This document discusses different elements of magazine front covers including the central image, masthead, and how they are designed to interact with and attract the target audience. It provides examples of how the central images in NME and other magazines are used to relate to the typical reader. It also explains how mastheads are carefully designed to imply the sophistication and maturity level of the audience, using NME, Classic FM, and Q magazines as examples. The masthead is an important part of creating a brand identity that is then used across multiple platforms.

1. ANALYSIS OF A FRONT Sophie
Billington
COVER Media Studies
AS Level

2. PARTS OF A FRONT COVER
‘EYEBROWS’
MASTHEAD
STRAPLINE CENTRAL IMAGE
(Including the (Full bleed & placed
strapline there are over masthead)
only 4 or 5 fonts
used on the cover)
COVER
LINES MAIN COVER LINE
BARCODE

3. THE CENTRAL IMAGE
A N D I T ’ S C O N N O TAT I O N S
Another way that magazines use central
images to interact and associate with their
viewers is through the way that the people in
the image are presented. The men in the image
below are dressed all in black and look quite
stern; maybe even menacing. Their collars are
turned up and they look like rock ‘n’ rollers.
Central images are used to interact with the
reader of the magazine; they create
connotations which aim to relate to the typical
reader of the magazine. For instance, in this
issue of NME the cover features a man
smoking and looking directly at the camera.
This relates to the anarchistic image that NME
readers like to associate themselves with.

4. DESIGNING A MASTHEAD
A masthead is the title of the magazine that is
presented on the front cover. Mastheads are used
to attract potential readers and are designed and
redesigned very carefully to attract the target
audience for the magazine. For example, the
masthead for “Classic FM” magazine (shown on
the bottom right) is a masthead that stretches
across the width of the magazine much like a
broadsheet newspaper. It implies that the
magazine is indicated at a more sophisticated and
mature audience. In contrast to this, the masthead
for NME is much more bold, bright and ‘in your
face’. It attracts a much younger audience who
have anarchistic tendencies and like to think of
themselves as rebellious and unique. The
masthead for Q magazine is slightly more
sophisticated as it is aimed at an older audience
than NME but is not as formal as the masthead for
Classic FM magazine.

5. CREATING A BRAND AROUND YOUR
MAGAZINE
Creating a good masthead is of upmost importance
when designing your magazine. A masthead is often
used for many other platforms of the brand as a
whole. For example, NME has a radio station, a tv
channel and a website as well as a magazine but the
masthead used for the magazine is used across all of
these platforms. The same applies for Classic FM
magazine and Q magazine’s mastheads.