Analysis of Blues Matters magazine

Analysis of Blues Matters magazine

The Front Cover

Colour and Design

The main colour of the magazine being blue obviously connects to the fact that it is a magazine about blues music. Not only this, but they contrast this blue very well with the gold-ish colour and white,making the cover look sophisticated.

The design and colour also make it look old, as the typeface and overall colour scheme makes it look older than most modern magazines.

The Images

The large image of the man, who, being black, is stereotypical as blues started as a type of music that the black culture in America created, meaning the picture strengthens this magazine as being about blues.

The picture at the bottom seems to represent a loving fan or similar, encouraging the reader to buy the magazine due to being regarded as good, by having fans.

The Cover Lines

The Masthead being very large, and blue itself, as well as having an exclamation mark at the end, really makes the magazine stand out, and you can tell straight away that this magazine is about blues music.

The puff, being the same colour as the cover lines at the top, also stands out, saying Reviews Special drawing the reader in at the chance to be able to read what, hopefully, is a unique review.

Also, having ROBERT CRAY in very large writing on the front will definitely draw the target audience in, being a blues legend, as they will straight away recognize him.

The Language

The typeface used makes the magazine seem very sophisticated, due to it being in a serif font, as well as in a gold-ish colour. Like the origin of blues, this gives the magazine an old fashioned feel and really creates a good sense of the genre.

As well as this though, there are some sans-serif fonts, also giving it a more modern feel, contrasting to the more old-fashioned typeface. This could show that the magazine is not only about the old blues artists, but new artists as well.

Overall Impression

Overall I really like this Front Cover, though I think the Masthead, visually, could be improved upon, as it doesnt seem to have any special design or font, making it seem a little unprofessional.

The colours and design have been done exceptionally well, with the blues and gold contrasting extremely well, making it seem like a professional and sophisticated magazine for blues lovers.

The Contents Page

Colour and Design

The white background makes the pages seem plain, but it gives the magazine an advantage of being able to put almost any colour over it, contrasting well with it.

Like the front cover, the design, colours and typeface give the look and feel of a sophisticated magazine.

One thing that is badly designed on this page, I feel, is the two square pictures that go over the large, main picture of the man. This just seems like bad design, and doesnt fit with the overall look of the page.

The Images

The large image of the man shows a cool looking person who looks very stylish. This is trying to show that the magazine will also be stylish and follow the same cool guidelines that the man is.

Two of the other images show people with guitars, being stereotypical to blues music and this strengthens the blues vibe.

The Cover Lines

By looking at all the different cover lines we can see that the magazine is very detailed and has a lot of content, which would probably entice a person into buying it.

The contents of each page are also set out very clearly and simply with subtitles, making it easy for the reader to see what the magazine includes, giving a good experience and overall encouraging customers to buy it.

The Language

The language used is quite formal, with some more informal parts, making the magazine seem professional and mature, which is to be expected from a magazine centered around blues.

It also includes some inclusive language, such as you and we, making the reader seem closer and more involved with whats happening inside, generating a more exciting experience.

Overall Impression

I think the Contents Page is well done and very simple, making it easy to follow, but is not exceptional in its design.

Although lots of the colours go well, not all of them contrast well together. Linked to this, I think the subtitles should have stood out more and been in a more vibrant colour.

The Double Page Spread

Colour and Design

I love the design of this page and think it is done very well. The dark, patchy green suits the magazines sophisticated and mature feel and the white obviously contrasts very well and is extremely visually pleasing.

How the text, page and image is laid out is also very well designed, and the spacing between them seems perfectly done.

The only thing bad with this page seems to be the random yellowish design that covers some of the text, making it very hard to read.

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The Image

There is only a single image, which I think is a good design decision, as it doesnt distract too much from the (hopefully to the reader) interesting content of the magazine.

The image is of a stylish man leaning against a wall, which makes him look cool and fashionable. Also, he seems to be dressed as a stereotypical blues, or similar, musician, with boots, long hair and a leather jacket. With this image the readers of the magazine feel like they want to dress like this musician, as he looks marvelous.

The Cover Lines

The large Interview at the top of the page is quite helpful for the reader, with the musicians name next to it.

Apart from this, only the questions and the large quote stands out. The questions are bold, making it easy for the reader to know the start, and finish, of each question and answer for the interview.

The large quote on the right hand side gives more character to the page, and the blue stars give contrast to the seeming blandness of the second page.

The Language

Once again the language used is not informal, but at the same time it is not entirely formal. The vibe given off though is very friendly and mature and this is heightened by the use of serif font.

There is a lot of content and writing for one page, which may put off some readers who arent fully invested, but readers that are would find it very easy to go from question to question, due to the questions being slightly separated.

Overall Impression

I think the overall design and feel of this page is exceptional and has a very blues vibe throughout.This is due to the dark colour and serif font making it look very sophisticated.

The white writing, as well as the bold subtitle, help the text stand out really well, making it very easy to read through.

The only thing that is not well designed about this page is the yellowish graphic at the bottom, which cuts across the words, making them very hard to read.