Analysis Of Magazine Front Covers

NME MAGAZINE

FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEADThe masthead NME is in block capitals to catch to the audiences attention as the masthead is only 3 letters it is aligned to the left instead of being central this saves space so there can be more sell lines.

THE HEADERThe header provides information of content in the magazine and special information in the issue. The writing is in capital letters and in bold to show its importance and catch the audiences eye.

THE SELL LINES/COVER LINESThe sell lines are in block capitals to show importance they are placed next to the masthead so they will be one of the first things the audience will see when they pick up the magazine.

THE MAIN IMAGEThe main image dominates the whole of the cover and will definitely be the first thing you see when looking at this magazine. The shot of Dizzee is a long shot and it is very chaotic because he is shown at a angle this can represent his hip hop background and also his busy life.

THE MAIN COVER LINEThe main cover line is placed on top of the image showing that this weeks edition is about Dizzee Barcode-date/issue/

priceThe barcode is placed in the corner of the magazine because it is not the main attraction. The date, issue and price are placed on the barcode. The barcode is important for selling purposes of the magazine producers and the shop selling the magazine because sales can be analysed

THE FOOTERThe footer provides added information of what else is in this weeks issue of NME,.this can also try and change the readers mind about buying the magazine if they are not satisfied by the cover or if they are considering buying another magazine.

USE OF A PULL QUOTEThe pull quote provides the audience with what the main article is about and why Dizzee has been placed on the cover of the magazine this week. This also draws the audience in and gives them a view of what's in this week’s issue.

BACKGROUNDThe background is full of graffiti and is very colourful which is trying to represent Dizzee’s busy life.

USE OF A FLASHERThe use of a flasher is providing the audience with the latest and exciting news. The flasher stands out because the background of the flasher is all in red and the background is mainly white but the red colour still goes with the NME theme of white, red and black.

RULE OF THIRDSThe left third has been used for the masthead which has been positioned there so there is the sell lines can be placed on the right. Also the left third has been mainly used for information such as the pull quote and the flasher.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE

Target audience Profile The magazine's target audience is mainly trying to attract men between 17 and 30 but the average age of the target audience is 25. 73% of the readers are male and 27% are female. The magazine will try to target the younger generation of people mainly aged between 17 and 30 this can The magazine is mainly trying to attract people in the ABC1 social class. The magazine is priced at £2.20 as this magazine targets the ABC1 social class this is going to be an affordable price for them.

Key FactsPrice - £2.20Frequency - WeeklyCirculation - 56,284Readership - 411,000Launch Date -1952Male - 73%Female - 27%Average Age - 25ABC1- 73%Target Market - Men 17-30

Methods used to Attract Target

AudienceDizzee Rascal has been used on the cover because the magazine is trying to target a young audience between 17 and 30 and because he is a hip hop artist he has been used, also this magazine is trying to target men and so he is also suitable for that target market. The use of a graffiti background and the angled long shot of Dizzee provides a hectic and messy cover which will leave the consumer confused and they will not know where to look. This gives the magazine a jam-packed feeling so the consumer will feel they are getting a lot for there money.

Q MAGAZINE

FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEADThe masthead is very similar to NME it is aligned to the left the masthead consists of 1 letter Q because this is the name of the magazine the letter Q is coloured white so it can stand out on the red background. The sell line is trying to win readers over from competing magazines.

THE MAIN IMAGEThe main is dominating the magazine and will attract the audience very quickly . The shot used is close up shot and this shows the that the musician in the cover has attitude.

USE OF A FLASHERThe flasher provides added information the colour blends in with the background colour of the magazine the wording is coloured in black but some of it is in red to show it is important and exciting.

BACKGROUNDThe background of the magazine is white/silver colour it is quite plain so the cover lines and main image can stand out.

Barcode-date/issue/priceThe barcode is placed in the corner of the magazine because it is not the main attraction. The date, issue and price are placed on the barcode. The barcode is important for selling purposes of the magazine producers and the shop selling the magazine because sales can be analysed

THE MAIN COVER LINEThe cover line is large and gives a good insight into what this weeks issue is about and also gives us information on what the image is trying to show us.

USE OF A PULL QUOTEThe Pull Quote provides shock information about an artist or situation and is placed on the cover for the audience so they immediately want to purchase the magazine and read the article. The pull quote also provides information on the main image and the readers can assemble a story from the quote and the main image.

THE SELL LINES/COVER LINESThe sell lines are placed around the domination cover image so they are also dominating to the audience. The sell line lines are coloured mainly in black and red so the audience can easily distinguish the magazine if viewing from a distance.

KERRANG MAGAZINE

FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEADThe masthead Kerrang is spread across the top of the cover and stands out because it is in blocked capitals. The masthead has a smashed effect giving the masthead a electrical guitar feel. The audience will instantly know it is a Rock magazine.

Barcode-date/issue/priceThe barcode is placed in the corner of the magazine because it is not the main attraction. The date, issue and price are placed on the barcode. The barcode is important for selling purposes of the magazine producers and the shop selling the magazine because sales can be analysed

THE FOOTERThe footer provides added information of what else is in this weeks issue of Kerrang it has been put in a list to show the magazine has a lot of articles and material to keep the reader occupied.

THE MAIN IMAGEThe main image straight away gives the reader the genre of the magazine his expression shows he has attitude and we stereotypically sense the genre is rock. The image which is a medium shot dominates the cover because his red shirt does not match the colour scheme of the magazine which is white and yellow. The main cover line is placed on top of him which reads “Foo Fighters” we then can figure out that he is the lead singer.

RULE OF THIRDSThe right third of the magazine has mainly been used for the main image and the left third has been used for information such as sell lines which are trying to advertise the magazine and the 8 page special which also tries and persuades the audience to buy.

THE HEADERThe header provides information of content in the magazine and special information in the issue. The writing is in capital letters and in bold to show its importance and catch the audiences eye. Two different colours have been used yellow and white which is the main colour scheme of the magazine this highlights the main genre.

THE SELL LINES/COVER LINESThe main sell line “back to blow your mind” is in block capitals the sell line is slanted to they are bad and rebellious. The cover line above “Foo Fighters” is also in block capitals but is much bigger and suggests that the man in the main cover image is involved with this band.