Case study part 2: Front cover

Image

The main image used is a medium close up of Amanda Seyfried who is a famously known actress and extremely successful. This is useful putting it on a magazine which has a target audience of working women as they will recognise her quickly as for her success at such a young age. She will be an inspiration for the women and they will want to read about what she has to say. Using a medium close up of her gives us quite a clear view of her strong features. She’s an attractive young woman and she’s also wearing the colour red on her lips and dress which makes her stand out as it’s a very striking and bold colour. By doing this you have women and men viewing the magazine by the Mulveys theory of the Male Gaze. She doesn’t have a specific facial expression so she comes across as quite sophisticated and she’s also looking directly into the eyes of the audience so they can be drawn into picking up the magazine.

Title

The title ‘Marie Claire’ is known as a French name and is also quite popular. The connotations of the name are: Marie being the French form of Mary which is also known to have a meaning of bitterness and Claire which means bright, this gives the name an overall neutral feeling. Giving a magazine a name also makes it more personal and that there’s a story behind the name and why it was given to a magazine. Marie Claire is also known as a high end name which gives the magazine a sense of sophistication and will attract a certain audience.

Coverlines

There are many articles featured on the front cover which cover a wide range of topics, these go from new season trends which will attract fashion lovers, an interview on Amanda Seyfried so people that like her will want to read her interview, there’s also articles on dating, different news reports and added extras under the heading ‘plus’. By having a wide range of different articles covering a variety of subjects this will attract a wider audience as they will be able to have a lot to choose from and everyone will have different preferences. As the target audience is aimed at working women this will interest them as they will want to know about the latest fashion and also catch up on the latest reports around the world.

Language

The language on the front cover is quite formal as its going for a sophisticated vibe as its targeting intelligent women. It includes words like ‘hot’ which is a typical word used in magazines to attract attention. By saying its ‘hot right now’ women will want to know the latest fashion news. Because there are quite serious articles the language has to be sophisticated and words cannot be shortened.

Price

The price of the magazine is £3.99 which is above average which is £3.00, this suggests that the target audience will be for adults that work and have more money to spend on magazines. It also makes this magazine a higher end one as it’s much more expensive compared to ‘Look’ which is also a fashion and gossip magazine. 

Case Study part 1: colour in magazines

Marie Claire – August 2015

Marie Claire is mainly a fashion magazine as well as including other areas such as health, articles etc. the target audience are females that might work as well ages 23-45.

Colour in magazines

Analysing the front cover of the magazine

The main colours used in the front cover are neon orange, red, black and white. These are all used and complement each other in order to produce a strong front cover. Some of the colours stand out more than others so that it attracts readers to the areas they want them to focus on, this helps put more emphasis.

Firstly the colour orange itself represents creativity, determination, success and encouragement. So using this colour fits in with the target audience as they are working women so they will be striving for success and therefore have to be determined and encouraged, so this will appeal to them. The orange is also neon which makes it stand out on the page against everything else. The orange is used for the masthead, web address, main coverline and the tag ‘plus’. Because it’s the brightest colour it will attract the readers into looking at it. As it’s also a summer edition of the magazine they chose a bright colour to use which gives it a more ‘summery’ feel.

Another colour used is red and this is used on Amanda’s lips and her dress. Connotations of the colour red are power, passion, desire and love. These colours can be mirrored onto the representation of a woman, for the viewers of the magazine they are working women so they have a lot of power as strong women in society, they have a passion for their job or for whatever they love doing. Also it is known to be quite a provocative and sexy colour to wear as its very bold and striking so it makes the women come across as very confident and attracts attention. We can link it to Mulveys theory and how this magazine cover will also attract the male gaze as the men will be attracted to the magazine because of Amanda’s beauty and the red stands out catching their eyes.

You then have the typical use of the colour black for the coverlines. Black represents elegance, formality and mystery, women strive to have elegance and formality as it makes them come across as very professional. Black is a bold colour which goes well with nearly every colour, here in this particular magazine it’s used against a white background to make it stand out and you see a contrast between the two.

The other typical colour is white used for the background and coverlines. White represents innocence, purity and cleanliness; these give the magazine a fresh and elegant feel to it which will attract readers to buying it. The use of the white background allows all sorts of contrasting colours to be placed on top making it an easy colour to work with.

