Seonaid Mackenzie

The Header- The header or skyline is the text that goes along the top of the front cover, following the codes and conventions of magazines. This header also acts as a cover mount meant to attract audiences, the use of the word 'special' implies that it is exclusive to the magazine and will only occur in the single NME issue. The header also mentions other artists that will appear in the magazine , to attract the fans of those particular artists.

The Masthead- The Masthead is presented at the top of the magazine, following the codes and conventions of magazines. It is bold and large making it noticeable , the colour scheme of Red, Black and White coincide with the House style of the magazine providing a consistent style. The main cover image is slightly covering the masthead which suggests that the magazine is a well known brand. The masthead can be found on the left hand side, this makes it easier for it to be found when stacked on a shelf further increasing the chances of it being noticed.

Barcode/Issue/Price/Date- Usually found around the bottom of the magazine so that it can be found, an important convention that gives legal information on the magazine to a reader and is needed to sell a magazine. Is usually small so not to use up too much space on the front cover.

Main Cover Image- The close up or in this case mid shot image of a music artist, in this case Dizzee Rascal. In the photo Dizzee Rascal is directly addressing the audience, he is smiling widely and his arms are open wide, this would appear welcoming to potential readers as though he is personally inviting them to read the magazine. There is graffiti in the back ground which carries the connotations of youth and grime and the hip hop genre which Dizzee Rascal is associated.

The Overall impression of the magazine is a welcoming, exciting atmosphere shown by the use of space creating an almost busy effect and the use of language and punctuation (e.g. '!') , colloquial language such as 'wowee' and the use of the word 'man' create a casual feel and further enforce the welcoming atmosphere as the magazine addresses the reader in a familiar, friendly manner.

The Main Cover Line- Makes a direct reference to the main image, 'Dizzee Rascal', anchoring the image. The text is considerably larger than the other cover lines and is bold and uses effects such as a shadow, differentiating it from the other cover lines, the colour white maintains the ,magazines house style. The caption used provides an insight on what type of article the cover line is summarising and will particularly appeal to the niche market of Dizzee Rascal fans.

Footer- The footer is found at the bottom of the front cover and continues to introduce the artists similar to the header, this introduces artists and other genres as the NME magazine is known for covering a variety of different sub genres of music, particularly rock, alternative and indie in the past. The footer get rid of any white space and uses the front page to full capacity, creating an almost busy effect where something is always happening.

Rule Of Thirds- The rule of third has been used on this front cover, the sue of the rule of thirds highlights certain hot spots on the cover to mark them as important , for example the main cover line and Dizzee Rascal's face, this will allow the target audience to pick out important features of the magazine quickly.

The Cover lines- Smaller than the main sell line, follows the codes and conventions of magazine by going around the main cover image, follows the house style and follows the colour scheme of red, white and black