1. CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS: KANYE WEST ‘VIBE’
The contents page maintains the brand identity of the ‘Vibe’ magazine and establishes its
stylish urban and professional style. It also follows typical conventions found in contents
pages for example it includes page number where the reader can directly go to, allowing them
to easily flick to the page they want. It is also split into sub-categories allowing a clear,
readable layout which makes the reader aware that this is a professional magazine and is
aimed at them. The image featured relates to the genre the magazine is and relates to the
magazine itself. The colours of grey and black reflect the genre and the target audience the
magazine is aimed at.In this case, the male audience.
The analysis
The masthead is a large letter ‘V’ which is the abbreviation of the magazine name ‘Vibe’.
The fact that it is continued on shows the importance of the magazine. This is used to remind
the audience of who created the magazine and to make them further purchase the magazine. It
is constantly featured on ‘Vibe’ magazine contents pages and is positioned in the top half of
the page which maintains the continuity of ‘Vibe’s magazines. The ‘V’ is written in grey
which matches the colour scheme and the black and white image of Kanye West. The colour
scheme gives an elegant, classy look and makes the ‘V’ stand out.
The word ‘Contents’ is displayed in a large bold black font which is split into three lines and
contrasts with the background which make it original and allows it to stand out. Black
connotes power and masculinity and the image of Kanye represents this. Underneath the
word ‘Contents’ are black bold subheadings which show the audience what the main areas of
interest are featured in the magazine (features and fashion). This allows the audience to
identify that the magazine features two categories. The font used for the subheadings is fancy
and stylish which again reflects the colour scheme and Kanye’s attire. This also reflects the
fact that the magazine is stylish and professional. This allows the audience to further want to
read on and find out more information.
The colours reflect that the readership must be professional and of a certain age, for example
16-30. The type of audience this would attract would be young men.
The brief heading and summary are positioned under the subheadings which shows the
category it comes under. It also shows the audience the main articles or stories and the page
number it is on which is easy to navigate. The font colour of the brief headngs are grey
allowing them to stand out to the summary of content which is displayed in black and
matches the subheadings. The page number is in a bolder font than the heading which
indicates it is slightly more important.
The fact that there are brief descriptions underneath the subheadings gives the audience more
information about what is to be included in the magazine which is effective as it prevents the
audience from searching to find their particular page of interest.

2. The sub categories of the contents are: 59 ‘PRIDE ON THE NAME OF LOVE’, 68
‘DOLLARS TO DONUTS’, 74’ A BALLARD FOR THE FALLEN SOILDER’, 82
‘HEARTBREAK HOTEL’. These contents also relate to rap and money. They are presented
in capital, Times New Roman, which is a traditionalformal, neat font, for a traditional,
formal, neat magazine. The mode of address is a mix of formal and informal and is aimed at
an urban sophisticated audience. It also speaks out to the audience in a casual, friendy way
suggesting that this is a friendly magazine.
‘PRIDE ON THE NAME OF LOVE’ reflects that the magazine involves love and that it is
loving for the readership and is a friendly magazine where you can find the latest facts about
artists.
In the contents, there is question mark: ‘What’s the deal with Kanye? Misinterpreted,
misunderstood?’ This rhetorical question allows the reader to figure out what the answer is
making them intrigued wanting to see the rest of the magazine to find out more.
At the bottom right of the age there are a few lines of text which tells the reader the artists
name, when and where the photo was taken and who took the photo. This gives the target
audience extra information which allows them to become more involved in the magazine.
The main image is a medium- shot of the rapper Kanye West who has an arm coming over
his shoulder holding a red heart-shaped object which is the only bright colour displayed on
the page which draws the audience’s attention. Red also connotes love which suggests that
he is loveable and that it takes more than a heart to please him. This may relate to the fact that
the women is trying to win over his heart. The fact that we are not shown the face of the other
person creates audience intrigue as we become suspicious as to who is behind him. The
image dominates the page and the simplicity of the page attracts the target audience as he is a
famous rapper and this relates to the genre of the magazine.
His head is placed between the ‘V’ sign which allows the audience to see him as the main
focus and that he plays a part of this magazine.
Kanye is looking directly at the camera with a moody attitude expression on his face which
relates to rebellion and the genre of rap music as the majority or rap artists show off their
rebellious and not to mess with facial expression which relates to patriarchy. He is dressed
smartly which reflects the colour scheme which is elegant and classy. This may refer to the
type of audience the magazine is aimed at.
The use of a medium-shot allows the audience to see his masculinity. The mise-en-scene
relates to the genre of music as it features the rap artist and the arm of a women who is trying
to win over his love. The pose relates to the typical male rap artist of being mean and
rebellious.
The layout is very similar to the Ciara contents page as they both contain features and fashion
and they both dominate the page maintaining the magazines brand identity. The layout also
reflects the professional yet urban style of the magazine and who the magazine is targeted at.
The layout is quite formal and traditional, suggesting that the readership are the same.

3. The fact that the background is plain allows Kanye to be the central focus of the page as he
makes direct address with the audience and has a serious facial expression.The colour scheme
is effective as it reflects a traditional yet stylish look to the magazine and although it is rather
simple, it style creates an effective layout as the red heart creates colour to the magazine.
The compostion go well together to create a clear, stylish, contemporary contents page as
Kanye is position at the left corner of the page whilst the text surrounds him on the right hand
side allowing the audience to view this last which is effective as this is the last thing they see
which will remind them of what is included in the magazine.