Cover Page Analysis

Here I have looked at the front covers of NME, Kerrang and Metal Hammer

magazines.

The mast head shows the title of the magazine and it also suggests the house style of the magazine. This has its own bold style and is easily recognisable on the magazine.

The skyline and banner both show the same house style. The colouring, font and size are all kept the same as well as the uniform star in the middle of each band, this represents a gap in the names and easily breaks up the text.

Underneath the Mast Head shows the full name of the full name of the magazine and also the price. The font is kept the same and also follows in the same colour.

Mise-en-sceneThe colouring of the magazine (especially the text) is mostly red, black and white. All three colours are present in the mast head. The black is used more as an outline of the text but is still present. The red and white also feature in the main cover line on the magazine.The font is kept the same on the front cover for all the text. The bold, block font is present not only on the mast head but also on the cover lines.

The main image is a medium long shot and shows the subjects of the feature article. The background is kept basic as there is no bold pattern to overpower the subjects.The cover image also overlaps the mast head slightly but the other cover lines fit behind it.

The barcode also shows the date and issue number. It is present in the corner of the magazine so that it does not interfere with the rest of the cover lines

Going up the side of the cover shows the webpage for the magazine. It also states who captured/ created the cover image.

Here the page number is displayed in red so that it is noticeable and stands out against the other text. The red contrasts against the white so it is noticeable to the audience.

The cover lines are all kept in the same font, colour and size to make them more uniform. The cover lines use buzz words such as ‘new’ and ‘first listen’ to make the articles inside more appealing to the reader.

The overall house style of the magazine cover is very neat. The cover lines seem to centre around the main cover line and the mast head and barcode are placed neatly into the corners. The text does not overlap the image a lot but the main overlapping is where the text is on top of the image. Shapes (stars) are used to break up the text when needed to make a more visual effect instead of just blank spaces.

The mast head shows the title of the magazine and it also suggests the house style of the magazine.

Mise-en-sceneThe colouring of the magazine (especially the text) is mostly red, black, yellow and white. Only the red is present on the mast head. The yellow is used more as a border/ box at the side of the cover and is also the base colour of the banner. The red and white also feature in the main cover line on the magazine. The black is also used in a puff and is also present as a background colour for the seasonal text.The font is mostly kept the same with some exceptions of seasonal text. Also the only other variation in the text is that some are stretched more than others making them look slightly different. The bold, block font is present on all the text except for the mast head. This has its own unique font.

Most of the cover lines are names of bands that are all in this column. The cover lines all seem to be kept at one side of the cover, leaving the other free for the main image and main mast head. The cover lines are broken up by smaller images and photos which relate to the magazines theme.

Here the cover line is following a seasonal theme. The different font for the buzz word ‘Halloween’ and the image replacing the ‘o’ draws attention to the seasonal article.

Here the photographs are almost being used as puffs to promote the articles inside the magazine. The smaller images fill up the space and give a taster of what is inside the magazine. Buzz words are used to promote the articles at the top of the page such as ‘amazing’ and ‘saved’. Also another seasonal theme is present at the top of the magazine as it states ‘movember’.

The bottom banner advertises one article. It catches the readers attention as the name of the subject is in a brighter colour (red) compared to the other text. It is also supported by the small image puff in the very corner of the magazine cover.

The barcode is present in the right bottom corner of the magazine and is side ways so that it does not take up too much room. This completes the bottom banner. In the white box (with the barcode) there is additional information such as the issue number, the date and the price of the magazine. This is present on every cover so that the information is easy to find.

The main image is a medium close up and the subjects head overlaps most of the magazine title. This is supported by the main cover line. The reader is aware that this is the main cover line as the name of the band is highlighted in red and also it is the biggest text on the cover.

Mise-en-sceneThe colouring of the magazine (especially the text) is mostly red, black, yellow and white. Only the red is present on the mast head. The red and white also feature in the main cover line on the magazine and also are used to promote free merchandise at the top of the magazine cover. The black is also used for the mast head of the magazine which featured behind the cover image. It is also present in the borders and as a background colour in the banner. The font is mostly kept the same with some exceptions to promote bands or events. The mast head has its own unique font. Also yellow text is used to promote bands on the banner and also to highlight a competition in the corner.

The barcode is placed at the left side of the magazine so that it is not interfering with any of the images or other text. There is also a date and price in this space.

A lot of puffs are present on this cover page, but not all are round. Here there is a puff advertising free merchandise. The audience is attracted to this by the buzz word ‘free’. Also smaller puffs are used alongside the bigger ones to further promote the magazine such as ‘Plus!’ and ‘WTF!’.

The cover image over laps the mast head and the skyline. It takes up most of the page but is overlapped by other text, such as the main cover line and puffs. As the main image is a drawing it does contain a background but the main subject is still the main feature. The image is easily recognisable to readers who enjoy this genre of music and is relevant top the main cover line.

The cover itself has a border made of symbols, related to the main cover line. This continues the theme set in this issue of ‘Iron Maiden’. It also helps to add to the overall look of the magazine, making it look more busy/ attractive.

The dripping effect surrounding the text here overlaps the dates/ information underneath and works as a simple was to separate the information. The red, dripping effect could also be associated with blood which promoted the genre of the magazine.

The mast head shows the title of the magazine and it also suggests the magazines house style. The mast head has its own unique font. Although the main base of the text is black, the first part of the mast head features in the start of the second word. This makes the mast head more recognisable and takes up less space (the mast head without this effect would be quite long and therefore take up a lot of room).

Buzz words are present on the cover of this magazine. Examples of this would be ‘WIN!’, ‘FREE!’, ‘PLUS!’ and ‘FREE!’.

Smaller images are also present on the cover to support feature articles and other cover lines. The images here are either poster examples or photographs to support the articles. Here the photograph has no background, it is just the subjects outline. This has been used so that it does not take up too much space and gives it more shape.