College Magazine Flat Plan

Looking at a College Magazine

I will be designing my own college magazine later in this blog and will be looking at other college magazines for reference.


From the front cover of this magazine I can see there is a student. He looks happy and 'clean' or smart due to what he wears; for example, his shirt is tucked in. The student is also holding a couple revision books which links to the magazine as it's about studying.
There is a white, black and yellow colour scheme used in this magazine. I can see that the masthead and cover line headings are in yellow which could convey that the text in yellow is important. The white colour is used for cover lines and to elaborate on the headings. Lastly, the black colour is used for the image background and it is also the main colour that the cover star is wearing.

Media Kit for the 'VIBE' Magazine

Audience and Institution:

The audience for the 'VIBE' magazine are primarily people in their 20's and the median age is 30. I say this because the 'VIBE' magazine carries a variety of genres and therefore it is a magazine that may appeal to many different people of different ages. However, music magazine are not used as much by the younger generation and thus the majority of readers mostly 25+. This helps the publisher decide on content to attract advertisers because they can adapt content to suit the preferences of people in their 20's and early 30's.

Analysis of the 'VIBE' Magazine Double Page Spread

The Article

In the 'VIBE' article the first thing that gets my attention is the highlighted "What's my name" text followed by "Rihanna" and then "ft Drake". This is because it is the biggest text out of the whole double page spread and is in bold writing. Furthermore, "What's my name" is highlighted in yellow which is a bright colour and therefore is very eye-catching. This was done so that the reader knows what the article will be about and points out the featured artists (Rihanna and Drake) and the title "What's my name" which is the title of the single that these artists have made.
Also, from the text "Rihanna ft Drake" I can see that "Rihanna" is written in a larger text size than Drake and this is because Rihanna is the main artist behind the song and she is also the one behind the hook of the song, whereas Drake is only featured in the song. Moreover, I think "Rihanna" is written in a bigger size than "Drake" because she is the main person that the article will be about and she is also the cover star for the double page spread so it tries to bring as much attention on her as possible.

Furthermore, I think that the 'VIBE' magazine using Rihanna as the main artist and also featuring Drake is very effective. This is because it would attract and interest both gender rather than the magazine only having a small amount of readers being a certain gender.
On the right side of the double page spread there is another eye-catching text which is also highlighted in yellow which says "Hair today, gone tomorrow". I believe that this would attract even more females or women to read this article because many females look up to Rihanna as they would want to look like her and she is often seen as a fashion icon. This would mean that many females would be intrigued and would want to read the article.

The Image

The background of the image is plain and does not have multiple colours. The image is a close-up shot of Rihanna with red hair and a fringe leaning to the side of her face covering her right eye. She is also wearing a flower headband as jewellery however they appear to be flowers made out of metal rather than natural flowers.

I think that the image was taken this was because the 'VIBE' magazine, although it looks at the hip-hop genre, it also targets a broader range of interests. Therefore, I believe that this double page spread was set up in a way that it does not represent hip-hop how it is usually portrayed, but rather tries to target the broader ranger of interests.
For example, usually in a magazine where it focuses on rap or hip-hop there would be a male rapper wearing jewellery such as gold chains. In contrast, this image has a female cover star which is wearing a flower headband which is very different compared to how hip-hop is usually viewed.

Analysis of the 'VIBE' Magazine Contents Page

The contents page of the VIBE magazine is only consists of one page. I will be analysing this content page.

The main image of the contents page is a mid shot photograph of the rapper Piles. He is wearing an excessive amount of jewellery, predominantly chains, and holding them up with his hands. I believe that this was done to highlight Piles' wealth and show that he is rich. This also links with his tattoo which says "Money means nothin without respect". This could mean that Piles is suggesting that not only is he rich, but also has a lot of respect. There are also other things that highlight his wealth such as the golden grills.
The background of the contents page is dark red and contains a low opacity, letter 'V'. The letter 'V' uses the same font as the masthead of the magazine and is faintly placed there possibly so that people know it is the 'VIBE' magazine. Also, the text that says "Contents" is written in 3 lines and moved to the right side for the visibility of the letter 'V'.

