The magazine cover features Leonardo DiCaprio holding a gun while avoiding eye contact with the camera. The well-tailored suit, striking red cover lines against a grey background, and sans serif yet bold typeface are meant to appeal to a middle-class male audience. The larger space for cover lines highlights main sequel or interview articles, while the contrasting puff and plug advertise an aspirational red carpet lifestyle.

1. Empire Magazine
Analysis

2. Masthead
Cover Lines Main Photo
Main Cover Line
Pull Quote
Puff & Plug
Plug

3. The red is striking against the grey
The magazine costs £3.99, this shows cityscape background
that it isn’t the kind of magazine you
pick up on a whim
The type face is sans serif yet bold and formal.
This means that its is sophisticated yet not old
fashioned. This will appeal to the middle class.

4. Leonardo DiCaprio avoids eye
contact with the camera. This
The well tailored suit is
makes him seem distance and
symbolic of the class
detached, this will be
that this magazine is
appealing to a male audience
aiming at.
as they want to associate with
the more ‘Macho’
characters, as opposed to a
female audience who would
want to bond with them.
Although he is holding a gun
it is not the focus of the
photo unlike most action
films. This represents the
tall, dark and mysterious
person that all men are
supposed to strive to be.

5. The space for
the cover lines
in the left third
is larger to This Puff is in
catch the contrast with the
eye, these are rest of the cover
the main as it doesn’t fit
articles and are into the red, grey
all sequel and black colour
releases or scheme. The plug
interview with is advertising the
action stars. red carpet lifestyle
that the middle
class aspire to
have.