The document analyzes magazine covers and contents pages through discussion of design elements like images, colors, fonts and layouts. Key points made include how images and styles may appeal to certain audiences through conveying messages of edginess, youth, or sex appeal. Celebrity endorsement and buzzwords are also discussed as techniques to attract readers. Analysis focuses on targeting techniques for gender and music preferences.

1. Magazine Analysis
Lucy Fleming

2. • The black, white and red colours contrast against each other to grab the
attention of the audience and make it stand out. The Red hair could have
connotations of love and passion which could suggest a target audience of
women, although it could also connote danger and anger to suggest a
secondary audience of men.
• The bold red hair of the model could suggest that she is going against the
norm and trying to be original, which could make the audience aspire to be
like her.
• ‘NME’ have used celebrity endorsement to catch the eye of the audience,
they have also conformed to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze by the
way that the model wears makeup and has long flowing hair.
• Buzz words such as ‘special edition’ are used to make the audience think they
are getting a one off product and a better deal.
• The font of the masthead is bold and the white colour contrasts against the
red background to make it stand out.
• A barcode is used as a common convention of the magazine to allow the
customer to buy the product.
• A variety of different musicians such as ‘jack white’ and ‘Biffy Clyro’ are used
as kickers as a last way of getting the audience to buy the magazine.
• The subheading ‘I would never have got through the X factor auditions” also
appeals to fans of ‘The X Factor’.
• The high neckline of the models top makes the magazine appropriate for a
younger audience, and the gold jewelry she is wearing suggests that she is
wealthy and higher class.
• The black, bold font of the banner stands out and grabs audience attention.

3. • The red and white colours contrast against each other to grab the
attention of the audience and make the magazine stand out.
• The model’s hairstyle is quite messy and the clothes he is wearing are
very casual which suggests that he is quite effortless which could make
the audience aspire to be like him.
• Celebrity endorsement is used to catch the eye of the audience and
attract fans of the band.
• Buzz words such as ‘ultimate’ are used to make the audience think
they are getting a one off product and a better deal.
• The font of the masthead is bold and the white colour contrasts
against the red background to make it stand out.
• A barcode is used as a common convention of the magazine to allow
the customer to buy the product.
• Other musicians such as ‘The strokes’ and ‘Fleet Foxes’ are used as
kickers as a last way of getting the audience to buy the magazine.
• The subheading “their most explosive interview ever” uses the buzz
word ”explosive” to persuade the consumer to want the magazine
even more.
• The banner is large and bold so therefore stands out and grabs
audience attention.
• The Masthead is placed behind the image to make the celebrity the
main focus of the cover.
• The green colour of the models coat could have connotations of youth
and freshness, which could suggest that ‘the Arctic monkeys’ new
music is young and fresh which could suggest a teenage target
audience.
• All of the images on the cover are males which could suggest a male
target audience.

4. • The image on the cover supports the idea of the male
gaze, this is shown from the pose that he is in and the
fact that he is wearing limited clothing.
• Celebrity endorsement is used to catch the eye of the
audience and attract fans of the artist.
• Buzz words such as ‘new’ and ‘big’ are used to make the
audience think they are getting a one off product and a
better deal.
• Although the masthead is quite bold, the image is placed
in front of it to make the image the main focus of the
cover.
• Contrasting subheadings such as ‘The new American
heart throb’ and ‘punk rock fight club’ are used which
could be used as a kicker to get a larger audience to buy
the magazine.
• The price of the magazine is written very small which
suggests that it is expensive.
• The red colour of the subheading ‘The new American
heart throb’ could show connotations of love and passion
which is likely to appeal to a female target audience.
• The use of the colour grey is very neutral and blends into
the cover which makes sure that the customer’s eye is
mostly drawn to the image.
• The model is looking to the side to suggest that he is
‘playing hard to get’ with the consumer. This could make
the audience want to buy it even more because they find
him intriguing.

5. • The logo of the magazine is placed at the top in a bold font to attract
the reader.
• The main image is quite large and relates to an article in the
magazine.
• There is an option to subscribe to the magazine, it has a black
background to make it stand out against the white background of the
contents page.
• The subheadings are highlighted in black to contrast against the white
background to make them stand out.
• The advert at the main colours on the contents page are black, red
and white which are quite masculine, the main image on the page is
also of a male, this could therefore suggest a male target audience.
The colour of the clothing in the picture is also black and red which
blends in with the overall colour scheme.
• The advert at the bottom includes the buzz word ‘save’ to make the
audience think they’re getting a better deal and more value for
money.
• The image could show the theory of the female gaze, this is because
the man is wearing a tight vest and is showing off his arm muscles.
• The image shows male musicians with guitars and long hair which
could suggest an indie or rock genre of music, which would therefore
appeal to the ‘indie’ or ‘rock’ stereotypes.

