Making a magazine front cover 1

I chose to use this image of a fellow student looking directly into the camera, so as to not break the convention of the model looking directly into camera. I also chose to use a medium close up photograph as this is the most stereotypical convention of magazines.  I think that this image reflects the genre of the magazine very well as she is clearly a young woman wearing a student ID. This could allow the reader to interpret her to be a college student and therefore relate to her. I think this will also appeal to the target audience of college students as the image is not beautified, the model is not wearing makeup and it has not been edited in any way, creating a realistic standard of beauty, unlike more mainstream magazines. 

I have used different fonts throughout the magazine cover for the different pieces of text, this creates variety and keeps the cover interesting, as if it was all in the same font it would not catch your attention and you would easily lose interest as it all looks the same. Also, by making the texts different sizes, shapes and colours it draws the readers eyes to different places, making them read what the magazine says and enticing them to buy it and read the articles inside. For the text colours I referred to the image of the model and the colour of the clothes that she is wearing, to make the cover harmonious and use any dramatically contrasting colours. I have also tried to create synergy through my use of co-coordinating colours.

I have made the masthead much larger than the rest of the text to stay within conventions of the masthead being one of the main subjects on the page. I think it would appeal to my target audience of college students, as "Student Life" is most likely their life, and if they can relate to the magazine it will appeal to them more than a magazine that has nothing to do with them or things that they are interested in.

I chose to use the features included around the models head because they relate directly to what college students are interested in or concerned about. I decided to do this because if a college student saw these subheadings, that were useful to them in some way, they would be more inclined to buy it. This relates to Curran and Seatons theory that "Newspapers and magazines respond to the concerns of their readers in order to stay in business". All of the features i have used would be a concern or of importance to many students, meaning the magazine would most likely be popular. I also decided to use a buzz word of "Exclusive" to make it eye catching and grab the readers attention immediately, drawing them to reading the article.

To improve this i could include shapes or banners around the bottom of the cover to fill the page more, make it more colourful and to include more information/articles. To do this, for example, i would create a puff of a shape, most likely a square or circle to keep it simple and grown-up. I would then colour it in accordance to the colour scheme i have used for the writing, so either in blue or pink. Inside of the shapes i could put offers on about an event/ticket to an event that the reader could win, or i could relate it to a celebrity and their time as a student. 

I used media language such as buzz words like "exclusive" within my magazine cover to represent that article as private and important. When i create  my product for my 03/04 production, i need to make sure i use everything i have today and more, such as puffs, to make the page interesting and colourful.

Selection and Rejection of photographs 1

Selection and Rejection

After spending an hour taking various pictures and looking through them all carefully, I have deduced my favourite photographs down to the four below, which I think are the best out of all of those that i took. 

This image is one of my favourites for a range of reasons. The bookcases in the image structure the whole photograph and the diagonal, leading lines that they have created lead towards a quote on the wall, giving the lines purpose as they point towards something. The lighting in this photograph is also very good as it has created shadows throughout the image, giving contrast between light and dark.  For example, the foreground of the picture is quite dark and shadowed compared to the brightness of the background. The table in the centre of the image draws your attention as it is centred and is such a bright white, further creating contrast to the shadows around it.

This is also one of my favourite images that I took. The camera is positioned so that the stave on the wall seems as though it is continuous and flowing past what the camera has taken, which is pleasing to the eye. The light in this photograph is also interesting. Due to how the lights are positioned on the wall, it created a striped effect with the light and shadows on the ceiling, wall and floor and from a certain angle it creates the illusion that there is a striped square that leads down the corridor. The coloured image on the wall gives a splash of colour to the photograph which makes it more interesting and less bleak, whilst drawing your attention to just off the centre, to the left. 

The floor creates leading diagonal lines towards the end of the hallway which is also reflected on the ceiling with the lines of the ceiling panels. This furthers the illusion that the corridor gets smaller the further down you go.

