Deconstruction of Front Covers

Vibe Front Cover

I am deconstructing a magazine called 'Vibe', this magazine was first published

in 1993;it has recently turned online only, this is because young people can now
access information on the internet so sales of printed magazines have
decreased, therefore proving it is aimed at young adults. The name links in with
the theme of being a music magazine because vibe is a musical word; it is also a
young persons patois. This magazine is aimed at young males who are
interested in R&B music, we know this by looking at the colour scheme which is
red, black and gold. These colours represent males because they are masculine
colours and show wealth and fame which young men are interested in, also red is
quite a hip-hop colour which is what the magazine is based around. We further
know that it is aimed at young men because of the stories mentioned on the
front cover, these stories would not be aimed at men in their forties, for example,
because they involve things that young single men are interested in such as 'sex,
drugs and R&B' and 'fashion haters.'
The typography used is attractive to young men because it is big and bold which
is what young males want to be, big and muscular and bold when talking to
females.
The features on the front of the magazine link in with the target demographic of
the magazine, this is clear because they are stories young males are interested
in, as they star idols of the audience e.g. Kanye West and R.Kelly. The typography
of the cover stories is in a basic, clear font which makes it easy to see that it is a

young mans' magazine as it means that it is easy for them to see what they are
going to read and there is no mis-leading titles which could confuse them. Whilst
this reinforces the stereotype that men cannot multi-task or understand multiple
pieces of confusing information, it is seen across the board when it comes to
men's magazines.
The cover star on this issue of 'Vibe' is Kendrick Lamar, referring to my earlier
point that the names of stars on the front cover are idols of the demographic,
Lamar is also an icon of young males, especially those who are interested in hiphop and R&B. The pose Lamar is carrying out is a dominant pose, this is a
personality males want to have over females, and in some aspects it can be
argued that women of the same age of the demographic want to be treated as
submissive. The clothes that he is wearing are very classic and produce the idea
that he is a powerful, clean and impressive, as he is wearing gold jewellery; this
creates a God-like image which is further shown through the headline. The
headline that goes with the image of Kendrick Lamar is 'The new God MC' this
links in again with the demographic as he is an idol so labelling him as a God
further makes him a desirable person to be, he is someone to worship.
When it comes to the codes and conventions of this issue of 'Vibe' the masthead
is the most noticeable. The masthead is a code of a magazine, on this magazine
in particular the masthead fades into the cover stars head, this breaks codes and
conventions which is what in an essence hip hop does, also the fading is young
and trendy further attracting young men. The issue number, date, price and bar
code are all in one place and are in basic black and white, this means that the
reader's eye is not detracted from the main image.

Vogue Front Cover

Vogue magazine is a leading women's fashion magazine, first published in 1892

by Arthur Turnure, it is now one of the most bought magazines in the world,
published in 23 different countries every month around the world.

The demographic of 'Vogue' is middle-class, 25-50 year old women who are
interested in fashion. We know this by looking at the codes and conventions of
the magazine, for example the masthead. The masthead of this particular issue
of the magazine is a gold colour, this colour is representative of the wealth and
elegance of which the audience of the magazine are often associated with. The
font that is used for the masthead is classic and simple which further reiterates
the idea that the magazine is designed for the benefit of the target audience. An
interesting point about the masthead that is worth noting is that it is partly
hidden by the cover stars head, this is telling us that the magazine is so famous
you do not need to see the whole name to know what it is; it also tells us the
cover star is extremely well-known and worth covering the masthead for.
Another code of a magazine is the bar code, like on many magazines the bar
code on the front cover of vogue is hidden at the bottom of the page along with
the issue number; however the date and price are at the top of the magazine
next to the masthead. The price is placed here to attract some attention and
remind the demographic it is an expensive classy magazine explaining the cost.
The amount of the cover stories on the front of the page is very few which would
normally tell us it is a magazine made for men, however we know Vogue is a
female magazine. The use of the basic layout and little amount of text is telling
us it is an elegant magazine which does not need to sell with gossip and loads of
information as it is so popular.
The main story is Going for Gold, we know this because it is in the biggest text
and is the most eye-catching, and also it is over the cover star telling us it is very
important. We assume the cover star is related to the main story, this would
further show how the magazine is aimed at wealthy middle class women, this is
because the cover star is Kate Moss, one of the worlds best known models who
fits in to the target audience of the magazine. Her pose on the front cover of
Vogue is in line with the male gaze as she is in a low cut dress and her hair is
styled in a vintage 1950's style reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe, who was arguably
one of the most lust after females of her time and is now still seen sexually in
today's society. An example being this front cover where even Kate's dress is
symbolic of Monroe's in 'The seven year itch.' Although Kate Moss's eye line is
directly aimed at the camera showing dominance her lips are slightly parted
showing a sultriness and her head is pointed downwards shoeing
submissiveness.

