2. The main image is a posed photo of the
artist (Lana Del Ray), which has a motif
of America, which links to the text ‘a
modern American Icon’. The colour
palette of red, white and blue connotes
the American theme and creates a
house style of the magazine, as well as
conforming to the codes and
conventions of NME.
Also, the colours are favoured by both
male and female genders which relates
to the target audience of the magazine.
However, in this issue, red appears to be
the dominant, focused colour which
links to how there is a female artist on
the cover.
The masthead is positioned at the top
left of the cover which is typical of NME.
Although, NME is recognized music
magazine, the masthead is in front of
the artist to enhance the brand identity
and recognition of the magazine.
3. The image has a direct mode of address
as the artist is looking directly at the
camera. Her body language suggests
that she is an open person as her arms
are spread apart and the way she is
sticking her tongue out links to the
anchorage text “I’m a psycho!”.
The use of “I’m a Psycho!” emphasises
that she may be a rebellious character.
The artist is represented in a nonstereotypical way., being anchored with
a story about how she is different. This
fits with the genre of the music
magazine, NME.
NME tend to feature artists that have
more shocking stories and pasts. The
idea of controversial artists links to how
Noel Gallagher and Pete Doherty are
mentioned within the incentives text
boxes. They are two artists that are
associated with the ‘rock and roll’
lifestyle.
4. The anchorage text of ‘The true face of
a modern American icon’ draws
audience attention to the magazine.
The word ‘true’ acts as a buzz word that
suggests that the artist will be revealing
something. The use of buzz words can
create consumer loyalty as the audience
will feel as if from reading the magazine
they will receive exclusive unique
information, which will attract them to
the magazine brand. As a brand NME
has a higher status and is associated
with professionalism.
The cover has a ‘busy’ layout with lots
of puffs and incentives. “Free Posters” is
an incentive that will suit the majority
male audience of the magazine that
appreciate iconic artists, such as Sex
Pistols and Nirvana. The incentive
encourages people to buy the magazine
who may not have been enticed by the
cover lines and puffs.
5. The sans serif typography on the
magazine cover is uniform, with
variations only in the font size. A similar
font has been used for the cover text
and NME masthead to create a sense of
continuity and a brand identity. This
emphasises a formality which appeals
to the narrative and genre of the
magazine as a brand that produces
quality, informative and truthful reviews
and interviews.
NME also are known to promote new
music and artists. A puff on the cover
reads the name of the band “Enter
Shikari”, which is anchored by the quote
“It’s time for a revolution”. This may be
a band that is predominantly recognised
by fans of the artist or of NME, creating
a feeling of being exclusive within the
audience. Also, the audience will
associate the excitement of the new
artists and music with NME.
