MOJO MAGAZINE ANALYSIS
                    codes & conventions / institutions

MOJO - is a monthly magazine which provides it's audience with a dose of journalism as well as iconic photography. The magazine is seen by people as 'obsessed with music'. The content within the magazine varies from classic and modern rock, folk,soul, country to reggae, electronic and experimental, meaning that everyone can find something for themselves. This feature makes the magazine versatile. Mojo provides a valued brand by it's 'hand-made' experience in the mass market environment. As a brand, Mojo uses social media websites such as Facebook or Twitter allowing the product to be accessible for wider audience. The target audience for Mojo magazine are male aged 45-54.

FRONT COVER:

This is the front cover of a Mojo issue with Paul Weller as the main feature of the magazine. 

The masthead of the magazine is displayed prominently across the width of the cover. Unlike most magazines, the text is placed in front of the main image (wob effect) , projecting the magazine's house style as well as advertising the company brand.  The font is kept quite simple and legible. The main features and headlines are effectively standing out due to the large font size  but also due to the bright, red colour which may catch viewers attention even more.  In addition, the use of white colour is also effective as it combines very well with the white details within the main image. This accentuates the bold red and blue. 

Furthermore, excluding the picture boost in the top right-hand corner, the only colours used are red, white and blue. This makes the front cover appear more professional and thematic, as the colour composition seems to be structured effectively. These three colours echo the red, white and blue 'mod' emblem behind Paul Weller. This is quite clever as it makes the front cover more appealing and thoughtful.  

The image composition of Paul Weller is kept quite simple. The image lacks of full realism due to the unnatural skin tones. This makes the front cover look more interesting, as it brings attention to the subject of this particular issue. In addition, the image seemed to be desaturated and thus creates a shadowing effect. This fits in effectively with the general colour scheme whilst also appearing distinctly unique. This makes the front cover  more eye catching for the readers.  The effects placed upon the Weller's image make him look less real, almost as if he was an animated character. Furthermore, I think the main image is not too complex as it's kept very simple. This is balanced with the large amount of text surrounding the image, which makes the front cover look slightly cluttered. 

The cover line of this particular front cover is quite simplistic but at the same time eye catching. The cover line - ''Paul Weller'' is in the same font and size as other selling lines, however it's slightly separated from others. It's surrounded above and below by the white text which is less noticeable than the red text. This contrasts the bright bold red font with the smaller white font which makes the cover line protrude further than the other sell lines.

The sell lines are located either side of the main image, which create a slightly cluttered and busy composition. Although the selling lines are compacting on both sides of the front cover they still allow the main image to take the majority of attention. One of the most effective sell lines within the front cover is the pull quote in the top left corner saying 'Free CD!'. This would appeal to the readers and encourage them to purchase the magazine. This is a convention which is used within this specific genre of magazines. The second sell line (above the cover line) again uses the word 'free' - this time in a significantly larger font to the rest of the words surrounding it. When the reader views this area of the front cover, their attention would be immediately drawn to this word. 

CONTENTS PAGE: 

The content page has being named by the magazine's masthead 'MOJO'. The clear and large logo is very effective as it immediately brings reader's attention to the products name. Underneath the masthead there is a small list of cities included. This underlines the places where the magazine is iconic for music. 

The use of leader directly under the overline of the masthead allows to locate the date and issue number in a visible place. This is effective as it allows to inform the readers which issue their reading but it also gives an insight of how successful the magazine is, as this is already their '193rd' issue of the Mojo magazine. 

The image of the artist on the right hand side has been taken from a head shot angle. This is effective as it seems as if the artist was directly looking at the readers. This makes the reader feel more involved with the magazine due to the strong eye contact which builds a connection between the artist and the reader. Additionally, this might encourage the viewers to read the story.

The artist's outfit significantly stands out within the magazine's house style, which includes black, white and gold colour scheme. This is effective as the red, bright colour makes the character stand out even more. This is also achieved through the light, grey, plain background which allows the image as well as the features stand out even more. The red colour of suit is commonly associated with love and romance, violence and blood. However, red is the only truly vibrant colour within this composition. This can be related to the rock genre, as a lot of music within this category is often about romance, riots/ rebellion and agony. His positioning with the contents page suggests that he will be playing a big role within this issue.

Besides, the house style of the magazine (black, grey, gold colour scheme) is kept very simple. Due to the fact that Mojo magazine is targeted at older audience (45-54) these colours are very appealing, as they are not too bright or vibrant. This makes it more easier to read for the customers. Furthermore, the story lines are effectively separated using bold, large font. The over lines are in much smaller font as they contain more detail than the features headlines. The large, gold page numbers are appearing in front of the headlines. This is effective as they are clearly visible. 

The cover story of this issue is separated using two lines between the features and a pull out quote. The gold lines are successfully separating a large chunk of information about the 'Pink Floyd' band. The leader underlines the importance of this information, demonstrating that this is the main story subject. Additionally, the pull out quote at the bottom of the page is in a different font comparing to other features. This again underlines the main story and might effectively encourage viewers to read it.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:

This is a double page spread which is covered by an image. The photograph is in black and white; this gives a strong feeling of time, but also gives a dramatic effect. Without colour, the viewer appreciates the lighting and textures of the scene. This is also effected through the contrasting composition. The dark tones of the image suggest sorrow, loneliness (as the subject is alone, in a dark room). Mojo uses images of the band when they were in a their popular years. This is effective as the readers remember them in this particular way. It would be more inappropriate if the band images were captured in present, as the readership may not recognize or appreciate the band as much. 

The only colour featured within the double page spread is the blue badge. Besides, the same badge is located at the front cover of the magazine. This link might significantly make the readers look at it more. Furthermore, the text within the introductory centre page spread has a minimalistic approach. The image and the design are the factors which encourage the audience to read the story. This double page spread is commonly referred to as a centre spread because it's located in the middle of the magazine. The later pages of the article contain more text. 

The headline contains lyrics from one of the band’s songs. “Talking about my generation” - this feature directly refers to the song “my generation”, the more dedicated readers are likely to notice this. Along with the text heavily relating to the band, the font used contains Serifs – which are associated with class and sophistication, as they are more traditional than bold sans-serif fonts. The font is visually appealing as it is grey and white colour. For example “Talkin’ about” is in normal size, but the font colour is grey. Whereas the “My” in the stand first is considerably larger and white – to make it more dominant. This gives the text some personality and enhances its meaning.

Features on the second double page spread that are different to those on the first double page spread: 

• Top half of the page contains numerous images, the images have borders that are similar width to the guttering of the text. This creates consistency.
• The images are noticeably lighter – and more subtle 
• The images feature various themes – such as chaos/destruction, friendship and perhaps loneliness.