This is another of my favourite images, a close up shot of a small insect I spotted outside on a bench. The texture of the table makes the photograph more interesting as it is made up of intricate, entwining lines that would otherwise not be seen from far away. The blue of the table also gives the photograph a brighter atmosphere, drawing your attention the the insect on the table. The way that the light has created shadows between the panels on the bench is also interesting to look at as it creates contrast yet it is quite a soft contrast as their is no harsh, definite shadow line. Luckily, the camera focused exactly on the insect and therefore has created a very high quality photograph of it that allows you to see it in high detail. I like that the contrast in size between this minuscule insect on the larger bench panels as it makes the insect seem smaller and the bench seem larger than they actually are. Also, because of how the camera is positioned, the white flooring is just visible between the bench panels and provides a bright background for the insect, highlighting it and showing that it is the focus of the photograph.

This is my final favourite photograph that i took. I think this photograph is of excellent quality because of all of the different lighting elements. The light is reflected in all of the water droplets, highlighting them and drawing your eyes to them, whilst making them seem more 3D than they are. The stream of water also has a reflection of light in it which has created a white stripe across it, which i find pleasing. The metallic surface of the water fountain is naturally shiny and therefore reflects the light very well, making the whole photograph bright. The green reflection on the drinking fountain and the water on it  is from a sign nearby. I think this makes the photograph more interesting and abstract whilst adding colour to the photo, which would otherwise be colouress. 

On the other hand these four images did not turn out  how i wanted to for a variety of reasons and therefore are my least favourite photographs that i took.

This photograph is one of my least favourite because it is so blurry and unfocused. For this photograph I was trying to capture my friends hair blowing in the wind, however the camera did not focus in time to capture the image. As it is so blurry you cannot see what my intention was and it has overall resulted in a bad photograph. As well as this, i think that i stood with the camera too close to her hair for the picture to be taken, as if it was slightly further away i could have included the background and made that slightly blurry, drawing attention to the hair. To improve his photograph, when i was taking them i should have taken more, simultaneously, to capture as many different photographs as i could and then it would be more likely for me to have a photograph that was focused.

This is another of my least favourite photographs that i took. I do like that the light is reflecting on the book cover and therefore creating small white lines across the photograph, however again the issue is that the camera has not properly focused on the writing on the books so it looks slightly blurry. The camera is too close to the edge of  the book and is not angled enough to fit the whole book in the frame. If it was further away the camera would focus more and the photograph would be more interesting as there would be more to look at. 

There are many reasons why this photograph is one of my least favourite, the main reason being that the camera is out of focus. Because it is not in focus the whole photo is blurry and is therefore a low quality image. Another reason why i do not like this is because of the lighting. The lights in this photograph are not centered and i do not like how they are reflecting in the glass, as it does not reflect directly down the centre of the image which makes it not pleasing to look at. Finally, the camera is positioned so that the ceiling and balcony in the photograph are not centered, but also do not follow the rule of thirds, therefore it  does not look right and makes it unsatisfying.

This is the last of my least favourite photographs that I took. I do not like this photograph because the lighting in it is very dull and makes the whole photograph seem quite grim and dismal, whereas if their was sunshine in the background the image would seem more happy. There is a reflection on the window that i took the photograph from, from the lights behind, which is distracting and makes the photograph seem less professional. The position that the camera is in also does not compliment the shape of the school. Overall i think this is not a good photograph as it does not follow any rules and does not break them well either, creating something that is visually unattractive.

Research: Advertising and branding

          Advert 1: Coca Cola Eyes Closed                                    Advert 2: Coca Cola Pool Boy

American teenage life is represented as fun, care free and adventurous in the first advert as everything featured is, or is related to, high energy activities that the majority of people would find thrilling or at least enjoyable. It therefore conveys that American teenage life is exciting and always exhilarating, as if there is never a boring moment, so long as you have a Coca-Cola to Drink.

