Front Cover Of A Music Magazine Textual Analysis 1.

On the front cover of this 'Vibe' magazine, Usher is being represented in a way that is connotational of war. The army/pilot type costume he is wearing as well as the aviator sunglasses and the helmet he is carrying are all stereotypical of war and people in the army which produces the ideology of war and battle. The use of the mid shot gives the impression that Usher is walking towards the camera and towards the audience. In the background we can see what appears to be a fighter plane, this and the fact Usher is in the pilot costume holding a helmet suggests to the audience that he is has just emerged from the plane. The location appears to be in a rural area as we can see trees and greenery and can clearly see the landscape as well as the sky and the sun. This image and the idea of war is backed up by the main cover line in which reads 'Usher - There is no competition'. The fact that this has appeared on the cover of a music magazine connotes the idea that Usher believes there is no competition with his music and that of other artists.

The colours used on this front cover for the typography all connote the idea of danger and hazard. The black and yellow we see is very commonly used for hazardous products or buildings that in danger of collapsing etc. The fact they have used these colours represent the fact that Usher is a hazards to the music world and the other artists.The font used for the masthead is very bold and set behind the image which is done because people that purchase this magazine wouldn't need to see the full masthead to know what magazine it is. The font used for the cover lines is also fairly bold but not to the extreme of the masthead.

The mid shot we see appears to have a central focus on the stomach of Usher which allows him to look a great deal bigger then he actually is. This produces the idea that he is a giant in the music world which anyone that follows him will know that he is a very successful artist. Also, Usher is set in the foreground which makes him look a great deal bigger than the plan that is set behind him.

The target audience for this magazine front cover would be males in the age range of 16 - 24 who like usher and also like RnB. This magazine could also attract a female audience if the also like Usher for different reasons to that of a male audience.