The magazine cover uses design elements to attract its target audience of rap music fans. The dominant image of rapper Jay-Z directly engages the audience. Bold colors like red and black connote passion for music. Formal typefaces and layout in capital letters suggest the magazine is aimed at an older audience. Additional text provides the model credit and name of Jay-Z to further appeal to fans interested in both the artist's music and public image. High key lighting and a clean white background make the cover visually clear and appealing to the target demographic.

1. Masthead – The masthead is used to let the target
Comment on how the design of the magazine cover attracts the target audience: Colour – The colours used are white, green, red and
audience know that it’s a special edition of a
black.The connotation of red is passion, power, love
magazine and there is use of dominant contrast to
but I think the reason of using red was to show
make the text standout the text is formal which
passion as I think it is important to be passionate
appeals to the target audience as the target
about your music as an artist.The white gives it a
audience is people who dress smartly and enjoy rap
clean feel and black completely goes against white as
so the formal text will suit this.
it connotes crime
Typefaces – The typefaces are almost all in capitals
Main image – In the main image there is use of and quite a strong formal looking text. The typefaces
direct address which appeals to the audience as it are formal and the mature font style suggests it’s
engages them. The image appeals to the target aimed at an older audience.
audience as they like his music or the genre of the
music. As the main image is a rapper, straight away
this appeals to the target audience as its there Main cover line – The main cover line is the model
interest. credit “JAY-Z” This is done to go with the main
image and it appeals to the target audience as his
music is in magazine
Model credit – There is model credit saying “JAY-Z”
and a quote that might be from him. This is done to
attract the target audience as rapper are not just
Photography Lighting – The lighting is high key, to
about there music as they tend to care a lot about show the face of the image to make it a dominant
there image as a person, so there fans know this contrast, so the magazine will appeal to the fans that
and follow it so this attracts the target audience. jay-z has, as this is a primary audience for the
magazine. The background is white so the
typefaces/images can be seen clearly by the target
audience. They have been given a formal layout to
Coverlines – The coverlines are used to spread the appeal to the target audience
target audience to other types of music, it also
shows they have a decent amount of competition as
they are trying to attract more than one of the
Design principles used? The Guttenberg design
music genres. The colours used make the coverlines
principle is used in this magazine with the name of the
standout and noticeable to the viewer as the target
magazine being in the primary optical zone and will be
viewer will be interested
House Style – The colours that are used on this cover are used to show different meanings the first thing he audience will look at and the next
and connote things to the star of it that is the main image; the cover is more direct and less thing being the face which has formal balance and the
relative to the main image itself which is usual to most magazine covers. Also the colours text being informal balance.
that are used automatically suggest it is formal and indicates that the target audience
maybe older and more of that style. The colour also suggests it is more aimed at a male
audience as they are linked to men more the colours.