Textual Analysis of "Real Texts"
- 2. Front covers The Masthead for the magazine is blocked by this large image of Rihanna, this makes the Rihanna interview a big selling point and more important than the actual brand as people are more likely to buy Rihanna than the magazine as she draws in more attention. But you can still see the font and colour of the “rolling stone” so the public will be able to recognise it, this means that it is quite old and has a big reputation. Rihanna’s body isn't facing towards the camera however her head is over her shoulder and her eyes are looking into the camera. This makes her look more dominant and sexy in her appearance as she's only wearing a small about of clothing and minimal makeup and this will help sell the magazine. “Rihanna” is the leading cover story in rolling stone magazine this is in a classy and readable font which may highlight the seriousness of the article or that rihanna may be changing her style in music to more R&B soul rather than catchy pop songs. “Crazy in Love” this is a Subheading probably about her abusive relationship with her Ex boyfriend Chris Brown, however this is also the title is a Beyonce song whom the to are friends. so it's a pun of the two artist. The other stories tend to be smaller font and to the right hand side where Rihanna is mainly on the left, this means that the emphasises is on Rihanna in this article. The articles involved have a serious tone to them as “Rape and the military” and “The NRA vs America” these are both serious topics which suggest the seriousness of the magazine and that it provides real good quality journalism; which strengthens the brand.
- 3. Freebie - This would obviously attract people if they get something free from the magazine in this case some Joy division posters, even though I haven't heard of them they must have a certain following that would like these posters. This front cover includes Florence and the machine, she takes up the majority of the page, showing that she is the main story and readers that there will be news about her inside so this would attract fans of hers, which there are a lot of. “NME” is in front of florence making me think that this isn't a very well known brand as they are still showing off their logo so it gets more brand recognition. Its covering florence which i think looks more professional and clean rather than her covering it and it makes the magazine look more tiny in doing so. “world exclusive comeback interview” this is going to attract a range of readers as they are wondering and wanting to know more and this is the only magazine that has answers to the questions of the readers. Florence is in a simple and plain outfit with a simple background, however there does look like there is some filter on the photo that gives it an oldie rustic look.
- 4. There are a lot of smaller subtitles all over the page which adds to it as it tells the readers that there is a lot of content and a lot of articles in this magazine. This front cover contains Bruno Mars smoking a cigarette which could suggest that his music is becoming more of the "bad boy" style rather than his jolly pop songs. This would attract fans of pop as he is a pop icon and fans of Bruno The cigarette also could link to one of the heading "boss weed" as that is a drug that is commonly smoked so it could be a linking reference and as it's an illegal drug it links to the "bad boy" persona. Gold is a colour repeated throughout the cover of the magazine, it's the colour of Bruno's name, his shirt and his cigarette etc. They also draw attention to your eyes around the page as the gold moves across so your eyes do they same. This make the front cover more bold and intense for you eyes so you notice it more. There's also a subtitle underneath Bruno Mars saying "pop's golden child" so the gold repeated was for effect and to draw ev everything together.
- 5. Rolling stone brand name is covered Silver (light blue) and red colours subheadings are on the left when amy is on the left so the focus is of her she is wearing minimal clothes and showing off her tattoos with her hair in messy but stylish look (signature)
- 6. Contents There is a “Q review” in the bottom which tells the reader exactly where the review part in the magazine is located within. It's about halfway through so the reader will have to skip pass a lot of pages to get there causing them to possibly find an other article and that means they read more are become enticed by the magazine as the review part would be one of the popular sections. Many famous faces are on show on the content page; to potentially show off, as it includes Dolly Parton, Ant and Dec. These are both national and international stars that i'm sure people, of various backgrounds, would want to read about them as they are from the Music industry. The photos of the celebrities are very large and this makes it easier for people to see and recognize the celebrities, it also promotes that the celebrities are willing to be on this magazine and that the magazine covers these celebrities, as there is a broad target market. The Brand Name “Q” is Clearly visible as it’s in a white colour placed on a red background and this highlights the brand and repeats in the reader's mind of who manufactured this magazine. Therefore strengthening brand loyalty and the recognisability of the brand.
- 7. The headlines on the page only have a small area and don't give in much detail about the articles but they do give a page number. this could be that they want people to visit the page to find out more information rather than read the little text and judge it on that. Nme is visible in a clear and in the top left which is usually where the he eye would look.first in the page. This helps promote the brand as it's causing more people to look. Has a band index which I really like as it makes it easier for the customer to see the band and what genre is mainly featured so it tells you where the artist is placed; this increases the whereabouts of each artist for the reader. There's a small article in the middle of the page, this is very different, as it breaks the band index and the page index in two and I just looks Confusing and out of place.
- 8. The contents it divided into two sides one is in order the other isn't. On one side it has the cover story and features when the other has regulars which makes the magazine good for people who read it at every publish as then you get in the habit of where the new stuff is and then where the regular stuff is too. The contents page is on two pages which is easier to present as there's more space but it could be harder for someone to reader as there's too much on one big sheet. Right hand is a little mixed up but it has large bold images that relate to the story however they aren't in order in the magazine. It's good that they do have images as it makes it easier and more interesting for the person to engage and want to read the magazine. i think it also gives an insight to what the article may contain. Competition is clearly noticeable and its tickets to Muse, this would bring in a different kind of audience as they aren't very mainstream but they are well known.
- 9. Double page spread The title is a direct quote from the interview. The uneven and disjointed font may represent the weird and strange topics that the article covers. However I don’t how the title takes up the majority of the page as there could be more content within the article. The first thing the reader would see are the title and the artist feature; this is a good thing as it draws readers in straightaway. Lily allen is wearing an outfit that is from the British indie music genre thus attracting the fans of these genre to the NME magazine. her clothes also relate to the title as she isn't wearing any feminine or revealing clothes and her makeup is minimal this gives me the impression that she does care about the glamour of the business and more about her songs and music quality. The center fold is a problem with this magazine but the editors have tried to limit the amount by having only a little of the title and Lily lay over. The subtitle of the article is very usual and
- 10. This is a two page spread where one side has the article and the on there has a large image of the artist, Cher Lloyd. The article is colourful which I think targets the young girls that are fans of Cher Lloyd. The image shows Cher being fun and artist which makes her a lot more appealing to girls as the article is about her being scapegoated as a bad role model for girls to have."I was the.... Turning out wrong" this is a main quote title taken from the article and it's clearly about her being misunderstood and scapegoated. I like the layout of this article.
- 11. An medium close up of Jay-z’s face and placed on a full A4 page. In the picture he is looking very determined and which may suggest that he This is a more serious looking article as the main text body is long and similar. And the picture of Jay-Z is serious which may suggest that this article will have some personal details about him that should be respected and not taken as a Joke. The red on the left side the the image is repeated in the body of text with a large a "J" this clearly means that people know his brand and title without haven't to read it all. Making the article very classy and authoritative as they expect people who are reading this magazine to know.