LIIAR analysis of Clash magazine.

The language us on this music magazine is not just specifically used for this one, but also for every music magazine that’s ever been published. The mast head is very clear and connotes music in general. It also suggests that maybe there could be a clash of music genres within the magazine suggesting that this magazine could be for everyone. The next piece of wording that stands out after the mast head, is the name of the band ‘Arcade fire’ verifying the very fact that the main article/interview will be with them. The main image used on the front cover can be clearly seen even from a distance as well, it doesn’t overpower the mast head and you can easily see who the person is because it relates to the main headline. There is a definite house style used, it appears to be red, blue, white and grey, the use of these four colours makes it eye catching, not to chaotic but with a simplistic edge. The bar code is easily visible but doesn’t overawe the masthead or the main image etc. One thing that’s apparent is the fact there isn’t any thumb nail images on this front cover, therefore the convention ‘anchorage’ has not been used either, could this have been the main intention of the editors of the magazine to make the main article stand out even more than it should? Or is it the fact they just want to keep the reader in suspense? Also there’s not a single teasing comment along the bottom, only an ‘exclusive’ upon the left-hand side, again is this intentional? Upon researching the institution behind Clash magazine, it appears there isn’t one, they’re owned by themselves. I believe this could be the reason why their front cover is totally different to any other you see on the shelves in the shops such as: NME, Q etc. Perhaps Clash noticed a gap in the market and decided to take up an individual style and genre to cover. The message that this front cover gives off is that simple is best, hence no anchorage, and the effortless main image. Also the fact that the magazine is called ‘Clash’ suggests that a mixture of music genres could be incorporated within the magazine too. I believe that the audience this magazine is aimed at could be those who are interested in more alternative styles of music such as: Arcade Fire (featured) and Friendly Fires. These people could quite possibly be students and as the magazine is only released once a month it means they can afford it being from the D and E band of Social Economic Groups after all. The representation of the target audience that this music magazine front cover gives off over all is fairly positive, yet you get the impression that readers may have a bit of a wacky yet laid back outlook on life.

The main thing that you see as the reader of this magazine is the word ‘contents’ and because this stands out the readers aware of what they’ll be reading. Next the use of thumbnail images immediately connotes the contents list, easily informing the reader. The way in which the cover article has been highlighted in yellow helps the reader become aware that where ever the image or other information is upon the contents page, they will easily be able to find it. Again there isn’t an institution behind Clash magazine, that’s why they have their own individual style, just like this contents page. The ideological and representational message that the contents page gives off is that because the contents page is set out over a double page it means there’s a lot of content featured connoting the very fact that the target audience of this music magazine always have a lot to say.

The language features used upon this double page spread interview are as follows; it follows two of the house style colours originally set on the front cover (black and red) therefore this gives the reader a familiarity towards the magazines features. The interview is set out in neat and flowing columns and each new topical sentence has a large capital letter to emphasise this. The way in which the main image has been edited is rather clever, it’s a full body shot of the band so therefore gives the reader a chance to engage in a clearer analysis of the band, the body language they enclose sets off a ‘happy’ and ‘cheerful’ atmosphere for the reader is reading the article and reviewing the image. Looking in the top right hand corner it’s apparent that there’s some kind of fact being shared, this holds similar features to a teasing comment that is usually found upon a magazine front cover. Finally the main double page spread does relate to the featured image on the front cover. I like the approach that’s been taken to make the page numbers and the website to follow the house style too; this proves that just because Clash magazine is an individual institution they still follow a consistent and professional style.