Media Studies Magazine Analysis

Take TwoBy Debbie Onyemelukwe

The XXL magazine

Language and Mode of Address

This XXL magazine is rather basic and therefore there is a limitation to the amount of text present.

There is little opportunity to analyse the expression of language on this issue as the majority of the text are the names of hip-hop artists, which is not a true

example of language.

The expression of the magazine may reflect the magazine style. For instance, the lack of writing may demonstrate that it is more of a visual magazine as

opposed to informative.

However, the lower coverline situated in the bottom left hand corner is a colloquial statement which people, particularly Americans who like the hip-hop genre, would be able to relate to as they themselves may use dialogue such as this. So, although there is not a direct address to the audience, it

could be argued that this coverline addresses certain members of the audience on an alternate level.

Colour scheme

The colour scheme of this issue of XXL is red, black and white. However, it is not a colour scheme that is closely followed. This is because there are

few examples of where certain colours, red for example are used.

The model 50 Cent’s clothing compliments this colour scheme as he is dressed in a white vest with an accompanying white headdress. Both model’s are wearing jeans of a dark colour which do not clash with the

colouring.

The set of the cover is an example of good use of white space because the surrounding area of the models is a white back drop.

The colour combination of black, white and red is simple which makes it straightforward for the reader to understand.

FontThe font used on the cover of XXL is rather basic as it is simple letters which are clear and bold. The font is limited to only 2 variations: seen in the masthead and the

coverlines.

It looks like the font Gill Sans Ultra Bold or a font similar to this was used for the magzine title ‘XXL’.

It looks like the font Eras Bold ITC or a font similar to this was used for the maincoverline and the kicker of the magazine.

Because there is minimal text on the cover, the size of the letters compensate slightly for this because of the large size they are. The font choices add simplicity to the magazine

because there simple fonts are used adding to a consistent professional look.

Font used for the Masthead

LayoutThe layout of this issue of the XXL magazine is very simplistic. There is a large

use of white space in the photo as the background of the actual image is a white

backdrop. This adds to the simplicity as there is nothing to really look at so it

draws the attention onto the 2 male models.

The use of these models may be the reason behind the magazine’s minimalism.

They used 2 well-known celebrities from the hip-hop culture and them being

there is all that is needed, so you can see neither are doing extravagant poses to

add interest to the photo because they are the interest.

The barcode, price line and date line are all placed in the same area, which

could be argued is not a great idea because if a customer misses the location of

these important details, it could confuse them by not knowing the elements to

buy the magazine.

The majority of the coverlines as well as the masthead are left aligned which

gives a sense of consistency throughout the cover and an overall professional

look.

Model Gaze

There are 2 models used in this issue of the XXL music magazine.

Both 50 Cent and Soulja Boy are looking directly at the ‘camera’ or the

audience which makes the models seem as if they’re looking at the customer

to entice them to buy the magazine. I think this type of model gaze is suitable

as the pose that each model is doing is rather minimalistic so the strong eye

contact gives a sense of presence from the celebrities.

However, the model to the left, 50 Cent is wearing a head wrap which comes

extremely close to his eyes which adds mystery to the image and draws

attention to the feature of his eyes. On the other hand, the head wrap adds a

slight shadow just beneath his eyes and on the bridge of his nose which gives

of an intimidating feeling to the person viewing the front cover.

Barcode Position

The barcode position is situated on the bottom right hand corner of the front

cover.

This is a good location as it wont be the focal point of the cover, yet it is still

visible for the potential buyer to see.

However, if this magazine was to be displayed on a shelf next to many others,

it may be stacked onto others which could hide the right side of the magazine,

and therefore the barcode.

Perhaps, the barcode could be repeated on the back of the magazine or

perhaps near the top.

Image Analysis

There are some props used to enhance the quality of the images. For instance,

the head wrap that 50 Cent is wearing adds a sense of the ‘unknown’ as the

only part of his face you can see are his eyes, the customer may even

wonder if in fact the model is actually 50 Cent.

Another prop used in the shot is the number of chains Soulja Boy is wearing.

He is wearing 3 big chains, accompanied by a gold watch, gucci belt and

gold bracelet. This adds detail to the image as without these items, the

model would look quite bare.

Another beneficial factor to the image is Soulja Boy’s body art. He has an

astounding number of tattoo’s and the director of the photo shoot used this

to their advantage as it gives the audience more to look at. This idea

worked effectively as not just myself, but my friends and fellow peers even

said ‘I never knew he had that many tattoos’.

Price Line

Like the barcode, the price line is situated in the bottom right hand corner.

It is written clearly in a bold text in order to convey the pricing of the

magazine.

However, the price is only mentioned once on the cover which could be

considered as ineffective because the customer may not see it.

The price line also has to share its designated place with the barcode,

date line and website address. This in my opinion, is too cluttered

because too many of the important details are squeezed into the same

location.

Selling line/Strapline

The magazine has a subtle selling line that is situated in the top right hand

corner which is a list of 5 celebrities names. Similar to the image, the

director’s of the photo shoot stuck with the simplistic theme and just gave

the consumer ‘what they want’. This is an effective method as it gets

straight to the point of what is in the contents of the magazine. Using

celebrities names or pictures as the selling line/strapline is a quick and easy

way to entice the customer as no explanatory text is needed because it is

quite self explanatory.

The ‘+’ above the names is like saying its an ‘EXTRA’ feature in the magazine

contents. This is a good idea as it suggests to the reader that they’ll get

more if they choose this magazine and therefore this magazine choice is

better value for their magazine.