Competitor Magazine Anaysis

The two magazines that I have decided to analyse are Country Magazine and Maverick Magazine. Both magazines are country music magazines that use a variety of conventions which show many connotations and denotations to reach out to its target audience. In the latest issue of Country Magazine the main article photo is a medium close up image of Garth Brooks, who is a well known country artist. Garth Brooks music is a slow kind of country music which could be presented to the target audience as the magazine is very simple and does not have too much on the page. It also has a soft blue background which could connote what kind of music he plays, however it could suggest that the magazine in general is about a soft kind of music or a smooth kind of music which country music can be known for sometimes or could jut suggest that this is what is based in this months issue. Also the photo is based near the centre of the page where the background is lighter, as the background starts to get darker towards the edges of the magazine. This shows the importance of the man in the main article photo and connotes to the reader that Garth Brooks would be an interesting to person to read about. In contrast the people who do know who Garth Brooks would be interested to read about him as he is highlighted in this magazine. Also the red writing for the main plug stands out to the reader because Garth Brook's fans would know that he had stopped playing music for a while, but the bright red writing for the plug saying 'Back to stay?' interests the reader as they have an idea on what the main article is about. It connotes some importance as it is emphasised with bold colours. Also the colour of Garth Brooks shirt and the colour of the bold writing could connote that the writing is connected to him. It also helps make Garth Brook stand out to the readers. The denotation of the masthead is that it is a white coloured font that is clear and easy to read and is also emphasised with help from the light blue background which makes the masthead stand out. Also bright colours are used to show the importance because of the puff at the top of the page that says 'exclusive!' which could connote that they have a chance to read about the return of Garth Brooks and his music. By using the advertisement for the magazine may also enhance the possibility of people buying the magazine. Also because the main article feature is about the come back of Garth Brooks the 'free music' being advertised may suggest to the reader that it could be giving away music by this artist and other similar artist. On the magazine the main article photo appears to be covering a part of the heading which could connote that the magazine is well known by people as they would be able to recognise the magazine by its conventions. However the country music magazine doesn't actually use many conventions. This makes the magazine look too simple which could make the target audience not want to purchase it as the magazines are over 3 pounds which could be considered as expensive for a magazine. Country music magazine's contents page is as simple as the cover. It denotes a picture of Garth Brooks which is similar to the one on the front of the magazine. By doing this connotes that the main article in this magazine shows some importance as the person they are writing about in the magazine is on both the front cover and contents page and they both take up the whole page. It is made clear that it is the contents page as it says 'Contents' in bold red writing which is also similar to the front cover. The dark background emphasises the bold colours. Although there are many good points about Country magazine, I think that a lot more could have been done to make the page seem much more interesting then it already comes across as. For example the magazine does not use many conventions which could be a good thing but the background on the page is too clear to see as good conventions would make it seem like there is no background but at the same time giving some effect to the magazine. Another reason I think the magazine could be improved is by using a larger variety of colours as the only main colours in this magazine is light blue for the background and red and white writing. It could have made it more interesting even if the writing was bolder and maybe brighter to stand out on the cover as the main focus seems to be on the main article feature photo. Also for the bar code it could look much more effective if it was blended into the red background it is on as the white makes it stand out to much and it shouldn't be such an obvious convention compared to the other conventions. Another country music magazine called Maverick uses similar conventions as Country magazine. However this magazine uses the same weaknesses as Country as they do not use many coventions. Maverick uses a similar amount of conventions if not a less amount. However Maverick dosent use them as well as Country magazine, as Maverick focus mainly on the main article photo rather then the contents of the magazine. In this magazine it does not show the main feature of the article but does say who the main article is about. Also in the bottom right hand corner it shows some other contents of the magazine. The background they have used for the other articles is a blur of the background already, however is contrasted with the colour of the barcode which is white and stands out more then the main article feature. Also the puff is at the bottom of the masthead and is similar to the background colour which makes it hard to see. The contents page for Maverick magazine is much better then the front cover. Although it is not as colourful as the frount cover it is still interesting how the pictures have been presented along with the text. It is clear that it is the contents page as it says in black writing 'Contents' with spaces and in a clear font. Also the main feature of the article is in a bold font. The magazines are clearly presented, however the front covers come across as plain and do not stand out as much as other magazines. When I do my magazine I want to add more conventions then these magazines and also make the main article feature clear and look interesting to read. However I like the idea for the contents page on Maverick and want to do something similar but use bold colours and try using different styles of pictures.