Analysis of magazine front covers

Cover 1.NME Sept 2009 Dizzee Rascal Edition

Cover 2. MOJO July 2002David Bowie Edition

Cover 3. October 2012Adele Edition

FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEAD – uses bright colours to attract the readers eye to the magazines name. NME sounds like enemy, which creates a rowdy theme, that you would usually link to the younger generation of teenagers.

THE HEADER… gives the reader some more information on a story or page that it exclusive to this magazine, or something the magazine thought would grab the readers attention. They have made the writing bolder as it gets to the important section of the sentence and gives the page reference and what the page contains in only a few words.

THE SELL LINES/COVER LINES - gives the readers an insight to what will be included within the magazine, from just looking at the front cover instead of having to flick through or look at the contents page, which is time and effort. And will probably not make them want to buy it because they have already seen everything that’s in there, leaving no surprise stories or interest.

THE MAIN IMAGE …. Is of Dizzee Rascal, a famous artist known for his crazy music videos and energetic songs. The photo of him is literally bulging out of the screen because of the use of colours and action he is doing. Everything seems to feel as if its jumping out of the page at you.

THE MAIN COVER LINE – is Dizzee Rascals name because he is NME cover man. They do this because although you can see his face pretty clearly you still may not recognise him because photo’s now are so heavy edited, another reason is you may not think about who it is when looking at the shelf of magazines, this way you will put the name to the artist straight away because its bold from the darker parts of the image.

BARCODE-date/issue/price – is something that has to be featured on a magazine, for the obvious reason of you cant purchase it.

THE FOOTER – adds some more information on the front cover. Its not bothered about attracting the eye its just there if the person notices it and wants to know more.

USE OF A PULL QUOTE – the informal wording of the speech stops the magazine looking sensible, and lightening things up a bit. It also shows that its down to earth and this kind of language is what the younger generation would use, not so much older people.

BACKGROUND – is very colourful, creating a fun and younger atmosphere that don’t take things too seriously. This will appeal to younger generations because if the outside is interesting the inside will be the same. Dizzee looks as if he is about to jump out of the page drawing you in. also the graffiti behind Dizzee represents a sense of what his music is like and who the magazine is for.

USE OF A FLASH-(offering something extra to T.A) - this just gives the audience that little bit more information, it also jumps out at the reader because of the good use of colour coding.

RULE OF THIRDS/THE LEFT THIRD – this gives the magazine a sense of structure so that it doesn’t get messy. The masthead is in the top left third so its always on display and doesn’t get -

lost on the shelf against its competition. The quote in the bottom left third allows it to be big and bold but not cover anything important, and attracting the reader.

METHODS USED TO ATTRACT THIS TARGET AUDIENCE ARE:

Target audience Profile – teenagers from around 16 to early 20’s.

Musical interests/favourite artists etc. - more alternative and indie music.

Gender – is male and female, because all the bands featured on the top next to the masthead are all a mixture of both gendered bands or artists. The background image is of a man having fun, and the colours and graffiti background represent a male style image, which is why some people would say its more a male magazine.

Age – the age would be around teenagers to late 20’s because you wouldn’t see a middle aged man/women reading this type of magazine, especially due to the informal style speech on the front cover. The bands and music taste are more younger generations.

Social class (how much money do they have available? Well they are targeting it at younger people who have the money to afford the gigs and festivals they talk about, the magazine itself looks good quality.

How much does magazine cost? The magazine costs around £2.20, which is quite a lot compared to other magazines but less than other types of magazines like fashion.

Colours – are fun and energetic which attracts the younger audiences. They use bright and a variety of different colours.

. Dizzee helps attract the target audience because his music relates to that generation.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE

NM EWHO PUBLISHES THE MAGAZINE- Robert Tame

HOW MANY SALES DOES IT MAKE – around 230,000 sales per year.GENERAL BACKGROUND – first started in march 1952. Then moved towards a magazine format in 1980, changing from newsprint in 1998.

