Product Analysis: Mojo Magazine

                                                              Cover:

Similarly to Q and The Word, the colour scheme on this cover consists of black, white and red. However, in this case the black seems to be the most predominant element where in other cases the red stood out the most, perhaps indicating a more serious tone to this over other magazines. The most striking aspect of this cover is the main image of Paul McCartney, as it is positioned directly in the centre – interestingly, they have chosen to use an old image is the artist as opposed to a recent one, and this demonstrated his staying power as an artist; reminds the reader of how long he has been in the industry and what an important figure he is. The photograph dominates the page to the extent that it even overlaps the title, as is common in music magazines – this displays both the significance of the artist and the magazine’s opinion of themselves, that they are a big enough brand to be recognisable even without the whole masthead visible. The text on the page is arranged in straight columns, and is packed closely together to give a busy effect and indicate a lot of good content to encourage customers to buy the magazine. The names of artists are in white block capitals, to stand out against the dark background and demonstrate their importance, while techniques used to try and sell the magazine include short phrases such as “Exclusive Interview!” and “33 Pages of reviews!” – These are outlined in red and attract attention, similar to those on the cover of The Word.

Contents:

The format of this contents page is very similar to that of The Word and Mixmag, despite them being magazines of very different genres. It uses a blocky layout, with a host of images down the left hand side and the text in a column on the right. What is different here, however, is the “This month’s Contributors Include…” section, which seems to be unique to Mojo and indicates that their demographic is an intellectual, a mature reader who knows the music industry well and would be able to identify an impressive contributor to the magazine. The text itself has a very simple layout, with the different sections of the magazine such as “Albums”, “Playlist” and “DVDs” clearly separated for easy use by the reader to find what they are looking for. The language used is relatively informal and is attempting to appeal to a wide audience, for example “What goes on!” and “Hot News” have a very young sound to them. The images used vary in style, with two very abstract and eye-catching pieces being used alongside straight-laced, monochromatic band photographs, and this could perhaps demonstrate that there is a huge variety in the content of the magazine and there is likely to be something to appeal to most readers.

                                                                                     Double Page Spread:

This double page spread, like several others I have analysed, uses the format of one entirely image-dominated page and then one focused on text. The style of this spread is very similar to that of the cover, in that it is almost entirely black and white, which gives it a very classic, aged feel – significant as the artist in question has been in the industry for decades and would look out of place in a modern, brightly coloured garish spread. The image used here is natural-looking and has not been edited, giving the impression that this is a realistic view of the artist and an honest interview with no holds barred. His facial expression is relaxed and happy, and he is looking directly at the reader which puts them at ease; makes them comfortable and want to read on. The headline takes up almost half of the right-hand page, and emphasises the fact that Herbie Hancock has been a significant part of music from the ‘60s right up to modern day by highlighting his name and the years (for example ‘60s, ‘70s, 2008) in a different colour so that the reader’s eye is drawn to them. Also crucial is the use of a quote by Corinne Bailey Rae - a significant figure in modern music - complimenting him and insisting his importance in the business – this would attract the attention of a younger reader who was unaware of Hancock, and perhaps make them understand that just because an artist has been active for generations, they still hold an important role in today’s music industry.