The document provides an analysis of the front cover layout of the magazine "We Love Pop". It summarizes the key design elements and conventions used, including the masthead in pink font, main image of Niall Horan and Nathan Sykes, and sell lines promoting articles. The layout maintains a consistent brand identity across issues with colors like pink and fonts that appeal to its young, female target audience. Feature photos and sell lines throughout attract readers to purchase the magazine.

1. Front Cover Analysis
General layout/conventions
In a general music magazine, conventionally the masthead is the biggest font on the page and is
usually at the very top, unless as skyline is presented above it. Pugs are used to present the edition and
the barcode, and more than likely the price of the magazine. Puffs are used to contain small pieces of
texts and are used to attract the reader to the text within them whether it be tops or posters. There is
usually a main sell lines written across the centre of the magazine, with a line of text underneath to
explain the headline. This also comes with many other sell lines around the main image to also attract
people to buy the magazine. The main image usually takes up the whole frame, and smaller images
known as feature article photos are also placed around the front cover to make it less word based and
dull.
The front cover maintains its brand identity by following similar layouts on every front cover
published. ‘We Heart Pop’ is placed in the top left hand corner on every edition. A column is placed
vertically on the right or left hand side, altering on different editions. The pug is always placed in the
bottom right hand corner, or sometimes the centre varying on the feature article photos.
Masthead
The masthead is We Love Pop, with a heart shape rather than the word. The use of the heart instead
reflects the young target audience, as they are more inclined to draw hearts to represent the word love.
The heart makes the front cover more visual as well so its not just word based. Also, it makes the
masthead more feminine, as does the colour pink for the heart - as pink is the most commonly
recognised feminine colour.
It is written in a speech bubble, this mimics a text message bubble, insinuating that the magazine
provides the latest gossip and will therefore appeal to the target audience as that is what they aim to

2. get from the magazine. Also, that the magazine can be perceived as being chatty and conversational
and therefore seen as a friend.
The font type is Display as it is bold and bulky, standing out from the rest of the text on the front
cover. It is written in black, to ensure it sounds out even more, as does the fact that it is written in
capital letters, rather than standard text size.
The name of the magazine is “We Love Pop”. This gives the audience a clear indication it is a
magazine regarding the pop genre and that is going to be celebrating the genre and all things to love
about it. It also ties in with the pop theme because it is a positive name for a magazine, and reflects
the pop genre is a positive and upbeat genre of the music and so are pop fans.
Main Image
Niall Horan and from One Direction and Nathan Sykes from the Wanted are the two people on the
main image of the front cover. This will appeal to the audience as they are from two popular bands
and therefore appeals to fans of both or either band, which could potentially widen the net. They are
being represented as ‘cuties’ as the main sell line is “battle of the boy band cuties”, which is ironic as
most young teenagers will have ‘crushes’ on them anyways and will cause discussion between the
audience. This supports Blumer and Katz uses and gratification theory as it creates social discussion
and the audience will enjoy the debating who they think is cuter with others, also reflecting the idea of
a battle.
The main image reflects genre as both Niall and Nathan are smiling rather than posing in an impolite
and inappropriate manner like those on a rock magazine such as KERRANG! They both look well
groomed, as if they look after themselves following the pretty boy look which is typical in pop boy
bands as they are both well groomed and well dressed rather than scruffy like those in the rock genre
who follow the shabby look. Their hair looks to be styled as with both boys they have a quiff look
going on. Also, they look to have had their eyebrows done - which is becoming more popular with
boys now-a-days as they tend to look after themselves a lot more, which could be something they
might undercoverly be promoting as before hand it was seen as an absurd thing to do and was for
females only. They also both look to be wearing makeup, to make their skin look better and to
compliment their complexion. Both boys are looking directly at the camera, giving direct address,
and smiling at the camera. They are both wearing blue, which is stereotypically a more masculine
colour, when pink is seen more as a feminine colour. The colour blue represents trust, honesty and
loyalty, which could reflect the boys personalities as they need all three factors to be in a successful
boy band. Also, Nathan has his thumb up and Niall is point at Nathan, these are poses quite frequently
used. However, these are acceptable and do not influence the reader badly in anyway shape or form.
Readership could be influenced by the idea that if someone had never purchased ‘We Love Pop’
before and their favourite band is One Direction and they see Niall on the front, this would provoke
and encourage them to buy it. Additionally, it will also draw in existing fans.
The mise-en-scene of the magazine is typical of a pop magazine. The background is white which is a
popular choice on most pop magazine, and can be seen as a convention. The main sell line is often
written over the main image or close beside it. This gives a clear indication of the idea that they
belong together, so it is easier for the younger generation to establish. Other feature article
photographs are used in order to lure the target audience in even more as they are made aware that
more of their favourite artists have some part within the magazine. Not only celebrities are used to
invite the audience in but so are the latest fashion tips, appeal to another side of the audience. Fun
puffs and colours are also used to reflect the age group of the audience.

