This is my research for my magazine
Reflection: Although researching took extremely long and hefty, I found that learning new terms and analysing the social group/audience being targetted was very interesting and entertaining. By the end of my research, I had fully understood most, if not all, terminologies on a magazine cover, further deepened my knowledge on common conventions used to represent social groups, and how connotations are used by the media industries to attract their target audience. This research will help in my final project as I could identify, pick and choose pieces of magazines that I liked or dislike and apply or avoid it in my own magazine to ease my development of the cover.
This was a picture I took of a magazine shelf to help me better understand what makes a magazine stand out.
My teacher had taught me the rule of thirds where most magazine mastheads sit on the top row to avoid being covered when stacked. In this case/picture, I can see that this is true but additionally I noticed most mastheads that did not stretch across the page were placed on the top right corner. Not only that, the most common colour used among the magazine is red and magazines that I found to stand out are ones with borders. These are most likely done to catch the consumers attention (red is a bright, striking colour while borders aren't too uncommon) and attract them more towards a magazine.
'Readers Digest' JULY ISSUE, 2004
This is my analysis of the Readers Digest 2004 July published magazine cover by Reader's Digest Assosiation Far East Ltd. that i took a picture of. My teacher tasked me to make a mind-mapping of my analysis. I identified and labelled the magazine terminologies I had learnt.
I did further research using Youtube (Mrs Fishers Heat magazine analysis and other magazine analysis by her & Envato Tuts+'s magazine anatomy) as well as websites like BBC bitesize's media studies and the presentations on GCSE Media Studies on Wordpress by looking on their examples of magazine and how they broke it down as I wanted to have a better comprehension on the terminology. Although I looked a lot in to Mrs Fishers analysis videos, I only linked the Heat magazine specifically as it was similar to my magazine in genre that I sampled in my task stated above. The picture is not very clear and the words are quite blurry so I will repaste my analysis here too.
- Website and Link : Placed near masthead to remind customers where else the magazine company can be found.
Masthead : The name of the magazine seen on the upper third of the page on the right. The name “Readers Digest” that may suggest that the magazine provides information in a condensed and easy to read manner thus allowing the reader to easily digest the information
Lead Article Headline/Main Cover line/Featured Article : Attention grabbers that stands out to quickly set and convey the magazine’s main focus or story to the readers using strategies like the bold font and the colour yellow as well as the use of the word “terrorist” for its news value, controversy and emotional impact
Banner : Block of black film that stretched the width of the cover filled with images inside which related the theme of films.
Barcode and Price : on front for retailers while also gives a professional appearance
Cover Lines : Titles of stories featured in the magazine that revolve around the main theme of the magazine that are short (less than 10 words) and consice but draws the reader in.
- Words like “insight” can lure the readers in by implying the magazine can provide the reader with a deeper understanding to Chris Reeve’s interview.
- Rhetorical questions used directly connect with the reader through making them actively participate by answering the question as well as create suspense or mystery as to the answer of the question that may evoke the readers curiousity
- Coverline using the word “Your” feels more personal and used to develop a connection between the audience and magazine to encourage their engagement.''
Main Image : The dominant image on the upper third and on the left of the cover to direct reader on the theme of the magazine . Direct eye contact has been used to quickly connect with the reader. A picture of Chris Reeve smiling is used to possibly imply that its a informal or a light article
A strapline was not included in that magazine however I wanted to show my understanding so I took an example from other magazine covers like CEO Magazine and Style
- Strapline : A strapline was not used here. Straplines are memorable phrases that assosiates with the magazine, often to make the magazine seem more important. for example, CEO Magazine‘s “inspiring the business world“ or Style‘s “voted #1 at fashion magasine of the year
1. Genre:
Celebrity news and film within in the USA
2. Demographic :
- Age; 15-30
- Gender; Possibly primarily male as star appeal is famously known for his acting in Superman and pictures are violent.
- Location; Sold throughout Asia thus Asia audience
- Ethnicity; Asian
- Income; Middle-upper class income
- Education; English language spoken
- Star Appeal; American actors and celebrities, similar to Chris Reeves
3. Psycographic :
- Hobbies and Interest; Film, USA Actors, Controvery
- Lifestyle; Family-orientated.
