analysing front covers media

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Analysis of magazine front covers

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Page 1: analysing front covers media

Analysis of magazine front covers

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Cover 1. NME Sept 2009

Dizzee Rascal Edition

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FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEAD

THE HEADER ‘‘autumn tour special’ in bold makes it eye catching so the audience notice it. Also by mentioning other bands it will appeal to their target audience so the buyer will know what genre music NME is about

THE MAIN IMAGEOff centre and almost gives the impression he is jumping out of the magazine which gives a sense of chaos and excitement. Facial expression – shows he has a happy attitude and almost welcoming to the reader and by staring directly at the audience it shows that this edition of NME is full of fun, interesting stories and makes the audience want to buy it

THE MAIN COVER LINEThe main cover line is slanted which again gives the impression that Dizzie Rascal is exciting, young, one to watch and also has a rebellious side as it different from other headlines. Also the word ‘dizzie’ almost jumps out at the reader so therefore it will get their attention for potential buyers.

THE FOOTERBy mentioning other bands it will appeal to their target audience so the buyer will know what genre music NME is about. Also it will make is seem like NME is well worth the money as it mentions a whole spectrum of different music from ‘Jay –Z’ to ‘paramore’

BACKGROUNDThe background shows graffiti which is very vibrant and has a lot going on gives the impression that Dizzie Rascal is the same. Also by using graffiti it gives an rebellious side of Dizzie and links in with his urban music however it still gives the impression to the audience that he is friendly.

Bold, capital writing on the left hand side can be easily recognised by the buyer. NME – suggests that it is a enemy and implies that this magazine is different from the rest and gives the impression of attitude

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Front cover analysis

BARCODE /PRICE/ISSUEBarcode - important to the magazine as they can collect certain data from it for example circulation figures and who is buying their magazine Position – not many focus however the reader can still read it and see if that is the latest editionIssue and price – by using loads of headers and mention other bands it may suggest that the magazine is good value for money and the issue makes the reader know if it is the latest edition

USE OF A FLASHER-grabs the readers attention and shows that they have to buy the magazine to find out more about the ‘pavement reunion’ as NME is the only place to have that story

RULE OF THIRDS/THE LEFT THIRDThe left third shows the key information and the left third shows the use of a pull quote. The pull quote entices the reader as they will want to find out why he is ‘spreading joy around the world’ so therefore will want to buy the magazine. Also the use of an exclamation mark shows that it is an exciting story and gives the impression that his music is going to revolutionary and only NME has the story.

THE HEADER ‘autumn tour special’ in bold makes it eye catching so the audience notice it. Also by mentioning other bands it will appeal to their target audience so the buyer will know what genre music NME is about

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Target Audience of NME

According to NME’s media pack, most people who buy their magazine are young males so therefore a lot of the artists and news mentioned will have to link in their target audience. Also most people who buy their magazine are middle class so therefore they can afford £2.20 a week.

Most people who buy NME are going to be very passionate about music (80% of readers say it is an important part of their lives) so therefore NME will have to respect that and fulfil their need for music albums, gossip, interviews and news.

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NME History

• It has been published weekly since March 1952 where it started as a music newspaper, however in the 1980s it gradually became a music magazine.

• How did it start? NME started when the Musical Express and Accordion Weekly were bought by a London music promoter, Maurice Kinn and she launched it as the New Musical Express.

• Editor – Krissi Murison • Who publishes it? IPC• Circulation figures? In 2010, just over 50,000• Genre? Indie and Alternative music• Bands? In 2002, NME editors wanted to focus more on British

bands such as Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.

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Magazine Analysis NMECover 2 - March 2009

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Magazine Analysis NMEMASTHEAD - NME is always in the left hand corner and the colours used are always red, white with bold black outline which are used issue after issue which helps develop brand identity and is easily recognised by buyers and grabs potential buyers attention.NME- new musical express suggests this magazine is different from the rest by using the word ‘new’ .also it’s short, snappy and sounds similar to the word enemy which implies that this magazine has a different attitude.

