Analysis of Magazine Adverts

Jason Mraz is one of the most successful artists in the alternative genre. This poster promotes the artist and shows him in a conventional way to his genre by him being shown at centre of the stage with an instrument in front of a band, which is a typical characteristic to have for alternative artists as most of their music videos are performance based. Jason Mraz in this image is shown to be an active artist pouring his emotions into the song which is something the audience wants to see to know that the artist is passionate about music. The artist takes up three/quarters of the poster as the poster's primary purpose is to promote the artist and his upcoming gig.

The main colours used are brown and light blue which contrast nicely together but aren't too bright and don't take up too much room on the poster. The light blue is a soft colour that has connotations with tranquility, nature, and earth. For a contrasting colour, brown is a softer and warmer colour than black and also has connotations of autumn and an earthy feel. The spotlights above the artists head portray how the artist is now successful as all the lights are on him. The large splat of colours on the board behind him shows he can be spontaneous and that although most of his songs have a slow tempo, he can also be a lively and active artist.

The layout of this advertisement is typical for an artist in a magazine as it is eye-catching, to the point and giving the audience all the information they need without going into too much detail. The large title of the artists name at the top of the advert immediately lets the reader know what the advert is about. The image of the artist in the middle of the poster of him performing with his arms spread wide holding onto his guitar is an image you would typically see for an artist of this genre. By placing this specific image on the advertisement it allows the reader to see that Jason Mraz gives everything he can into a performance, making it worthwhile going to see him at a gig. The bottom half of the image is all the information the reader needs to know about attending the gig. It's short, sweet and straight to the point. By using the colour cream it isn't as harsh as white but still stands out against the brown. Being all in capitals again catches the attention of an audience. Having some words larger than others emphasizes the importance they hold.

The font is informal yet readable and is fluent throughout the advertisement. The artists name is a different size to the rest of the type as it is what the advertisement is about therefore drawing the artist into reading more about the poster. It's longer and in the blue colour possibly leading to connotations of the artist. Closer to the bottom of the poster, the text is in different sizes due to importance. However although when the tickets are on sale is important it is in small font although in a cream box making it stand out that little bit more than the rest of the text.  The poster is not misleading in this way to somebody flicking through a magazine as the audience understands exactly what the poster is about without having to read  much into it. Although there is little text it really is just the vital information. The language used is simple and straight forward as well as being easy to read as it is just standard english with no specific register.

The advert promotes the artist in various ways, the first by the first words you read being his name. Being the largest words on the whole of the poster it draws your eye straight to it enabling the audience to know exactly what they are about to read. For something flicking through a magazine looking for this poster it is ideal as it would be difficult to miss. It also promotes just the artist in the way of which just Jason Mraz is standing right in the middle of the long shot. By the artist being the only visible, interesting character to look at it just overshadows the background making you concentrate solely on the artist which is standing right at the front of the stage during the performance of which he has given showing his all. This poster promotes the genre as it shows exactly what a concert would be like with the artist. By Jason Mraz standing right at the front of the stage, singing and playing his guitar it is exactly what the audience of this genre want to see. The artist making his own music and performing it naturally with no added techno beats, just the artist and his instruments.


Ed Sheeran is an artist of the same genre, the reason I'm analyzing this advert. This poster is of an image of Ed Sheeran smiling looking away from the camera in sepia. The sepia effect gives the same feel to the advert as the brown used Jason Mraz's. It's soft and brings warmth, linking into the expression on his face. By smiling Ed Sheeran is bringing a positive attitude to the poster allowing the reader to see that the artist is just being himself and natural and not being something he is not.

The only other colours used in this poster are orange and white. The use of white against the brown is effective as it makes it stand out. Orange is used as it is the colour of his album therefore makes sense to include on the poster. The type is small and a little difficult to read due to the font. The poster's primary purpose is to promote the artist and his album. The lighting in the image focuses on the artists face which is a mid shot. The style of language is simple and to the point. By having an image of the album cover on the poster its just promoting the artist a little bit further. This poster promotes the music genre as it is simplistic and therefore the artist is the centre focal point of the advert.