3. Iconography of this particular cover of ‘We Love Pop’ could include the idea that all those present on
the cover are all smiling. This reflects the pop genre in the sense that they are all smiling and happy
creating a good and positive example for their fans as they are all role models and should therefore
give of a good impression.
As pop is mainly attracted by young girls, the fact that the main image consists of two of the most
popular members from boy bands in the industry adds more appeal to the magazine. By having Niall
and Nathan on the front it is more likely to have an appeal than if a female artist was on the front,
despite young girls idolising female artists, they tend to ‘fangirl’ moreover male artists. Additionally,
it is a convention that men tend dominate the front cover of magazines.
A few feature article photo’s are present on the front cover. The first one is Conor Maynard. There is
a photo of him accompanied by the sell-line “Uh-oh! Looks like I’m for the chop!” the picture is ideal
for the sell-line and they go together really well as in the photo Conor looks to be getting beheaded in
a wooden board. This also creates a fun and sarcastic element to the magazine as it is evidently a joke
- however, Conor’s facial expression might cause panic for his fans and make them want to buy the
magazine in order to see why he is “for the chop”.
The photo below this is on Jason Derulo, with the sell-line “My funniest interview ever”. In the photo
we see him wearing his signature outfit - a white vest and a snapback. In the photo he is smiling -
which reflects the content of the article, that is is his “funniest” interview.
Below this is a photo of Mollie from the Saturdays. She is smiling with her head tilted slightly to the
side with her hand pushing her hair up slightly. From what we can see she is wearing turquiose which
is a fun, colourful and upbeat colour that ties in with the pop genre and also goes nicely with her
blonde hair. Her makeup is done nice and naturally, making her a good role model for the young girls
reading the magazine.
There's a puff with Ariana Grande in it, a close up image. Of her with both her hair and makeup styled
nicely. By which we can only really pinpoint her wearing the colour red (for lipstick) as it is just a
closeup. But her hair is half up, half down like it always is, similar to how a parent would style their
childs hair. She is smiling and is looking directly at the camera, highlighting her confidence.
Lastly, at the bottom of the page there's a photo of Katy Perry and Nicole Scherzinger. Katy Perry has
her blonde hair styled up nicely, in a high ponytail. With her makeup looking nice a natural,
accompanying it with a lovely shade of pink lipstick, which complements both her hair and her dress.
Her dress has a lot of detail in it, keeping her wardrobe choices quirky as usual. Her stance involves
her with one hand on her hip and the other down by her side, leaning towards her left side. Then
behind her we can see Nicole who is also smiling, with her long dark hair styled down in and is wavy
in style - to an extent. She is wearing, of what we can see, a red dress.
Sell-lines
The sell line in relation to the main sell line is “battle of the boy band cuties”, the used of the word
battle enticed the audience to want to open the magazine in order to find out who wins the battle and
to see if there preferred choice won. This sell-line is kept light through the use of font and the smiling
faces and the boys body language - thumbs up and pointing.
Underneath a photo of Conor Maynard the sell-line is “Uh-oh! Looks like I’m for the chop”, this
creates a mystery as to what Conor is referring to and is enticing to the audience – who would want to
find out. Jason Derulo’s interview is described as his “funniest interview ever”, this would draw the

