Music Magazine - Cover Analysis #2

Music Magazine Analysis #2

Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine which started in 1993; the publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers.  The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture.

Firstly, featured on the front cover is a famous rap star, Eminem. Featuring a celebrity on the front cover will attract a greater audience, possibly even beyond the targeted addressees. The photograph is taken as a mid-shot from an eye-level angle. It shows the subject as we would expect to see them in real life so it gives the audience a better perspective of him; his direct mode of address also invites the audience in to read the magazine since it makes them feel welcomed and acknowledged. However, his pose and facial expression indicates attitude and edge, which represents the genre of music the magazine is about. The audience will identify this and be drawn in to the magazine if they’re interested in that specific variety of music.

Furthermore, the masthead of the magazine is in a gradient of black to red; these colours correspond to fire, danger and power which may be perceived as the type of beat and style the magazine characterizes. The actual name itself, “Vibe” embodies an atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others, so the audience feels involved and appreciated by the magazine. The masthead is in a large, simple font, positioned across the top of the magazine. The position and font of the masthead never alternates, however the colours vary; this would be done to familiarise the audience with the house style so they can immediately glimpse at the magazine and identify that it is Vibe. In addition, Eminem’s head is overlapping a couple of letters incorporated in “VIBE”, signifying that the magazine is popular enough without revealing the full title; this is also a habitual factor on the majority of Vibe’s front covers.

Additionally, the strap line featured on Vibe advertises popular celebrity names then concludes with a rhetorical question. This element engages the audience and persuades them to purchase the magazine to observe the responses to the question they were left with. The celebrity names also induce a greater audience to read the magazine because a lot of people admire or look up to them.

Lastly, Vibes’ sell lines are situated around the exterior of the magazine on the left and right hand side. The text is in a contrasting color from the background so it’s more prominent to the audience. It’s a smaller font size than the title because it’s less significant although the most important articles are highlighted in red to inform the audience of the “hottest gossip;” this persuades people to purchase the magazine to cause them to believe they’re up to date with news. They’re in the colour red as it is often connoted with warnings and danger; therefore it’ll be prominent to any viewers.