Magazine Analysis

Section 1:

Section 2: The first magazine is Ride UK Bmx mag which is a magazine about bmx, riders and places to ride around the UK. It shows off the latest equipment and tricks to its audience which is released each month. The target audience would be teenagers to you adults who are interested in bmx. They will most likely be very style conscious and like clean and well shaped design. The second magazine is Mountain Bike UK which is a mountain bike magazine showing and using some the many parts and people included in it. It has people reviewing the latest tech and equipment such as bikes, involved in mountain biking but also has articles based around some of the sports well known athletes. The target audience for MBUK would be young adults and older who are interested in where to ride their bikes and also what the best equipment would be to use. They will most likely be concerned with the contents and what they have to say about the products compared to how the magazine is laid  out and presented.

Front cover of Ride UK Bmx mag: The layout of the front cover of Ride UK Bmx mag is very clean and has use of white space but also has a reasonable amount of information about the contents of the magazine. From what I can see the designer has used a grid because as text is on specific parts of the page with the image in the centre being the eye catching part of the magazine. The layout is easy to read and to follow with large text for more important parts then small text under giving a better explanation about it. The typeface used is bold and large with bright colours which make is extremely eye catching but still inkeeping with the overall clean look of the magazine. It has a graphic effect on the text colour which gives in a more rough look which may be appealing to its younger  audience and the blue background behind the pink text with the ripped effect continues this look. The masthead is behind the centered image bringing your eyesight to the centre of the page where the rider is showing a cool trick which is impressive and may make the magazine more appealing. The larger and more important text is above some of the contents showing hierarchy because this shows these are the main parts of the magazine therefore a major selling point and needs to be noticed. The photo used really doesn’t have mise en scene as the only really noticeable thing about the image is the rider in the centre. The lighting is dark background once again bringing focus to what the rider is doing. The body language is over the top and very eye catching really adding to the selling point of the magazine. Very bright colours are used on the text of the magazine such as pink, blue and yellow which are warm, making it very easy to see and really stands out and inviting compared to other magazines. The ornamentation on the front cover is small pink triangles not really adding anything to the design of the magazine just making it more vibrant and eye catching or maybe appealing to the young audience. The only piece of Institutional Information I can see is the barcode in the bottom right which isn’t adding anything to the design but just there for functionality. The copy package is the masthead and then the picture to go with it which is the bmx as the masthead is Ride UK Bmx. Some of the featured article headlines using linguistic devices such as a pun for example the ‘Sin city’ then underneath Las Vegas implying it is Sin city.

Double page spread of Ride UK Bmx mag: The layout of the double page spread is very clean and minimalistic much like the front cover. It has plenty of whitespace and only the vital information on the page. It has another large image filling most of the page. The use of a grid is present once again as the text is all aligned on one side of the page then the photo on the other. It is very clean and clear and easy to follow being functional as well as stylish. The typography on the page is very minimal compared to the bright and eye catching colours on the front page with use of only 3 colours. This is a stylish design but also gets the point across and once again puts a lot of focus on the image which is centered in the page. The only hierarchy I can see in is different text sizes highlighting the page number and heading of the page. The image stands out the most as it is easily the biggest graphic on the page. The photo used on the contents page isn’t very exciting compared to the front cover, but it keeps with the design of the pages as it is impressive yet very simple much like its surroundings. The colour scheme is very plain and simplistic but in my opinion could use more colours making the page a bit more exciting. The photo package is just one photo which makes it stand out well and in keeps with the theme of bmx. The baseline grid isn’t protruded in the contents page which in keeps with the clean and functional design of the overall page.