GQ Front Cover

GQ is an international men's magazine published monthly. It is aimed at middle

class men who are considerably well-off. We know this by looking at the codes
and conventions of the front cover of the magazine. For example, the masthead,
the colour of the text is in gold showing wealth and the font used shows the
strength and power of men as it is a bold, strong font. Further analysis of the font
used shows us the demographic the magazine is based at as it is gold, black and
white which are traditional colours associated with fame, class and wealth.
The stories featured on the front cover of this issue of GQ tell us even more
about the target audience of the magazine, for example, the 'men of the year
awards' the readers of magazines buy particular magazines as they aspire to be
like the cover stars or enjoy the content. If the content is about the best men in
their respective fields it tells us readers want to be like these men and be rich
and famous like them. Further cover stories talk about politicians, this
information would not be typically useful to young males who are working class
but it is to middle class men aged 25-50 years old, this is why the magazine is
aimed at them, the stories interest them.

The cover star of this issue of GQ is Benedict Cumberbatch, who won GQ's actor
of the year. He fits in with the demographic of this magazine as he is a middleclass man in the age range of the target audience. His pose shows what men
want to be as he looks very dominant as he is staring straight at the camera, His
eyebrows show a quizzical look as if he is questioning the reader, he is daring
them to challenge him.
A code and convention which is missing from this front cover of GQ is the bar
code and price, however it may be on the back of the magazine or the magazine
may be packaged in plastic wrap where the bar code may be. The date is directly
under the masthead in white so it does not attract too much attention and keeps
the focus on the cover star and the features of the magazine.

Deconstruction of Contents Pages

Vibe Contents Page

Vibe magazine is a music magazine and the model here is a music artist called
Ciara. This magazine is aimed at young males who are interested in music, we
know this by looking at the name of the magazine, 'vibe' this word is associated
with music. The colours used here are grey, black and white, these colours are
very basic but the simplicity of them allows there to be more text without being
overwhelming, it also gives a fashionable feeling to the magazine further
enticing the demographic. The use of these colours also creates a lot of contrast,
for example the white contents page on a dark background, and this therefore
attracts the readers attention.
The heading of the page links in with the demographic of the magazine as it is
broken into chunks on separate lines rather than being on one line, this creates

an urban, edgy feel to the magazine, relating to its target audience. The font
used for the heading is bold, this creates a contrast with the rest of the text
which is feminine for the sub-headings and plain for the main body. This further
builds up the edgy feel to the magazine. The outline of the V is an interesting
way to create brand recognition of the magazine as anything similar will be
associated with Vibe.
On this page Ciara is lying on the floor with her legs lifted into a V shape, further
imprinting the brand. Her pose is in line with the male gaze as she is looking at
the camera with a seductive look on her face making the reader feel as though
she is looking straight at them. The clothes she is wearing can create an
impression of wealth and class which attracts male readers as they want to be
with her as she is rich and beautiful and female readers aspire to be like her.
The font of the text is in a bold, feminine style for the headers of each section,
compared with the harsher font used for the information of each section. This
contrast shows how the magazine appeals to each gender as the main section is
strong and masculine and the headers more feminine.

Vogue Contents Page

Vogue magazine is a fashion and beauty based magazine aimed at middle-class

women, from the ages of 25-50. The contents page of vogue meets the needs of
the demographic of the magazine as it is elegant and not too over the top with
colours and information. The masthead of the contents page is the biggest text
to attract the reader attention, the simplicity of the font used further reiterates
the classic and elegant theme of the magazine. The black font against the white
background makes the masthead bolder and more powerful, showcasing the
type of person the reader wants to be, powerful.
The image used on the contents page uses the colour red, this fits in with the
rest of the page as the headers are in red, this colour is powerful and passionate
creating a level of intimacy with the reader. This explains the models pose which
fits in line with the male gaze, she is staring away from the camera, showing she

is not dominant and irrelevant. She is pulling her dress up her leg in a
provocative manner further increasing the intimacy. The model looks confident in
her pose which makes the reader want to be like her and dress like her, further
enticing them as the model reflects the magazine
The use of the headers being in red means they stand out on the page as
everything else is in black and white, these colours tie in well together as they
are elegant and meet the ideals of the target audience. The font used is also
elegant as it is simple and understated without drawing to much attention to any
particular section. the section at the bottom of the page is in a bigger font as it is
directed straight at the reader, telling them to subscribe to the magazine, the
use of this directness makes the reader feel special and increases chances of
them subscribing as it is noticeable without being forceful.

GQ Contents Page

This contents page is from the magazine GQ, it is magazine aimed at middleclass men who are between the ages of 25-50, we know this by looking at the
deconstruction of the contents page. The image is the main focus of the page,

this means that this is most likely the main story in the magazine. The layout of
the image and the text boxes all link in well together as they are overlapping,
this relates to the image as it is like waves overlapping.

