College Magazine textual Analysis: ‘Vibe’.

The masthead for this magazine is ‘Vibe’. The type of font that is used is Sans Serif. This gives the magazine a modern as the magazine is appealing to a modern generation. The audience that this magazine is aimed at is teenagers. This is because, they study in college; for some of them, and this is a new step in the journey of their lives. The word vibe is frequently used by this group so therefore, it suits the magazine perfectly. The magazine is also made to make the thought of college a more exciting one rather than the usual set of mind that most teenagers have.

The girl in the image of the front cover is young and attractive. This will help grab the attention of the designer’s target group. Her eyes are looking directly into the camera which instantly connects to the reader as it is a form of eye-contact. Her pose gives the magazine a fun, cheeky and youthful feel. She is pouting in Red lipstick and is doing the ‘peace’ sign which also gives a relaxed sense to the reader of the magazine. Her Red lipstick complements the front cover of the magazine as the background is also bright Red.

The main image is placed to the right side of the magazine not the centre. I think this is a good idea as it makes the magazine cover different from all magazine covers. It gives it more energy than the usual front cover centre images do. The shape of this image is also unusual and shows the creativity of the designer as it is just not just an ordinary square or rectangle.

Although using Black for the masthead is quite creative and makes the magazine stand out because Black is normally associated with dull and boring things especially in the media. However, the size of the masthead makes the title look big and bold.

The choice of the colour of the background for the magazine is a good one. This is because, it’s bright and it carries a lot of connotations. The colour Red connotes feelings of love, passion, romance, hatred, anger, excitement, danger and hyper activeness; in the media and in our everyday lives.  This is connected with most teenagers as they are filled with theses emotions and have the tendency to show them at appropriate times. The lighting that is used in the image front cover is high-key lighting; this gives the magazine a bright sense and feeling.

The cover line in this magazine is about the student of the month, fresher’s tickets, an iPod competition, what is going on in college and a free poster. These issues are there to attract the attention of the reader. The students will want to know about the sorts of activities that are available in college. This is because, some of them are new to the system so they don’t really know what to expect. They would also want to know what the magazine is about because magazines are mainly about gossip and the latest things that are sold in the market not really things that are related to college.

These issues are also to show the students reading the magazine that college is not just about hard work, it can also be fun. It is about socialising and working hard to achieve recognised grades. The font of the cover line is also in San serif which gives more of a modern look to the magazine. The word “Win” is in capital letters in a Yellow colour with a times roman font because it is another thing that the designer knows would attract the students as it is one of the materials that teenagers would like to have so therefore it will encourage them to join the competition. In the top right corner of the magazine, there is a ‘puff’. It is labelled “special report” to draw the audience as they will want to know what the special report is and how it concerns them.

The data line on this magazine is placed below the magazine to the right with the barcode and the price beside it. The magazine costs £2.99 which I think is a good price for the students to pay as they would have enough money so it’s not so expensive. I also think its a good price concerning all the work that has been put into the making of the magazine e.g. the printing, picture taking, words etc.

In conclusion, I think this front cover is designed very well and it’s organised because it shows the amount of work that the designer has put in. It also appeals to me as an individual reader because I am also a teenager and so if I was to see a magazine similar to this, I would buy it. It looks enjoyable to read.

Textual Analysis 1: Cactus kid.

 

This image is an advert about ‘Cactus kid’ and his girlfriend for an Oasis soft drink. However it was banned because the public felt it condoned teenage pregnancy. In the advert, ‘Cactus Kid’ runs away with his girlfriend after she argues with her mother, and the two are chased by police.

The denotation of this image is that it is a photograph of the ‘Cactus kid’ sitting on an old rusty car in a very relaxed position with his girlfriend beside him. They are both holding an Oasis bottle in their hands. The connotation of this image would be; in a dessert, when you are thirsty, you drink water from a Cactus plant. However, in this case, ‘Cactus kid’ isn’t drinking water neither is his girlfriend. They are both holding an oasis bottle which suggests that Oasis can fulfil the same needs as water does when people are thirsty or dehydrated.

In the photograph, ‘Cactus kid’ is wearing a cactus costume to show that he is the ‘Cactus kid’. His also wears Black jeans trousers and a White vest top with old Black shoes. This gives him the look of a rebel that he symbolises in the advert. The girl is wearing a Pink dress and rough Brown boots. Her hair is in bushy curls which gives her a rough runaway country girl appearance. This image is proper for her character as that is whom she plays in the advert.

The props that are used in this photograph aren’t that many. An old and rusty car is used so is an Oasis bottle. The bottle suggests that it is an Oasis bottle advert. The old car gives the photograph an old country fashion picture. The scene is set in a desert that is based in Texas. We know this because of the style of the signposts that are in the photograph. The lighting that is used in this photograph is high-key lighting. It is set outside in an open space so everything becomes brighter.

The body language of both the ‘Cactus kid’ and his girlfriend shows that they are relaxed. They are pictured sitting closely together and they both have strong eye-contact. This shows the passion that they both share. The ‘Cactus kid’ and his girlfriend are both holding an Oasis soft drink bottle; thus suggests that they are advertising Oasis.

The anchorage that is used in this picture is a Serif font. This is the font that the ‘Cactus kid’ is written in. This has been placed on a sign board that looks like the ones that are usually from a city like Texas. In the photograph, the Oasis Company is asking their supporters to vote for the ‘Cactus kid’; by doing this they will be buying Oasis soft drinks as this is what the ‘Cactus kid’ is promoting.

The photograph uses the rule of thirds because it can be divided into nine equal parts. This creates more tension in the photograph as everything isn’t just placed in the middle; it’s placed on the left hand side of the image itself. This image also has a connotation of imbalance because it has the character of the ‘Cactus kid’ but it actually is an Oasis advert promotion.

Finally, this photograph contains juxtaposition because the ‘Cactus kid’ and his girlfriend are really different characters entirely. The ‘Cactus kid’ has the body of a desert plant but characteristics of a human being. This could mean that like you need a Cactus in the dessert when you are thirsty; the Oasis soft drink can replace your liquid needs.

Introduction...

My name is Titilope! I am doing media studies at the moment at Christ the King sixth form College. I also study Sociology, Economics and Government+Politics.
This blog is mainly for easy access to my Media coursework.