Billboard Contents Analysis

Lastly, I will be analysing a contents page from Billboard magazine. 

This contents page from one of Billboard's magazine, is very detailed and neatly laid out. There are 4 images across the page, with one being much bigger than the others. This shows that the bigger one must be the most important, and that he is one of the main features in this magazine. 

The whole left side of the contents page is the music charts, where everything is put in order, with a few lines in the middle of the charts, in the colours that are in the Billboard logo – red, blue and a little bit of yellow. Where it says 'No.1', just above that it has the Billboard logo again, just for a little more advertisement and to remind you about who is giving you this information.  

The word 'contents' is given in an unusual font, that is also used where it says 'No.1', showing a link. The word 'contents' is big, black and bold against a white background, for best contrast and to help catch the readers eye. Just the same with the charts on the left, except it is big, bold and white against a black background. 

The writing on the contents page is split up into different sections, and is all separated to give the impression that there isn't as much writing as you think there is. There are a lot of bold highlighted parts on the contents page that show which bits are the most important, and can allow the reader to read the bold parts, to get a better idea about the topic so they don’t have to read all the writing.

Billboard Double Page Spread Analysis

I will be analysing a double page spread from Billboard Magazine. 

The first thing when we see when we look at this is the image of Beyoncé. In this image, she takes up a whole side of the page, to assert her dominance, and to imply that this double page spread will be all about her, and her only. She has her mouth open slightly, trying to give that seductive look. She does this to lure the reader in, and to give herself that more attractive look. She is also wearing straps around her head, to make it look like she is in some sort of cage, she is dangerous. 

The header, 'FIERCELY CREATIVE' can be linked to the straps around her head. These two words go across both pages, into her side of the pages where her image is, implying that these two words refer to her. 'Fiercely' is in bold, because it is making a statement about her, she is fierce – dangerous, hence why she is in the cage like straps. Also, the header is so big, that as soon as you open the page, it is the first thing you read. This gives the double page spread a good layout – you read the header, see the picture and then if you want, you then read the text. This was how the editor/writer wanted the reader to view this. 

The main colour theme of this double page spread is purple and white. The sort of colours that attract to the more female part of the target audience. This is suitable because most of her supporters are young girls, and a lot of young girls see her as an idol, so it would be appropriate to aim this at the younger generation, by using these colours. Like with most magazines, the writing contrasts with the background, so it becomes more easy to read.  

The only black part on this double page spread is where it says 'woman of the year', which shows that they are trying to make a point, they want you to realise/know that she is woman of the year. It was done in black to catch your eye, and also contrasts very good against the purple background, and can easily be separated from the white writing. 

Billboard Cover Analysis

I will be analysing a cover page for Billboard magazine. I have chosen to do the one with Rihanna.  

Firstly, the name 'Rihanna' is the first thing we can see. It is the biggest piece of  writing on the cover, even bigger than the masthead, suggesting that it is extremely important, even more important than the name of the magazine. It stands out so much because the main colours are purple, white and red, and white stands out a lot from those two colours - it contrasts, so it easily catches your eye. 

The main image itself is of Rihanna. Her vibrant hair, covering half her face in minimal clothing is the biggest thing on the page. It even covers the name of the magazine, which can also suggest she is more important than the company itself, and that she is the main feature in this issue. We can also connotate from this, that Billboard believe their name is well enough known, that even when they cover it, people will still realise that it is Billboard. 

Since Rihanna herself is not wearing a lot of clothes, her gun tattoo is visible, and is placed right under her name. This could be a way of her trying to symbolise that she is a weapon, she is powerful. The look she gives to the camera shows her trying to be seductive, to maybe lure someone into looking at the magazine. She is wearing a dark and distinctive red lipstick, that stands out a lot from her actual skin colour, and the mouth slightly open can be linked to her lustful attitude, including the red hair as the colour red an be linked to things like lust and love. 

This cover page has a pull quote that says 'my fans don't really know who I am'. If you were a true Rihanna supporter, you would already be pulled in and attracted to the magazine, as you would want to read it and find out what she really means. The pull quote is situated right under her name, and since the name is visible enough, we can ensure that the pull quote will be seen as well. 

The cover lines on the left have its own white background, to make sure it contrasts from the purple background, and can be visibly seen. There are only 3 cover lines, which can represent that Billboard does not want too many things to get in the way of the main attraction – Rihanna. 

Lastly, where her name is, going across the page, there is something written above it that says 'THE RE-REINVENTION'. Rihanna released a perfume called 'RiRi' (just like "RE-RE") so by wording it like this, she could be subtly promoting her new perfume.