Salford City CollegeEccles CentreAS Media StudiesFoundation Portfolio

Masthead: The masthead for this magazine cover is ‘Vibe’. This is the name of the magazine and is displayed in big bold text. This is a recognisable magazine so people will be familiar with the masthead used. The text of the masthead used is big bold red letters, displayed on a white background to make it stand out. It is located in the primary optical area meaning it is where the audience will first look.

Main image: The main image used is of Kesha. The image is laid out in the centre of the page using the full length of the magazine cover. It is this large meaning it will defiantly be seen by the audience. She looks directly at the camera which directly addressed the audience and could persuade them to read inside.

Model credit: The model credit says ‘Hip-Hop’s Guilty Pleasure Kesha’. This is located in the weak fallow zone which breaks the Gutenberg design but still works because the text is in big black bold letters with the name ‘Kesha’ is bigger red text.

Coversine’s There are many coverlines located around the magazine cover. They are in black text which stands out well on the white background used. Names are written in bold to make them appeal to the audience even more so they know who will be featured inside the magazine.

Main cover line: The main cover line would be ‘Exclusive: Eminem’s 8 mile turns 10!’ This is the main coversine because it is bolder than the other coverlines and is located in the primary optical area which is where the audience will first look .Also the word ‘exclusive’ is highlighted in red which is and indication that it is the main coversine and therefore more important.

Colour: The colours used are black white and red; not including the main image. The colour red represents danger and rebellious which could be what the magazine was going for in attracting the right audience. All these colours also work well in standing out against the white background.

Typefaces: The typeface used is sans-serif which is a good choice because it informs the audience that the magazine is not formal. The text is bold and is easily visible.

Photography Lighting: The photograph is well lit and would attract the audience because bright images come across as open so the audience may want to pick it up and read.

Design Principles Used?

The Gutenberg design principle has been used in some aspects. For example the masthead is located in the primary optical zone which is stereotypical for most magazine covers because this is where the audience will first look. Whereas the main coversine is located in the weak fallow area whereas it would normally be in the strong fallow area. Despite this it still works because it is bold and stands out well.

House Stylethe house style uses is a simple combination of red, white and black these colours work well because they keep the cover simple but still keeping the professional look.

Comment on how the design of the magazine cover attracts the target audience: