1. ANALYSIS OF MUSIC MAGAZINE FRONT COVER 1 ‘NME’
The header on the magazine cover tells
the reader that there is going to be an
autumn tour special inside the magazine.
This is put at the top of the magazine to
persuade the reader to look inside as there
is something particular about this issue of
this magazine.
The masthead of the magazine tells us what the title is, the artists
that are featured inside the magazine and it also gives the magazine a
theme. ‘NME’ takes up most of the masthead so it stands out to the
reader. The colours of it (Red, black and white) also set the theme for
the magazine, as these colours then run throughout the pages and on
the front cover.
The main image is a long shot of Dizzee Rascal,
however in the image he is bending down
which makes it look like a medium shot. The
image has a direct gaze which draws the
audience in and makes them a lot more
involved. He is wearing a chain around his
neck and a simple with vest which simplifies
the picture. He is quite neutral whereas the
background is very colourful which makes him
stand out.
The main sell lineanchors the main image so
you can tell who it is without even looking at
the image. The text is big, bold, in capitals, and
it white contrasting against the background. It
also has a shadow which makes it seem a lot
more 3D and kind of ‘stamped’ onto the page.
The main cover line is clearly linked to the
main image as it says ‘I’m spreading joy
around the world, man!’ which is clearly
related to him as he looks very happy and has
open arms.
The bar code, date/issue and priceare all
located in the bottom right hand corner of the
page. This is because it is the least important
part of the page and that is the part of the
page that people will look at last. It tells you
how much it is and that it’s the latest issue.
The Footerof the magazine tells the reader what bands/artists are inside the
magazine. This is used to tempt the reader to open it up and look inside. Also, if
the artists that they have put on the footer are very popular and have a lot of
fans, it can also increase sales of the magazine due to more people wanting to
buy it to see their favourite singers inside.
The left third of the magazine front cover includes the title of the magazine ‘NME’, some
colourful background, some of Dizzee’s face, a ‘news’ bubble and a pull quote. When the
reader sees this it straight away persuades them to look at/inside the magazine. Along
with the masthead, this is the first part of the magazine front cover the reader would see
when it is on a shop shelf so has to stand out a lot to make the reader pick up this
particular magazine instead of the others. By including something exciting like a ‘news’
bubble it makes the front cover look more fun, exciting and interests the reader .
Rule of thirds is used on the front
cover of the magazineto add
interest to the target audience.
Something different is happening
at each ‘point of interest’. The
title of the magazine is placed in
the top left hand corner of the
page as that is the place where
the reader will look first so they
will immediately be drawn to the
magazine and want to read it. It
will also tell the reader straight
away what magazine it is.