Textual analysis of "Glamour" magazine

The Institution behind "Glamour" magazine is the publisher Condé Nast, which was one of the first British publishers on the Internet and has made itself a reputation for being among the very best. It prides itself for its high-quality, beautifully designed and well targeted magazines and websites, earning it lots of press attention, a fantastic relationship with advertisers and many awards. It is also responsible for the publication of magazines such as "Vogue" and "GQ".

The magazines name "Glamour" attracts people who are aspiring to become fashionable and glamorous, like the model on the front of the magazine. This name tells the audience straight away what the magazine is about, so people who are interested in beauty (which is nearly all of the female population) will immediately be drawn to it. The title of the magazine has been placed at the top of the page in large, bold capital letters. This grabs the attention of the audience and makes the magazine stand out. The title is written in a bright, eye-catching shade of pink, which suggests to the audience that this magazine is aimed at females.

As a matter of fact, the two main colours that have been used on the front page of this magazine are pink and purple. These two colours are most commonly associated with women, so the target audience is presumably female.

The sub-heading "The Celebrity style issue" is also written in bold pink. The fact that it is the same colour as the title tells the reader that this is an important feature in this particular issue. The number "768" is also in pink, this appeals to the female audience as they will be interested in the hundreds of "hot looks" the magazine are describing, and they will want to achieve this for themselves.

The price of the magazine has been placed inside a yellow circle in the top right hand corner of the page. The yellow creates a huge contrast against the white and pink background, so it really stands out. The price "£2" is written in large black text inside the circle, which again catches the readers eye. The word "only" has also been used so that the audience feel that they are buying a magazine worth much more than £2. This will encourage them to purchase it.

The model used on the front of the magazine is Victoria Beckham. Using a celebrity on the front cover will appeal to a large audience, as Victoria Beckham is a woman who the target audience will recognise and even aspire to be like. She is represented as being very beautiful and glamorous, and if the reader thinks that by buying the magazine they will become closer to looking like her, then they will be more inclined to purchase it.

At the very top of the page a banner reading "Britain's No1 Women's Magazine" has been used to persuade women to buy it. This is much more subtlety placed compared to the title and headlines, however when the reader sees the bold title "Glamour" it is likely that they will also read this banner as it has been placed directly above it. This again is a tactic used to draw women in to the magazine, if they think that every other woman buys it, they won't want to be left out and will be persuaded to buy it as well.