Semiotics

A theorist called Saussare stated that in everything there is a sign and signified. If sunshine and smiles is the SIGN then happiness is what has been signified.
Denotation - What you can see.
Connotation - What this might suggest

Analysis of the same genre of magazine

Here are two images of people within the same music genre, I have uploaded images of the magazine 'The Source' which include The Game and Lil Wayne. I have identified that the music genre for this magazine is rap.   I will discuss the similarities about the house style of this magazine in order to show that magazines of the same genre usually have the same house style.
The first thing I noticed about the magazines was the bold clear mast head used to catch the viewers attention, as well the mast head being side ways. The semiotics are also similar, the colour red is used in order to stand out and grab the viewers attention. These colours are used on things such as headlines and banners. The rest of the magazine is generally black, blue, brown or white, relating to the music genre of rap, therefore the use of colours on these magazines are usefull. As for the layout of the magazines, they are very similar. On the cover there is one image only, this is a close up shot of the rapper showing in detail the expression on both of the rappers face. Not only does the close up image show detail but it doesnt give the front cover much room for big writing and other images, therefore the writing that is around the image is short and small. This can also be related to the genre of music as the lyrics of many rappers are short but catchy. The front style of the text on the front covers suggests the genre to be very hard and bold, as block capitals and bold font is used. 

Feminism - Male gaze - Laura Mulvey theory.

Here, there are two photographs of Lady Gaga appearing on the front cover of Q magazine and Rolling Stones. I decided to use Lady Gaga as she is a great example of the Male gaze used on both these magazine covers. In relation to the male gaze, Voyeuristically and Fetishistically leads onto Objectification of female characters and Narcissistic identification with a surreal image seen on the front cover. 

Terminology

Buzz Words: "Wow", "Exclusive", "Free" are all examples of this.

Puffs: Colourful boxes promoting features inside.

House Style: A magazine's distinctive design that distinguishes it from its competitors.

Strap Line: A slogan

Banner: Text which stands out on a coloured background generally at the bottom of the magazine.

Copy: The Main Story in the Magazine

Anchorage Text: The way in which text helps to pin down the meaning of a picture and vice versa.

Pugs: Placed at the top left and right corners of the paper and are known as the 'ears' of the page. The price of the paper, the logo or a promotion are often positioned there.

Motto: Memorable phrase that is recognisable to a brand

Headline: Catchy Title for the main article

Sell Lines: Text on the front cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience

Caption: Description of the main image

Masthead: Name of the magazine

Lead: The introductory paragraph of an article. Usually written in bold or capitals.

Drop Capitals: Really big letter that starts off an article

Analysis front cover

This is an analysis of a front cover of the magazine 'Rolling Stones'. On the front cover there is a mid shot of Jay-z in a suit, I have analysised the front cover of the magazine including things such as the colours, the fonts used, the size of the texts and why they have been used.