WHAT GENRE/TYPE OF MAGAZINE IS IT? Indie/ rock

DETAILS OF ITS TYPICAL CONTENT AND THE ARTISTS/BANDS IT CURRENTLY FEATURES – Artic Monkeys, Lady Gaga, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, Lily Allen etc.

THE MASTHEAD– is spread across the top of the magazine, in a white bold font which stands out over the top of the monochrome image and bright pink.

BACKGROUND/MAIN IMAGE – the original image is in monochrome which means that David Bowie’s face stands out from the black backdrop. This is more effective because it allows his face to centre of attention and not get lost in the background of lots of colours. The editing on the image of the flash makes the front cover original and creative/eccentric which is what artist/magazine want to get across, give it some character.

USE OF FLASH – adds more information onto the screen, without having anymore cover lines and drawing the attention away from the cover photo and theme.

HEADER – the use of this is to add more information just above or beside the masthead so it expands the magazine more without cramping up the small space you already have on the front cover. Its more tidy and structured this way.

FOOTER – another way to add in extra information without covering any of the main images and drawing attention away from the main areas.

MAIN COVER LINE – this is the name of the artist on the front cover, for people that may not know what David Bowie looks like it lets them understand, also the image may have been edited quite heavily to create this style and theme of image so people may not recognise him. Another reason for this cover line is when you walk past the magazine your eye may not catch who it is, this way having the name so bold and bright over the dark background to notice the name and you instantly want to have a look. David Bowie is the man story in this magazine so its only fair to take full advantage of that.

BARCODE – is something every magazine must have otherwise you can not purchase it.

PULL QUOTE – is something someone has said that has had high impact and may motivate readers to try new things. This is also something that makes the audience feel more respect for the artist because just from this one quote you realise that he has worked hard for what he has achieved and he deserves it all. He relates to the audience much more they don’t see him as just another celebrity.

DATE / PRICE – allows the magazine to have some value in the future and to see what music was like in what years and months. The price has to be featured as well.

COLOURS – the bright pink and blue almost give the font and the lightening bolt a 3D effect. This is a very famous/memorable magazine cover because of this. It doesn’t get lost in the background and certainly not on the magazine shelf. Its stylish not tacky and allows the reader to have a feel of what the magazine will be like, and the artists personality, music and style.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE

Target audience Profile – age range around 35.

Musical interests/favourite artists etc. – for rock music lovers.

Gender – mojo is for both genders because music doesn’t focus on a specific gender.

Age – the age for this magazine would be around the age of 35 because the music shown is around 70’s and 80’s, the soft rock music.

Social class (how much money do they have available? Well because the target audience is older than magazines like kerrang and NME, the majority of them will have jobs but not all of them. The social class would be middle class people.

How much does magazine cost? The cost of mojo is more expensive than other magazine types etc. its around £4.60. which is why the target audience has to have jobs and be of the middle class to afford it every month.

METHODS USED TO ATTRACT THIS TARGET AUDIENCE ARE:

David Bowie is an iconic rock star from the 70s/80s, its bringing back the coolness from the era he represents.

The colours and font are all very retro, so it will appeal to the audience that remember him. It will intrigue people to what the article is about.

MAIN IMAGE – is a close up of Adele's face. This means that nothing will take the attention away that the issue features Adele. This could be representing that she is taking over because she is such a big hit in the UK as well as all over the world, as if she is taking over the magazine cover. Adele is a very attractive women with beautiful eyes, they have played with this by making her eyes the main focus as she is starring through the magazine at you, you cant really miss the magazine from a shelf full of magazines.

THE MASTHEAD – is a white font with black around the edges so it stands out from the background. The masthead spreads along the top of the magazine within the top thirds so its noticeable although its smaller than most magazine mastheads.

RULE OF THIRD - the cover lines have been placed within the bottom left third, this allows the background to not be overlapped by too many cover lines, which may defeat the object of the layout chosen. The left hand side is where its darkest and there isn’t anything important, if they put it on the right hand third then it would cover up part of her face, it may also not stand out from the lighter background colour there.

