Set text: (Historical Product) VOGUE JULY 1965
- Vogue is a monthly women’s fashion magazine.
- The Original American magazine was launched by Arthur Turnure in 1892.
- Since 1909 it has been published by conde Nast.
- The British edition of vogue was launched in 1916.
The Main audience for this are women, they’ve now got income of there own which they can spend, was made during ww1. Womens magazine really stems from this in the UK.
The Media Language of Magazines:
How magazines communicate meanings through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques.
Representations:How magazines portray social groups and particular aspects of social identity.
The Magazine industry:How processes of production, Distribution and circulation affect magazines.
Audiences:How magazines target, reach and address audiences, and how audiences interpret and respond to magazine products.
A Title/Headline : This establishes the subject of the article and is designed to engage the reader’s attention.
A Stand-first/Strapline : This typically follows the title or headline and provides more information about the focus of the article or the angle it will take. Also called a kicker.
Pull Quotes : These are extracts that are drawn from the main body of the text and presented as a design feature, typically in a larger typeface. As well as breaking up long sections of text, they are also a useful means of highlighting key points and drawing the readers attention to particular aspects of the article.
Body copy: This is the main text of the article.
Images: These generally support or illustrate the article, conveying particular messages and meanings.
Captions: These provide anchorage of the images, encouraging the reader to interpret them in a particular way.
Roland Barthes Order of Signification:
Semiotics – The study of signs
Denotation = The obvious literal meaning of a sign = Signifier
Connotations or Myths assoicated with the sign = Signified
Conventions of Magazines:
Periodical: A publication that is issued at regular intervals: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual.
Magazines share some formal characteristics with newspapers, however, magazines differ from newspapers in the following ways.
- Printed on high quality paper stock
- Bound or stapled
- Does not provide day to day, up to date information.
The aspects which separates a magazine from the newspaper is the fact that it’s niche and specific.
Magazines target a particular audience.
Conventions of print magazines: Some context.
In the 1960s, the biggest threat to the popularity of magazines was TV. Nowadays, its mobile phones.
Vogue Magazine:
Title:Vogue
Background information, publisher, genre etc:Publisher = Conde Nast Publications, Genre – Fasion and Beauty.
Target audience:Middle aged women interested in the latest fashion, 38 yrs old would be there average reader age.
Main article/features: Latest fashion
Conventions of magazine covers
What are the main functions of the magazine front cover?
- Indicate who the magazine is intended for, drawing the attention to the target audience.
- Indicate the type of magazine it is (the relevant genre or sub-genre should be clearly signalled to the reader)
- Help the magazine stand out from its competitors by conveying a clear sense of brand identity.
- Persuade potential readers to buy the magazine by creating audience interest and appeal.
The cover must be sufficiently different each time – so the reader feels as if they are getting something new every time – this encourages repeat purchase – at the same time there has to be continuity from issue to issue to create brand identity – typically achieved through a recognisable house style.
Brand identity = The image that a brand projects and the associations the audience make with the brand. This built up over time.
Masthead = The title of the magazine presented in the form of a logo. Many magazines use a specially designed typeface for the masthead. This is useful for branding and can also help to distinguish the magazine from its competitors.
Cover lines = The written text that features on the cover of the magazine providing a preview of the content that features inside.
Tagline = A short, memorable phrase that sums up the magazine and conveys a sense of its brand identity.
Repeat purchase = When someone buys the same brand or product that they have done previously, as in the case of readers who buy the same magazine every week or every month.
House style = the distinctive ‘look’, aesthetic or visual style of a magazine, which helps to convey a sense of its brand identity.
Typography = The font styles that are used. Traditional/Contemporary.
What is the brand identity and the house style of Vogue magazine?
The brand identity of Vogue magazine is fashion. The audience associate the magazine as modern/contemporary; the magazine is full of high end products worn by celebrities (celebrity endorsem*nt). The Vogue logo is across the top of the magazine front cover, some of the large typography is usually overlapped with a celebrity, however, as the brand is well known the audience know what magazine it is from the distinctive ‘look’.
Magazine Set Text: Vogue Magazine. July 1965.
Task: Vogue: Summary
Here is the Media Pack for Vogue: vg_media_pack_latest
- Who is the Publisher? Conde Nash
- Who is the target Audience? Middle Aged, Mostly female, High class.
Task: Vogue: Analysis of magazine front covers
The front cover is vital in communicating a clear sense of the brand identity of the magazine to the target audience and in appealing to potential readers at the newsstand. In such a competitive print market, magazine front covers need to stand out and attract the attention of potential purchasers. It is important that the front cover maintains a clear sense of familiarity for regular readers but also attracts potential new readers. Front covers have a clear set of expected codes and conventions. Mainstream magazines tend to conform quite closely to these conventions while magazines produced outside the commercial mainstream are more likely to challenge or subvert these conventions.
