Adbusters 125: initial discussion and front cover analysis

Adbusters 125 initial discussion

• Image of Elon Musk clearly makes fun of him. Other public figures, e.g. Donald Trump are also criticised 
• Highly critical and highly controversial 
• Highly anti-capitalist mode of address and ideology. However, the magazine itself is a consumer product… pretty ironic!!
• Covers a range of non-typical topics 
• Highly artistic with a big focus on images. Not much copy
• Complete disrespect to certain people and to societal values
• Features adverts, but no paid for adverts … so high cover price

Brand identity - how a brand presents itself to the consumer

• Minimalist design 
• Bold design and high contrast
• Inconsistent design 
• Masthead changes every issue - challenges the potential for a consistent reader base, challenges capitalist ideologies by refusing to have a brand identity 
• …however, the brand identity is clearly that Adbusters is NOT consistent..
• Highly political, clearly left wing, socialist and anti-capitalist 
• Blunt, to the point, telling it like it is
• Discussion of issues and current events around the world
• Graphic and unpleasant images and concepts
• Unconventional layouts
• A complete lack of adverts… or at least paid adverts!
• Dubious legality, highly controversial 
• Graphic and postmodern
• Graphic arts and design
• Super pessimistic, existential, and nihilistic 
• Each issue has a COMPLETELY style and aesthetic. Typically magazines will repeat certain aesthetic elements to construct a brand identity. Yet Adbusters uses a completely different masthead for each edition, subverting the idea of commercialism and brand identity. 
• BUT… is Adbusters brand identity a LACK of brand identity????

Genre 

• Unclear!
• Alternative (not conventional) 
• Political 
• Activism 
• Abstract
• Art and design 
• Anti-consumerist ideology, critique of how we use fast food to satisfy our desires
• A consumer product… that challenges consumerism???
• Extreme and controversial, likens Donald Trump to Hitler 
• Genre: politics. Yet completely unfiltered and even aggressive 
• Extreme left wing 

Adbusters 125 - ‘Post -West aka The Year of living Dangerously part 2’ front cover analysis 2025

• The front cover lacks any form of anchorage or context, which potentially makes audiences confused and upset. Highly atypical and controversial 
• The bold, sans-serif, capitalised typography connotes a strongly impactful tone that is direct and visible. The producers are demanding that we take action, although the action that we should take is not immediately clear
• The MES of the grainy, messy, muddy print partly obscures the masthead, covering the brand identity, and potentially limiting readers and therefore profit. This connotes that not only is Adbusters non-conventional , they also do not care about brand identity or profit
• The apparently badly printed cover looks not only grainy, reflecting connotations of battle and war, it also has notably low production values… or appears to have low production values. It looks bad on purpose!!
• Non-profit - no money made as a private company with all profit instead used to pay employees. For profit companies are measured through their surplus revenue, that is usually used to pay inflated CEO salaries and shareholders
• The model’s army vest is connotative of way and the military. However, his costume suggests an independent fighter, a mercenary or a paramilitary force
• The model stereotypically resembles a terrorist. The middle eastern ethnicity, the beard, the scream, the camo all construct a typical representation of a hyperbolic terrorist. Reaching this conclusion makes the target audience uncomfortable, as we are forced to stereotype through lack of anchorage.
• The clenched fist functions as an action code, connoting violence, scaring and upsetting target audiences. Compared to Woman magazine, which has a calm and friendly mode of address, this magazine is clearly adopting a different strategy
• Post - West - after west. The term west refers to a few choice countries, for example the UK, the US and Europe. There is an assumption that Western countries are dominant, in terms of cultural hegemonic dominance. Hollywood movies have more global cultural resonance than Bollywood or Nollywood films have. Additionally, there is an assumption that the western world is more developed, suggesting that some countries are more developed, wealthier and desirable. The idea that success can be measured through GDP is a highly western ,capitalistic ideology. The lexis ‘post west’ suggests that ‘western’ values have collapsed into war and instability. 
• The masthead is run down, gritty, with the MES of the grit connoting a warzone. However, the ‘mud’ is actually ink. The image seems badly printed, like the printer itself has run out of ink. Poorly constructed and with low production values, the magazine subverts converts conventions of mainstream magazines, challenging the idea that magazines a a luxury product, challenging a consumerist lifestyle. 
• The model’s fist is a symbolic code, connoting anger. This anger is anchored through the facial expression of the model, with furrowed eyebrows and a screaming mouth. A warlike address is connoted through the military costume. With the symbolism of the camo print representing violence. He represents the opposing side of the ‘western world’ 
• The model resembles a stereotypical terrorist. His beard, his middle eastern ethnicity, the camo print and the aggressive facial expression all construct a highly stereotypical mode of address. By presenting us with this unanchored stereotype, the audience are forced to feel uncomfortable. This cover is a complete binary opposition to the front cover of Woman magazine. 
• However, Adbusters lacks context and anchorage. Some audiences may be intrigued and may wish to find out more, yet other audiences may be shocked by the implicit violence, or simply confused!
• The lexis of the coverline, POST - WEST is highly enigmatic. On speculating, we may deduce that WEST is connotative of Western culture and capitalism and this is a challenge to this. However, this ideological perspective is vague. It could be nihilistic, it could be balanced and political, yet without anchorage, we simply do not know! Yet the audience are assumed to have a certain amount of contextual knowledge, that West is symbolic of countries like the UK, America, Europe.
• The Year Of Living Dangerously Pt 2 - suggests that the potential audience is already missing a range of information that was included in part one. This dangerous living could connote a dangerous
• Adbusters suggests that the world in which we live in is dangerous, violent and unstable. We are at a point of collapse. The idea that the Western world is better, more developed and with a better economy cultivates a capitalist ideology. Does Adbusters challenge this? His magazine clearly assumes a high level of political understanding.