Magazine Textual Analysis 5 (Contents Page)

This is a contents page by the magazine company Vogue, published in February 2010. The masthead is written in big bold letters above the main image of the model that is places in the centre of the page. A lot of the page is coloured in black and white with the odd bit of colour running through out. There appears to be a lot of information on the page as well as some images. Each of the contents are marked by there own sub heading. 

The colour scheme on this contents page is rather simple as the majority of the page is just black and white. There is, however, some colour running through the page with the orange text and also the models orange dress. The lighting used in the image on this contents page is clearly staged as the light appears to be coming from one general direction. The model on the page is an attractive female, hinting that the target audience for this magazine would be either men aged 18-30 or women who are seeking fashion tips, also aged between 18-30.  The fact that a section of the contents page is labeled 'fashion' and also that the models dress seems rather expensive, this may possibly be aimed at a more higher class audience. The eye gaze of the model is not aimed at the audience; her attention is astray from the readers. She has a rather fake gesture in the image as you never see people like this in reality. Its probable that she is just posing like this to make herself and her dress stand out more. The model seems almost over the top with both her dress and make up. It seems like a lot of effort has been put in to make the model look as she does. She has plenty of make up on her face, from the view we get, the make up around her eyes seems orange. This is possibly to match the dress and to look good altogether. There are no actual props being used in this image, however the model is wearing a lot of accessories including necklaces and bracelets. It is impossible to tell the location in which this image was taken as the background is very plain and shows no scenery. The main eye catcher of the page is the model as she is in the centre of the page and also her dress is the brightest thing on the page, colour wise. 

The shot distance for this image is a Medium Long Shot (MLS) as you can see a lot of the models body except below the knee area. I would say the camera angle on this image is a slight worms eye angle as you have to look up the page in order to see the models face. Everything on this page is in focus as there is not a lot on this page that required a lot of focus so it wouldn't make sense to blur anything out. The film stock on this page is ver smooth as everything is very clear. A lot of the page is just black and white, however parts of text and the model are in colour so the page is not entirely black and white. The lighting on this image is not natural, however it is expressive of the mood. The lighting helps to draw the eye to the model, which is intended to be the main eye catcher on the page. The typography on this page relates to the image itself. This is because the orange text is what the audiences eye gets drawn to while reading, just like the eye is drawn to the image as the audience scans the page. 

There are not really ay clever uses for the words on this page, most things are straight to the point. There is one headline that uses a question rather than a solid headline 'Can you predict the future?' This could be used to possibly interest or even make them curious about what they could find out on that page. I think the preferred reading for this contents page is to learn what is there to read in the magazine, but also to learn about fashion due to the headline entitled 'Fashion.' There are quite a few Vogue conventions used on this contents page. The main ones being the layout and the Masthead. On each and very contents page made by Vogue, they have the same layout. This layout somewhat defies the rule of thirds as the masthead covers the entire top of the page and covers up a part of the image. The image is positioned in the centre of the page rather than near the bottom or on the left hand side. However the feature articles remain on the right hand side of the page, some on the bottom. Another common factor seen in a lot of these contents pages is the term 'In Vogue.' This headline is there to cover some of the main things that change each edition that you can expect to read about further on in the magazine. And also because it is used in most editions of Vogue, it has become somewhat the catchphrase of the magazine. The target audience for this magazine is definitely for female readers aged between 17-30. this is definitely a magazine set out to catch the attention of the more younger female generation due to the bright colours, feature articles and the most up to date fashion tips to date. For a lot of girls in this age range, fashion would become a main asset in their lives.