Vibe Magazine Case study

 

Vibe Magazine

Cover Page

 

Image

This shot is a long shot because we are able to see the whole of their bodies; this has been done to show off what they are wearing as they seem to be wearing formal and expensive clothing.  Although it is a long shot, some things have been cut out for example parts Azelia’s legs have been cut out of the frame and small parts of Diplo’s shoes and knee. There is also a contrast in the chosen costumes, Azealia is wearing something more revealing and so it which seems less formal where Diplo is wearing a suit which is formal.

The scene they chose doesn’t fit the outfits or the cover story; the setting seems random, but perhaps they were going for an effect I’m not aware of. The lighting indicates that it is hot and if you’re wearing black you’re going to be hotter and it’s the same if you’re wearing a suit. Azealia is obviously wearing makeup, and it all seems dark, dark lipstick, eye shadow and mascara; she is dressed as if she is going to a funeral. It is not clear to me whether Diplo has had to put on makeup. The lighting comes from the left of the setting which lights up the left of their bodies and explains the cause of shadows on the right side of them.

Page layout

The layout of the cover page is ordered in importance the masthead is at the bottom of importance the image is next then first it is the text. The image partially covers the masthead and the majority of text and the cover line covers the image.

The mast head is very bold and bright which would stand out to anyone, and because it’s on such a plain back ground it’s easily recognized. Red is a very passionate colour and maybe that reflects the on the magazine, that the magazine is very passionate about what’s inside. Above the mast is information on one of the pages included in the magazine and because it’s so bold and dark it also stands out which could signify importance. Down the left hand side of the magazine there is three sections of information that’s included in the magazine. On the bottom right hand side you find the cover line which is in various sizes and colours of the same font. Diplo being the biggest and brightest word could mean that Diplo is bigger than you; another importance factor.

Language

The Language of the cover page is very limited in terms of how much of it there is. Although it is not about the amount of text that is presented on the cover page that matters, it is the way the text is presented and the techniques used to grab the reader’s attention. The use of Rhetorical questions makes the reader wonder what it could involve, big exciting things make people want to be involved which is why DIPLO was made bigger than the rest of the text on the cover line is much smaller. Also the way that the text is multi-coloured may seem attracted to the audience especially those of a younger age which may be why it is done.

Contents Page

 

Picture

The image on the features contents page of three members from the music group MMG. The picture contains Wale on the left, Rick Ross in the middle (because he is supposed to be the main man) and Meek Mill on the right. Each artist is dressed in white with tattoos and designer clothing which shows how successful they are.

This long shot shows the whole body of each artist, every image has a purpose in a magazine. This image is to show off the wealth of the group and each individual. Obviously this long shot was taken so that everything would fit onto the page.

The only shadows that are present are the ones under their shoes which could mean that there was lighting coming from various directions. The extra light was needed for the white clothing; the extra light would make the clothes brighter. Although, they are wearing white against a white background and so they don’t stand out as much and so the image isn’t as attractive as it could of been.

Page Layout

The title of its contents page is very small, not noticeable and is not like typical big bold titles that you see in some magazines. The title (features) is just above the contents information which is right at the bottom in three columns in black font and is very small, this could lead to people straining their eyes to read it. I think that the contents page's space could have been used more effectively instead of using one big picture and then scrunching the text up at the bottom. By doing this the artists are made to look more important than the magazine itself.

Language

When they address an artist they will describe them first e.g. "Maybach Music founder Rick Ross" or “Canadian teensation Justin Bieber". Like the contents page in XXL magazine the text is short, snappy and interesting; aiming to get the readers involved.

 

                        Double page spread

This double page spread is based on Heineken and social networking which is the reason for the green white and black colouration.

Image

On the first of the two pages there are four portrait images of four different rappers. Each image is either a medium close-up or a close-up because their head is only in view or their shoulders and hear are in view. Each image has been altered so that the face is the main feature of the image. Some effects such depth of field where the background is blurry and the closer image is in focus which makes the person/ objects seem more detailed and clear, this is especially visible in the first of Smoke DZA.

The lighting of these photos varies. Some of these photos seem to have taken advantage of natural light and some look as if they have been taken with artificial light. For example, the first image looks as if it is outside and there are no shadows on Smoke DZA's body or face whereas the third picture looks like it has been staged because of the shadows along the left side of Kid Ink's arm and neck which may have been cause by a lack of light from behind.

The second Page has one big macro image of a Heineken bottle cap again done with the technique of depth of field. This is a really detailed and attractive; the reflection of the cap helps create this. This same image is in the top left corner of the left page.

Page Layout

On the first page there is blurred green and black background with a white border a centimetre away from the edge of the page with the four pictures and text within in it. At the corner of the border/ text box there is a small picture of a bottle cap. On each of the pictures there is a text box with names and data from social networking sites based on that particular artist.  This layout is very neat, the pictures are correctly lined up and the text is in a single column. This sort of layout may apply to the younger generation because it lacks in text, it has a good colour scheme and everything is presented well. Younger people are less likely to want to read a lot of text especially if they are still in education even though the tone and words say something else.

Language

There is not a lot of text in this double page spread there’s one column of writing on the first page and then there is much, much less concentrated text on the second page. The tone of the text on the first page is very encouraging and formal as it attempts to promote its product. It’s clearly a formal piece of writing, we can see this through certain sentences e.g. "Social networking is an ever-evolving medium" and "presented by". This is an advert for an international brand which has been going on for over a century; Heineken may have to be formal to preserve its history and class.