Main image – Eyes – focused on the audience which grabs the reader’s attentionClothes – Black coats contrasted with the white text and the white background again makes the magazine stand out on the shelf. Also by them wearing black it is in keeping of their black, red and white colour scheme. Serious facial expressions – suggests that as they are a new band they should be taken seriously and are a force to be reckoned with.Main sell line / cover line -

‘first major interview’ suggest it is an exclusive and only NME will have their scope so therefore it will get the readers attention as they will want them to find out what their interview is about before everyone elseThe callout – ‘I was worries the monkeys would think id hand an affair’ – could be quite shocking and almost acts as a tease/spoiler so people would want to read the rest of the story. Also the word ‘monkeys’ suggests that their buyers should know that it’s a colloquial term for arctic monkeys and Alex Turner is the lead singer of themCapital letters and the fact it takes up most of the cover suggests its importance and how this issue of NME is not to be missed.

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Magazine Analysis NME

Bar code, date/issue and pricePosition – not main focus however does still keep with the rest of the colour themeBar code – important as it shows the circulation figures and who is buying their magazineIssue – so the customer knows that they are getting the latest editionprice – suggests that after seeing the front cover they will think its good value for money

Header shows the genre of music that NME ‘indie/alternative’ is specialising in and may suggest that their target audience should care about ‘Franz Ferdinand’ and the ‘Courteeners’ being in the studio and working on their albums. Rules of thirds -

Left third – mentions other band to attract and entice the reader. It is extras after they have read the main focus on the last of the shadow puppets. the red font stands out and the colour red suggests passion for the music. The black text is less dominate than the red however that is the way it is meant to be as it only gives some extra details on the articlesHead line ’12 new bands we have found for you’ personalises the magazine to the audience and gives the impression that they have made and that article / magazine is just for you

Flashers –Suggests the audience has to buy the magazine to find out more. cluttered suggests that you are getting a lot for your money

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Cover 3 – Kerrang Music Magazine

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Magazine Analysis Kerrang• Masthead Kerrang

Kerrang is edited to make it seem like it is cracked, also the fact it is on a black background makes it stand out and grab the readers attention. Also ‘Kerrang’ almost sees onomatopoeic for smashing or for a electric guitar strumming so therefore is shows the genre of the music the magazine is about before even reading it. Similarly the position and the colour is always in the same place which creates a brand identity so therefore they can afford to put the image covering the masthead as they can still make a big impression with or without it being covered.

Main ImageShows the lead singer of Foo fighters the audience know that because they put the foo fighters name on the lead singer which shows he is part of them . Also it shows the reader what genre of music Kerrang is about.The cover is image dominated so it shows the reader what Kerrangs main article is about.The shot used is a medium shot and shows his facial expression showing attitude and an almost cocky tilt of the head as he agrees they are ‘back to blow your mind’He is wearing a red t-shirt which links in with the colour scheme of the magazine and it makes the cover

Rule of thirds - Left third- mentions other bands to attract the reader and also shows what genre the magazine is for potential buyers. By fitting quite a few other stories on one side it shows this magazine has a lot of extras and it well worth the moneyGenre again is emphasised by the images of the other band wearing black and them having tattoos is very stereotypically ‘rock’

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Magazine Analysis Kerrang

Bar code, date/issue and pricePosition – not main focus however does still keep with the rest of the colour themeBar code – important as it shows the circulation figures and who is buying their magazineIssue – so the customer knows that they are getting the latest editionprice – suggests that after seeing the front cover they will think its good value for money

Main sell lineThe main sell line is all in capitals which suggests that the Foo Fighters being back is very important and need to be seenNot a lot of sell lines – little information which entices the reader to buy the magazine and find out about their tour as they will only find it out in kerrang ‘uk tour exclusive’‘Foo’ almost jumps out to the audience to grab their attention and the fact ‘back to blow your mind’ is slanted it creates an element of excitement as if the reader NEEDS to know why they are going to blow their mind.

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Kerrang History

• Who publishes it? Bauer• Genre? Hard rock/nu metal• How did it start? It started in 1981 and was

initially a one time supplement in the Sounds Newspaper

• Editor? Nichola Browne• Circulation Figures? Just over 40,000 weekly• Bands? My Chemical Romance, Lost

Prophets, Foo Fighters and All Time Low