Front cover analysis

BY SUMAYYAH BAILEY

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

BILLBOARD Light blue and white is used on the front cover of Billboard magazine. Light blue connotes purity, cleanliness and culturally based interpretations. Light blue is a very calm colour and bright, this stands out to the audience and draws their attention. However, light blue can also connote sadness and melancholy. This mixture of colour communicates a mixture of thoughts and emotion to the audience and could communicate the emotion that is often present in the subject’s music. This is appealing to the target audience, as they can Identify with these emotions.

This is an example of the uses and gratifications theory, which explains that an audience consumes a text because they can identify with characters, places and themes/ emotions. Sans serif typography is used for masthead. This typography connotes strength and masculinity. Sans serif typography is effective as it is bold, stands out to the audience, which compels them to consume the text.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

BILLBOARD Conventions are broken in the design of this magazine.

The masthead is down the side of the cover. This is effective, as the layout is associated with this magazine and, in a way, can be seen as a logo. This is recognisable and appealing to the target audience. The star on the front cover is looking up. The lack of direct address is effective, as it creates an enigma to an active audience, wondering what he’s looking at. This magazine also breaks conventions, as it is very minimalistic. There are only a few cover lines and a buzz word is used, that says ‘The Weekend’. This is used to stand out to the audience and draw their attention. This is appealing to the target audience, as some connotations of the weekend are; partying, relaxation, freedom and fun. This compels the audience to consume the text, as it suggests the genre of music is pop, as popular music is often used when partying.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

BILLBOARD A pull quote is also used. It says “The pop-star life is a new challenge”. This is effective as it makes the text more interesting and compels the audience to consume the text.

Billboard Magazine is published by John J Kilcullen.

Although this cover breaks conventions, it appeals to the target audience, as these broken conventions are associated with this magazine and the audience can recognise it. The colour scheme is polysemic and connote emotions that the audience can identify with. I feel that this cover is effective at appealing to its audience using broken conventions. The genre of this magazine is easily identifiable to the audience through the use of imagery and coverlines, people who recognise ‘The Weeknd', will know that he is a pop artist and therefore assume the genre of the magazine. Some key words in the coverlids also gives away the genre of this text, one coverlid says, ‘the pop star’.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

VOGUE Pink and cream/white are used in the front cover of Vogue.

The colour pink connotes love, harmony, emotional balance and the colour white connotes, purity and perfection. As pink is a primarily feminine colour, this appeals to a female audience. Just the use of colour in this front cover, sets up a star image. This conforms to Richard Dyer’s star theory, which says that the star is a construction, a commodity and an ideology. Colour connotations can hold ideologies. The star in this front cover is wearing a white/cream swim suit and as white connotes perfection, this suggests to the audience that they will live a life of perfection if they consume the text and/or buy the products promoted in this text. The fact that some of the masthead is behind the subject suggested, this text has an audience that will recognise it without seeing the whole masthead, this, in turn, will create an active audience that will be compelled to consume the text. This conforms to the hypodermic needle theory, which says that if an ideology/message is feed to an audience over and over, they will eventually consume the text.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

VOGUE The use of a mid-shot on this front cover, helps the audience identify the genre of the text. The subject’s body language and emotion is clear to the audience and the use of direct address helps them to empathise with the subject. They can clearly see the clothes that the subject is wearing and as it is in the centre of the magazine, it stands out to the audience. Kickers are used in on this front cover, italics are used to separate text and make it easier to read. The use of colour, makes the main coverline stand out. The masthead is in its conventional place, which makes it easy for the audience to consume. This conforms to the Utopian theory, which explains that an audience consumes a text because of its transparency, how easy it is to understand/consume. This front cover has broken conventions, as it does not have pugs, this is no barcode, issue number or price, however, in the left third of the this cover, this is the word ‘June’ next to the masthead. Not having pugs on the front cover of this magazine, makes it appear to be limited edition, although it’t not. This creates an active audience, questioning why conventions have been broken and this compiles them to consume the text.