Textual analysis of Hello! magazine

The issue of Hello! Magazine that I am going to analyze is March 2009. The median of Hello! Is print which is in the style of a magazine. The institution that publishes Hello is Polestar Sheffield. Polestar prints 42 million magazines weekly, they print more magazines than other UK publishers. They aim to offer ‘perfect binding, saddle stitching, personalisation and mailing,’ therefore a magazine publishes by Polestar are always great quality as they enjoy giving good value to customers.
The denotations of the magazine are the masthead of the magazine is in a large, bold font and the colour contrasts against the background so it stands out. They have placed the date, issue number and price underneath the title as it would be the next thing the consumer will notice and they would be interested in this information. They have placed the barcode with the magazines web address on the right hand side so that readers can quickly find out more information about the magazine. The main focused picture is of Prince William and it is a medium close up, I think having a medium close up photograph is a good idea because it enables the reader to see not only the celebrities face but some of what they are wearing. Fans enjoy seeing what their favourite celebrity’s style is as they may want to copy it. The main cover line is in the same font and colour as the rest of the text but it is written much bigger which shows how important it is and influences customers to read it. They have included a smaller picture of Prince William and above reads ‘WORLD EXCLUSIVE,’ the word ‘exclusive’ makes the reader feel they are getting the best deal from the magazine and that no other magazines will have the same information; this is used to hook the readers in. They use the word ‘exclusive’ again which furthers the value of the magazine and emphasizes the quality inside. To grab the readers attention towards the Prince William they have included a quote from the interview, ‘I still feel the emptiness on Mother’s day,’ this helps make the reader interested to find out exactly what he is talking about and what else he says about his mother Princess Diana. The font is in very bold writing and the colour white stands out against the background which makes it easier to see. They have also included more than one cover story which is placed at the bottom so it doesn’t detour around Prince William. Pictures are also included about these cover stories so readers know exactly who the headlines are talking about. The cover is quite simplistic compared to other magazines I have analysed, however Hello! Magazine’s audience is older than my target audience and Sugar front cover is quite detailed.
The genre of Hello! Is fashion and gossip as most of Hello’s articles revolve around the celebrity world. The representation of the magazine is exciting and informative which is shown through the intimate photos of celebrities and the headlines concerning them. The audience of Hello! are young female adults as the issues the magazine covers are ones that females are interested in. The language used attracts young adults as it is informal yet intellectual. Hello’s ideologies are fashion and providing entertainment, this is shown through the interesting stories about celebrities and including articles on the latest styles. The narrative of Hello is informative and innovative which is shown through many articles and interviews with celebrities and pictures of news around the world. Hello use the same structure throughout their magazine and the same font type and colour to create a house style so readers can familiarize themselves with the magazine.

I am now going to analyse the contents page of Hello to find out if they keep to the same codes and conventions and how the page is created.
The denotations of the contents page are the masthead which readers ‘inside Hello!’ Hello is written in the same style as the front cover which creates a house style in the magazine. The page is split into pictures on the left hand side and writing on the right. This has an interesting look and it is well spread out so clear to see. In the middle of the photos is a long shot photograph of Zara Phillips, this photo creates a contrast against the others as most of the other photos are medium close ups. Therefore the photograph of Zara stands out well and attracts the reader’s eye which means they are likely to turn to the page to see the rest. Hello has highlighted the names of celebrities in red which stands out and emphasizes them. It also contrasts against the rest of the wordings as they are in black font. I feel this is a good idea because fans want to know if their favourite celebrities are mentioned in the magazine and this is a quick and easy way to see if they are. The pages are grouped into different headlines which are ‘Celebrity news, regulars, spy and lifestyle,’ this makes it easier to find what you are looking for. For example if you know you want to find the horoscopes and you are a fan of Hello, you would know it is a customary topic and will look in the pages under ‘regulars.’ Underneath this they have included a hook which is a subscription note which is written in a red background which stands out against the white. Subscriptions are a good idea because it will help reel in more customers because people want to pay less for their desires, therefore by using the subscription they will have 25% off and will always be reading Hello. Finally they have included the technical information regarding the magazine underneath for those that want to get into contact with the publishers and people who create the magazine.

The first thing the reader notices is the masthead of the page includes a picture of his home and an introduction about what the interview is going to be about. It is noticeable because it is in big white font that contrasts against the navy background. They have also added a quote from the magazine on the right hand side which will leave the fans wanting more as they will read the rest of the interview to find out exactly what he has been talking about. They have included a medium close up photograph of Lee Mead and his fiancée Denise Van Outen and they are wearing smart clothing, fans interested in the relationship can see the body language between them. The large photograph stands out well and attracts readers. Underneath the interview is a photograph of Lee when he was taking part in Any Dream Will Do, this will remind readers of where he first came into sight and of his talent. The interview is quite short but informative, the language is informal yet mature as it is written to appeal to the target audience. The colours are quite dark compared to Sugar magazine as Sugar is for a much younger audience and as I wish to create a magazine for a young audience I will avoid using dark colours as it won’t appeal to my age target.

In conclusion by analysing Hello magazine I have understood how the codes and conventions relate to the certain audience, a house style has been created and is used throughout the magazine.