Analysis 1 - The Word

The first music magazine I am analysing is The Word. The Word has an ideology where influential classic rock is important. This can be seen on the front splash with mentions of older rock bands so will attract an older audience. The main image on the front cover is a medium shot of John Lennon which takes up the whole background of the splash. The medium shot is used so he is instantly recognisable His face is in the top right of the cover and the main cover line and other cover lines are positioned around his shoulder which takes up the left third of the magazine. His outfit looks smart which makes him look intelligent as well, and his expression is self-assured without looking arrogant. This outfit and expression makes him look like a respected artist. Another reason why this picture has been chosen could be that his coat is black which helps display the white cover lines clearly and his top is red which corresponds with the title of the magazine. The colours black and red have been chosen as they match the colour scheme of the front cover and the bright red stands out against the black to grab the audiences attention. The picture is taken at a straight on angle and Lennon is looking directly into the camera, this straight-up shot engages the reader and would stand out with other magazines.
The main image is not placed in front of the masthead as the magazine is not a recognisable name.


The masthead is in a bold red to stand out and has two tag lines. The first 'music magazine of the year' is placed over the masthead again to stand out and catch the audiences attention so that the reader will know it is the best music magazine. The second tag line 'Intelligent Life On Planet Rock' suggests the magazine is for older readers and not the mainstream audience. This is also reflected in the price of £4.80, as it is more of a niche market the price of the magazine has to be raised so the target audience is of a middle class background. There is also a smaller image in the top left corner and headline across the top which refers to the image, to advertise what else is in the magazine, and that it covers TV programmes and not just music.



The main cover line is placed next to John Lennon's face and has the word 'Lennon' in a big white font to show who the main image is of, and underneath it says why he is in the magazine. Not a lot of the story is given away in the main cover line but advertises it as a big important news story so this will persuade the reader to buy it. Unusually there is also the name of the journalist who wrote the story underneath the main cover line, this might have been done as the writer is a successful and famous music journalist.


The also cover lines are in the bottom left corner of the splash in a smaller white font. This helps split the writing up and doesn't attract attention away from the main image and masthead. On the bottom right more music artists are named to give more of an insight to what music the magazine covers and what is in the issue and to appeal to fans of the artists mentioned not just John Lennon fans. The red and white font is used to split apart the different names and balance out the use of red at the top of the splash.



The contents page follows the same colour scheme as the front cover to keep continuity. There is a red masthead with the name of the magazine and the title 'contents page' so the audience know where the contents is. The date is also displayed bigger than it was on the front splash which makes it easier to see, so they know how recent the magazine is. There is another red banner at the bottom advertising the subscription to the magazine. The red makes it stand out and balances out the red used on the masthead.

The actual contents of the magazine is listed down the right hand side with stories mentioned on the front cover highlighted. This makes it much easier for the reader to find the stories they most likely bought the magazine for. Regular columns are highlighted in grey to make them again easy to find and splits up the contents column. The contents column is placed on the right hand side because if it was on the left it might be hard to read because it is near the canter page fold. Also if you were looking at the magazine on a rack you could flip the page and see everything that is in the magazine which may persuade you to buy it.


The images on the left all have to do with articles in the magazine and there is small print in between them showing what the page shows and what page it can be seen on. These pictures show that it is not just a music magazine and covers issues on politics which goes with their tag line 'Intelligent Life On Planet Rock'. There is also a caricature in the bottom right corner which is from one of the pages displayed in the contents. The image here splits up all the writing and references popular culture which again shows it is not just a music magazine and is up to date with the latest news.


The letter from the editor adds a personal touch to the magazine and the photo gives the reader an idea of who works on the magazine and can see them as real people who like what they're doing rather than just unknown faces doing their job. The signature at the end highlights the personal touch and the reader feels like they know the editor. This makes the reader more trusting in the magazine and believe its views on what music is good.

The headline aims to interest the audience by creating a sense of mystery, and that the article is going to include unknown things about John Lennon so fans will read the article to find out what they are and why they are so strange. The headlineand introduction is in big black lettering and take up a third of the page to stand out. The introduction is in smaller writing but still much larger than the main article. This is so the reader can read what is included in the article without readingit all. The introduction also advertises the rest of the article by giving away some of the things mentioned in it and mentions it is all in a new book which is why the magazine is covering it now.

The main article is in a much smaller font which suggests there is a lot to read, but this will appeal to its target audience of older intelligent music fans. It is set out in paragrphs to split up the writing. In the bottom right corner is the magazine website which reminds the audience that they can go on the website for more information about the book and on Lennon.

The three image to the left are old black and white photos which look like they're from a family album. This makes the article more personal and gives fans a chance to see how his life was. Next to each image is details about what each photo is and then information about who is in it which gives a further insight into his early life.

On the right there is an image of John Lennon which fills the page. In the chosen image he is looking directly into the camera to engage the reader and is unsmiling which makes him look like a serious person. The photo looks almost like a passport style photograph and his face and glasses are the only thing which is in colour on the whole double page spread. This helps him stand out and the audience can easily understand that this is the main article. The photo is placed on a side like it has been dropped onto the page, and the same can be said for the images on the other page. This makes the photos look like a collage and makes them look like personal photos. In the bottom right corner is information about when and who took the picture and information about Lennon. The photographer, Andy Warhol is included because he is a famous artist so the picture seems more important, it also says it was taken on a polaroid which gives it a retro feel.