of ‘’a young nobleman who, in training for knighthood, acted as an attendant to a knight.’’ The masthead is very big and bold, the colour used is black which signifies seriousness and importance, which is why it's one of the first things your eyes go to when looking at this cover. The tagline of this magazine’s issue is “This must be the place” which is very vague and leaves room for you to think about the phrase and what it means. The headline of this magazine is David Byrne x Spike Lee in all capital letters showing the reader that the main focus of this issue is these two men and their ideas and perspective, which might intrigue the targeted audience and make them want to buy the magazine and read the article. The preview of the article is below the headline in the same font but with a smaller size and small caps, with the phrase ‘’ offer wisdom for right now’’. The cover lines inform us on other articles presented in the magazine that could further persuade the targeted reader to buy the magazine and read it. The word ‘’exclusive’’ is the plug in this context- what encourages the reader to buy this edition of the magazine, it is also in white which is contrasting with the background thus it stands out, while the rest of the cover line is in black, balancing out the bold title. At the bottom of the page there's a smaller headline speaking directly to the potential reader of the magazine ‘our conversation with Francis Ford Coppola will make you hopeful’ - the use of direct words like ‘you’ makes the reader feel important and like the magazine is directly addressing them, making them more likely to buy it, just to see if it will in fact make THEM hopeful. The Picture on the cover of the magazine is a close up of two men, one white one black. One man is directly facing the magazine,it is an up-front shot of his face, establishing eye contact with whoever is looking at the magazine, maybe even making them feel uncomfortable or claustrophobic because of the close range of the photograph, this will yet again make the targeted audience feel seen and feel like they're on the same level as the man in the photo who is obviously important enough to be on the cover of a magazine, making the reader feel just as important. The other man on the cover is one from a side profile, which is placed on top of the previous man's half of the face in such a way which creates an illusion of completion between the men, as if their ideas are joined in one, like their perspectives are discussed and debated, there might even be conflict or tension between them , all of which the reader will find out if they buy the magazine and read it. The tension created by the photographer when taking this picture helps with this. The colour palette is a very serious and muted one, all these conventions and details about the cover taken into consideration leads you to believe that the targeted audience for this magazine are predominantly men in their 30-60’s, men working in business maybe, with serious jobs that require them to be informed in a serious manner on various topics, which is why magazines like these are perfect for them.
Contents page:
The heading is rather unusual because it's not the table of contents that is in a big bold font and large on the page but a quote. The contents page is divided into 2 columns which is a convention of magazines, this is done as it makes it clear for the audience what to read first and everything is set out neatly. On the left hand side of the contents page is a picture of a man in a suit sitting in a leather chair, his position, clothes and facial expression gives us the impression that the man is very important and wealthy, somehow looking down on you but in such a way that the target audience- who also dress and look like this, feel comfortable. Similar to the previous magazine i analysed, at the bottom of the page there is a paragraph with credits to all the people working for the magazine, photographers, editors, designers, producers etc. this gives the reader an insight into the behind the scenes of making the magazine. The layout of the page is very orderly and structures, reinforcing the idea that it is a serious magazine and aimed at older and more mature readers.
Two-page spread:
These pages are very different compared to the cover and contents page. Until now, by analysing the cover and contents page we can deduce and understand that the magazine is more of a business magazine targeted towards older men, who are looking for a more serious read, similar to their day to day jobs and life. However, by comparison this page is more youthful and shifting towards mens formal streetwear and fashion. The title of this spread is shh with a strapline of ‘’Some of this falls best clothes have a lot to say. They're just not shouting about it.”The contents page is divided into 2 columns which is a convention of magazines, this is done as it makes it clear for the audience what to read first and everything is set out neatly. The pictures are arranged around the pages in an irregular way, in the sense that if you were to see the first page only, the pictures in the middle would be cut off, same with the second page. This is contradicting with my previous analysis as an older business-centered man would not appreciate this irregularity and imperfection, which is why it is clear that maybe these specific pages/article are meant for younger readers. The main picture on the right hand side is edited to look eroded and vintage as if its been taken on a film camera, this has recently been a trend with younger people, where the eroded and film-like look has become a more popular trend and something that makes your pictures a little bit different and more interesting, this yet again shows how this pages structure and editing was thought to appeal to younger audiences. The overall layout and design of the pages is very modern and contemporary and would be appreciated by younger audiences.
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