Sketch Of Contents

Analysis Of Main Article

Both the Q magazine and NME share similarities in the use of presentational devices. The mastheads are very similar in style because they are both red, black and white in the top left corner of the page. The mastheads symbolise the name of the magazine and the rich brand of Q and NME. This may connote the idea of whom the magazines target audience are, preferably Q/NME readers.

In Q there is a main image of three adult figures in reasonably smart clothing, in contrast to the rough rock look of the teens in NME. It shows the target audience for the magazine clearly, Q being for young adults and above, and NME being for teens. In NME the teens have a rough and more edgy look highlighting the main input feature type of the magazine.

In Q the main cover line is music based but formally written compared to NME. NME aims to advertise upcoming artists using informal language to attract the younger audience who are more likely to be interested in the magazine. The colour of the main cover line links into the theme colours of the magazine masthead; black, red and white. Whereas in Q the main cover line uses dull more mature colours and font styles.

The background of Q is plain white which is more sophisticated and fairly typical to older readers. This has a significant effect as the front page is the first thing customers become attracted to when purchasing a magazine. Therefore, people are normally appealed by designs more likely to suit their age or style.

The NME magazine has a more busy rough background as well as busy sell lines which include more images than in Q. This shows that NME aims to be more visually informative than Q, and Q is more likely to contain more textual information for readers to absorb.

NME covers a more niche audience whereas Q is mainstream and includes various types of genres that appeal to a wider range of audience. Both magazines also have puffs which are simple phrases that outline the success of the magazine. This is to promote the magazine further. However, both magazines effectively attract the target audience properly using the distinctive design of the front cover.

XXL magazine analysis

I am going to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness that the front page of ‘XXL’ magazine has on their target audience. Firstly, the masthead 'XXL' is significant to the image of the magazine as if has a red background which symbolises wealth to most readers and the letters ‘XXL’ are formed by the image of diamonds which shows the content of the magazine of being rich, popular and highlights the use of 'bling'.

There is also a puff on the front page which advertises the magazine further as it shows the popularity of the magazine as well as superiority. It says 'a decade of dominance' and '10th anniversary, our biggest ever issue'. The first one would be very effective from a readers point of view as it shows that the magazine has been on-going for a decade and it still popular as it continues to impress old and new readers. The second puff appeals to customers purchasing the issue in particular due to the phrase claiming that it’s the best issue so far.

The main image and focal point of the front page cover is a mid shot of baby and Lil Wayne topless and wearing several long thick chains, which is expected to also be made of diamonds in similarity to the masthead. This shows great contrast with the background of the magazine, which is an image of a lower class looking bungalow. This roughly shows the artists roots in the way it differs from where they have reached now. The tattoos on their bodies show a sign of wealth because tattoos are fairly high priced. This is effective because it is highlighting the superiority which links into the genre of the magazine, as the genre is mainly Hip-hip and R&B, world known to be the mainstreams of the music industry.

The sell lines is a list of popular hip hop and rap artist names, arguably the most successful rap artists of our time, which attracts a much wider variety of people who are likely to buy the magazine, just to read the exclusive interviews based around one or more of the artists named.In conclusion the magazine has clearly portrayed the type of style and genre that is aims to show, through the wealth symbolising images and colour scheme used on the over.

Sketch Of Front Cover

Contents Page Analysis

Focus Group Questions

These are questions for the focus group which help me find out what people would like to see in my music magazine.

1) Does the title 'Neon' appeal to you?
2) What colours do you think would suit a R&B music magazine?
3) What do you think the main article should consisit of?
4) What inspires you when reading a music magazine?
5) What is the most important feature of a music magazine?

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire Results

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Existing Hip-Hop / R'n'B Mag Covers

Using the data that i collected from the basis of my questionnaire, me and my group partner came to a conclusion that hip-hop and R&B genres are the most favoured types of genre for the public, as well as them being most mainstream genres. Therefore I have decided to choose hip-hop and R&B as the genre of my magazine. As further research I have selected several hip-hop and r'n'b magazine covers to use as an inspiration and here are a few examples:

Research: Questionnaire

As a part of my research I have produced a questionnaire to obtain some specific information based on the public opinions of music magazines. This is so I can use the answers from the questionnaire to help me make my music magazine to reach the needs of the target audience.

Music Magazine Questionnaire (Please Circle)

1. What gender are you?
Male
Female

2. How old are you?
14-16
17-19
20-24

3. What genre of music do you most enjoy?
R&B
Hip hop
Grime
Garage
Classical
Indie
Rock
Funky house
Other

4. How much are you willing to spend on a magazine of your choice?
£1-£1.99
£2-£2.99
£3-£3.99
£4 +

5. What freebies would you like from a music magazine?
Sample CD/mix tapes
Gadgets
Fashion accessories
Free downloads
Other

6. What is your favourite artist of band?


7. What features would you prefer in a music magazine?
Celeb gossip/updates
Photos
Latest music releases
Adverts
Interviews
Celeb fashion tips
Other

8. What are your hobbies?
Singing/rapping
Dancing
Mixed sports
Shopping
Reading Acting
Other

9. Do you enjoy reading?
Yes
No

10. Do you attend concerts?
Yes, regularly
Sometimes
Only to my favourites
No, never

11. What type of magazine do you usually buy?
Music based
Sports and/or cars
Fashion mag
Entertainment
Other

12. What music magazines/websites do you read?
NME
Q
Vibe
Source
Mixmag
Hip hop
Other

Initial Brainstorm