The font used for the masthead and page numbers as well as the logo and date
are all slanting forwards, this creates the illusion that the words are moving
quickly, this ties in with the theme of the magazine as it is a sports issue. Sport is
generally fast-paced so therefore the font reflects this. The red line through the
word sport also links in with the speedy, sport theme of the page as it looks like a
finishing line of a race. The general font used for the rest of the text on the page
is fairly plain and simple, this is so not too much attention is drawn towards the
smaller, less significant information; such as what each story is about. The title of
each story is in bold, capital letters, this is because most of the stories are about
sports personalities or events, they are big powerful people or times so the font
must reflect this. It makes each story seem important and worth reading as the
headings stand out amongst the smaller plain text, making the reader notice
them. The amount of writing on the page is rather a lot, this creates a further
impression of the importance of each story as they are noticeable and the
readers eye is attracted more to them than the other text which they feel in
unimportant to them.

The colour scheme of the page is black, white and gold, the richness of these
colours relate to the demographic of the magazine as they are men who are
fairly well off as the magazine promotes expensive clothes and items. The black
mast head stands out on the white and pale blue background of the image, this
lets the reader know that this is the most important piece of information and
attracts their eye.

Deconstruction of Double Page Spreads

Vibe Double Page Spread

This double page spread is from the magazine Vibe, the artist here is soulja boy,
the use of this artist relates to the demographic of the magazine as he is a young
artist who makes music that young males who like rap would be into. Graffiti and
the word swag, a young persons patois, has been drawn on him, this correlates
with the font used on the opposite page for the masthead; which is also in a
graffiti style. This relates again to the reader as they may want to be like this
artist and these are things he likes, also graffiti is a thing which some young
males are interested in, especially those who are into urban, rap music.
The font for the main body used is quite plain and all in black except for the
starting words 'soulja boy' this is in red because it ties in with the colour scheme
and he is the artist pictured on the left of the spread. The use of the bigger letter
is like that used in old fashioned fairy tales, this tells the reader that soulja boy's
life is unbelievable amazing and like a fairy tale.
The colour scheme of red, black and white creates an urban feel and the red
stands out, this is useful to the reader because it tells them that soulja boy is like
the red in a world of black and white. Red also connotes love, it is the most
emotionally intense colour so gives the reader a strong sense of emotion and
feeling whilst looking at the page, this is useful because it makes soulja boy
appeal to the reader and will often make it more of a popular article as it is such
a noticeable colour. Black is a colour of authority, this means that soulja boy is a
powerful character and the use of these two colours being on the white
background makes them stand out even more and show how he besmirches
innocence and is an overpowering person.
The catch line underneath the masthead encourages the reader to keep on
reading by asking a rhetorical question; 'but can the king of ringtones sell his
tween following on the more mature soulja inc?' The use of this question implies
the article is going to be interesting and entices the reader into the article.

Vogue Double Page Spread

This double page spread is from a fashion magazine called Vogue UK. The artist
on the right hand side is Cheryl Cole, she is within the demographic of the
magazine as wealthy woman aged between 25-40. She has been chosen as the
main story from the magazine because she is well-known and attractive, women
aspire to be like her so are more likely to buy the magazine in hopes of becoming
more like her through reading her interview. The use of having the image take up
a whole page shows the reader she is a big, influential character.
The dress she is wearing is girly and not something you would usually see on a
grown woman but more a child's doll, this is to point out that she is a fragile
woman for men to have, this also explains her pose, which is not natural but
staged like a dolls. Her shoes are the colour red which connotes love and
passion, this is because the interview is about her split from her husband so it
shows she is back out looking for love. The green background symbolizes calm
and is a refreshing colour, this relates to the artist saying she is a refreshing
person who is different. This colour scheme of black, white and the pale green is
chic and fits in with the theme of the magazine Vogue, it makes the readers feel
as if they too are chic and stylish.
The masthead of the article is 'Survivor' in capital letters, this relates to what the
article is about, it also relates to readers as it makes them want to also be a
survivor as it is a powerful word, as if she has beaten death. The font is plain yet
the first letter is extremely big in comparison with the rest of the text, this makes
the reader want to read on because it makes them wonder what could be so
important for such a large font.

GQ Double Page Spread

This double page spread is from the magazine GQ, the article is about Drake and
his man of the year nomination. The articles font is basic and is all in black, it has
little to no variation of size and font, this appeals to the reader because the
magazine is aimed at middle-class men aged between 25 and 50, these men are
not looking for bright colours as the magazine is quite serious and the man of the
year award is very prestigious so all available space is taken up with information
for the readers who aspire to be a man of the year.
The image is on the right hand side, and is a middle-close up, the use of this
camera shot is to convey the power and authority that Drake has. the reason it is
in black and white is because these are authoritative colours which are classic
and timeless, because his face shows no real emotion these colours also portray
the lack of emotion and feeling in the image and article- it seems more serious.
The masthead for the article is at the very top of the page and is only one or two
sizes bigger than the rest of the text and is in bold, the use of this lets the reader
know that no matter what size his name is it is always better and bigger, this is

ideal for the magazine as the readers aspire to be like Drake so find everything
about the article to be about this power.