1. G321 Foundation Portfolio: Front Cover Analysis essay and labelled analysis
Task: Find two front covers from music magazines. These front covers will be used for your analysis
of double page spreads and contents pages, as well as the covers themselves. Find out about the
target audience of the magazines. Make sure the magazines are targeted to different audiences and
are of different genres
Your essay will compare and contrast two front covers from different magazines and you need to
provide labelled analysis and an essay on:
 Target audience and need
 House Style
 The Guttenberg Design Principle
 Main image/images
 Masthead
 Lead article/Model Credit/Coverlines
The structure of the essay should provide analysis of your first magazine, using the headings above,
then your second. There should then be a comparison of both magazines, commenting upon
differences and similarities.
Deadline 15th February

2. Target audience and need
The target audience of the NME magazine is represented
By the editorial techniques used within the image, layout
and text. We can tell the target audience is aged 16 – 25 due
to the genre of music featured usually: indie, alternative and
most of the time male dominated bands. However within this
issue the vibrant red used within the Masthead and main story
title, contrasts with the blue background and the yellow clothing
that the members of The Stone Roses are wearing so that the
magazine stands out. This is because of the contents of the magazine, the fact that the Stone Roses
are returning is good news to fans of the NME. The median age for a reader of NME is aged 25
therefore it is easy to tell what the magazine is aiming for in terms of appearance.
The house style of NME can be identified each time by the different aspects that occur in every
magazine. Firstly the mast head is always in the top left corner of the magazine in a bold sans serif
font; this creates a recognisable identity for the magazine so readers can easily spot it. Another
feature that is re-occurring is that the main headline is usually in a similar font or colour to the mast
head, this makes the magazine seem less cluttered and easier to read. The barcode and date also
play a part in the house style as it is positioned in the bottom right corner in every issue.
When considering the Guttenburg design principal it is easy to dissect the magazine into the 5
sections that are considered: Primary optical area, axis of orientation, weak fallow area, strong
fallow area and finally the terminal area. Firstly looking at the primary optical area (top left hand
corner), the masthead has been put here as our eyes are automatically attracted to this side of the
page therefore the reader instantly knows what magazine they are reading. To the right of this, the
strong fallow area contains 2 images and text advertising free posters inside. This has been put here
as we acknowledge it more than if it where further down the page. In the weaker fallow area
(bottom left corner) the headline starts here so it is noticeable for the reader and can span across
the magazine, finally the terminal area is where the date and barcode have been placed, this is
because it is the last place our eyes are drawn to and has little impact on the reader.
The main image used on the front cover of this magazine is a long shot of the band The Stone Roses.
We can see it is a long shot as all parts of the band members body’s are within the frame fully
extended. The clothes that the band is wearing contain bright and vibrant colours, this makes them
stand out against the backdrop and highlights each member. The style of clothing shows the
personality of the band, with loose and baggy items that shows they are laidback. looking into the
background we can see a mountainous terrain as to suggest that the band are standing on top of the