Front cover of MBUK: The layout of MBUK is based around the image used. It is very busy around the image but the centre part such as the rider and where he is going is very empty giving a clear look at the photo. The grid would be based around the part of the image with the rider and the trail because that would be the main focus point of the magazine cover. The typography on the front cover is large and bold for the main headings of the magazine making sure you know what is inside and also noticeable from a distance. The hierarchy of the front cover is quite obvious the photo is supposed to be the main focus as all the text is arranged or behind it. Then the large text would be next as it stands out more because of the bold typeface. The small text would be last as it is just explaining in more detail about the sub headings. The mise en scene of the photography would be the background is out of focus giving depth of field but also bring focus to the rider in the middle. The terrain is also in focus which may show the point it is a mountain bike magazine and this image clarifies it, also the clothing and bike used all justifies this. The colour scheme is mostly primary colours with use of white, red, black and blue which really contrast and stand out from each other. The text is mostly white with either a red background or the photo behind it but still clear and readable. The colours are used in specific areas of the magazine such as the red being mostly shapes, the white being text and the blue and black being the background of most of the text. The ornamentation would include such shapes as the cog or chainring which can be found on a bike which is very relevant to the specific magazine. There is also use of ribbons which may indicate some part of the magazine may involve someone winning or prizes to be won in the magazine. There is multiple institutional information on the front cover on this magazine such as the barcode which also has logos from whom the magazine is produced and wrote by. The copy package would be the ‘Britain's Best- selling mountain bike magazine’ as this ties right into the image and the genre of magazine. The feature article headline would be a pun such as ‘Swede dreams’ as it is about why you should go to Scandinavia next year. This would bring a slight bit of comedy to an otherwise serious and article about why Scandinavia would be a good destination to mountain bike.

Double page spread of MBUK: The layout of the double page spread is very busy and full of multiple images with text around the outside. If a grid was used it would once again be mostly be based around pictures as most of the images are on the top side spread across the double page with the text underneath. This could mean the images are more important and would show a better understanding on what the page is about. The typography for the contents page is mostly very similar with the main headings being bold and large to stand out and giving a general understand on what the pages will be about, then shortly followed by smaller text giving a deeper and more meaningful description on what the pages will be about. The visual hierarchy on the pages is the images are above therefore more important than the text below. They are also much larger giving them more of a noticeable appeal compared to the much smaller text below. The photography used really compliments and explains the different parts of the magazine well. The mise en scene of each image shows what the pages will be about and gives a good insight and clear understanding into what will be going on. Once again the colour scheme is very similar to the front cover and continues the blue, red, white and black colours which makes the magazine flow nicely and looks professional. The ornamentation on the contents page has such objects like stickers highlighting the more important articles they may want you to really focus on. There is also fait borders around some of the items separating them into different section maybe implying they are supposed to be together. There is multiple ‘puffs’ in the contents page as a lot of it is made up by pictures which all have small captions to further explain what its about and where you can find it. The ads function as well as clean and elegant design. The photo package on the page is very obvious as the larger and more centred images are very easy to see and instantly stand out from the others. The feature article headline once again is all over the contents page with puns such as: ‘Stevie Wonder’ which is talking about Steve Smith who is the recent winner of the Canadian open downhill race. This play on words would probably appeal to the audience as a slight inside joke as only mountain bikers would understand it. The baseline grid is mostly followed apart from two photos which go out. This doesn’t really affect the design to much but mostly just adds to how they catch your eye just from being outside the baseline.

Conclusion: The Ride UK Bmx cover is simplistic yet functional letting you know what is inside the the magazine but also looks good. It has vibrant and eye catching colours which appeal to the young audience. The image used is very relevant to the contents and title of the magazine as it is exactly what is in the image. The layout makes you focus on the image in the middle which makes it very eye catching. This cover overall works well towards its young target audience as it is clean and stylish but also contains many enjoyable pieces for them. Compare this to the MBUK cover which a lot busier but also contains more information. It is similar in the way it is designed as the text is around the center image bringing focus to it making it very eye catching.

It also uses bright colours which are all similar and makes it very appealing to its audience. Having more content on the front cover is also a selling point to the audience as they are probably more interested in what is inside the magazine compared to how it looks.

The Ride UK Bmx double page spread is very similar on how the front cover was designed. It is very minimalistic and functional but has less interesting and eye catching content than the front cover. It once again has a large image drawing your attention to it which is then got text beside or below it. Compare this to the design of MBUK which also similar to its front cover but a lot more functional giving a lot more detail on what is inside the magazine. It is a lot more colourful and interesting compared to the calm and sleek look of the other magazine. It uses multiple large images to give a good insight into what is inside the magazine. The text is large and stands out but also gives out lots infomation which the target audience wants to know.