Textual Analysis- Magazine Cover 1, Billboard

                       

Billboards (a way of marketing, an advert posted onto a board) are used to attract the attention of passersby to try sell something. A lot of billboards try use simple backgrounds, images and fonts so it isn’t overloaded with information as this could put people off from reading them or stopping to see what it’s about.

   The magazine, Billboard’ does just this with its simple codes and conventions- appropriate to its name. The background only uses black- however, the colour fades as it drops down and simple fonts are used through to make it clear and easy to read. To make the magazine stand out, bold features are used to grab to attention of consumers. These are things such as the letter ‘D’ being filled with the colour yellow/green. This colour is nowhere else on the cover, meaning it doesn't link to any other part but by doing this, it makes the masthead stand out- in which is one of the most important needs when making a good magazine. Due to the masthead being simple and hidden behind parts of the models hair, techniques like this is more important. The overall appearance of the cover is brighter due to this- more colourful and less plain.

   The main image is an iconic sign, using a photograph of singer, Lily Allen. Billboard covers a variety of different genres of music so by looking at this photo, it would be difficult to identify which one it was due to the more casual clothing. The photo has been taken at a medium close up, allowing you to see the top of her head down to just below her shoulders- this also allows it to focus more on her facial features and expressions. The image doesn't include much colour- linking to the magazine itself- but as there are various features on her face that are enhanced making them darker (dark brown hair and eyes) it brings them out more. Apart from a small section of a white top and her white headband, you can’t see any other pieces of clothing or jewellery- as all the clothing you can see is white, this could connote a sense of purity within the models appearance and behaviour. As well as this, an ‘angel like’ personality.

   The main cover line is also in a white font about the singer. As it’s bigger, the font is a lot bolder so it stands out more. The description tells how she deals with the paparazzi- this could indicate and imply that the way she deals with the paparazzi could be in a well mannered behaviour and better than how other people do. Linking to this, the clothing that she is wearing has class and the makeup looks natural. What you can see, she’s only wearing a small amount of makeup, using eyeliner to enhance the dark colours in her eyes. It seems that by this, she could be represented as a good role model.

   The positioning of the camera allows the photo to show most of her face but her head is still slightly angled to one side, making the right part of her face more visible- more of the right side is also shown due to hair covering a lot of the left side of her face. Her facial expression looks serious, without being dramatic. Her eyes look directly into the lens so it makes the photo overall communicate better with the reader.

   The masthead is white against dark grey so there’s a big contrast between the two, making the masthead stand out more. However, a lot of the masthead is cover by the main image. Billboard tends to do this a lot.

   The pink cover lines are powerful as they stand out well against the light parts of the background. On the left side of the cover, the cover lines are white and the descriptions are pink. On the right side of the cover, the cover lines are pink and the descriptions are white. All the pink writing is the same size font and all the white writing (regarding these cover lines) are too. This is unusual as the cover line is normally bigger but this shows a difference but makes it more interesting.

   At the bottom left hand corner (in a smaller font) there’s the date line, two websites and the price of the magazine. By adding the website, it allows it to become easier for readers to get more involved in the magazine as they can have a interactive online website that can read further articles and see what else is on offer. There are also 3 different prices, for 3 different currencies. This means that the magazine is popular outside of the UK, making it seem as if it’s a better magazine that a wider population like.

   Underneath the masthead, there’s a selling line but due to it being covered by the model’s head, you can’t read what it says, only the word ‘Experience’- in which is also cut off at the end. As it’s only this one word, it may seem pointless for including it but as the magazine do this a lot and add selling points, it’s a feature that is see as a must.