1. Magazine research
In this task I will be researching four types of magazine covers and analysing the
genre, design and layout. The four magazines are Vibe, Q, Clash and Billboard, I
will start off by analysing the Vibe magazine.
From this particular magazine the genre is clear, it is a R&B specialist magazine,
The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and
other entertainers, in this particular magazine it shows young jeezy, and it is a
medium close up of him which shows the facial expression of the musician. The
design of the magazine cover contains a lot of information, the title takes a lot of
the space along the top of the page which ensures that it can be read clearly, just
above the title there are other well known R&B artists. The sub-headings have a
range of information which are about different topics , this can be effective for
some, as they are able to see information which they find interesting, however it
can be boring for others because it is not related to music or anything which
interest them, as well as this some may feel that there is far too much information
on the page, this yet again can bore the reader, so I will ensure that I provide
balanced information, ensuring that the page is not overcrowded

2. The colours used in this magazine are plain and boring, they are black, red and
white. The colours have not been combined well to attract customers , although
the main focus is the artist himself, the colours do not help attracting an audience,
this can be off-putting for some users as there are no unique selling points apart
from the actual artist. The colour red symbolizes blood and danger and love,
black represent power, these colour may have deeper meanings, however in this
case they have not been combined appropriately. I will ensure that I use right
colours which are combined well to ensure that I attract my target audience. The
layout of the magazine follows the standard conventions of existing magazines
where they have located the title at the top and the sub-heading to the left and
right hand side of the main image as and barcode and date to the left which is
portrait, this is usually landscape, but I believe it works well and gives it a neat
finish, in terms of layout I believe it is successful as it is presented clearly and
concisely.

3. From the magazine you The title of the
can see the image takes magazine is
up a lot of the space, written in big, bold
this is very effective letters, this is
because the viewers because the
main attention should viewer can identify
be on the musician the name of the
himself magazine clearly,
The barcode is it also makes it
portrait, this is very look professional
unusual and adds a
unique touch to the
magazine

4. I will now analyse my second cover which is the Q magazine, the first thing which
stands out from the page is the main image which is a close up of “Michael
Jackson”, this allows the viewer see the facial expressions more clearly . The genre
is very clear, this is because Michael Jackson is also known as the “king of pop” so
this shows that the magazine is pop genre, the image takes up much of the room
within the cover as this is the main focus and is the main attraction which I believe is
successful because the viewer will find the image interesting straightaway and want
to know more about why he is the main focus. In terms of design the Q magazine
follows the same structure for the other existing magazines, the Q logo is always
situated in that place as well as the writing across the top. The information on the
page is mostly to the right of the image so there are space remaining on the left
hand side, this is a negative as the information looks overcrowded on one side, and
is hard to read, this is no good to the reader- which means that they will not be keen
on buying this particular magazine, the information should distributed appropriately
where it can be read easily and clearly. Moreover some of the information is not
related to music, which can be another reason why they magazine is unsuccessful
as they have not provided potential customers with the necessary information.

5. In this particular magazine they have combined colours really well and made the
front cover look attractive, the main colours are red, black and white, the colour red
symbolizes love and passion, black represents power and white represents purity,
they all have deeper meanings which add extra interests, these colours are all
common colours used in all there existing magazines which gives it a consistent
look and ensures that they keep this colour theme continuous in all there new
releases, I will take this into consideration when creating my own magazine. The
design of this magazine is clear and concise as there are nothing scattered or
uneven which may effect the overall look of the magazine.

6. The sub-articles are
The Q magazine
aligned well to the left
has a consistent
and look very effective
look in terms of the
as it is readable, it is
title and the slogan
detailed and located
across the top of
appropriately.
the page which
appears in all the
existing magazine The colours contrast
well and stands out
clearly

7. I will now analyse my third magazine cover which is Clash, the genre of this
particular magazine can be identified straightaway, it is R&B, this is because of
the artist who is Jayz and is most associated to this genre. The layout of this
magazine is pretty basic and minimal, there is hardly information on the page
which can affect the number of people wanting to buy it, it looks plain and boring
as there is nothing which interests them in any way, however the clash magazine
may have purposely done this so that the main image is the focus and the
customer will see this R&B rapper and make them want to purchase the
magazine, I would definitely avoid doing this because there is no particular
information which interests me. The colours used in this magazine are grey,
black, white and gold, these colours once combined look very well together and
make the page standout, the background colour works well with font colours .
The layout follows the standard conventions of existing magazine covers as the
title is at the top alongside a border at the top and the information at the bottom
and the right hand side of the page, the barcode is situated in the wrong place I
believe, this is because it is far too up the page and looks out of place, it is
something which I will avoid when creating my own as it affects the overall look
of the magazine.

8. The title is aligned to
the left and should be The contrasting colours
more central as this is are combined well and
one of the main selling enhance the look of the
points, it has an odd magazine
design which does not
look effective.
There is minimal The barcode and date
information on the are portrait and is far
magazine which too up the page which
makes it look boring again does not look
and unappealing effective

9. I will now analyse the fourth magazine, this is the Billboard magazine. By looking at the
magazine I am able to tell what the genre of this magazine cover is, it is R&B, this is
because of the artist who is Beyonce and is most associated to this genre. The layout
of this particular magazine follows the standard conventions of existing magazines, it
has the main image which takes up much of the room, this is a unique selling point
which is purposely done to make customers buy the magazine, I believe this is
successful as it is eye-catching and attracts instant attention. The sub-articles can be
found on the left and right hand side of the main image, they have used the space
appropriately ensuring that every part of the page is used. The magazine is dedicated
to beyonce, so most of the sub articles are about her, I would say that the magazine
can be both male and female magazine, this is because they may like the music
produced by the artist, however on the magazine it states “women’s music” this may
refer to female, but I believe it would be suitable for both genders. The colours used in
this magazine are black, white and blue, these colours once combined work effectively,
the black colour of the background contrasts well with the white dress worn by
Beyonce, this looks really effective and looks professional as its main aim is to stand
out from the page. The font colour is also white this works effectively as it stands out
from the page.

10. The design and structure of the magazine is another element which I like
as it stands out and looks really effective, the magazine have located
each item appropriately which gives the magazine cover a professional
and neat finish, the magazine includes shades of blue which looks as
though it is gradually fading, this is very effective and gives the magazine
a unique look.

11. The title is spread The main image takes
out evenly across up much of the room
the top of the page which is main focus
and cover a lot of and I believe it works
space, this is really effectively as it stands
effective as its duty out from the page
is to stand out and
ensure it can be
read easily. The space around the
page is used effectively
which makes the
reader want to read on.