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Colours used in the magazine

Throughout the magazine the uses of white, blue, red and black are used. The light colours are used to carry on the summer theme of the magazine, several pages are white which gives it a fresh feel and looks clean with information arranged in different ways. Using white allows the editor to then mix other colours onto the page depending on the theme whether it’s an article, fashion update or makeup inspiration. Using different colours on each page makes it more interesting for the reader as they will be engaged with each individual creation, however there will still be a use of a colour palette but not as obvious.

Black is the main colour used for the texts which are very stereotypical. It also helps them read the article with ease as there are no alarming colours which distract them from the article. The headings are in different colours depending on the theme of the pages which stand out more to the reader so that they know what they will be reading and have the option to carry on or skip to the next page.

Colours in Magazines

PlayStation Official Magazine

The main colours used in the magazine are white, red, black, blue and orange. These colours are used specifically because of the target audience and the genre of the magazine. The target audience is for males and females ages between 15-30. It will attract people that enjoy playing video games and that own a PlayStation console themselves.  

Throughout the magazine the colours which are used on the front cover are also mirrored in the different articles and pictures used. The colour white represents a sense of purity and freshness, it’s also a colour that stands out on the magazine against all the other colours used on the front cover. If the colour stands out it will attract the readers into picking it up. The white is mainly used for the title and main coverlines which is what the editors want the readers to view first. The colour red has connotations of blood and danger and this is a good colour to use on a games magazine because many of the games that people play involve violence and death so it emphasises that by using it on the front cover.

The main image used for the magazine is a mid-shot of a character in action from a video game, it includes the colours blue and orange to show an actual shot you will find in the game. Using these colours they contrast the other bold colours used for the title and coverlines but it’s also used as an under layer because the orange and blue are not the most eye catching colours. The colour orange represents enthusiasm and determination which relates to the game where you need to have these traits in order to complete the game. Grey is a cool and dull colour so this will make it blend in the background and not have the readers distracted by the use of it.  



MixMag Magazine

The magazine Mixmag uses the colours white, red, black and grey. It

also uses other colours in small areas of the magazine. The target audience is for males and females aged between 18-28 and they will have an interest in dance music, grime and club culture. The white colour is very bright and will attract readers into looking at the magazines because it contrasts with the black background and image. Black is a dark and mysterious colour, this can link with the genre of the magazine as it’s about club culture. It resembles how in a club it’s usually very dark with strobes of light.

 The strobes of light are represented by the different weird shapes on the cover which include the colours blue, purple and green. These colours stand out on the black background and the use of abstract shapes suggests the club/grime genre of music.

The use of red connotes energy, power and passion. The colour red is used on the coverlines, taglines and around the magazine as a border. The three main colours red, black and white all complement each other well and they relate to the type of magazine it is which will attract the target audience into buying it. 

Analysis of Magazine Language

Shout magazine

Shout magazine has a target audience of young teenage girls from the ages 11-16, so the language used is important to try and capture their attention. This is done through colloquial terms and other words.

In the magazine there are the uses of ‘#’ which are very popular in today’s society, as we associate hashtags with twitter and that’s one of the main social media websites where young teenagers get together and share things. Also words like ‘fave’ and ‘buds’ are used which is a shorter way of saying favourite and buddy, this is popular within young people today as they shorten their words when texting. This justifies that the magazine is for a younger audience. There’s also the term ‘goals’ used which is a fairly new term used by the younger generation to describe something that they look up to. Using these colloquial terms make the readers feel like the editor is the same age and can relate to what is being written to what they see every day.

As well as there being the use of colloquial words, the editor uses childish language to try and relate to the younger audience and make them feel as if they’re talking to a friend. Some examples would be ‘suck’ when describing something. This could be seen as quite a rude word and something younger people would use as you wouldn’t find it in a magazine targeted for older women because it’s an informal word.

There is also the use of play on words. This is in the phrase ‘insTAYgram’, where the two words instagram and Taylor are merged together. Instagram is a very well-known social media where people share pictures with friends and family so the target audience will recognise the play on words. Also the use of Tay which is short for Taylor Swift suggests that the editor is close to Taylor Swift as they’ve given her a nickname and played around with the idea. Taylor Swift is very popular with the young teenage girls which means they will be attracted to this title as they will want to know what it’s about. The play on words also suggest the fun and freedom the editor has and that they’re trying to engage with the readers which will make the audience want to read the magazine.