- Spending Habits; Protection and safety
4. Further Analysis :
- Typography
- A lot of the typography of this magazine cover is a bold sans serif for the title that will grab the readers attention. The use of the bold sans serif and titles in lowercase may also suggest it is an informal yet informational magazine and has less serious topics within its article. This magazine subverts the norm of the positioning and formatting of a typical magazine. Large texts are seen on the right side of the page rather than the usual left and does not share the same alignment with each other- e.g. the masthead being aligned to the right while the main coverline is centre aligned. This makes the text and formating of the cover very messy or chaotic which may reflect the Reader's Digest theme of celebrity gossip. I do not like the positioning typography however I like the use of sans serif typeface for straightforward look.
- Representation
- Men are often stereotyped to be powerful, serious and invulnerable which is reflected in Superman's personality played by the image of american actor Christopher D'Olier Reeve. This stereotype was very noticable during the year of this magazine's release around the early 2000 as the traditional view was the most common mindset. However here we could say Chris Reeve conforms this stereotype as he was posed with a smile and the word "touching" in the caption about his interview draws Chris Reeve to be more of a welcoming, kind and vulnerable figure instead of a cold and serious man like his character and stereotype.
- Adverts
- Some products and or services that I think would be in this magazine are men's products like watches, hair gel or perfume as the magazine seems to appeal to a more male audiences with a Superman being popular amongst males. Other advertisements could be health products as one coverline is corcerned on diabetes.
5. Uses and gratification :
This magazine can be used by audiences as a diversion or for entertainment, to keep up a social relationship with their community with viral or hot topics within the magazine or to keep up their social relationship with the celebrity seen on the cover and lastly, as surveillance to catch up with the latest news surrounding the topic.
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'Taste' NOVEMBER ISSUE, 2012
COVER PAGE ANALYSIS
1. Genre:
Cheap cuisine to be enjoyed
I thought this was unclear and was left to be unexplained so I came back to add ontop to this with more reasoning and delineate further.
This magazine suggests cheap cuisine based on various aspects refering to lower prices (less, cheap, low cost, the idiom "on a shoestring") but to be enjoyed in a fashionable manner, implied by the words and phrases "high art" and "courses" which would more often be heard in high-end restaurants.
2. Demographic :
- Age; 20-38
- Gender; Seems to primarly target males through the word "King" being used
- Location; South Africa through mention of South Africa and their currency, Rand (R)
- Ethnicity; African based on location, however there is seemingly no specific ethincities targetted
- Income; Middle class income, suggested from words like "cheap" and mention of low price indicates a target to lower income homes.
- Education; Not clearly stated
- Star Appeal; Luke Dale-Roberts mentioned in one of the coverlines.
3. Psychographic :
- Hobbies and Interest; All food related (food tasting, food art, food photography, interested in experimenting), interest in high-end cuisine.
- Lifestyle; Enjoys trying new things, careful with money and budget-conscious, possibly a cheapskate, sophisticated, in vogue or chic sense of style
- Spending Habits; Spends at a minimum, cost-conscious, however still most likely spends money on food and to fit and satisfy their lifestyle
4. Uses and Gratification :
Surveillence by gaining information on new restaurant locations, ways to save money on food but still maintain elegance, and how to host and prepare vast quantities of food.
5. Further Analysis :
- Masthead/Title ;
- The position of the masthead takes up the row of the upper third section in the rule of thirds, this will allow the masthead to still peak out even the magazines were to be stacked ontop of each other by the stalls/retailers.
- Taste can be defined differently depending on the context of the word but in the relation of food, taste is the sensation of flavour in the mouth or a person's liking for particular flavour. This name could suggest the magazine is dedicated to exploring the world of flavours and savouring the diversity of different delicious flavours. This implication can make a reader feel curious on the variety of said flavours and possibly stimulate their brain to interest them into reading the magazine.
