Everything we have looked at so far suggests that magazines and readers co-exist together - that they are both partaking of a socially constructed reality.
The relationship is one of mutual dependence or symbiosis.
The magazine's ideology is encoded in all aspects of layout and mode of address.
Since its launch in 1995, Top of the Pops has changed enormously in format and content, as it now has demographically shifted to young girls, meaning it contains less music content. Therefore, the magazine now also features fashion, beauty advice, and celebrity gossip.
In the magazine cover above, the hegemony - "leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others" - would be the colour pink. The use of pink makes the magazine much more approachable because it is the official colour for femininity, which represents 'sugar and spice and all things nice.' The magazine's main image is the boy band One Direction, who just about every girl in the world has lusted or lust after. This draws in the reader alone. Another notable point to add is that the image used is a front view image which emphasizes the subject’s confidence, power and prominence in the photograph. It also implies equality because the subjects are male, yet they are featured on a predominantly female magazine. This then leads to the fact that pop culture is rather open as it is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, and attitudes; popular culture is sometimes viewed as 'authentic'.
Reflecting on how Top of the Pops magazine doesn't contain as much musical content as it used to, on the above magazine there is a cover line that states "26 Hot Summer Trends." What's significant about this is that in just about every successful magazine I see an article containing a number, for example: "25 ways to stay focused", "60 years of NME". Thus, this suggests that a magazine needs variety to be successful. The use of love hearts on the magazine cover employs a sense of femininity, love, and also unity... which highlights that the reader and the magazine co-exist together.
Kerrang! is a magazine devoted to rock music, which you can see from the above image. It was launched in 1981 as a one-off supplement, and in the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.
In the magazine cover above, the predominantly colours used are black and yellow, which makes us thin of the hazard sign, suggesting danger. They also cause the reader to think of anarcho-capitalism and its flag, which is a political philosophy that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions. This highlights the fact that the rock music culture is known to be quite rebellious and non-conforming to social norms.
Also, to highlight rebellion, the subject in the main image is clothed in leather. This reinforces his perseverance - "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement." Alliteration is used to emphasise that the genre of the magazine is rock; "Hot-as-hell!" and "Drop Dead." The alliteration of "Drop Dead" gives a hard, percussive sound which emphasises the fact that the drums are an important instrument in rock music.
The magazine's masthead is in a font that is made to look cracked, this links to the idea of onomatopoeia that 'Kerrang!' sounds like a distorted electric guitar or the crashing sound of a symbol, thus connoting again the style of music the magazine is based on.
The Source is a full-colour magazine that was founded in 1988, and like the Top of the Pops magazine, music isn't the only feature it covers; as well as hip hop music, it involves politics, sports, and culture. It is the world's longest running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988.
In the magazine cover displayed above, the predominantly used colours are white, red and black - these colours are seen as basic and primal as they are the first colours that humans really view as important. Black denotes negative and socially undesirable qualities and things that harm whereas white is a symbol for purity and 'all that is good.' However, red is an ambiguous colour, being somewhere in between black and white. It's universally seen as a sign of both life and aggression.
The masthead of The Source is set across the top of the cover. It is in a large font, making the magazine much more recognisable as it stands out because of its block red colour. The fact that the masthead is in capital bold letters suggests that hip hop artists are also bold and powerful. Overall, the magazine has a clean-cut and minimalist look to it, which will appeal to the public eye.
It is significant too that the subject is wearing lots of golden 'bling', which is a stereotype for a hip hop artist. The term 'bling' is intended to evoke the "sound" of light hitting something shiny, especially valuables like gold, platinum, or diamonds.
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