I have chosen to analyse popular fashion magazine LOOK issue 1st November 2010 on page 28. This is a double page spread interview of American singer/songwriter Taylor Swift.The magazine is set in an A4 format, providing adequate space for the contents of the pages. Interestingly, there is not a large image on the first page of the interview, just a small paparazzi shot of Taylor and her ex-boyfriend, movie star Taylor Lautner. The masthead of the page is very large, and takes up almost half of the page. Most of the page is filled with the actual interview.
The masthead is very large, taking up almost half of the page. The page is predominantly white, but the masthead is set in front of a 'paint like' black smear across the page. The font used on the masthead is white, but the signifier dangerous is highlighted red. This word signifies being likely and able to do harm and can suggest a perilous scenario. The word brings readers out of their comfort zone, as it has so many connotations with serious and threatening scenarios. The red used on this signifier psychologically symbolises love to violence and warfare. Studies show that red can raise respiration and blood pressure, relating to the connotations of the word, putting readers out of their comfort zone. The contrast between the white font and the black background creates effective contrasting. The white appears brighter and easier to read against the black. The black smear effect also makes the page look more interesting, as the page has a simple layout, minimal photos and uses only black and white, except for the signifier in the masthead. The paint effect appears quite harsh against the white page, as black symbolises mystery and seriousness. The effect pf the smudges outline looks interesting, modern and harsh to have relevance with the masthead. The font is also written in a Times New Roman style, bar the signifier which is written in the Bradley Hand ITC font.
The two strap lines, like the Rihanna interview, are placed above and below the masthead. Above the masthead, the font is written in a Times New Roman style font and is in block capitals. It is a black font, contrasting with the white background. The block capitals emphasises the person they are interviewing and their fame. The strap line below the masthead is of typical interview style, informing the reader of her personal life, her career and a brief overview of what she reveals in the interview. The font is like the other strap line and masthead, written in a Times New Roman style.
The only image used on the first page is situated in the bottom left corner and depicts Taylor Swift and her now ex-boyfriend, movie star Taylor Lautner in a car, holding hands and smiling. This is a paparazzi shot and has connotations with the obsession of magazines reading about and seeing celebrities during their personal lives, away from their career. It also has relevance with the information in the interview.
The interview itself starts with a very common interview technique, the first letter of the interview is enlarged five times the size of the font in the layout, and is bolded and underlined. This is called a dropped capital. Phrases used in interview include "Taylor- one of the 10 richest female singers in the world," the journalist here is further emphasising the hierachy of the music world and Taylor's success. "Taylor is stunning (just ask her ex, Twilight's Taylor Lautner" here, the journalist is dropped other celebrities names into the interview, so that it seems the interview is relevant to other celebrities, not just the one they're interviewing. "Here, the girl who made country music cool talks about closing the Kanye chapter, her gorgeous ex and why she'll only settle of true love." Here, there are more mentions of the singer's personal life than her actual music, due to the fact that the magazine in question is a fashion/celebrity magazine. If this was a music magazine, there would be more questions on music than their personal life.
The second page of the spread has a main image, unlike the first page. This main image is situated on the right hand side of the page. As the image is portrait, the image takes up a vertical half of the magazine, leaving the other side for the interview and another small image. The main image depicts a mid-shot to long-shot of Taylor. The camera angle must have been taken fairly near the ground, as the image is of her whole body. She is wearing a strapless, purple above the knee style dress, Purple psychologically symbolises royalty, mystery, nobility and spirituality and has connotations toward nature, as it's the colour of lavender, orchid, lilac and violet flowers, which are often delicate and precious. Her body language suggests she is dancing, as her hair and dress are swaying, her arm is bent toward her head and her eyes are closed and her mouth is open. This denotes what we have have just read about Taylor in the interview, suggesting she is carefree and feminine. She is wearing a bright yellow bib necklace. Yellow on one hand denotes happiness and joy, but on the other symbolises cowardice and deceit. This is juxtaposition. This colour works well with the pose she is pulling as she looks cheerful, yet feminine and delicate due to her body frame. Her hair is famously curly and blonde, which denotes youth and children. It is also feminine and cheerful, tying in with her dress and necklace. The photo is taken with a plain white background, so the page doesn't look too busy.
The other image on the second page is situated in the bottom left hand corner of the page. The image is slightly slanted and depicts Taylor and another one of her exes, singer Joe Jonas. The image was taken at an event and appears to be another paparazzi shot. This interview has a high level of verisimilitude, due to the two pictures representing her personal life. However, I believe that the magazine can be heading down desensitisation, as seeing so many photos of her with ex boyfriends can leave readers getting less interested in the singer's love life.
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