Analysis of the 'VIBE' Magazine

Conventions

Masthead:

The masthead is placed at the top of the magazine in a big font that spreads out throughout the length of the whole page. It is positioned behind Nicki Minaj possibly because it is intended that the reader looks at the main image first. The positioning of the masthead could also imply that it is already well known and only a small portion of the title needs to be visible for people to instantly know what magazine it is. This emphasises the popularity of the 'VIBE' magazine. Furthermore, the colour of the masthead is orange and the font used is a mixture of capital and lowercase letters as the first 3 letters are written in capitals however the last letter is lowercase.

Cover Lines:

There is a small amount of cover lines in the front cover. The cover lines are also moved to the side and edges which once again makes the main image much more eye-catching. The bold, orange title tells the audience who the person on the main image is. 

Main Image

The main image features the artist Nicki Minaj taken in a mid shot. The cover star's hair colour is orange which fits with the colour scheme. Nicki Minaj is also wearing pink lipstick. I believe this was done to contrast from the rest of the magazine.

Colour Scheme

The front cover uses a white, black and orange colour scheme.

Media Kit for the 'XXL' Magazine

Media Kit/Pack

Audience and Institution:

The audience for the 'XXL' magazine are teenagers and young adults, aged between 16 and 35. I say this because the rap/hip-hop genre is mainly favoured by the younger generation and people in their mid 30's whereas the older generation focuses on other types of music such as classical or house music. This helps the publisher decide on content to attract advertisers as they would adapt the language so that it is less formal and uses more slang as that is what many young people use and therefore it would fit their preferences.

Analysis of the 'XXL' Magazine Double Page Spread

 The Article

In the article we see that the first sentence "A lot of times in interviews" is in bold. This is effective as the bold writing is eye-catching and makes the reader focus on it and therefore it encourages them to read the whole article. The first article starts of with a big text size which directly quotes Kendrick Lamar, who is also the cover star throughout the magazine. It talks about how people ask him about his current status and how it feels like to be rich, wealthy and living comfortably. However he is almost never questioned about the fact that adapting to fame and money is not easy and that change of lifestyle is difficult to get through.

Also, after the paragraph which quotes Kendrick Lamar there is more writing in a much smaller text size and separated in two columns. This layout looks very organised and neat and due to it being so simple and easy to read, it encourages the reader to read the whole article.
Furthermore, the article is written in first person which allows the reader to feel like they're a part of it and it connects with them on a deeper and more personal level.

The Image

The background of the image of the double page spread is linked with the contents page and the entire magazine in general. It maintains the same theme throughout the whole magazine which also adds onto the simplistic look of it. Furthermore, it makes the cover star (Kendrick Lamar) stand out more and reoccurring pink-green theme makes it look more organised as it carries out the colour scheme throughout the entire magazine.
The photo was taken in a long shot which allows the reader to see Kendrick Lamar's full outfit. The clothes Lamar is wearing are simple which conveys that this 'XXL' issue wanted to maintain a simplistic look throughout the magazine. Unlike other rap magazines, in which the cover starts tend to wear excessive jewellery and expensive accessories, Kendrick Lamar is wearing a basic outfit. This may link with the article as it brings out how Kendrick Lamar isn't just a person who is covered in wealth and fame but that he also has a casual side and he is just a person like everyone else.
Lastly, I can see that Kendrick Lamar is wearing white socks which are striped in bright colours. This is different to other magazines as it is supposed to be a rap magazine however Kendrick is wearing coloured socks which may have been there to express the uniqueness of him and to portray him as a different rapper.

Analysis of the 'XXL' Magazine Contents Page

The contents page of the XXL magazine is spread out between to pages; the 'A-side' and the 'B-side'.

I will be analysing these content pages.

The A-Side

The A-side of the contents page is a long shot photograph of Kendrick Lamar in a position with his arms spread out in an air plane-like shape. This portrays freedom and may imply that Kendrick is relaxed and calm. I believe this may be linked to the text as it says "Kendrick Lamar ascended to the top of the hip-hop world with his debut I.P" which could suggest that Kendrick Lamar is at the top and the goofy air plane position makes it look as if he didn't do it because he wanted the title of being at the 'top' but because he loves making music.