- Typography ;
- The typography suggest a very modern and classy look by the magazine's use of capital and bolded in their fonts. For example, the masthead "Taste" are all in capital and bolded to stand out and catch the readers attention. They used a sans serif font for all titles and coverlines, that has connections to being for unverisal use, which suggest the recipes or the food displayed can be eaten by anyone and everyone- not limited to the rich. However, the use of a serif font in the letter 'A' has connotations of being sophisticated and refined that implies the food the magazine shows aren't just regular meals but polished and fancy dishes.
- Furthermore, the colour red on "LUXE FOR LESS" is a bold colour that constrasts to the rest of the text in black in order to bring the reaeders attention. This tells us that that article is the main coverline.
- All the texts are positioned around the main image signaling that the coverlines and articles revolve around it and food as a whole. I noticed that most the important messages like the puff and the main coverline lie on the right column in the rule of third, which subverts to the typical left column due to people typically reading from left to right. I don't enjoy the visual flow of seeing all the important texts on the right than moving to the left since it feels unnatural so i will be sure to avoid it during the production of my magazine.
- Image ;
- The main image is of thinly sliced fruits, vegetables and greenery like leaves are stacked ontop of each other in a disorderly manner for an abstract look. We can suggest that this look has been done as a form of artistic decoration for aesthetics and presentation. This way of positioning food 'for the eyes' is common amongst the rich who enjoy spending disposable money on exclusive and unique dishes
- The colour red being the most prominent suggest luxury as the colour red has connotations of power that provokes potent emotions and boosts one's dominance and self-esteem. Red also has connotations of passion to bring the audience a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm that can be seen in examples like the red carpet for the biggest celebrities. This can draw in a reader to engage with the magazine by feeling connected to that feeling of authority, influence and prestige. Additionally, red is seen as a luxurious colour, often seen in expensive cars (ferrari) and clothing, that could indicate to the audience the life of the lavish.
- The other colour seen distinctly seen in the magazine cover is the white background which has connotations and often represents perfection, cleaniness and sophistication as its 'untainted' by any other hue. This representation is assosiated lots with wealth in media as the rich and elite deemed themselves to be proper and neat while the poor to be dirty
- Media Language ;
- This magazine had no strapline. However, there are phrases and words like "cheap", "luxe (luxury) for less", "entertain on a shoestring" suggest that the magazine is targetting people who want to save money and are careful about their spending but still want an tasteful experience with food.
- The magazine also utilises the word "we're" to make a connection to the reader. Using this method of engagement, the magazine can effectively make the reader feel more curious and enticed to engage with the magazine and 'join in on the fun' to try it out for themselves.
- Representation ;
- The conventions of wealthy people is premium, clean, and an upscale lifestyle. This convention is represented in media in multiple ways like the rich indulging in high quality products like clothes or accessories, collection of rare antiques like paintings and exclusive events and gatherings. The magazine conforms to this representation and convention of the rich through their image of food being presented in an artistic manner rather than for its conventional purposes.
- Adverts;
- Kitchen appliances and gadgets (pans, knive set etc)
- Sponsored restaurants
- Cheap travel agencies or tickets on promotion
- Subscriptions to food packages
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'How It Works' ISSUE 177, 2023
LESS DETAILED ANALYSIS
1. Genre :
Fun facts, informational
2. Demographic :
Young (16-30), no target gender, high requirement for reading comprehension so most likely highschoolers and above
3. Psychographic :
Curious learners
4. Uses & Gratification :
Surveillance and diversion
5. Short Analysis :
The magazine is very busy- crowded with pictures as well as texts and colours that don't follow a colour palette and vary throughout the magazine and positioning of pictures and text aren't always aligned with one another like in the double-paged spread. There are attention grabbing elements like a puff on the content page and their main theme of bright yellow and red. All these factors make the magazine standout by being choatic, informal that makes it seem fun and free.