The second advert on the other hand represents a more normal style of American teenage life, sitting at home and admiring an attractive pool boy, which would be expected of teenage girls. It does however, show a teenage boy also admiring the pool boy which automatically shows the viewer that Coca-Cola as a brand does not discriminate non-traditional sexuality and is challenging the stereotypical love-sick teenage girl. This advert shows the more comedic side of realistic day to day life, of brother and sister fighting to get to the pool boy first and get his attention however their mother has already solved the problem, giving him a Coca-Cola.  Despite how different the two adverts are they both show the fun side of it all, whether it is going out or staying in, it represents how American teenage life can be anything you want it to be if you make it that way, but typical things within the family will still happen.

In the first advert America overall is represented as an action packed place that offers so many things to do for a wide variety of people, whether they are younger, older, white or otherwise it demonstrates that in America everyone is treated equally and is entitled to have fun and enjoy themselves. This matches the stereotype of America being a free country where you can become anyone you want to and fulfil your wildest dreams. The second advert represents America as very similar to other countries in that comedic and silly things happen within the family that cannot be helped and bring you closer together as a family, portraying that however wild your life may be, in America you will always be having a good time.

The representation of America and American teenage life in the first advert may be attractive to teenagers living in Britain as it shows only the best parts of living an American life as an American teenager, such as going to festivals, music concerts and theme parks and not things that every teenager has to go through such as school and college. This would therefore make teenagers in Britain think that being an American teenager is much easier and much more fun, making it attractive to them as it offers something different and more interesting than what most people experience. The second advert on the other hand would not necessarily be seductive to teenagers living in Britain but would comfort them as it shows that although living in America may be wild and adventurous, that normal things within families still happen and family drama, no matter how silly it may be still occurs, even in America. Stuart Halls theory about representation can be applied here. “Representation is the process by which meaning is created through the use of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things” For example, in the first advert the series of clips of a variety of people engaging in thrilling activities represents Americans as a whole as people who enjoy these kind of activities.

I do not think that adverts such as the first one erode cultural differences completely as I believe they will always be there in a way intentionally or not as different cultures honour different things that other cultures may not agree with, so there will always be some differences there. I do, however think it shows that no matter what cultural background you come from, in America you can be accepted and are welcomed to enjoy what America as a country offers. It portrays how people from different cultures can enjoy things together but I don’t think that this causes the cultural differences to just disappear. The second advert, in my opinion, also does not erode cultural differences as it only features people from one culture. Despite this, it could show that there is not as much differentiation between cultures as some people may think there is, as people from other cultures most likely also go through the same or similar things. This would mean it slightly erodes some cultural differences as it portrays what most families go through, however it does not confirm that families from other cultures go through the same thing, therefore it still does not erode cultural differences.

Research of Institutions 2: Bauer Media

Research of Institutions 2: Bauer Media 

 About Bauer Media:

 “Bauer Media UK is an entertainment network of iconic, multi-platform brands. The business became part of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately-owned media group, in 2008. Founded in Hamburg in 1875 and now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the Bauer Media Group operates in 19 countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA and has 11,000 employees worldwide.”

Analysis of the homepage:

The Bauer media homepage is filled with website conventions. In the centre of the homepage there is a great example of cross media convergence through a constantly moving image.  Despite the images changing the sell line stays in the same place, constantly reminding viewers of the mass audience Bauer media has, “25 million people”, the many brands it owns, “107 brands” and the different media platforms it is associated with. This not only promotes how large Bauer Media is, but reinforces the viewers to also believe in Bauer’s success.

With the constantly moving images across the centre of the homepage, the banner in the lower right corner of the image changes too, according to the image. Each banner relates to the image, promotes the mentioned brand or media form and promotes Bauer as a whole by creating a positive image for each of their unique outlets. 

On the homepage below the moving image is the latest news. All of the news mentioned relates to Bauer media themselves or the brands that the institute owns. This shows the wide range of brands that Bauer own and how successful they are.

Further down the page there is an option to view more recent news which links to a different tab on the website that contains a wider variety of news. This allows the viewer to explore the website further, promoting everything else they offer.

