Music analysis: R&B Music magazine
A common convention of a Vibe magazine is
the masthead, the title of the magazine is placed behind the model in the
background image. This could draw attention to the famous act at the front page
of the magazine and this could connote just how good and popular the magazine
is to the reader and to the target audience. The rhetorical question on the
cover brings the reader into wanting to answer that question; this will then
lead to them buying the magazine and intriguing them to read the article. The
bold title shows the audience who the model is and that they are representing
the magazine. The barcode on the front cover shows the audience that the
magazine isn't free this will then draw their attention onto looking at the
price of this magazine. The catchy splash at the bottom is a convention of Vibe
magazine; the graphics representing the Vibe website could encourage the reader
to go to the Vibe website more than they possibly would if the site was written
in black. Another splash on the cover page is a plus sign; this shows the
reader that there is more to the magazine then just the cover lines shown. The
hair colour of the model relates to the rest of the magazine through the continuity of the colour scheme. The tiara on the model and the choice of
dress shows power within the image, definitely having that connection through her
eye line. This also reaches to the reader so the model is looking straight at
them.
Double
page spread:
This is a double
page spread of an R&B, the width of the artists name
takes up half of the double page spread, connoting that Nicki Minaj is an
important, strong and independent women in the music industry which reflects
her genre rap/grime. There is only one image on the DPS, and due to the
magazine conventions Vibe normally has one image on the contents page also, so
a house style is shown. The main image dominates this double page. It’s a
mid-shot of her in which she is wearing a tight dress, of a completely
contrasting pattern and colour to that of a background. Against the colour baby
pink, Nicki Minaj stands out and is the centre of attention. There is a pull
quote in the last column, it is highlighted in pink but written in black and
white font which makes the text stand out well. Being in block capitals
resonates well with the rest of the fonts used, as this is usually used in many
R&B magazines. The form of the feature is not a typical question and answer
format, but each paragraph has its own heading denoting that subject of
conversation in that paragraph. There is an introductory paragraph at the start
which lures the reader into reading more of the article. There are certain
parts of the luring paragraph which have been made bold, connoting to the
reader that these parts of the text are the most significant. The words have
been specifically chosen to connote power such as ‘THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO’ and
’30 COMMANDMENTS OF OUR SAVIOUR’ these all relate to God showing that she is
the Goddess of rap, making the audience want to read about her. 
A grey scale colour scheme is used, with the only real colour being
the heart being placed from the mysterious looking hand from behind Kanye’s
back, as it’s the only colour on the spread; the eye is instantly drawn to this
point. As it’s a heart, it connotes to love, which could raise the idea that
maybe the issue contains details about Kanye’s personal love life. The background
is plain, which draws the main focus of the reader towards the foreground,
being Kanye. The background does however have an important role in this spread
as it has the letter V half-hidden. Even though it’s half-hidden, it still
shows that this page is from Vibe magazine. This page is using a famous music
artist, Kanye West, as people will generally recognise him and be intrigued as
he is featured. Kanye fans will be extremely interested as they would want to
know the latest on the man himself. The word ‘contents’ is aid out stylistically
with a bold and striking effect. This abstract way of presenting the word is
continued throughput the contents spread, which allows the reader to establish
the magazine’s iconic style.
By Shahena Islam
The blog looks good you do need to reflect on your work, the skills and process and blog your thoughts, you could do a little more of this. For the case studies try to use more technical terms, you write well and talk about the pages in some depth, however you could write these in more detail. Talk about the colours used and how the identity of each magazine is promoted throughout each page. Also talk about the language used in the double page spread.
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