6. Applying to my magazine :
I think the amount of pictures on the covers are too much and makes it look confusing and busy. I find myself feeling lost and overwhelmed with this layout of images although its very thorough in explaining the diversity of information within the magazine. I dislike the clash of mutliple colours as its displeasant to the eye after a while so I will be aware of following a colour palette in my magazine. Beyond that, I quite like the way the magazine followed a border for their texts but have some images go past the border, which gave the magazine a more informal and personal tone as it subverted from the conventions of a typical magazine layout. I may consider using this for my own magazine.
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'Linkers' JANUARY ISSUE, 2020
LESS DETAILED ANALYSIS
1. Genre :
Travel
2. Demographic :
Young adults (25-40)
3. Psychographic :
Adventurers, love sightseeing
4. Uses & Gratification :
Surveillance
5. Short Analysis :
This magazine is much more simplistic and easy on the eye. They take pride in their pictures by often making them bigger than the text like seen in the cover. Titles are often in a light sans serif while some in serif to suggest elegance or sophisticated. The whole magazine is in a neat format aligned to one another giving it a more formal look. Most the texts are extremely lengthy suggesting a high level of education needed. The colour palette of this magazine is very diverse of warm red, orange and yellow, cool blues and bright green. This suggest a wide variety of activities fit to anyone's needs and wants whether calming or exciting. This magazine still had a large amount of negative space despite a large body of texts throughout.
6. Applying to my magazine :
I enjoyed the neatness and simplicity of this magazine however i found the magazine extremely boring. There was a lack of more interesting shots from some angles being repeated as well as the white negative space occuring extremely often. Other reasons include the straightforward typography that lacks attention grabbing aspects to the magazine and a large body of text with no elements that really stands out to the rest of the page. I will ensure my magazine will avoid this look and find ways to engage with my audience all throughout every page.
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'BetterHomes&Garden' SEPTEMBER ISSUE, 2023
LESS DETAILED ANALYSIS
1. Genre :
Food, Cuisine, Home-cooking
2. Demographic :
Western audience, in countries who experience fall, adults aged 25-40
3. Psychographic :
Enjoys trying new recipes, enjoys cooking for more than one or sharing meals (most servings in the magazine were for more than 1 person), also enjoys baking
4. Uses & Gratification :
Surveillance (gathering information and recipes)
5. Short Analysis :
Majority of pictures in this magazine are taken from a birds-eye view, directly above the meal to fully display how the dish looks as a whole. In theme with fall, colour palette are warm colours like oranges, yellow with accents of green and sometimes a navy blue to contrast as its a complementary colour to red. This may help in making the colours of the dish more vibrant while also catching the readers attention. A puff on the cover says "Must try" which is a call to action to encourage curiousity of readers to attempt their recipe and experience their dishes. Not all pictures had the same composition- some were shaped in circles or squares but most notably, some did not always follow the general rule of thirds where the most important subject stays in the centre. Some were composed to be on the left or right column or even the bottom row. This slight difference in composition with positioning of the pictures, headlines and text boxes gave the magazine a much less repetitive look. Theres multiple examples of texts with a tilted positioning such as "80 warm/cozy dishes" that subverted from most magazine layouts which gives this magazine a unique aspect that can attract the audiences eyes.
6. Applying to my magazine :
The number one thing I enjoyed the most out of their magazine was their formatting and colours as it was easy on my eyes and very on theme colours put me right in the mood or atmosphere of a cozy warmth. I will be considering this in my magazine by also stating what mood I want to create for my audience. I will also take a lesson from changing the compositions of my shots to make my magazine more interesting. I may take ideas to subvert from the straight-positioned text in my own magazine.
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'Women's Weekly' JANUARY ISSUE, 2024
LESS DETAILED ANALYSIS
I didn't like the way I formatted my short analysis because it was too messy and unorganised so I decided to add a generic sub-heading of image and typography and text just to clearly seperate the two.
