This front cover follows many general and layout

conventions of Mixmag as well as magazines in

general; it has a main image dominating the

page, a main sell line and many other sell lines set

out amongst the left and right hand side of the

pages. This particular cover looks similar to other

Mixmagfront covers through its bold colour

scheme and positioning of items such as the

masthead and the main sell-line (Mixmag is known

for putting their main sell-line on the top left

hand/middle side of the page). It therefore

emphasizes the brand identity of Mixmag for the

audience as the repeated use of the same logo

for the masthead reinforces brand identity; when

there are multi platforms using the same logo, it

helps strengthen the effects and promotional

benefits of this cross media synergy.

. The colour pink is also commonly featured on Mixmag

front covers and so this too helps maintain brand identity.

The colour pink also reflects the magazine‟s vibrancy; it‟s

eye catching and therefore sets itself apart from other

magazines. However, this front cover, which features

Swedish House Mafia, is unique in the sense that the

majority of Mixmag front covers feature an individual

artist/DJ (as is common in the dance music genre) –

instead it features 3 artists who are collectively a group;

this therefore breaks conventions (although it is

convention of music magazines.to make the main sell-line

the name of the artist(s) who are/is featured). Also, the

background setting sets this cover aside from others –

instead of a plain but brightly coloured background,

Mixmag has decided to use a villa/holiday home setting

as the background, linking with their „Stars of Ibiza 2010‟

sell-line (however, it is common within their Ibiza/Summer

issues, and so in a way Mixmag are again reinforcing their

brand identity).

The masthead is the Mixmag logo; this is a common

convention of magazines. It helps to reinforce and

maintain a link between all their platforms of media, be it

their website, different issues of magazines, apps on a

phone or even a TV Channel if they choose to create one

in the future. The masthead is pink, which helps to create

the colour scheme, and helps the masthead to stand out

against the white and cream shades of the main image.

The name of the magazine „Mixmag‟ suggests that the

magazine is a dance music magazine which is aimed at a

youthful audience; „mix‟ is a word commonly associated

with dance music as DJ‟s mix tracks on their turntables;

„mag‟, which is short, colloquial language for magazine.

The audience will interpret and understand the two

words, and the two „M‟s at the beginning of the two

words will help „Mixmag‟ stay in the readers mind as it is

short and sounds catchy. The main headline „SWEDISH

HOUSE MAFIA‟ is written in block capitals, suggesting

again that their audience is predominantly male as it

exaggerates the masculine feel of the font. The font is a

display font, which has an athletic feel to it (i.e. it may

remind the audience of the writing on a letterman jacket,

which is commonly worn by „jocks‟ in America) and this

also adds to the masculine feel of the magazine, whilst

suggesting that Swedish House Mafia are the „jocks‟ of

the dance music industry – they‟re established and they

are popular amongst their audience. The main headline is

also a pink colour; this challenges the masculine feel of

the magazine as pink is usually a feminine colour,

however, the pink helps to create a laidback feel to the

front cover, linking with the main image in which Swedish

House Mafia look relaxed. The sell-lines are also in block

capitals and a sans serif font – the block capitals link with

the main headline and it‟s masculine feel, whilst the sans

serif font helps to make the front cover seem less tacky,

helping it appear more clearer and easier to read (this will

appeal to the audience of young males who won‟t be

drawn in by fancy gimmicks; they will want easy to read

information which is clear and understandable). The use

of sans serif also keeps the front cover looking cool and

contemporary which is really important for a dance music

magazine.

The main image is of Swedish House Mafia in a holiday

home type setting – they are wearing sunglasses, shirts

and linen trousers, and look relaxed. One of the members

is smoking a cigar, whilst another has a drink in his hand.

They are given a very luxurious representation; firstly, the

fact that behind them there is a villa (and that they are

wearing sunglasses) makes them appear rich – they are

obviously in Ibiza (as before the headline it says „Stars of

Ibiza 2010‟) and so they must have money to be able to

afford a house/holiday out there. The clothing they are

wearing and the cigar and drink make them seem as if

they live a privileged and lavish lifestyle; they look slick but

at the same time as if they know how to have fun and let

loose. The images Ibiza setting also helps to reflect the

genre of music that Mixmag promotes - Ibiza is seen as

the home of dance music, and so Swedish House Mafia

must be established artists who are regular Ibiza

headliners if they own a holiday home there. This

therefore may influence the readerships musical

preferences, as Ibiza is known for having the best of the

best, so they will more than likely check out their music to

see if they live up to this expectation. The use of props

(such as the cigar and drink) also reflect the genre, which

is usually heard in a club environment – cigars and drinks

are commonly seen in a club, therefore the readers will

identify with these items as they too will often go clubbing.

