AHS magazine analysis

1. The Banner - The black font on
light background brings
attention to this feature.
Additionally, they have used
the word ‘gift’ which can be
considered a buzzword. This
doesn’t necessarily have to
relate to anything mentioned
on the page and is a good way
of anchoring the audience even
more.
The Masthead – This is in bold, bright and memorable
red font. The masthead is covered by the actors
pictured, which I discovered to be a common
convention with film magazines. Films and the like
require the star appeal of certain actors, and
therefore making sure they are the centre of the page
is very important. This is something I should
consider when designing my magazine, making the actor
the main part of the magazine. The issue number and
date is also included here. This is a common
convention of almost all magazines and something I
should definitely include.
The Image - The image is an extremely important part of film
magazines. In this image, the idea of horror has been made
into something more light-hearted and funny. The two full
body actors share smirks as if they have evil intentions,
referring back to the horror theme. A medium long shot was
used for this image and it presents the women as powerful as
they stand in dominating and intimidating poses. Direct
address is made with the audience with all 3 characters, yet
they all portray a different kind of mind-set. The head on a
platter is looking at the audience as if she needs helps,
anchoring them in, whilst the other two women are staring at
the audience as if they have a plan the audience needs to
know about. This impressive anchoring targets the audience
with different types of direct address and makes them pick up
the magazine to find out more.
The costumes of these women is very important for this front
cover as it is a medium shot, clearly displaying the bodies
of these characters. The red and black are connotations of
power, evil, dominance, danger and death.
Main cover Line – This
clearly states what the
story is about ‘American
Horror Story’. The white
font is perfectly placed
on the black clothing so
it stands out. The
white, red and black
colour scheme is effect
throughout the whole
magazine and connotes a
number of things but
mainly power and danger.
This cover line has used
the effective literacy
rules such as the rule
of 3 with the 3
descriptive adjectives.
This makes the story
more interesting and
further targets the
audience.