Analysing a college magazine






L.I.I.A.R Analysis

Language

The language is the particular terminology being used. Language is vital to any front cover of a magazine. The masthead is the most important item on any front cover. It is the first thing any potential buyer will see. Along with the left third of the magazine, the masthead can be seen on any magazine rack because of the way they are stacked. There are many cover lines on this particular magazine cover. Unusually the main anchorage for the magazine which accompanies the main image doesn’t stand out anymore than any other of the cover lines on the front cover. The colour of the writing on the front cover is coordinated with the colours that the ‘model’ is wearing. All the cover lines are aimed to entice a student audience. All language used is clear and simple which encourages students to buy the magazine.

Institution

The institution is the group that control the production process. From the front cover you can assume that the institution that produced the front cover is associated in some way with college. This is because a large publication company would have no interest in producing a college magazine. This is because there would be a very small profit as the target audience is relatively small. Therefore it is fair to assume that it is the college itself that has produced the magazine. Due to the production company having a smaller budget than that of a company producing a national or global magazine, the magazine will look cheaper; this could be as simple as the type of paper or type of camera used. Also because the target audience is limited the stories in the magazines can be more particular and more specific to particular pupil/teachers and events.

Ideology

Ideology basically means the ideas and meanings of a text. The idea of the front cover is to encapsulate the audience. The meaning of the front cover is to briefly describe the contents. This particular college magazine appears to appeal to a ‘gossip lover’ with cover lines such as “She’s 15 and pregnant”. Despite this story clearly for fans of gossip, there is a wide range of varied stories within the magazine which caters for many different interests. The context of the text is very clearly deduced from the masthead – “COLLEGE”. The writing is very clear which coincides with the idea that the magazine is clearly for college students. Also the writing is red. Red connotes many things, one being power. This shows that students have power over the contents of the magazine.

Audience

Audience covers: who the magazine is for; what do people do with the product and whose needs does it fulfil. This magazine is obviously aimed at college students. This is clear from many techniques used on the front cover. The masthead itself – “COLLEGE”, immediately tells any prospective buyer that this particular magazine is in someway related to college life. The main image on the splash appears to be a student, this is another indication that the magazine is about college. All cover lines are about topics that surround everyday teenage life, e.g. teenage pregnancy and smoking, yet another indication to who the audience of the magazine is supposed to be. This is clearly a magazine which is to inform students about life on ‘campus’.

Representation

Representation is about who appear in the product or advertisement, in this instance a magazine front cover. It is also about how the people on the magazine are portrayed. This magazine is again obviously about students. From the main image alone students at this college are portrayed as all being good looking girls, who take pride in their college by wearing college colours. Each cover line story targets areas that are often associated with teenage life (not always flattering). E.g. teenage pregnancy, smoking and beer are all mentioned on the front cover. Despite all this there is a sense of cleanliness on the campus by the green background.