Vibe is a music magazine produced by Quincy Jones that features articles about R&B and Hip Hop artists but also actors and other entertainers. The codes and conventions of R&B genre are stereotypically that males are usually topless to appeal to female audience and show off there masculinity and status to other men however they can also be stylishly dressed for the same reasons as it can make them look like a ‘boss’. Females are also exploited for their sexuality as they will dress to appeal to men or show other women that they can be attractive and in charge. Jewellery is also used to show off status and represent the stereotypical ‘Gangster lifestyle’.

Billboard is owned by Prometheus global media group and is a music magazine aimed at a mainstream audience, its genre is mainly popular music from the charts. Codes and conventions of this genre are that the content included appeals to a mass audience and the music is usually from the charts and very popular. Also the magazine will have a more positive feel and be based around the latest trends. Billboard is one of the worlds most influential.

The Mastheads on the cover pages are iconic signs as they represent the brand identity for the magazine. Vibe uses bold font and a mixture between capital letters and lower case, this makes it look more interesting and readers can recognise this. Also the use of the intense red colour can have culturally symbolic signs of passion, love, danger or anger.

Cover Pages

In relation to the magazine the preferred reader will see the connotations of the colour red could be interpreted as passionate and dangerous as the magazine manipulates the rock and roll lifestyle for the R&B and hip hop genres as seen in the main cover line ‘Miguel sex, drugs and R&B’. In contrast billboard magazines main cover line is ‘Our Woman Of The Year Beyoncé’ This is a more positive article as it is praising her where as Miguel is being shown as rebellious in a cool way. Moreover an indexical sign of ‘Vibe 'magazine is the main image where Miguel is seen posing in a stereotypical ‘rock star’ pose.

Similarly billboard uses bold font and colour to appeal to its audience the use of colour blocking to fill letters is an iconic sign for the magazine. The prominent female used as the main image is a symbolic sign of elegance and power as Beyoncé is a well known female singer and her pose shows off her figure in a regal way. The symbolic signs of blue and white for the colour scheme has a preferred reading that the magazine represents her positively as blue and white together can be seen as water which is refreshing.

The preferred reading will see this as the magazine offers refreshing insights into the music industry. The oppositional reading could view Beyoncé as posing provocatively as her dress shows off her body and doesn’t cover her up, however the iconic and indexical signs all show that billboard has more positive connotations and a wider more main stream audience who are aware of the genre.

Contents Pages:

The vibe contents page has the iconic signs of the magazines mast head and ‘V’ logo graphic this makes readers identify with the magazine as they are familiar with its brand identity. There are indexical signs of a stereotypical ‘Gangster’ used as the main image, from this picture the preferred reading shows that the magazine represents urban culture as the pose and props used conform to this, as he is barring his teeth and flashing his large chains.Billboard uses a superimposed layout and a more balanced image to text ratio than vibe the iconic signs are the typography used as readers can automatically relate to the magazine.

The symbolic sign of the deep red colour in ‘Vibe’ has negative connotations that add to the stereotype as the deep red can represent danger and in society ‘gangsters’ are viewed as dangerous. However an oppositional reading to this would be that despite the gangster lifestyle there are still firm morals and ethics as there is a tattoo that has religious connotations and one that talks about respect this subverts from the stereotype and shows that an indirect representation of the ‘gangster’ as the main image is that he has morals and the readers can see it as a positive as he has beliefs. The white with the outlines of other colours on billboards contents page are iconic signs to the magazines brand identity they also create a house style the oppositional reading of this is that the magazine has a clear message with additional interesting content so it offers a fresh perspective.

Similarly to vibe, billboard has a main image of a male however the indexical signs show that there are more positive connotations as he is wearing a suit and looks business like the preferred reading will identify him as a role model because he is ready to work and prepared. Also the low key lighting is an indexical sign that makes him appear mysterious an oppositional reading shows that the reader will want to discover his secrets in the magazine and solve the mystery.

Typography is also used as an iconic sign for the mast head and the logo as an indication to the branding of the magazine, on the other hand a mixture between serif and san serif font is an indexical sign and creates an informal feel to the magazine and indicate a mature demographic as the serif font is usually used as a formality for a higher class. Billboard uses mainly san serif font this is more informal and appeals to a younger audience the preferred reading is that billboard is a trendy magazine and the typography can be seen as youthful and interesting.

Double Page Spreads:

Image: The main image is an indexical sign as it links with the

headline of the article as Bruno Mars looks as if he is in floating in space but still cool and in control. The preferred reading makes the

reader look up to Bruno as he looks like he is in charge.

Typography: This is an iconic sign as the font used is specific to the house style for vibe. The preferred reading will make links to the picture of Bruno Mars and the headline as it is a direct representation. Also the colouring make the ‘Mars’ stand out an oppositional reading would be that there is a double meaning and it could refer to the planet and ‘Mars’ being the war planet.

Masthead: This is used to in keep with the house style and as an iconic sign for vibe. There is also use of a barcode, the preferred reading is that vibe is including the codes and conventions of magazines.

Layout: The image to text ratio is balanced here as they each have one page and the design is very simple the preferred reading of this is that the magazine doesn't need much to be interesting.

Layout: the article uses a superimposed format to layer images and text in a professional way this is a symbolic sign as the main image over the text showing that it is more important. The preferred reading is that Nicki Minaj is directly addressing the audience which is why she is closest to the audience .

Colours: Colour is a symbolic sign stereotypically the colours used are aimed at a female audience. The preferred reading of the pink pastoral colour scheme is ‘girly’ and soft although an oppositional reading would be that the mise en scene suggests a contrast to this, and a more wild and fierce connotation because of the animal print and alert facial expressions.

Typography: A symbolic sign is the phrasing of the headline which

suggests that Minaj is exposing a truth because of the use of ‘Gospel’. The

preferred reading is that she is seen as someone to look up to trust this is

also relevant as a genre of music ‘a style of black American religious

singing’ as Minaj is a singer/rapper and it shows she has morals.

Image: The main image is an indexical sign featuring a mid-shot of an iconic female rapper the mise en scene of the image suggest that she is fierce because of the animal print and contrasting colours. The preferred reading of this sets up Nicki Minaj to be a role model this is further shown in the prominent use of a ring that says 'icon’. The oppositional reading of this would see her as arrogant although this reading also adds to the ‘fierce’ persona.