Analysis of Professional Magazine Covers

Main image- the colours the artist wears subtly tie in with the bold yet plain background. The artists wears clothes that relate to the genre; gold watches and jewellery, the top she wears is related to hearts and diamonds within a pack of playing cards this could be her wanting to be perceived as a ‘queen’ in the music industry similar to the queen of hearts. Her pose perceives her as glamorous as she is looking down at the camera with her head held high and her hand gestures show that she is perhaps self confident and reassured.

Price and barcode- blends in to the artists outfit as they both consist of black and white colours. Perhaps this is to disguise the price so as to draw the audience to buy it on impulse instead of checking the price and having second thoughts.

Main cover line- ‘Elli Ingram’ this is the second largest font on the page and is situated at the top and to the left of the artist to clearly show that the main image is related to the main cover line. The font is the same as the title but it is not capitalised so as not to distract the attention from the title. It is also the same colour which is that of red but a darker shade so as to once again, not distract the attention away from the title.

Masthead- This is the largest font and is shown clearly at the top of the page. It is capitalised and in a bold font with a outer shadow effect to make the letters stand out and to insure that it is easy to recognise and reinforces the brand identity.

Strap line- The strap line includes the word ‘essential’ this stands out to the audience to make the magazine stand out as an ‘essential’ part of their life, it encourages them to keep buying this magazine consistently so as not to miss out on any essentials. Also, the strap line includes the word ‘monthly’ this ties in with the frequency of the publication this imprints within the readers mind the consistency of the magazine and when it is released.

Sub lines- This gives extra information underneath the cover line so the reader has more of an insight into what the main article will be about. It is always based on the main cover line and particularly links to the main image.

Masthead- Billboard magazine has a different layout for the masthead as it is written down the side of the cover. This could be their way of displaying themselves as different and appealing to audiences of a different kind of style. Also, it is not capitalised which is unusual for a music magazine

Main image- uses direct address to connect to the reader especially if this is their favourite artist used within the image. Covers the masthead as it is a well known magazine. 3-4 main colours are used and they do not clash, they are used subtly and use connotations of warmth and earthy colours.

The artist is quite posed and does not use a candid photo so as to make the artist stand out by using a very plain background.

Image- uses direct address and is a close up, connects to the reader and shows how the artist wants to be perceived; dark , intense and serious.

Title stands out against the image, it is bold and capitalised, also a deep contrast in colour compared to the black and white image and background yet isn’t too in your face. It is a subtle colour.

Numerous amount of sub lines compared to the other magazines that frame the artists close up image. This makes the magazine appear to have lots of content and fills up the page making it fuller and offers more variety.

The background is as plain as possible yet the same colour as the filter on the artists face. This could create a clash in most cases but because it is a close up shot there is a lot of detail within the artists face hence making it stand out.

Strap line contains quite a controversial topic making the reader want to pick up the issue and read the article as it is quite a stand out statement.