{Analysis.

VIBE and XXL magazine.

The audience for VIBE is 82% within the age range of 21+ this shows that hip-hop music is most listened to or preferred by this age range.

The audience for XXL magazine is 78% male readers, median age of 27, and 44.7% college buyers and 67% African Americans.

Audience

VIBE mission statement; “VIBE has and will continue to be the vehicle that gives a voice to the undiscovered and a stage to those already shining.“

XXLs’ mission statement; “XXL’s editorial mission is to take a more mature, real and intelligent approach to hip-hop, with an emphasis on the music and lifestyle that are at the heart and soul of the culture.”

These missions statements are useful as they help me understand their magazines purpose and philosophy.

Mission Statements

I will go onto show the conventions magazines XXL and VIBE uses and how I might consider using these conventions.

The XXL magazine shows the male conventions whereas the VIBE magazine displays the female conventions

There are general magazine conventions such as masthead, barcodes, price that I will include in my magazine. However, there are some which are specific to RnB magazines, for instance, they include large medium, or close up shot of an aggressive looking male artist who will be wearing jewelry and have tattoos. The mode of address is direct, bold and threatening. Interestingly VIBE magazine often has pictures of women who are portrayed as objects. They are usually scantily dressed and in very provocative poses. Both of these are clearly aimed at a male audience. XXL rarely has single women artist on its front cover. Colours on the magazines tend to be dark; reds, and blacks, but at the same time the covers aren’t dull and dark, covers tend to be loud, busy and quite simple too.

Conventions

XXL

XXL magazine are more male dominated, they very rarely choose to use women on the front cover of their magazines.

It is noticed that men are commonly showing off their chests, and their bling this is show off their wealth and status in the music industry. It is inferred that the more bling you own the higher your status.

This is very similar to the VIBE magazine also, however VIBE magazine are less exposed, as we can see they try to dress their artist even though they show off their artists body.

VIBE

VIBE magazine (as we can see) dress their women very seductively.

Women are appendages - living organism, with a distinct appearance or function. So they don’t actually have any purpose of being in the magazine apart from being provocative.

VIBE tries to be more mainstream XXL magazine uses props to make

women seem as if they don’t exist.

By analysing VIBE and XXL it is noticed that I use the general conventions such as the barcode, brief info about what’s inside and the main artist.

However, I think my picture works, although she is not scantily dressed she is looking sexy and provocative in the way she is posed. I like the red because it’s vibrant and passionate but I think I can improve this by changing the layout of the wording and removing the yellow.

Reflection