Analysing Magazine Articles

This is just an example of a feature article. You should use your own example for the magazine you have been analysing. If you have a magazine I can scan the images in for your before next lesson. Use the questions below to help you to analyse the feature article. If your article is longer than 2 pages just use 2:

1) What does the choice of artist featured in the article suggest who the target audience is?

2) What type of language is used in the article? Is the language used informal (e.g.slang that the audience will understand) or does it have a more academic quality? Give examples of words or phrases which are specific to the style of the magazine.

3) What tone does the magazine use to address the reader (as a close friend, a member of an 'in' crowd or an informed intelligent fan?) - provide evidence

4) What style of text is used? What font do you think it is (Sans Serif is commonly used)

5) How is the interview laid out? Are various entry points used and why?

6) How are the pages laid out? How much of the pages are taken up by images and how much by text? How does this reflect the audience?

7) How is the artist/band presented to the audience through the images? How is meaning achored through the caption? You may wish to carry out a textual analysis looking at mise-en-scene and camera shot used. Are they posed images in a studio or are they live shots at a concert or sports event?

8) How does the style of the article match the style of the front cover? Is a house style being developed across all the pages you have analysed?

Nicky's Contents Page

Pitch for your own Magazine

Write a 200 outline of your magazine idea to include:

1. Genre
2. Potential Audience
3. What sections will be inside your magazine
4. Whether it will be weekly, fortnightly or monthly
5. Any feature stories you might cover in the first issue
6. Why you think people will buy your magazine - is there a gap in the market?

NME

Front cover Analysis

Magazine publishing is a hugely profitable media industry. It is also very competitive. It is therefore imperative that the magazine producers use key techniques to attract and address the audience.
Today you are going to analyse the front cover of a magazine and this will count towards your Assignment 3 research pages. By analysing existing magazine front covers you will find out what messages a magazine is conveying to its audience. To be successful , a magazine must establish a close, personal and almost friendly relationship with its readers. This is called the mode of address.
Firstly we need to learn some new key terminology that will help you to analyse the magazine cover.
· Seasonal theme: when the colours and contents of a magazine relate to the time of year e.g. red hearts in February issue for Valentines Day
· Mise-en-scene: the way in which every element of the text is arranged to create meanings.

· Anchorage text: writing that fixes the meaning of an image

· Buzz word: a word that stands out on the text, for example, ‘Free’ or ‘Exclusive’
· Key signifier: the first thing on a cover that attracts the eye – it could be images or words

· Puffs: the information on the front cover that give snippets of information about what will be in the magazines contents

· Superimposition: when images and words are laid over each other. It is a convention of magazines that the title is covered by the central image – it is assumed the audience will recognise the title anyway.

· Graphic Feature: A symbol that highlight pieces of information, for example an arrow pointing to an image

· Slogan: A piece of information, usually found at the top of the magazine, that boasts about how great the magazine is, like a catchphrase for the magazine

· Central image: The main image on the page, usually with a direct mode of address unless it is an action shot.

Contents Page Analysis Questions

You should analyse a magazine contents page that relates to one of your front cover analysis e.g. NME cover and contents page:
1) Does the magazine use images? How have these image been constructed? How do they support your initial findings about the style of the magazine and its intended audience? How many images are there?
2) What colours and fonts are used? Does this support the style of the front cover? Is a house style being developed?
3) How is the information organised so that it is accessible to the audience? What are the different sections? What does this tell you about the magazine?
4) Are there any promotional features?
5) Is the magazine logo placed anywhere on the page? How dominant is it?Does the brand have any other franchises? Are these promoted on the contents page?

Kerrang Magazine Front Cover, Contents & Article - All Time Low

Q Magazine Front Cover, Contents & Feature - Cheryl Cole

Empire Magazine Contents Page - Clash of the Titans

Empire Magazine Contents Page - Dark Knight

Empire Magazine Contents Page - Watchmen