4. audience in because they would want to find out why it was so funny. The fact that Mollie gets
“jealous” of the other “girls” creates relatability and understanding between her and the audience, who
would then want to open it as they would be intrigued as to why she is jealous of them.
The mode of address used in the sell-lines makes the target audience more recognisable. Words such
as “cuties” are used which reflect the audience perfectly, as they are young girls/early teens their
language in context to a magazine is informal and ‘slang words’ (buzz words) are used as a form of
communication. This is further highlighted by the fact some words are shortened, such as the word
celebrity. The word ‘celeb’ is used instead. Across the front cover, words used are simplistic and are
not too complicated. This also reflects the age of those reading the magazine, as they are young, their
english will still be quite basic and would not understand a more sophisticated choice of wording.
Alliteration is used a lot which reflects the audience, phrases such as “style steals” and “pull-out
posters” are used in order to attract them to buy the magazine in order to receive these “treats”.
The sell-lines are placed vertically on the left hand side of the magazine in the left hand third. The
name of the artists is written in white with a pink background with a sneak peak of the article about
them written in black – as the sell line. Which is all placed on a yellow background. All the colours
used are conventionally used on a pop magazine and the style in which it is done also reflects one of a
pop magazine. Other sell lines are placed at the bottom of the page – these are, which look to be,
smaller articles such as “celeb fears” and “style steals”. Lastly, another sell line is written in a puff, a
small shape with text inside. In this case it is that an Ariana poster is available inside. The layout of
the sell-lines clearly indicates which are perhaps more important – those in the left hand third.
Layout
The layout is near enough the same on every edition of ‘We Love Pop’, with few changes the
positioning of the sell-lines. This helps to maintain the brand identity of the magazine.
The masthead is always placed on a slant in a speech bubble in the top left hand corner. With the main
image just to the right of it, taking up the majority of the front cover, with sell lines placed around it.
The main sell line is always placed on the main image or right beside it to link the two together.
The choice of layout is clear, and it does not look overly crowded. It is easy to establish what is what
and the content of the magazine.
The setup of this particular front cover is interesting in the use of colours and the general set up itself.
It is clear to the reader what is inside of the magazine. The feature photos are of a good size so they
are easy to see but do not take up to much space, as is the text.
Over, the layout of this particular issue of We Love Pop does look fairly busy. This is heightened by
the use of a collage effect in the bottom right hand corner. It looks like there is a lot to be enjoyed.
Fonts
The font used for the Masthead is a display font, as it is bold and bulky so it stands out and that the
audience can establish that this is the name of the magazine. The font itself is black, which I believe is
why the heart is a bright pink, to help establish that the magazine is a female magazine, also the age
of the audience. The heart helps to establish it is for a younger audience.
The same font is used for the main sell-line but the font size is smaller. It is still written in italics like
the main sell line. But rather than being written in black it is written in white/pink, on top of a pink
text box is Nathan’s name written in a white font and a white text box placed behind Niall’s name,
which is written in pink. Above their names, the same text is used in a sell-line relating to the main
sell-line, we can tell they are linked as they are physically connect by text boxes. The text box is
yellow and the text is written in black saying “battle of the boyband cuties”.

5. Another font is used, which looks like handwritten font, for the artists names on the sell-lines down
the left hand side. Making it look more personal - as if the artists have written their names themselves.
For the remainder of the sell-line a basic font is used to write the rest, it is a san serif font and
therefore will be a clear and easy font for the audience to read. This same font is used for the puff
with “ARIANA pull-out posters” written inside as well as “celeb fears” and “mid season special”.
Another font is also used to write “Revealed” underneath “celeb fears” and “style steals” is also
written in this font. This font is used to help the sell-line stand out so that will be the first word of the
sell-line that the audience see. It is also written in italics instead of normal, which makes it stand out
even more.
Colours
The colours used all reflect the genre of the magazine – they are all vibrant colours which match the
upbeat music produced in the pop industry. The same colours are used throughout the magazine as
well as throughout different editions, maintaining the magazines brand identity.
The main colour used is pink. The colour pink suggests that the target audience for this magazine is a
feminine one. Also, the colour pink reflects compassion and love, which are two feelings the audience
feel towards the magazine and in general that the magazine shows towards its audience as well as the
pop genre.
Another colour frequently used is the colour yellow. The colour yellow is recognised for being one of
the brighter colours and also represents acquired knowledge this colour relate to that the magazine
itself is full of knowledge regarding the celebrity world.
Other than pink and yellow the only other colours used are black and white. The background of the
magazine in general is white which is a convention on pop magazines. Also, it allows the magazine to
be as colourful as it likes without having to worry about the background and the content on the
magazine clashing. The colour black is used mainly for text, this is because it is bold and stands out
and is also easy for the audience to read.