3. world due to their huge success, this is significant to the return of the Roses as they are a heavily
respected band. The other images in the stronger fallow area are two posters of Ian Brown and the
Stone Roses. They have been put here to persuade the reader into buying the magazine as free gifts
are usually a bonus.
The masthead of the magazine is presented in a sans serif font as the target audience of the
magazine care more about the music content as readers of the NME are avid music listeners. The
bold style of font stands out against the background as block letters are easily noticeable; along with
this the vibrant red contrasts with the blue in order to highlight it the most. The mast head will
always be found in the top right hand corner of the magazine, this is to give the magazine a sense of
identity with regular readers.
The lead article of the magazine is announcing that The Stone Roses have re-united and are
returning to the industry. It has been printed in a similar font to the mast head to show that it also
shares some importance in the magazine. Looking at the model credit underneath it has been made
clear what the article will be talking about as it is highlighted in yellow. This allows the reader to
understand the content without reading the magazine. Cover lines have been placed around the top
of the magazine to create room for the powerful picture of the band. These cover lines also add
information to the reader as they have further knowledge of the content.
Looking at the front cover of UNCUT magazine we can see that it is targeting a much older audience
approximately 25 – 45 years old generally male. This is because of the simple and organised layout
that delivers the content of the magazine clear and easy to its readers, along with the use of dull and
softer colours that are stereotypically related with middle aged men.
The house style of UNCUT always sees a medium close up of either
An artist or band members. This is to make the magazine more
Personal to either the artist or reader as it gives off the feel that
This issue has been dedicated to them. Another form of its
House style is that you can always find cover lines on the left and
Right hand side of the page, when magazines do this it is creating
Itself an identity that can be related to every time you see the
Magazine.
The design principal has clearly been considered in the layout of
this magazine as the first thing we are drawn to in the primary optical
area is an advertisement for a free cd. We are then drawn down the page on the axis of orientation
reading each cover line at a time, this is a good technique to persuade the reader to buy the
magazine as they have been projected the content easily. Finally the less important articles have
been placed in the weaker fallow area as it is vital to convey the main content of the magazine.

4. Again the same in almost every magazine, the barcode and date have been placed in the terminal
area so that the reader does not have to handle this information.
The original image of Jimmy Hendrix has been taken from further photography earlier on in his
career; this is because it is a tribute issue to Hendrix and to his readers. It is an image of him blowing
out smoke, something he was commonly related to due to his heavy drug use. Knowing this I am
able to acknowledge the fact that there has been no editorial technique used on the image as it was
originally taken in black and white. However in keeping the image the same they have given the
issue a sophisticated feel as it is clean and crisp.
UNCUT magazine uses a serif font on its masthead due to the target audience of the magazine. It is
mostly Middle aged men that tend to read UNCUT therefore using a serif font gives the magazine
some respectability as it looks sophisticated. The 3D effect that has been used allows the magazine
to stand out with an identifiable image for every reader.
The lead article is in a different text to the other cover lines so that the reader can highlight what the
magazine is about. The articles on jimmy Hendrix are all in similar colours in order to group them
together so that they have some recognition. Other smaller cover lines have been highlighted in a
vibrant red and white font so that they can still be seen at first glance.
The two front covers that i have chosen to analyse vary with different editorial techniques in order
to target a specific audience. Within the NME magazine the house style that is used targets a
younger audience than UNCUT due to the minimalistic layout and vibrant colours used. Looking at
UNCUT we can see that there is a use of dull and soft colours along with a masthead in serif font, this
appeals to an older audience as information is more important. Both of the magazines use
Guttenburgs design principal as the layout follows the suggested style that appeals to readers. An
example can be that the ‘Free CD’ logo is found in the primary optical area of UNCUT magazine, the
place where our eyes are drawn to first and within the NME the free posters that are advertised in
the stronger fallow point. The images used in both magazines are very different from one another.
This is because UNCUT dedicates the issue to Jimmy Hendrix therefore it looks more professional
and posed. Whereas within NME the image of Stone Roses perceives the band to be god like
characters standing on top of a mountain, this is somewhat promoting the band when UNCUT
appears to be making more of a statement. Analysing both of the Mastheads it is easy to notice the
different styles of fonts used. Due to UNCUT appealing to middle aged men it is using a serif font so
that it appears more organised and clean cut however the use of a 3D effect gives the masthead
more iconography. NME however is using big, bold, block lettering that contrasts against the
background with a vibrant red. This appeals to the younger audience as it is an imposing icon that
can easily be recognised. The main title and cover lines of both the magazines vary drastically, this is
because within NME it is partly used as a promotional device as there is little text in order to see the
main image. The main story is in a similar font to the masthead so that it shares some importance
within the front cover. However the main story in UNCUT is lightly highlighted so that it does not
give the magazine unbalance.