Vibe Music Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Founded in 1993 by Quincy Jones, Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine that mainly covers R&B as well as Hip Hop music. The American magazine is targeted at a mostly young, urban audience who are interested in hip-hop culture. As of 2014 the magazine moved to an online version.

Contents Masthead: Placed on the left side of the page in a rather unconventional layout, the title stands out due to it's originality. Having said that it also complements the image, of Kanye West, so that it becomes the main focus point. With the masthead being in a large, bold font it draws the viewer's eye to the title which ensures that they know what the page consists of.

Main Image: The contents page is for the most part covered by a photo of Kanye West. Despite this possibly being seen as a negative thing, because it only shows him and no other article features, West is an iconic rapper, music producer, fashion designer and is just generally well known in the media. Therefore, this may lead to a larger audience than usual who want to read the instalment of Vibe.

The page in itself is predominantly grey, as a result of this the viewer is drawn to the bold red heart upon West's chest; covered by a woman's hand which infers that the article on him goes over his personal life. Furthermore, one can interpret this as somebody owning his heart which may interest his fans who can learn more about his life. Despite the fact that the background is acceptionally plain, the "V" behind the musician still reflects what the magazine is as a result of the letter being like a trademark.

Contents List: The contents has been subtly placed on the left side of the page below the masthead, which has been written a different font to the masthead. Whilst this juxtaposition makes for a more visually interesting design it also differentiates the features.

Opinion

Overall, the cover remains visually interesting regardless of it's simplicity. Although, many would prefer a more busy design I find it to be somewhat original. Plus the photo of West speaks for itself with the use of the audience needing to read between the lines, I would like my music magazine to reflect this.