What type of magazine is it?
This is a pop magazine from the 1990s.
From the front cover what kinds of issues/articles are going to be inside?
You can tell from this front cover that this magazine covers a large amount of content, as there is an extremely large number of coverlines and straplines featured on the front. Some of the articles that are featured within include information on “Hanson…the movie”, Peter Andre’s shocking secret and the main story, an interview with the Spice Girls.
Who is the target audience for the magazine? What particular age group? What are their interests? How do you know all of this?
It is clear that the target audience of this magazine are probably young teenage females, between 10-17. Their interests include knowing the latest gossip that is happening in the pop world, adding to their collection of posters in their room and wanting to be up-to-date with all the latest happenings. You can tell that they collect posters of their favourite bands, as there are two coverlines on the front page advertising free posters that they are giving away. There is one cover line located in the left third reading “15 ACE POSTERS!” and there is also a section in the right third that reads “FREE BOYZONE POSTER…IT’S THIS BIG!” As the target are interested in this, they have decided to emphasise it greatly, even showing them an image of what the Boyzone poster will look like, before they even open the magazine.
What mode of address is the magazine using? What does this tell you about the type of relationship it wants with its reader?
The language used on the front cover is very informal and colloquial, making it appeal to the user more. This appeals to them as it makes it appear to be more conversational, as if this magazine is speaking to them in particular. This then leads them onto purchasing it. This informal mode of address also appeals to their target audience of younger teenagers, as this is normally how people of this age group speak.
Who is on the front cover and why?
Many bands and artists appear on the front cover. However, the main image is of The Spice Girls. This image is a long shot, as most of their bodies are featured in the image. They are seen holding a globe, which coincides with what the main coverline is about (The Spice Girls ‘ruling the world’). The Spice Girls are featured on this magazine as, during the 1990s, they were an extremely popular band, and everyone wanted to know more about them. By having one of the most popular bands of the decade featured on the front cover of you magazine, it attracts a lot of attention and would make people want to purchase it to read about their favourite band.
What does the main cover line say? What does this imply about the artist/band?? What overall message is the artist/band giving?
The main cover line reads ““WORLD POWER! Spices getting away with murder!” This implies that the Spice Girls are an extremely popular band, and have the power to get away with anything.
Are any (social/ethnic/political) groups being represented? How does the magazine represent them?
There are not any groups in particular being represented on this front cover. However, apart from the main storyline, the magazine only really advertises the young teenage boy bands and artists on the front, which is there to appeal to their target audience.
Are there any ‘buzz’ words? What effect does it have on the reader?
The words ‘WORLD POWER’ are buzzwords, as they relate to the Spice Girls’ own personal catchphrase, which is “girl power!” Changing ‘girl’ to ‘world’ might have connotations that this band feels that all girls have the power to dominate the world, as proved by them.
What does the design of the mast head tell you about the magazine? What does the title of the magazine tell you about:
1. the readership
2. its image
3. its style
The masthead for this magazine is located at the top, and reads “Top of the Pops”. It is in a unique font face, which makes this magazine stand out and different from the rest. It is also meant to be a representation of their actual logo, with the ‘of the’ being positioned in that way. The font is quite young, and looks quite like handwriting, which therefore appeals to the target audience.
What do the ‘kickers’ in the coverlines suggest will be inside the magazine? What does this tell you about the type of audience the magazine expects to get?
There are not many kickers use don this front cover, mainly because they have made the coverlines short and to the point, excluding the need for explanatory text. This appeals to the target audience, as younger people tend to get distracted easily, the magazine needs to keep their attention, any if there was any explanatory text, their attention may be lost.
Is there a strapline/selling line/slogan? What does it tell you about the magazine? How does it help to attract readers?
The strap line is located underneath the masthead, and reads “The UK No1 Music Magazine!” This is extremely persuasive, as it makes it sound as if this magazine is the best magazine in Great Britain. This selling line has been positioned in a yellow rectangular shape, which attracts attention to it.
What colours are used? Do you find them attractive?
The house colours of this magazine are blue, white and yellow. I feel like these are good colours to use, as they are quite bright and attract a lot of attention. The choice of clothing that the band members are wearing, such as the red trousers and tops, also add to the brightness of this front cover.
What fonts are used and why?
There are many fonts used on the cover of this magazine, which makes it stand out very well. These fonts are always sans serif, as this makes it appear to be less formal, hence appealing to the correct target audience. All text is written in capitals and normally with an exclamation mark at the end. This makes the magazine appear to be extremely exciting, making the user want to purchase it.
What strategies does the magazine use to attract the audience?
This magazine uses many strategies to attract the audience’s attention. Firstly, there are all the bright colours and different fonts, which make it stand out very well. Secondly, the amount of coverlines and images that feature on the front. In total, there are five different photographs of ‘popstars’ and bands, and ten different features advertised. This complicated page draws the user’s attention to it, making them notice it and want to then purchase it. Also, not only does this magazine feature what the coverlines are saying, there are also more features at the bottom. The user’s attention is drawn to the ‘PLUS!’ sign, which advertises that there is even more within, including ‘Coolio!’ ‘Oasis!’ ‘Robbie!’ etc.
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