1. Genre :
Home-cooked meals, Food, Cuisine
2. Demographic :
Adults (25-50), targets women based on its "Women's Weekly" masthead,
3. Psychographic :
Those who enjoy cooking, cooking for more than 1, people who enjoy convient dishes (based on the main coverline detailing use of only 5 ingredients and a slow cooker to make meals), comfort food seekers
4. Uses & Gratification :
Surveillance and gathering information on recipes
5. Short Analysis :
- Image: All images in the magazine have a cool tone colour palette that utilises muted and deep hues such as the blue for the backdrop that has connotations of calm and stability and additionally the green accents from the vegetables brightens the dish to attract the audience's eyes and has assosiations with nature and freshness that makes the meal more appealing. These two colors share an analogous relationship in a harmonious palette, creating a comforting and serene ambiance for the audience. The images' use of a textured, cloud-like backdrop and wooden features like the placemats or the board/centerpiece gives the picture more of a rustic aesthetic that suggest these foods were made in a traditional setting, emphasizing the cozy feeling of home. The dishes were plated in a freeform style, suggesting a casual ambiance which could foster a stronger connection with the audience that seeked a laid-back yet satisfying meal.
- Typography and text: The magazine used a simple sans-serif typeface in all their texts to give a modern, clean and contemporary look that follows the magazine's main topic of quick and simple recipes. This style is also very approachable due to their readability compared to a serif typeface. The main coverline of "5 Ingredients Slow Cooker" takes on the largest size compared to the other text of the cover to attract the audiences eyes towards it. Additionally, the number 5 is slightly bigger than its text to really highlight the minimal quantity of ingredients required in these recipes. It helps that the phrase is short and concise, quickly delivering the message to all audiences in a short span of time to easily capture their attention. On the cover, there was a limited amount of text to follow the simplistic aesthetic and the contents, which was written in a light font, only detailed the recipe. The use of the word "You" in their strapline helps to build a connection with their readers that could create a sense of community within their audience.
6. Applying to my magazine :
I appreciated the magazine's analogous color palette for skillfully evoking a homely and comfortable atmosphere. The subtle incorporation of wooden props was particularly impressive, enhancing and empowering the overall mood. Although the straightforward layout with a sans-serif font and minimal text made for easy viewing, I found it somewhat dull and plain, missing the personal touches and details which makes the magazine fade into the background rather than stand out so I will be aware to avoid this in my own magazine.
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'New Idea Food' JANUARY ISSUE, 2024
LESS DETAILED ANALYSIS
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1. Genre :
Food, simple recipes, cooking, baking, diet, recipes
2. Demographic :
18-30yro, young adults to adults, no specific gender targetted
3. Psychographic :
Possibly people who are open-minded eaters with the diverse range of ingredients used, enjoys the summer and beachy aesthetic, and are wellness and health focused.
4. Uses & Gratification :
Surveillance to gather information of new recipes
5. Short Analysis :
- Image : The main dish on the cover image was positioned in the upper right corner so, even when the magazine is stacked in stores, it is still able capture the audience's attention. The main dish's vibrant colors are accentuated with touches of green, red, and yellow that compliment each other and draw the audience's attention. A banner of pictures gives the viewer a sneak peek at the other dishes that are featured in the magazine.
The use of a textured (wooden) white table as the backdrop will enable the magazine to appear more intimate and more like an at-home photo shoot than a professional studio. Adding on to appearing more approachable, the side dishes that are placed out of "view" of the magazine as a way of storytelling that there is more dishes which may cause the audience relate to as lunch with friends, family, community or be interpreted as there is more to this dish, which may also peak the audience's curiousity and engage them with the magazine.
- Typography and Text : Because the rest of the text in the magazine was written in a sans-serif typeface, the typography on "food" was handwritten, giving the impression that the magazine was more approachable and welcoming to readers. Numerous soft yet vibrant colors are used in the magazine's writing, such as a baby blue combined with a coordinating vibrant orange. While the striking orange has associations with warmth and high energy, bright baby blue is associated with youtfulness and calmness, akin to a clear blue sky. As a result, the combination of these two creates a young, energizing cover that can connect and transport the audience to a beach or summertime mood.
6. Applying to my magazine :
From this magazine, I am very fond of their use of colour palette. I think so far I had thought of colours individually and interpret them by themself. I was ignorant to the larger image and the combination between multiple colours to ultimately create a larger image with a deeper meaning that the audience will pick up on.