The image directly appeals to the readership of Mixmag‟s

desires – to be rich, a successful DJ/dance artist, to live a

chilled out existence in the clubbing capital of the world,

to feel the sun on their backs, rather than experience the

drabness of the English weather. The image will also draw

in the target audience as they too will either have been

or want to go to Ibiza, and may also aspire to be as

successful or as slick as Swedish House Mafia – by buying

Mixmag, they could feel as if they are one step closer to

achieving this. As is common with Mixmag, there is no

feature article photographs which maintains Mixmag‟s

brand identity and keeps the trendy/cool feel to the

magazine, going with their simplistic layout.

The sell-lines on the cover are also significant in pulling the

audience in; they give the audience a sneak preview as

to what will feature in the magazine. The sell-lines on this

specific front cover will entice the audience through the

use of mode-of-address, for example, “how to make it as

a DJ” – the audience will know what „make it‟ means and

so will feel clever. They will also feel as if the magazine is

on their wavelength and understands them, as it signals

that the reader/audience is an aspiring DJthemselves,

giving them an affinity with the magazine which makes

them more likely to purchase the magazine. The

ambiguity of the sell-lines is also a key part of the front

cover as they need to reveal what is in the magazine but

can‟t completely reveal the story as the audience

wouldn‟t want to find out for themselves, so wouldn‟t buy

the magazine! However, this is demonstrated effectively

through “promoting yourself online” – the audience, who

may be aspiring DJ‟s will see this and so will be enticed by

it; they will feel as if they need the magazine. The sell-lines

are either written in black, pink or white, with certain ones

standing out more than others; some are highlighted, and

so “how to make it as a DJ” stands out due to it being

highlighted pink (although some other sell-lines are

highlighted, this sell-line is the only one which has been

highlighted pink) and also as it is placed directly opposite

the main headline it will grab more attention as it is more

likely to catch the readers eye.

This front cover is also similar to Mixmag‟s other front

covers in terms of its layout; it features the main sell-line

placed in the left hand/middle part of the page, and is

also accompanied by sell-lines in a column on the right

and (underneath the cover mount) on the left. It is a

simplistic yet clear layout, which is featured in most issues

therefore creating a symbiotic link between

Mixmag‟sfront covers. The fact that the layout is always

simple helps to attract the audience of young males;

firstly, the layout won‟t look tacky in a few years, as it is a

classic layout; secondly, it is easy to read because it is

clearly set out – they can access and interpret the

information quickly and easily rather than trying to find

certain sell-lines or look past gimmicks.

The colour scheme, of pink, black and white, are used for

effect; the cream shades which feature in the main

image aren‟t very representative of the dance music

genre, which is known for having bright colours in

magazines which promote it. However, the black and

white give Mixmag a mature feel as this is a classic colour

combination, which appeals to mature males in their

twenties rather than younger teenage audiences. The

pink however breaks the colours up, and takes the serious

edge off of the mature colour scheme, reflecting the

readership‟s serious and fun sides.The use of the cream on

the front cover comes about because the front cover

presents an example of the classic lime stone buildings

and pathways common in the Mediterranean; this helps

to remind the audience of the kind of laid back beauty

and heat of Ibiza and to want go there and experience it

themselves.

The headline is written in a funky display font, which is

common in Mixmag; they tend to have sell-lines and all

other text which isn‟t the masthead or the headline as

sans serif, whilst the headline is a really vibrant and funky

display font. Therefore through this, the cover creates and

maintains brand identity. The commonly featured fonts

could also be reflective of the fact that the readership

are passionate about dance music, but know how to

have fun and like to party whilst listening to it.

In conclusion, this front cover of Mixmaghas many

different elements to it which attracts the target audience

and will make them want to purchase the magazine,

such as the bold headline, creative use of colour scheme,

layout conventions and mode-of-address as well as many

other elements. It will be successful as not only does it

entice the audience but it also has elements which relate

to the audience, creating an affinity between the

magazine and its reader.