Media analysis 1

Front Page: Image

Mid- Long shot is used to portray celebrity ‘Nas’

There is a solid black background, giving the cover an edgy effect, and the model is wearing all black clothes to match the colour scheme

The celebrity is wearing a shirt with an old trumpet player, which gives denotations that he is trying to promote what RnB used to be in the early 90s.

He has a serious facial expression which suggests to the reader that he is a serious and determined artist

The plain outfit and background, gives connotations that he mainly focuses on just his music, and not so much appearance, unlike current celebrities.

Colour Scheme

·         Black, White and Red (outfit matches background)

·         Font; San-Serif

Page Layout

·         Masthead; XXL Worldwide

·         Celebrity covers some of the masthead; suggests that XXL is well established, and Nas has dominance

·         Anchorage is celebrities name

·         Side cover titles around the page, gives the reader an idea of what they’re going to read

·         Includes barcode

·         Main cover line anchors the picture

·         Skyline: ‘Hip-Hop on a higher level’; tells reader the genre of the magazine

On the contents page, they have stuck to the same colour scheme as the cover.

Each subheading has a bold font and capital letters, which connotates formality. The midshots of ‘Nas’ and Tyler the Creator’ shows the reader what the main event/ storyline will be about in the magazine.

They have also left more space for the picture than text, and this makes the magazine look less boring to the buyer.

They have included the brand of the magazine on the contents page to spread the promotion of the brand , and also the usage of capital letters withi the sub-headings connotates formailty, which clashes with the urban magazine.

Short, punchline headelines have been used to make the magazine sound more fast paced, along with the summary of stories to build the suspense for the reader.

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f   A mid shot of Nas runs over to the next page, only leaving a quarter of the page for the text, which will attract the reader due to the lack of writing. The choice of spacing also allows the article to stand out in the magazine. In the background, boxing props have been used which have denotations of determination, as boxing is a very focused sport, and this relates to the celebrity and his attitude towards music and his career. The way Nas is dressed follows the stereotype of rap artists, for example white vest, jewelry, tattoos and emotionless expression.

^  The 'pull quote' at the bottom of the article has been taken from the article, which will help draw in extra attention from the audience.As its the biggest piece of text, it will probably be read first, which will then intrigue the reader to find out more.

    The text has been put into one column and several paragraphs which makes it easier to read, and the header of the double page spread is the celebrities name.

     

       This audience is targeted at people in their late teens to late twenties, judging by the music genre, which is hip-hop and rap music. This genre of music attracts the younger generation therefore they would be most likely to buy the magazine. There are roughly 78% male readers, and  67% of readers are African American.

      XXL is one of the top selling music magazines, selling over 100,000 copies, with a price of $5.99 per copy.