BARCODE – is something every magazine needs otherwise you won’t be able to purchase it. And it won’t be allowed to be sold in stores.

MAIN COVERLINE – is the ‘THE THRUMPH OF ADELE’ it’s not as big as other magazines main cover lines, but it still stands out by the use of the colours and the fact that it is a little bit bigger and bolder than the other cover lines. The ‘ADELE’ part it bigger than the other words in the main cover lines, so you know who the main article is about. and even though you know that this is Adele some people may not be aware of what she looks like, because the image is so close up people may struggle on recognising her, the reason for this cover line is it attracts the eye to the name.

HEADER – adding more information without the layout getting messy. Its bold and attract the eyes.

BACKGROUND - the colours used in the background image are very neutral, not too bright, very natural colours. Representing Adele's music which is very original, not repetitive, natural and calm, not too in your face. Its showing her personality through the magazine, of elegance, beauty and grace.

SELL LINES / COVER LINES – are very small and discrete but still don’t seem to get lost within the front cover because the whole theme of the front cover in this issue is very modest and relaxed, it doesn’t need to be bold.

FLASH – there is a mini sort of flash in the top left third, its adding information that may normally get lost of the cover if it was a cover line, and although it has some importance to be on the front cover it still isn’t as important as a cover line should be. It sort of there to remind you of something.

COLOURS – the colours are calm, yellows and whites with Adele’s skin tone. Its different to many music magazine front covers at the moment, keeping it bright and bold this helps give you an idea of Adele and her music its very clever.

Target audience Profile

Musical interests/favourite artists etc. – indie genre.

Gender – I have found that around 60% of men read the magazine and 40% of females buy it. It might because of the taste in music.

Age –Social class (how much money do they have available? The age would be from the age of 18 to 20’s and then back in the 40’s. the social class would be middle class with paid jobs because its quite an expensive magazine for you to buy a every fortnight.

How much does magazine cost? The cost is $4.52, which means that it quite a costly magazine.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE

METHODS USED TO ATTRACT THIS TARGET AUDIENCE ARE:

Adele is a big hit in the us and across the world, she keeps herself out of the spotlight most of the time, so she will have a big demand.

The colours will attract the audience because it showing the music genre’s featured, and Adele’s personality and music.

Magazine double page spreadIMAGE - the photo has been put in an black and white effect. They have done this to make it look more classic and elegant, her hair style is similar to Marilyn Monroe giving the article a sense of style and sexiness.

COLOURS – even though the image isn’t colourful, the monotone effect emphasises the darker sections and catches the eye. The bright red ‘L’ is very effective because it draws people attention straight to the page/article, also the ‘L’ lets people know straight away who the article is about.

STYLE / THEME – is very elegant and simple, its not using too many colours and throwing them at you to catch attention. In this case and many others ‘less is more’. The theme and style is giving you an idea about the style lady gaga is trying to make now and what her new music is going to be like.

MAIN HEADING – isn’t very large and bold, because the massive ‘L’ underneath the article and the image of Lady Gaga does the job of letting the audience know what/who the article is about and catching peoples attention so they don’t ignore and skip it. It looks more interesting and makes you want to read on and find out what its going to be about.

Magazine double page spreadIMAGE - is of the band having a bit of festival fun and wearing festival fashion and their indie style, Shows their music genre and personalities, giving their fans an idea what they like to do, other than making and preforming their music and songs.

MAIN HEADING – the main heading isn’t very bold, but they didn’t want the heading to take any attention away from the main image spread across the double pages. Its still a big font and you still notice it, its not like it gets lost in the background.

STYLE / THEME - is very cool and genuine, it makes you feel like going to a festival in the summer, and just having fun with your friends. This makes you want to listen to their music. Its very simple, with the image spread across the two page makes it noticeable and different.

COLOURS – the colours are very natural, using green and yellows. The colours are energetic as well and bring out the fun of summer, by the use of softer colours like lilac, reds and blues etc. its like David Guetta using more neon colours to represent his style music this is what Benjamin lee is doing here.