1. Salford City College
Eccles Centre
AS Media Studies
Foundation Portfolio
MastheadThis is the primary optical area of the
Comment on how the design of the magazine cover attracts the target audience:
magazine and is also the area that catches the
viewers/publics eye first. This means that the
masthead must be easy to remember, unique and
bold.
ColourThere are 3 colours that are continuously used
throughout this magazine cover: black, white and red.
These three colours contrast with one another as they are
all harsh, very bold and are all dominant colours.
TypefacesThe fonts used within this magazine cover
and has photographed the band members from 3
different angles. There is a use of direct mode of
address from the front man and this is due to him
seeming to look directly into the viewer’s eyes. This
signifies his importance as he also seems taller.
are all fairly simple and therefore portray a simple layout
and format, making it easy for the viewer to take in all the
given information. The fonts are also very easy to read in
comparison to other fonts used in different magazine
covers. The name of the artist is in a separate and larger
font in comparison to the remainder of the text which
therefore makes the name stand out more.
Model credit‘Muse’ is in the centre of the
Photography LightingThere is a use of both high and
magazine cover in a bold white font which stands out,
especially when compared to the remainder of the
magazine (dark black and blue background). The band
name becomes faint the further to the right of the text
it reaches. This creates a fading effect and therefore
contributes to the space element that the magazine is
potentially trying to portray.
low key lighting in this cover. The use of low key lighting
used on the front male makes him look shadowed and
with this it seems as if he is looking down on the audience
which creates a sense of dominance on his behalf. The use
of high and low key lighting used against each other
creates a contrast and therefore creates a very three
dimensional effect and highlights the facial features of
each person involved in the cover. Due to the background
of the magazine being space themed, it denotes the
cheesy quote that the band is ‘out of this world’. Since the
front man seems to be looking downwards, a
representation of power is brought into play as the fact
that he is photographed as higher than the audience
suggests that he is dominant and in power.
Main imageThe image is a 3-shot medium close up
CoverlinesThe cover lines in this magazine cover are
placed differently in comparison to other magazines
that I have analysed and therefore do not agree with
the Guttenberg design as they are placed below and
above the main image instead of around it, which is
the normal presentation of a magazine.
Design Principles Used?Guttenberg design principle
Main cover lineThe main cover line links closely
with the background of the magazine as it is purposely
intending to link to space. This font is also in a sans
serif plain font which means the viewer’s eye is not
taken away from the image of the band, meaning
all/most of the viewers eyes are set on the large main
central image.
House StyleThree colours (red, white and black) are used throughout the magazine and this
is the same for the majority of the magazines and this therefore means the house style is
consistent throughout. The NME logo is in the same place as it is usually found in all of the NME
magazines and this therefore shows that the house style is constantly used within every
magazine. In addition to this, the barcode is also found in the right hand corner of the magazine
which is the same position that it is found in every other cover.
has been used to an extent as the weak fallow area is the
area which holds the majority and the most important
information. This is an effective design as it makes sure
the primary optical area, weak fallow field and the
terminal area are all filled with either text or images. This
makes the magazine look full and busy, but not too busy
to look over crowded. This corresponds with the ‘indierock’’ theme that Florence Welch creates in the image.