Product Analysis: The Word Magazine

                                                                  Cover:

This magazine cover, similar to other such as Q, features a predominantly red, black and white colour scheme, along with a bright yellow – these are all very eye-catching colours and would make the magazine stand out from others. It seems to have a quirky edge, as can be seen in the slight angles at which some of the images are placed, and the informal language used such as “Decent free CD!” and its self promotion: “Music Magazine of the Year – Again! The use of exclamation marks here suggests enthusiasm. The demographic seems to be a slightly more mature audience, evident in the feature about Kate Bush, who is likely to be more familiar to an older generation of music fans. The central image is in black and white, accentuating the almost vintage style, and having the artist in a medium-shot and looking directly down the camera help the reader to feel a stronger connection – it is a seemingly very confident photograph. The old-fashioned feel is also represented through the stamp-like edge of the text box on the right hand side, which also gives the page a very organised feel. The text in this box is much smaller and packed closer together, which gives the impression that the magazine is full to the brim of articles and is worth the customer’s money. In addition to music artists, the cover also promotes the fact that the magazine features reviews of DVDs, with a promotion of a film review which again would be suitable for older audiences – this is evident through the choice of a film with a 15 rating and the use of the words “classic lineup back together”.

Contents Page:

This contents page seems predominantly text dominated, using just one quite large image and one smaller one. The photographs used, however, are in very strong contrast to each other and as a result are intriguing: the first, a seemingly unposed-for shot in a military situation and the second what appears to be a glamour shoot. This emphasises the wide variety of artists that are covered in the magazine and suggests it has a wide target audience. The colour scheme, once again, is black, white and red but this time with blue. Red and blue, being two of the simplest primary colours, seem to suggest that perhaps the magazine is about music going back to basics instead of being over-complicated. Being text-dominated could suggest that the magazine is aimed at quite intellectual people – emphasises by the inclusion of a letter from the editor which gives it a more personal touch. Significantly, the contents page is divided into sections, for example “On the Cover” and “Columns” – this makes it seem orderly and very easy for the reader to locate the features they want within the magazine.

                                                                                    
                                                                                    Double Page Spread:

In contrast to the cover and contents page, the colour scheme on this double page spread is almost entirely monochrome, with black text on a white background and even the artist wearing black and white clothes. This again gives off a very stripped, “back-to-basics” feel and the reader gets the impression that it is a very frank and honest interview. The artist’s name is boldly printed to catch the reader’s eye, and it is cleverly integrated into the headline, which uses the technique of posing questions that the reader can only find out the answer to if they read the article. The use of “Drugs?” at the very start suggests once again that it is definitely aimed at a mature audience, along with Lily Allen’s reputation and non-child-friendly song lyrics. It is heavily text-dominated , with one half-page image and one much smaller one, and this suggests again that its key demographic is more mature and possibly slightly older. The large image depicts Allen looking directly into the camera, but positioned slightly at an angle, as though she has been caught off-guard – she does not want it to appear posed for, although the quality of the image and clever use of light indicates it was definitely taken in a professional photo shoot. The smaller image, in contrast, is of a very young Lily Allen with her father and brother, and has a much more personal feel as we are getting an insight into her childhood – this is a technique to make the artist connect with and appeal to the reader.