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.