Below this option are more options such as “match our audience to your brands”. The background for this is a bright, happy yellow which catches your attention. This acts as a tool that smaller businesses could use to find out what their target audience should be and which age group they should focus on. This allows the viewer to be interactive with the website and will encourage people to visit their website as they can get something out of it.

This option is in an eye catching green which contrasts the green block next to it. This option allows people who visit the page to view what roles they could fulfil if they are interested in working for Bauer media. Again this allows the viewer to be interactive but also acts as a recruitment scheme as it will entice viewers who may not have gone on the website to apply for a job to have a look and see what they offer.

This section of the website links to twitter, one of their social media outlets, encouraging the viewer to visit the social media platforms they use. It also showcases how the business is modern and uses new technology to reach a wider audience, implying they are technology savvy and know how to adapt to stay in business.

At the top of the homepage there is a variety of tabs you can click on that link to different pages that contain different information about Bauer media and the brands that they own.  This is very useful for the viewers as it allows them to easily navigate themselves around the website and find what they are looking for. It also keeps the website very organised, simple and stops the page from being overcrowded.

Analysis of Audiences:

One of the tabs named “Audiences” link to a page all about the audience their brands cater to and the different types of audiences there are. At the top of the page there is a constantly moving image as there is on the homepage which keeps the viewer interested in the page as it is moving and encourages them to read what the new picture says as it grabs your attention when it moves. One of the images that is moving is of happy, smiling young people which depicts that Bauer as a whole are a happy, positive company who want to keep their audiences happy. The bright colours within the image are very colourful, vivid and contrast one another which is eye-catching.

The banner on this image says “Meet our millennials”. The language used here can be used to understand more about the company. “our” is very dominant and controlling, implying that Bauer controls the millennial age group and that they belong to them. By taking advantage of the term “millennials” it reinforces the idea that they are a modern company and know how to adapt to changes within language and behaviour for the better. Also, by using the word “meet” it suggests that the viewers of the website do not know much about millennials and that they need to know and understand this age group. By suggesting this it could also make the viewer question why Bauer think that millennials are so important, especially as they are such a large, influential media institution.

The other moving image is of a young, modern woman who looks happy and interested in her conversation. She is smiling and wearing a colourful shirt and the picture is overall very light, reinforcing the positive atmosphere of the page and keeping viewers interested because of the colourfulness. As the image is only of one young/middle aged woman who seems to be between the age of 20 & 30 it instantly makes the viewer think that this section of the page is going to be about this woman or women who are stereotypically like her. The banner on this image says “Game changers”. Looking at the words individually, “game” has little meaning as it is assumed that the game they are talking about is referring to media and how it is created and perceived, however “changers” suggests that they are changing the way that things are done and are making a difference within the media industry. When put together with the image the viewer will automatically undertake the idea that the stereotypes of these kinds of women are changing media and influencing it in a positive way.

Below these sections is a column of different news stories related to audiences, named “Latest case studies” This suggests that Bauer are constantly studying their audiences to learn more about them and be able to adapt to their consumers’ needs and wants. This portrays them as an active business who are eager to stay on top of changing fashions and style of media that audiences are interested in.

At the bottom of the audiences’ page is a section labelled “Audience Figures”. Without reading this the viewer will be able to interpret that if Bauer are willing to post their audience figures & statistics and create smaller pages about them that they are proud of them, implying that they are in fact a very successful business.

Analysis of Brands:

Within the tab labelled “brands” is another page dedicated to the brands that they own and have created. Again, at the top of the page is a constantly moving image which keeps the viewer interested in the page whilst making the page more interactive.

The images that move across the top of the brand page are very different in genre, colours and overall atmosphere, showing that Bauer caters to a wide range of audiences. One of the images is of two young women posing for the camera, implying that Bauer is an influential company in fashion and beauty and can provide for that type of audience. Another image is very different to this as it shows a guitarist mid-way through playing his guitar on a stage, assumable at a concert of a rock/metal genre. These images depict very different genres of brands but promotes Bauer as it expresses how it is involved within many genres of people and caters to their individual expectations.


