Billboard Deconstruction

Deconstruction 2

This magazine has a very dominant main image. The subject is facing the camera as if he was looking directly at you. The colour scheme also seems rather unusual. The contrast between the warm purple and red highlight of the subjects with the white and pink text works well as the text begins to stick out significantly. This allows our attention to be drawn to it. The The purple and red create the sense that the subject is at a concert or live show and is under these conditions..  This warm purple combined with the other colours on the cover, red, pink and white, create a warm and passionate effect and put emphasis on the mood that the cover is trying to convey. The colours used as highlights and form text are all basic however they create a sense of creativity in the darkness that is present. Just like in Kerrang there is binary opposition. The bright white wording and masthead contrasts with the warm purple on the page.

The cover uses only one font. However it is very bold and clear, it's easy to read and easily identifiable. This could be a clever denotation, the magazine is called Billboard. The text and masthead are both very bold and clear as well as straight ot the point much like a billboard. At first it doesn’t really look like a magazine cover, it comes across as more of a poster or flyer. It doesn’t follow many of the conventions that are the norm for music magazines. However “Ed Sheeran” has be placed and designed in such a way that it is the first thing the reader sees. This helps a reader click and realise that despite the lack of normal conventions on behalf of the institution this is still a music magazine. The pieces of text around the page are significantly smaller than usual and are all away from the main image. This is probably to prevent it from subtracting effect from the main image.

The image itself has mood lighting placed upon it rather than the normal well lit photo’s we have on magazine. The subject is a close up and allows us to see a lot of the detail present on the cover. We’re able to see the deep blue in his eyes and the subtle stubble present on his face. The subject almost pops out from the cover with the contrast between the background and the foreground. Thus far the detail is proving the image is of high quality and that it has been planned well. We’re able to see that the lighting has created red highlights on the border of his head and in various other places around his head adding again the warming effect.

By having a large main image the institution are broadening their audience as they have the subject bold and present on the cover meaning he is easily identifiable and therefore more appealing. A rolling term with magazines is to have a single subject rather than a group. You will often have just one subject rather than a group. Even for bands, an institution will create variants with each member on. This is in an effort to stop the magazine becoming too impersonal. With this magazine especially, they’re able to do this as the subject looks to be staring directly at you on a personal level. The masthead on this cover is to the side and inverted. This could be enforcing the idea that the subject and institution are two separate parties with no devout connection?

In conclusion, this magazine is very appealing for its aesthetics. It has a very well presented main image. This magazine is probably more for collectors or people who favour the subject depicted. Simply for the lack of information on the front. However this is simply my opinion on the layout, in my opinion it has been laid out well but could be considered undercrowded.