Deconstructing two similar magazines

In this issue of 'The Source' the colour scheme is green, black and white, which are the colours of money. This emphasises the genre Hip Hop, because the rappers talk about money and wealth. Bustah Rhymes is shown setting the money on fire with his cigar, which suggests his wealth and this highlights the conventions of Hip Hop magazines.

The masthead, cover lines, the top of the bar code, Bustah Rhymes' jacket and scarf is green, and also the dollar bills; whilst the plug, website and other text is black and the background is white.

The masthead, 'The Source' stands out more compared to the other text as it is outlined with white and has a thick black drop shadow.

This magazine highlights the Hip-Hop music, politics and culture of rappers, and therefore is targeted at anyone who is interested in Hip Hop/Rap music. The target audience may be Young adults and even middle-ages adults; aged 20-40. Issues raised in 'The Source' include whether marijuana is legal, and stereotypically in a Hip Hop culture, marijuana frequently is used by Rapper's.

The colour scheme in this cover of 'XXL' is red, black and grey. Black is a bold colour, whereas red is a strong bright colour, and so they complement each other. The red implies danger and violence, and this creates a powerful effect. The Masthead consists of white text ('XXL') in front of a Thick red box; the white does not over power the red, and so the viewer’s eye immediately focuses on the masthead.

Similar to 'The Source', this image also portrays wealth, due to the thick chain worn by Nas; therefore this would be a convention in the genre Hip-Hop.

In the medium shot, we can see that Nas is the main attraction and this is emphasised in the text 'NAS' which is grey. From the cover lines on the right hand side, it states keywords such as 'Hip-Hop' and 'Rap' which is self explanatory in terms of genre. Therefore, XXL targets audiences who focus narrowly on Rap/Hip-Hop music.

Analysing & Deconsructing a magazine

Flavour is an urban entertainment and music magazine distributed in the UK. The magazine has a colour scheme of yellow, black and white, which are bold and strong colours in comparison to Cher's clothing and accessories; and so these colours stand out. Cher’s celebrity status attracts a majority of teenage audiences, ages ranging from 16-30. This is emphasised from the choice of clothing including a pink watch and a matching pink nail colour. A tattoo is also displayed clearly on her hand; so this appeals, and attracts the target audience.

Research on 'Vibe' Magazine

Vibe magazine

Here's a little background and research into the Hip Hop & RnB magazine 'Vibe'

Mz Bratt - Tear It All Down [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Practicing how to upload videos from YouTube !

Preliminary Task

This is my front cover and contents page, with brief annotations. I think the design looks cohesive as the font colours are the same in the front cover and in the contents page. The masthead, as well as the text is sans serif in both pages , making it easier to read. There is a colour scheme of yellow and red which is eye catching and consistent across the front cover and contents page. And also, the front cover  layout is circler which makes it unique and doesn't necessarily conform to the conventions of a magazine front cover , in regards to the purpose and target audience.

I have manipluated the images using Adobe Photoshop;

• The image on my front cover: I cut the image into a circle shape so it fits into the other alignments ,and then tinted the background with red. This helps to draw the consumers interest on the students'  in the foreground.
•  The image's on contents page: I  tinted the background with red and yellow considering my colour scheme. This made it look simple and cohesive.

I believe i could have improved on many aspects from this task. The page numbers and text on the contents page could have began from the same alignment, as it looks quite untidy. Also, the 'feature' is not needed; its redundant.

Codes and Convention's of Hip Hop music video's.

• Dancing
• Dark colours.
• Simple settings
• Women (to show their sexuality, which appeals to males.)
• Usually at a club
• Revealing clothing (women)
• Portrayal of wealth & power- Cars, jewellery,expensive alcohol.

Task: To select a current article from a magazine and explain what it expresses.

I had purchased a Hip Hop magazine named 'The Source'.

A current rapper, J. Cole is explaining what it means to be told he lacks persona. He states that his persona will develop as it is still quite early in his music career, and also gives an example of the Hip Hop legend Tupac (explaining the development in Tupac's career.)

There is only a brief outline of how and where J. grew up in his childhood. He mentions his childhood quite a lot and this is shown in his lyrics and is highlighted through his Songs. I believe this is a major convention in the world of  Hip Hop, many music artists demonstrate this as they usually rap about their childhood and past life.

J. Cole names some of the influences he has had, ranging from the Hip Hop figure Nas (Nasty Nas) to his parents CD collection, J. explains that his influences have surely made an impact on his life and his preference of Hip Hop.
It could be said that almost every music artist has/have had influence on another artist/s so this  idea of influence would be another major convention of Hip Hop.