Emotive and Colloquial Language in Magazines

Grazia magazine - 5th October 2015 

Grazia is a fashion magazine which has a target audience of women 16-45. It attracts women that like fashion, celebrity gossip and real life stories happening in the world.

There is the use of colloquial and emotive language used throughout the magazine which helps create an atmosphere in which the readers feel comfortable and enjoy reading. Some examples of colloquial language would be ‘tweet’, ‘insta’, ‘filters’, ‘snaps’. All these are considered colloquial because they are very often used especially in today’s society as we are surrounded by social media which influences on the way we speak to each other and the creation of many words have been included in our everyday talk. Using these words in the magazine will attract a younger audience and they will feel as if they were talking to a friend as the language used is very laidback.

Other words used are ‘BFF’ which is an abbreviation for ‘best friends forever’, this is something you would use when texting and also to someone you know quite well so it suggests that there is a friendship between the reader and editor. Also the editor uses the word ‘eeww’ to describe a situation. This is more of a sound effect and a very informal way of describing something. This suggests that the editor feels comfortable and can express themselves how they want to the readers.

There are also emotive words which are typically seen in fashion magazines like ‘wow’ and ‘perfect’. The word ‘wow’ will stand out to the readers as they will want to know what is so amazing to be given a ‘wow’. Women also dream of being perfect and flawless so they will want to know how they could improve their body, or what clothes they could buy which are perfect. Fashion magazines do this because they want women to feel good about themselves so they will try persuade women to buy these ‘perfect’ products. 

Editors Letter Analysis

Easy Living – Editor’s letter (September 2012)

Easy living magazine is targeted for middle aged women aged between 30-55. The magazine also covers a lot of areas which will help attract a wide ranged audience. The editor of the magazine starts of the magazine with ‘Welcome’, this is in big and bold letters which makes it stand out on the page and it attracts readers into wanting to read the note. Using an explanation mark also gives it a much happier tone which will make readers feel welcome.

As well as the title you have the continuous use of the word ‘your’ which is making the note personal and it involves the readers more, this forms a relationship between the editor and reader which will make the reader  feel wanted, which will make them read on.

Also the editor Deborah uses rhetorical questions directing them to her audience, this will make the readers think and answer the questions mentally in their heads. This is a good way of trying to interact with an audience as it will engage them into the text. The editor also tries to create this comfortable atmosphere as if the editor and reader are good friends. This is seen when the editor says ‘which our brilliant team has edited down for you’. This also makes it personal as it’s as if the editor chose out things especially for the readers so by doing that she would have taken into consideration what the readers like to wear.

Also looking at the Deborah as she also states that she’s 37, she fits in with the target audience she’s trying to reach towards. By having someone which fits within the target audience the readers are able to relate to her thoughts and ideas she shares in her note.

FHM - Editor’s letter (May 2012)

FHM is a men’s magazine with a target audience from ages 18-35, so the editor will want to write in a way to engage the readers. He starts of with a personal statement ‘I was almost never hired by FHM.’ This is an introduction to a little story he shares with his readers, this makes the readers feel more involved in his personal life which will interest them. As he recites a story this allows the reader to see what sort of person and they are able to go on a journey with him through everything that happened.

The editor swears using the word ‘shit’ and ‘dickhead’ to express his opinion this makes it seem as if the editor is comfortable around the audience to swear and it’s also used knowing the target audience are adults. Its also very informal and this sort of language is something you would use around a friend, so this allows the editor and reader to form a friendship. 

He also uses informal language when saying ‘thanks’ towards the end of his letter which is something again you would send to your friend. With this letter using this informal language will make the reader feel more welcome and this will make them want to read on.

 He also refers to the men as ‘gentlemen’ and closes of the letter by saying ‘it’s been an honor to serve you’ which gives them a positive representation and it also contrast to the use of informal language before, as this is formal and much more professional. It could suggest that the editor sees these men that read the magazine as friends but also treats them with respect emphasizing that they are powerful men. 

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