Product Analysis: Mixmag Magazine

                                                     Cover:

Overall the cover of Mixmag has a very loud, garish feel to it – in particular, its use of bright, eye-catching colours such as pink and turquoise which demand the reader’s attention. This is very appropriate in that it appeals to the young, lively demographic that a dance music magazine targets. The artist on the cover is in a very confident pose suggesting a defiant attitude, with bright clothes which both look suitable for partying (linking to the genre of music the magazine is focused on) and which match the colour of the text on the page giving the product a very professional look. The repeated use of bright pink could suggest that they are targeting a female audience, however the use of an attractive female cover star could also appeal to a male reader. There are several different fonts used which vary in size, and this gives the page a somewhat chaotic feel which fits in well with the fast, hectic nature of dance music. At the very top it reads “The world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine”, a very bold statement which demonstrates confidence and arrogance, both of which would appeal to their younger target audience of people in their late teens/early twenties. In addition to this, a number of shapes are used such as arrows and circles to highlight certain phrases and headings, adding to the crowded, hectic feel.

Contents Page:

Interestingly, compared to the front cover the colour scheme of the contents page is fairly muted, with an entirely black background meaning the white and yellow writing stands out – this could be reminiscent of a nightclub, with bright lights standing out from the dark. The page is quite image-dominated, with a large photograph taking up the majority of the page and, because it is not immediately clear what is being shown, catching the eye and intriguing the reader so they want to find out more. The other image used is the same as that on the front cover, a clever technique as often when a customer opens a magazine the first thing they are looking for is the cover story having been drawn in by it. The page numbers are displayed in the corners of the images for easy navigation, and the page number for the “VIP” section as the magazine titles it, is larger then the rest as this is the article they are keenest to promote. The layout as a whole is fairly simple, with clean straight lines and angles, and the language used in the article summaries is informal and cheeky, for example: “What to buy for the dance music lover in your life. Or yourself.” This suggests a relaxed attitude and it is easy to read, which links to the party lifestyle of their target audience.

                                                                                    Double Page Spread:

Similar to the David Bowie article in NME, the two pages are almost entirely separate, although effectively linked by the black strip along the top which informs us that this is the “VIP” section and one of the most important features in the magazine. The image on the right hand page is very striking because of its creative use of colour in context – it seems to demonstrate that Fatboy Slim is in fact an artist in more sense than one. The mix of colours is disorganised but catches the eye because of its boldness, and having the artist positioned in the very centre makes him the focus. Interestingly, he is posing very casually and is not wearing fancy clothes – there is no pretence about him as there are with so many other public figures and the image has a very honest feel about it. The left-hand page, in comparison, has a very basic layout, with four plain columns of text in a straight Question and Answer interview – this again indicates total honesty and a sense of reducing things back to basics. The text (including the headline) is in plain black and white in a very simple font, excluding the name of the artist which stands out boldly in bright red – this is one of the only elements of colour on this page and stands out as a link to the creative concept behind the photograph.