Magazine Analysis 2

The tmasthead 'XXL' connotates extra extra large which could mean that with every issue there is more and more news and information on the genre and artists than any other magazine.

From XXL own research, they discovered that their target audience is mainly male as 78% of the readers were male. They were also between the ages of 20-25; who have a keen interest in both rap and hip hop as it is a hybrid magazine.

There is a small coverline above the title which shows the audience what the magazine is about.

The promoted content on the side of the magazine is floating rather than being stuck to the edge of the magazine which makes it look professional and more effective.

The Masthead

This masthead is different from others because it has block red behind the white 'XXL'. This helps to distinguish the brand identity as there are few titles that have the same effect.

There is equal spacing between the letters of the masthead which make it easier to read but also it gives it a professional look.

The font is san-serif which gives the magazine a more modern look but also a less harsh look that makes it easier to read.

In most of the front covers XXL produce, the model covers the 'L' of the masthead as that is the way the image fits across the page; but it is still easy to identify what magazine it is due to the unique masthead layout.

The image is very bold which makes the picture grab the attention of people who identify with rap or hip hop.

The headline uses the colours red and white which is consistent with the masthead which gives it a professional look because anymore colours would make it too hard for the reader.

The Image

The model is topless but is covered in tattoos which is often associated with rappers which means he conforms well to the stereotype. He is also wearing lots of jewellery which is something else that rappers are seen to wear a lot of, but not necessarily as much as he is.

The facial expression is serious and stern which makes the image quite intimidating.

The body language of the model matches the facial expression, intimidating. However; people do see rappers as quite intimidating people so this conforms well to the stereotype.

His direction of gaze is straight at the camera which makes the image more intimidating but draws the target audience in as it makes it more personal.

It is quite a simple image but it is a statement image which grabs focus and attention.

There are not any other images on this front page because the simplicity of one image can be more effective. Using other images would have made the page overcrowded, making it harder to read.

This image reaches out to the identified target audience because the image shows everything that it associated with rappers. The jewellery and the body language make it obvious who this is aimed at without reading any of the coverlines. The tattoos help reach out to the target audience of males in their 20's because it is becoming 'fashionable' to have a lot of tattoos now so this would appeal to them more.

Coverlines

This coverline appears on the left hand side of the magazine. The first coverline is asking a question, which could be followed by an article in the magazine which readers will not find out unless they buy the magazine. Therefore; this is a good marketing technique. The second coverline is the Top 10 Freshman from the decade which is something that usually helps the magazine to sell because people are interested to know who is number one.

This coverline is situated in the top right hand corner, above the image. These are both promoting articles inside the magazine. The use of the red lines to seperate the promoted content is shows consistency throughout the front page because it is the same red that is used in the title too. It means the colour scheme works well because too many colours would not look right and would be too much for the reader to focus on.

Connotations

The typeface is consistent throughout the front page and the font is sans-serif which shows that the magazine is more targeted towards the 'younger' generation because it is the font that is most used nowadays but is also easier to read.

The graphics used in this magazine are simple which means it is easy to read, easy to identify and easy for readers to relate with which makes it more effective.

The colours used on this front page are very basic. Red and black are the main colours used with a white background, the connotations of red and black are harsh colours which would work well with the typical stereotype of rappers.