Research: Case Study 2 "VIBE Magazine"

The second focus of my research will be VIBE magazine, as it is also a famous R&B/Hip-hop publication.

The house style of Vibe is typically compact. The use of bright colours and bold fonts create a 'fresh' and urban theme. The masthead colouring varies however the composition of the page remains the same every issue, with the masthead being placed at the centre-top of the cover. Sell lines are a very significant part of this magazines over, as unlike other hip-hop magazines, they take up a lot of space on the page- sometimes almost framing the main image. The most frequently used colours on these covers are: red, black, gold and white- bringing together powerful colours and successfully portraying themes of a rich, strong and violent lifestyle. 

Unlike my first case study; this magazine uses females on the cover more often. Furthermore, these women are sometimes shown as half-dressed while other times fully clothed (I believe this could be a reflection of their songs). However, they are still somewhat sexualised with either their poses or costumes. Although this magazine provides more representation of women, it also fails to portray an accurate image and somewhat degrades women.

The main image is usually a medium close-up, but close ups and full-body shots are also amongst those that are used. Celebrities that have been pictured on this cover include: Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, Biggie, Tupac and Jay Z. This magazine also uses direct mode of address which can be confrontational and just like my first case study is reflective of the violent lifestyle associated with hip-hop. I will use direct mode of address on my magazine cover.

Overall this magazine has similar themes to XXL, some which I am planning on using and some which I will not. For example, I will use D.M.O.A.

Research: Case Study 1 "XXL Magazine"

XXL is a popular magazine that focuses on R&B/Rap its first issue featured Jay Z and Master P on a "double cover".

Since its first published copy XXL magazine's house style has consisted of the masthead being on the upper left corner of the page, sometimes being slightly obstructed by the main image. Sell-lines present on the page usually surround the main image rather than cover it, reminding the audience the importance of the celebrity. The typical colour scheme of this magazine consists of white, black and red. Other bright contrasting colours are also used on the page.   This creates a sharp and bold look on the page, perhaps reflecting hip-hop's rough edge. The colour red has connotations of danger love and passion, whereas white is almost the complete opposite connoting themes of purity, honesty and hope. This juxtaposition created by the colour scheme cleverly brings together themes of hip-hop and what the music genre itself represents. 

Although this is a very successful magazine , it fails (in my opinion) to portray women and men as equals to this day. The magazine rarely has a female artist present on the cover and even when it does she is often pictured while half dressed.  As this is a hip-hop magazine these over-sexualised images of women are typically linked to the genre it presents. However, nowadays hip-hop is a tool that some female artists use to empower women all around the world, not just a genre of music. We are made to believe half naked women dancing on a stage or in the back of a rap video shows power and independence, and sure this could be argued for in some cases. Yet, we as a society rarely (if ever) pay attention to the ladies who refuse to take their clothes off for fame but instead use their lyrics to create power where this gender is presented in the media as having none. This is the first thing that struck me while looking through the covers. I will be using hip-hop as my genre however I will not portray women in this way on my magazine and instead use a counter-type image if I choose to use a female model. 

The main image is usually a close up when a male artist is on the cover. However, for females a medium shot is a more popular choice- this could again be linked to the over-sexualisation of women within the genre as it shows more of their body to readers. Costumes on the cover are mainly casual wear that is associated with an urban lifestyle: hats, bandanas, baggy trousers and denim. Some celebrities that have been presented on this magazine more than once include: Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Eminem. Other typical celebrities that could be on this magazine might be any successful rapper or R&B artist. Direct mode of address is nearly always present on XXL's covers as it allows readers to connect with the main image. On the other hand, strong eye contact could also be described as confrontational, again highlighting the dangerous lifestyle that is presented within rap music.  

Fonts - much like the colour scheme and main image - are bold. The typography on the page consists of different sizes, perhaps signifying the importance of each article. Alternatively, the different sizings could be a device used by the editors to make sell-lines that they think will engage the target audience a bigger size than others. The varying sizes, colours, and fonts add movement to the cover.  The types of articles used varies from music to lifestyle. 

Overall, XXL magazine uses layouts and images to reflect conventions of hip-hop music. I will use some of their tools as inspiration for my own magazine.