The document summarizes the design elements of the front covers of two music magazines - NME and Mixmag. For NME, the summary highlights that the masthead is in bright red to catch readers' eyes and the Noel Gallagher cover image ties into the "Noel Starts Over" cover line. For Mixmag, the summary notes that the masthead spans the top and uses consistent fonts, but the cover does not fully utilize the Gutenberg design principle areas and the main image is not very relevant.

1. Amy Longworth
Media Portfolio
NME magazine targets an
indie/rock audience and the age
range varies from around 16-30.
This is because of the artists and
the style of music that the
magazine features. For example,
Noel Gallagher is the main image
on the cover of this magazine and
will appeal to a younger audience
because of his recent solo career
but it will also appeal to a slightly
older audience because of his role
in Oasis. The masthead of the
NME magazine is in the primary
optical area and follows the house
style of the writing being in bright
red. This bright colour catches the
readers’ eye but also portrays the
style of music as loud rock.There is
house style of red, white and black
writing in a sans serif font. This
shows the informality of the
magazine which would also attract a younger audience.
The Guttenberg design principle is used on the front cover of this magazine and divides it
into four sections. The masthead is in the primary optical area (top left) because this is seen
as the first place a reader will look when they pick up the magazine. The masthead is useful
in this corner because straight away the reader recognises the magazine. In the strong
fallow area of this magazine (top right) an image of another band which star in the magazine
is used. This is useful because it shows the reader other information other than just the
main cover star. The weak fallow area (bottom left) consists of a barcode. This is because it
is not a main focal point for the reader therefore less important information is put there.
This is a well-designed magazine cover as there is very little text in both the weak fallow
area and the terminal area. This is because these areas are not seen as a strong vocal point
to a reader, therefore information in these areas would be less effective.
The main image ties in with the lead article. The way that Noel Gallagher is dressed all in
white with white surrounding him and a shadow behind him represents the cover line ‘NOEL
STARTS OVER’. The colour white is linked with innocence/death. ‘Starts over’ represents
innocence as if Noel is leaving his past and anything bad he may have done behind and
starting again. Considering he has taken up a solo career, white could represent the death of
Oasis and a fresh start for him. The shadow behind him could represent that he is starting
over and his old ways are just a shadow in the past in which he has put behind him.

2. Amy Longworth
Media Portfolio
The majority of the lead article is set in the left third of the front cover, over Noel’s
shadow in the background. The writing is in a large font and the colours stand out against
the background as they follow the house style of red, white and black. The white writing
used for the lead article is the only place where this same font is used in white on the page.
This makes it stand out more and attracts the reader to reading the lead article. The short
quote from Noel Gallagher that NME have used as the cover line is effective enough to
interest the reader.
The more important cover lines are set at the right side of the magazine cover and are
wrote in a larger font than the cover lines at the very top/bottom of the page. This is
because these are the articles in which the reader will be more interested in therefore they
are made to stand out more.
Mixmag magazine targets a
slightly older audience than
NME with the average age
of Mixmag readers being
around 24 years old. This
means this magazine targets
20-30 year olds. The
majority of Mixmag readers
are male which is
represented by the dark,
simple colours on this front
cover. As Mixmag is quite an
expensive magazine, most
of its readers only read this
magazine and do not
purchase others. This
magazine features
urban/dance music.
The masthead uses the
same font on each issue of
the magazine so that it is
recognisable by readers and
gives continuity. The

3. Amy Longworth
Media Portfolio
masthead spreads right across the top of this magazine cover therefore stands out and
attracts the reader to the magazine. The colour of the masthead follows the house style of
this cover which is white, black and gold. These are the only three colours used on the cover
and relate to the genre of music that this magazine features. The black background could
represent the darkness of a nightclub where this sort of music would be played, while the
white and gold could show bright lights.
The Guttenberg design principle isn’t followed very well on this magazine. Both the
primary optical area and the strong fallow area are taken up by the masthead alone. This is
effective in a way because it is what the reader is most attracted to however they could be
made better use of by leaving the strong fallow area for different information. The weak
fallow area has no writing in it which is ideal however cover lines are written in the terminal
area. As the reader isn’t attracted to the terminal area, it isn’t a convenient place to write a
cover line.
As it is the only kind of image on this cover, the main image is the insect shape outlined on
the left side of the cover. This isn’t really effective and has no relevance to the title/genre of
the magazine.
The lead article is set in the centre of the page and the font follows the house style. The
black and gold writing on the white background means it stands out against the black
background of the cover. The most important words are in the largest font. This is because
‘DANCE ACT’ is interesting to the reader as it is linked to the genre of music that the
magazine is based on. Having these words in a larger font make it appealing to the reader as
it is a main focal point and encourages them to carry on reading.
The cover lines are set to the right side of the page below the leading article. This is
because they won’t appeal to the audience as much therefore are set below the more
important information. Some of the cover lines are wrote in the terminal area, which isn’t as
effective as it could be as this is the least attractive area of the page to the reader, meaning
these cover lines will be the last thing they notice.