The background of the contents page is colourful in a pink and green colour scheme. I believe that these colours were used because it is an unusual hybrid/mix of colours and is unique which links to Kendrick Lamar because he is, in a similar way, unique. Another point of view relating to the background could be that the green colour only covers the back of Kendrick which could convey that it is his 'shadow' and the pink colour represents the whole of hip-hop culture, therefore as pink and green are very different colours it could mean that Kendrick Lamar brings a new aspect to the rap/hip-hop genre.

The text is split into 5 different categories, this gives it a simplistic and organised look which makes it easier for the reader to search for specific things. The text is also has numbers next to it which refers to the page number and will direct the reader to the specific page they're looking for. Furthermore, the text has a summary of what the page will be about which is very convenient for the reader.

The B-Side

The B-side of the contents page includes a photograph of a model and in contrast to the previous contents page, it is very plain looking. I believe this was done because the 'A-side' of the contents page is about different things to the 'B-side' of the contents page and therefore they also look different from each other. Firstly, the picture has been taken in black and white.

Analysis of the 'XXL' Magazine

Conventions

Masthead:

The masthead is placed in the top left corner of the magazine. This may be because in the English language we read from top to bottom and left to right and thus naturally, the masthead is the first thing we would notice. The masthead is also in large, bold writing and it is the most noticeable text on the cover. The letters are white, fitting with the background and embedded onto a red rectangle.

Cover Lines:

The largest cover lines are the names "Dr.Dre" and "Kendrick Lamar". This is because those are the rappers featured in the magazine and thus are significant. The cover lines also say that Dr. Dre brings "Hip-Hop's next big star" which is referring to Kendrick Lamar. This conveys that both Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre are widely known and liked by many Hip-Hop fans. Overall, the cover lines are highlighting the significance of these rappers in the Hip-Hop genre.

Main Image:

The main image once again features the two rappers; Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar, in a mid/long shot. I believe this is because as these rappers are growing in popularity, Hip-Hop fans would want to know more about them and therefore having them as cover stars is attention-grabbing. Kendrick Lamar is sitting down with his fingers interlocked which portrays solemnity. This gives off an almost intimidating vibe similarly to rap music. On the other hand, Dr. Dre is standing up and is behind Kendrick Lamar. This shows off Dr. Dre's confidence and his positioning behind Kendrick also implies that he is showing off his potential as a rapper.

Furthermore, Kendrick Lamar is wearing lots of jewellery and different coloured clothing whereas Dre is wearing a plain black top with no accessories. I believe this is because Kendrick Lamar is intended to be the centre of attention and Dr. Dre is like a supervisor, it resembles Kendrick being like a boxer and Dr. Dre is like his coach.

Colour Scheme:

The front cover used a red, black and white colour scheme. I believe this is done because these colours are the most eye-catching. Also, one may argue that red is the most eye-catching colour followed by black, which may be why 'Kendrick Lamar' is in red writing and 'Dr. Dre' in black. Lastly, I believe the white colour was used as a background in attempt to make it look blank and thus forcing the audience to focus their attention on the two rappers.

My Magazine Choice

My Magazine Choice

The genre I am looking towards is rap. This is because rap is my favourite genre and I often keep up to date with everything rap related.

The XXL Magazine

The magazine I am planning to use is the XXL magazine. It is an American hip-hop magazine founded in 1997 and published by Townsquare Media. In august 1997 the first issue of the XXL magazine was released by Harris Publications. The first issue featured the rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover.

As of now, my knowledge of the XXL magazine is vague but I will dedicate time to research and will be writing about it in my blog.

Hip-hop compromises a couple elements of music, 1 of which is rap and where most of the famous artists such as Eminem and Lil' Wayne head toward.

The VIBE Magazine

Another magazine that I am planning to look at is the VIBE magazine. It is an American music magazine and was founded in 1993 by Quincy Jones. Albeit the VIBE magazine features a broader range of music genres, it also focuses on rap and hip-hop which is why I decided to choose it. The final issue was printed in 2014 however the VIBE magazine was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners and shut down production in Summer 2009 and therefore I will try to acquire a print from before 2009. 

Production Schedule

Welcome to my Blog.

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Eric and this is where I will be posting all of my AS Media coursework progress and development.


I hope you enjoy.