Assignment: Art Magazine/Publication Analysis

Format: 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced, size 12 Times New Roman (or similar), standard margins, with a title

In the upper left-hand corner, please include:

This assignment asks you to find a new (to you) art magazine, journal, or publication. This can be an online or print publication, so long as you find it intriguing (avoid using journals and blogs that we discuss in class).

In an essay, analyze this publication. Your essay should have a strong main argument and thesis statement; in this case, your thesis will answer the question, "What are the most significant/effective elements of this publication, and what is the effect on the audience?"

You'll want to read one specific issue (or set of posts), and analyze the publication rhetorically and visually.

To clarify: this is not a report. You may end up doing a little bit of research, but your focus should be on analysis of the publication itself. You will be making an argument for the specific qualities/elements/strategies of this publication that make it worthy of our readership.

As you analyze this text, you may wish to consider some of these ideas:

• What type of content appears? What topics, specifically?

• What do we know about the main editor/author? How many authors are contributing? What is the similar between these authors? What is the identity/voice/point-of-view that emerges?

• Who is the target audience? How do you know?

• What do you notice about the visual identity of the publication (its logo, color scheme, layout, fonts, use of images, etc.)?

• What are some of the qualities that make this publication unique?

• What is the history of the publication? How often is it updated?

• Why woud you recommend this publication to a fellow artist? What is most effective/helpful about it?