Stuart Halls theory about representation can be applied here through how Bauer media are representing themselves as a modern, happy company who work hard to please their many different types of audiences. For example, the use of bright and colourful images with smiling people represents Bauer as a positive company. The bold language used, such as "The UK's most influential media brand network" represents them as a confident and competitive company with a fierce attitude towards their work.

References: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/about/our-company 

The Big Issue History from alyshavesseyalevelmedia

Textual Analysis of a Magazine cover

The Masthead is at the top of the front cover which is sticking to convention and is in a bright white font which makes it eye-catching against the dark background. The “u” in music is in italic and could refer to “you” as in the reader, making the experience of reading the magazine much more personalised. The rest of the word “music” is in a relaxed but classical font which links to the classical genre of the magazine overall.

The Splash takes up most of the page which is also a convention, however the musicians name is in a different font style and size to the description of the story, grabbing your attention as it has quite a rustic, worn down effect, giving the impression that this is how the musician plays or is perceived by his audiences.

The main image that relates to the splash of the musician is a Close up camera shot that really emphasises the musician physical features. The image also effectively uses light and dark to create a dark shadow on one side of the musicians face which could signify he is a dark, mysterious man. This links to Halls theory about representation as he is being depicted as this character through various signs such as the positioning of his face, the colour theme of the front cover and how he is staring directly into the, camera which is also a convention. 

He is using a guitar as a prop through Mise-en-scene which emphasises that he plays the instrument, however it is not what most people would consider classical music, and therefore may interest the reader to listen to his music to see if it is more classical sounding than you would imagine.

In the short description of the Splash underneath the musicians’ name positive language is used such as “hero”. This implies that he is a well praised musician, and perhaps well known. Also, around the description of the Splash the words “classical” and “guitar” are repeated twice. This reinforces the theme of classical music being involved with guitars and could be interpreted as the magazines way of highlighting the change of instruments that are usually features as normally the instrument features are violins or brass such as a trumpet, not guitars.

Underneath the splash there is no by-line and no indication of who wrote the article, however this is usually a convention of newspapers and is not so common to be seen in magazines.  This depicts that the writer is not acting as a unique selling point, and is very much not important in this story, instead all the focus is on the musician and his aura.

Throughout the magazine front cover six other Musicians names are featured in subheadings. This may be to interest fans of those musicians and make them also want to buy and read the magazine. It could also be used to boast the reputation of the magazine, as it seems quite a high end magazine if they can feature this many famous musicians in one issue.

Towards the bottom of the page is an image of a bright orange flower. This quickly brings your attention to this section of the magazine towards the fact that a free CD is contained within the magazine. This could also be a way to attract more people to buy the magazine as they will also get a CD out of it, for a good price, showing the magazine is good value for money.

The colour theme of black, grey white and red is a visual code as overall it is very dark, intense and dramatic which is how the musician is portrayed. The colours used portray the audience aim of the magazine is towards male readers, as an overall masculine atmosphere is created. This magazine is targeted at a niche audience of upper class older men, which is made clear by the price; it is more expensive than regular magazines, which upper class people are more willing to pay.

The off lead is highlighted in a different colour to the splash and the background of the cover which may be to differentiate it from other stories close to it. It is also given a considerable amount of space when compared to the other subheadings on the cover, again making it clear that it is the second most important story.

The BBC produces a wide variety of media such as magazines, television programmes and radio stations. This has allowed them to become a widely recognised brand that people trust. The BBC logo in the corner notifies the reader of who owns the company and could persuade people to buy the magazine if they have not done so before, as the BBC is a well-known brand, making people more eager to buy it than if it was owned by a company who they had not heard of before. 


Curran and Seatons theory that "newspapers and magazines respond to reader concerns to stay in business" can be applied here. The readers of this magazine may be concerned that classical music only features the stereotypical stringed instruments for this genre, such as violins and cellos. Therefore to keep the readers interested, the BBC may think it is a good idea to show how guitars still hold a key place within classical music and are still considered an important instrument with this traditional music style.