1. Media Studies Magazine
Analysis
Take Two
By Debbie Onyemelukwe

2. The XXL magazine

3. Language and Mode of Address
This XXL magazine is rather basic and therefore there is a limitation to the
amount of text present.
There is little opportunity to analyse the expression of language on this issue as
the majority of the text are the names of hip-hop artists, which is not a true
example of language.
The expression of the magazine may reflect the magazine style. For instance,
the lack of writing may demonstrate that it is more of a visual magazine as
opposed to informative.
However, the lower coverline situated in the bottom left hand corner is a
colloquial statement which people, particularly Americans who like the hip-
hop genre, would be able to relate to as they themselves may use dialogue
such as this. So, although there is not a direct address to the audience, it
could be argued that this coverline addresses certain members of the
audience on an alternate level.

4. Colour scheme
The colour scheme of this issue of XXL is red, black and white. However, it
is not a colour scheme that is closely followed. This is because there are
few examples of where certain colours, red for example are used.
The model 50 Cent’s clothing compliments this colour scheme as he is
dressed in a white vest with an accompanying white headdress. Both
model’s are wearing jeans of a dark colour which do not clash with the
colouring.
The set of the cover is an example of good use of white space because the
surrounding area of the models is a white back drop.
The colour combination of black, white and red is simple which makes it
straightforward for the reader to understand.

5. Font
The font used on the cover of XXL is rather basic as it is simple letters which
are clear and bold. The font is limited to only 2 variations: seen in the masthead and the
coverlines.
It looks like the font Gill Sans Ultra Bold or a font similar to this was used
for the magzine title ‘XXL’.
It looks like the font Eras Bold ITC or a font similar to this was used for the main
coverline and the kicker of the magazine.
Because there is minimal text on the cover, the size of the letters compensate
slightly for this because of the large size they are. The font choices add simplicity to the magazine
because there simple fonts are used adding to a consistent professional look.
Font used for the Masthead

6. Layout
The layout of this issue of the XXL magazine is very simplistic. There is a large
use of white space in the photo as the background of the actual image is a white
backdrop. This adds to the simplicity as there is nothing to really look at so it
draws the attention onto the 2 male models.
The use of these models may be the reason behind the magazine’s minimalism.
They used 2 well-known celebrities from the hip-hop culture and them being
there is all that is needed, so you can see neither are doing extravagant poses to
add interest to the photo because they are the interest.
The barcode, price line and date line are all placed in the same area, which
could be argued is not a great idea because if a customer misses the location of
these important details, it could confuse them by not knowing the elements to
buy the magazine.
The majority of the coverlines as well as the masthead are left aligned which
gives a sense of consistency throughout the cover and an overall professional
look.

7. Model Gaze
There are 2 models used in this issue of the XXL music magazine.
Both 50 Cent and Soulja Boy are looking directly at the ‘camera’ or the
audience which makes the models seem as if they’re looking at the customer
to entice them to buy the magazine. I think this type of model gaze is suitable
as the pose that each model is doing is rather minimalistic so the strong eye
contact gives a sense of presence from the celebrities.
However, the model to the left, 50 Cent is wearing a head wrap which comes
extremely close to his eyes which adds mystery to the image and draws
attention to the feature of his eyes. On the other hand, the head wrap adds a
slight shadow just beneath his eyes and on the bridge of his nose which gives
of an intimidating feeling to the person viewing the front cover.

8. Barcode Position
The barcode position is situated on the bottom right hand corner of the front
cover.
This is a good location as it wont be the focal point of the cover, yet it is still
visible for the potential buyer to see.
However, if this magazine was to be displayed on a shelf next to many others,
it may be stacked onto others which could hide the right side of the magazine,
and therefore the barcode.
Perhaps, the barcode could be repeated on the back of the magazine or
perhaps near the top.

9. Image Analysis
There are some props used to enhance the quality of the images. For instance,
the head wrap that 50 Cent is wearing adds a sense of the ‘unknown’ as the
only part of his face you can see are his eyes, the customer may even
wonder if in fact the model is actually 50 Cent.
Another prop used in the shot is the number of chains Soulja Boy is wearing.
He is wearing 3 big chains, accompanied by a gold watch, gucci belt and
gold bracelet. This adds detail to the image as without these items, the
model would look quite bare.
Another beneficial factor to the image is Soulja Boy’s body art. He has an
astounding number of tattoo’s and the director of the photo shoot used this
to their advantage as it gives the audience more to look at. This idea
worked effectively as not just myself, but my friends and fellow peers even
said ‘I never knew he had that many tattoos’.

10. Price Line
Like the barcode, the price line is situated in the bottom right hand corner.
It is written clearly in a bold text in order to convey the pricing of the
magazine.
However, the price is only mentioned once on the cover which could be
considered as ineffective because the customer may not see it.
The price line also has to share its designated place with the barcode,
date line and website address. This in my opinion, is too cluttered
because too many of the important details are squeezed into the same
location.

11. Selling line/Strapline
The magazine has a subtle selling line that is situated in the top right hand
corner which is a list of 5 celebrities names. Similar to the image, the
director’s of the photo shoot stuck with the simplistic theme and just gave
the consumer ‘what they want’. This is an effective method as it gets
straight to the point of what is in the contents of the magazine. Using
celebrities names or pictures as the selling line/strapline is a quick and easy
way to entice the customer as no explanatory text is needed because it is
quite self explanatory.
The ‘+’ above the names is like saying its an ‘EXTRA’ feature in the magazine
contents. This is a good idea as it suggests to the reader that they’ll get
more if they choose this magazine and therefore this magazine choice is
better value for their magazine.