1. Analysis of magazine front covers
Cover 1.NME Sept 2009
Dizzee Rascal Edition
By Tamera Lall
2. THE HEADER – tells you what
MASTHEAD – the ‘NME’ FRONT COVER ANALYSIS features inside the magazine. It
also shows the deals you get for
could also mean enemy. It
the amount of money you pay.
is very large and colourful.
This makes in stand out and
the whole cover looks eye- THE MAIN IMAGE – of Dizzee
catching. It helps with the Rascal. He has been used as he is a
branding as this is the well-known artist of the hip hop
magazine company’s logo. genre. This will attract the target
audience who are interested in his or
USE OF A FLASH – this kind of music.
the flash stands out
against the background
which helps to attract THE SELL LINES/COVER
the readers. LINES – state features within
the magazine so it attracts the
BACKGROUND – the audience and basically sells the
background is a graffiti magazine to the audience.
wall. This represents the
stereotype of hip hop
THE MAIN COVER LINE
artists.
- says his name so you can
recognise him and it also
USE OF A PULL tells you that he is included
QUOTE – gives an in the magazine.
insight on what is
Barcode(date/issue/price)
featured in the magazine.
The use of the word
– the barcode is in the corner
which keeps it out of the way
‘man!’ keeps it casual
so it doesn’t distract from the
and helps target the
main cover. The price is kept
younger audience.
at a reasonable price so it
RULE OF THIRDS/THE suits the target audience.
LEFT THIRD – all the THE FOOTER – mentions artists of
important information is different genres which the younger
kept in the left third of the target audience would recognise and
page as this is the side that be interested in those artists.
most people look at and
read first.
3. TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE
TARGET AUDIENCE – I
METHODS USED TO
believe the target audience are ATTRACT THIS TARGET
interested in more modern
music, mainly the hip hop AUDIENCE ARE:
genre. I think the audience is
predominately males (74%) and •A current artist of a
a smaller female audience
(26%). The median age of the popular music genre is
readers is 23 so the target
audience is students and
featured on the cover.
wealthy people. The cost of the
magazine is about £2.20. •Graffiti background is
colourful, bright and fun.
•The use of the word
‘man’ is slang which keeps
it modern and appealing to
the younger audience.
4. STRETCH AND CHALLENGE
ACTIVITY-
USE THE HYPERLINK FOR DIRECT ACCESS TO NME
http://www.nme.com/magazine
NME is the longest
published weekly
music magazine. It is
read by over 1.1
million music fans
every week.
The magazine started off with the
rock genre and then slowly
started to cross with hip-hop and
NME was first released other genres. It now mainly
as a newspaper in March features current music and artists.
1952. Since then, it has It gives readers the latest new
become a well-known music, including award-winning
magazine. features, the latest releases, live
reviews, the definitive guide to the
best new bands in its Radar
section, as well as a regular look
back through the magazine's
incredible 60 year heritage.
7. MASTHEAD – the HEADER – mentions
masthead takes up a large various artists of the hip-
amount of the page. It is hop genre that would
white which contrasts with appeal and be of interest
the black background of the target audience.
making it stand out and
eye-catching.
MAIN IMAGE – the image
BACKGROUND – the is of Drake - a popular artist
background is plain black of the genre. He is
which contrasts with all the recognisable as he is well-
text on the page. This known. This will attract the
makes the text stand out target audience.
against it and makes it
MAIN COVER LINE –
easier to read and
although the cover line
understand.
doesn’t take up much of
SELL LINES/COVER the cover, it still tells you
LINES – highlights the who is on the front cover
important features inside and featured inside. As he
the magazine that could is well-known everyone will
attract the reader. know who he is.
RULES OF
THIRDS/LEFT THIRD – FLASH – the use of a
all the important flash in a contrasting colour
information is kept in the makes it stand out from the
left third as it is the side back ground and noticeable
that the audience will first to the reader.
read.
BARCODE – this is The cover in general is
kept on the side of the fairly simple, in regards
cover and out of the way to the colour scheme.
so it doesn’t distract This works as it allows
from the main front the reader to pay more
cover.
attention to the actual
information on the page.
8. The magazine targets its
target audience by:
• featuring a well-known,
popular artists that the
audience will admire or
inspire to be like.
•Using a simple but
striking colour scheme
that will catch the eye of
the audience.
•Including a list of major
artists that the audience is
most likely to listen to and
be interested in.
10. MASTHEAD – the masthead MAIN COVER LINE – the
is large and very bright with a main cover line is right at
recognisable colour that would the top of the page and is
be associated with the slightly larger than the
magazine. It is the well-known other text on the page, this
logo of the magazine company means the audience will
so it makes the cover look at this first so it will
recognisable, It also is very gain their interest in the
simple making it memorable. magazine.
It also is in front of the image
which shows its importance.
MAIN IMAGE – the main
image features Florence, a
current artist in the charts. She
is a popular artist in her genre
FLASH – the flash is bright
blue which contrasts with the
so this will help sell to the
rest of the colours on the
target audience as it will gain
cover(except the make up)
their interest in the magazine.
this makes it stand out so the
audience will read this and
SELL LINES/COVER pay more attention as it is
LINES – the sell lines help very eye-catching.
to sell the magazine as it
highlights the main features
in the magazine. They all
include major artists that is BACKGROUND – there
like to target and attract the actually is not a proper
audience. background which is unusual
when compared with the
other magazine covers. The
background could possibly
BARCODE – the barcode is her hair which is a striking
put in the bottom left and kept colour so you would instantly
out of the way in order to not know who it was. Also it
distract the readers from the means the main focus is on
actual main information and the cover star.
image.
