1. This front cover follows many general and layout
conventions of Mixmag; 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 reinforces the
brand identity of Mixmag for the audience who will
instantly recognise and identify with the magazine. The
colour pink is also commonly featured on Mixmag front
covers and so this too helps maintain brand identity.
However, this front cover, which features Swedish House
Mafia, is unique in the sense that the majority of Mixmag

2. 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. 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

3. 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
whilst 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 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

4. 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 will 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

5. so will feel clever. They will also feel as if the magazine is
on their wavelength and understands them, 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 headline
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

6. 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 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

7. 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.