Complete the interactive activity by following this link:
2g-analysis-of-magazine-front-cover
Magazine = Vogue April 2011 – The 10th Annual Shape Issue.
Publisher = Conde Nash.
Target Audience = Middle aged women who can afford to buy the magazine and are inspired by Rihanna’s looks as well as personality.
Layout/composition of masthead, strapline, cover lines, images etc.
The composition of this magazine is close as the image is surrounded by multiple puffs.
Masthead =The masthead is gold which is associated with luxury, suggesting that the content in the magazine if luxurious.The gold masthead is overlapped by the colour red (from Rihannas hair, and the puff).Red and Gold are strong, bold, and rich colours which makes the TA believe that the magazine is high end and fashionable.
Coverlines =The cover line, ‘Rihanna On Fame, Family & How She Really Feels About Her Curves’ provides a preview of the content that features inside the magazine. The TA can now confidently suspect that a lot of celebrity gossip will be included in the magazine.
Font sizes, type, colour etc. =The font sizes vary from large to small however all the font on the front cover can be seen from a far distance so the TA can easterly read the front cover and don’t have to struggle.The typography is contemporary which makes the TA believe that the content is modern and not out dated.
Images/photographs (shot type, angle, focus) =
Mise-en-scene =
Language/Anchorage =
Narrative established =
Communicate messages and values? =
Reflect the social/cultural context? =
Establish the brand identity of the magazine? =
Construct and appeal to its target audience? =
Analysing the front cover.
Typography: What do different font styles connote?
The sharp lined font connotes importance. The TA are drawn to the typography as it stands out. This contemporary font is simple. The font is overlapping the image, making the image stand out.
Colour Scheme: What do the colours connote?
The black colour font contrasts with the light background. The white typography is hidden as it doesn’t facilities the image, therefore doesn’t draw the TA’s attention and isn’t that important. The gold masthead connotes luxury/glamour and Rihanna’s hair is red which connotes desire;desire for the TA to buy the magazine. The colours used are quite soft and light meaning the cover lines and puffs really stand out.
Placement or positioning of cover elements: What does this connote?
The main image of Rihanna is the main focus of the front cover. The image is complemented by the puffs which draw the TA into the image. The overlapping of font and masthead allows the TA to read all the puffs whilst returning back to the image.
Language and Mode of Address:
- Alliteration, Assonance or rhyme?
- Imperatives?
- Mode of address? Formal? Informal? Direct? Indirect?
- What is the Lexis?
1) ‘A Vogue Style Scribe Shoots Hoops with AMAR’E. The alliteration ‘Style Scribe Shoots’ isn’t obvious which makes the TA re-read the puff. This makes the TA look at the magazine for a longer period, potentially making the TA buy the product.
‘Fashion to flatter’ is an assonance of the ‘a’ sound. The ‘fashion to flatter’ suggests that without fashion you can’t flatter anyone therefore would be attractive. The assonance allows the TA to remember the phrase which makes them want to read more about it – potentially making the audience buy the product. The assonance ‘World’s Most Beautiful Bodies’ uses the assonance of the sound ‘o’ which also makes the TA remember the phrase and later feel the need to see the ‘Secrets behind’.
No rhymes in the front cover.
2) Imperatives are often used to convey the idea that the reader must do as the magazine suggests.
” Live better. Push your fitness limits. Give up sugar. Cut back alcohol.” These are all direct formal instructions which have been positioned next to Rihanna slim figure. The formal direct instructions overlap Rihanna therefore, when the TA reads the text they read over the slim figure emphasising what the TA could look like if they carried out these actions.
3) The Vogue magazine is formal and uses direct vocabulary to tell the TA the exact content in the magazine. The mode of address is used in second person. The pronoun “your” is repeated several time throughout the front cover making it seem as if the magazine is speaking directly to the reader.
4) Lexis = the specific type of language or vocabulary that is used. The Vogue magazine uses the lexis of fashion, beauty and health. For example, “Eat yourself happy” “Foods to treat depression”.
The name of the main image person = a model credit.
Challenge Task: What would white space on a cover or inside the magazine connote?
White space can be used to create a cleaner or more sophisticated look. Layout and design therefore play an important role in establishing the tone of an article.
Semiotics: Barthes – What is the Order of Signification? What Paradigms have been used and why? What syntagms have been used and why?
Roland Barthes is a key semiotics theorist. Order of Signification = Roland Barthes draws a distinction between two ‘orders’ or ‘levels’ of signification. The first order if signification involves denotation. The second order of signification involves connotation and myth.
Paradigm – A set of related signs that the encoder can choose from – the set of colours that a magazine designer might choose from, for instance, or the set of font styles that they might select from. In choosing one sign rather than another, the encoder or media producer makes a paradigmatic choice.
Syntagm – A combination of signs that are linked together in particular ways. A sentence, for example, is a syntagm that is comprised of words placed in a particular sequence in order to convey meaning. Syntagmatic relations are the relations between different signs.
Analysing Front Cover. (As a group/class.)