6. • The main image is quite large and relates to an article in
the magazine.
• The grey, smoky background of the image could suggest
the band want to come across as quite mysterious, it
could also suggest the idea of drug use.
• The main subheadings are highlighted in a red
background to make them stand out against the red
background.
• The main colours on the contents page are black, red
and white which are quite masculine, the main image on
the page is also of a male, this could therefore suggest a
male target audience. The colour of the clothing in the
picture is also black and red which blends in with the
overall colour scheme.
• The subheading ‘Oasis Special!’ is highlighted in a box to
make it stand out and could be used as a kicker to invite
a larger audience to read the magazine.
• In the image the band ‘The courteeners’ are stood in the
countryside which could show connotations of freshness
and life which could suggest that their music is new and
fresh, this could appeal to a younger target audience.
• All of the images on the page are of males that don’t
really conform to the idea of the female gaze, therefore I
think the contents page is aimed more at a male
audience.

7. • The main image is quite large and relates to an article
in the magazine.
• The smaller image on the page is a good example of
conforming to the male gaze, as ‘Beyonce’ is wearing
makeup, a low cut top and has big hair.
• The main colour scheme is black, white and purple.
Although the colour black is quite masculine, the
purple is quite a feminine colour, which could suggest a
female target audience. The white background
contrasts against the other colours and makes them
stand out more.
• The main image is black and white which connotes the
idea of the image being old fashioned and having a
vintage style. The clothing worn in the image is also
quite old fashioned and classic, which could be used to
attract an older audience as well as a young one.
• Celebrity endorsement is used with ‘Beyonce’ to attract
fans of her as well as the other artists in the magazine.
• A link is highlighted at the bottom in blue to encourage
the consumer to go to the website of the magazine.

8. • The image conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s Male
gaze because of the clothes and makeup she is wearing and
her pose in the image. Her outfit is all black which could
also suggest that she is trying to seduce the consumer.
• Her red hair in the image has connotations of love and
passion, which could also appeal to a female target
audience.
• The red and white stripes she is posing on could suggest
the idea of an American flag which links to the heading of
USA, this could appeal to an American audience. The use of
red and white could also show the contrast of purity and
danger, which could show that she is not afraid to take a
risk.
• The name of the artist ‘Florence Welch’ is highlighted in
blue to make it stand out on the page and help the
audience to remember her name.
• Although the heading ‘USA’ is presented in a large, bold
font the grey colour used is quite neutral which makes the
image of the artist the main focus.
• The fonts used in the heading are very different, the font of
‘USA’ is very bold and masculine, whereas ‘got the love’ is a
softer, more feminine font. This shows that the article is
versatile and that it could appeal to both men and women.

9. • The image in the article conforms to the theory of Laura
Mulvey’s Male gaze, this is because she is wearing no upper
clothing and uses just jewellery to cover her body. This would
appeal to a male audience as she looks as though she is trying
to seduce the audience. She is also wearing makeup and has
styled hair to suggest that she is high maintenance.
• The image has a sepia effect to give it a vintage and classic feel
which could make the audience think that the artist is
precious and a one off.
• The text is written in black on a white background which is
quite a safe option, although this is contrasted by the red L in
the background which could suggest that the artist has a
streak of danger and passion.
• The layout of the article is very simplistic so that the artist is
the main focus.
• Her facial expression is quite seductive and it appears as
though she is looking straight at the consumer, making the
article seem more personal to the audience. The idea of her
being seductive also conforms to the idea of the male gaze
and is likely to appeal to a male target audience. Although she
looks attractive to males, the article could also attract a
female audience as it could make them aspire to look like her.
• The red ‘L’ is a good way of symbolising the artist Lady Gaga to
emphasize the focus on her.

10. • The bubblegum pink colour background shows
a strong target audience of younger and
teenage girls and could appeal to fans of pop
music.
• The animal print outfit has connotations of the
artist being daring and confident, which
contrasts against the sweet and innocent pink
background. It could also show a contrast
against the word ‘Gospel’ in the title.
• Her clothes are very bright and all the colours
contrast against each other suggesting that she
is quite daring and doesn’t want to conform
with stereotypes. It could also suggest that her
music is quite original and unique.
• She is looking directly into the camera to make
the image seem more personal to the audience.
• A medium close up is used, therefore it allows
the audience to see both the facial expressions
and body language.
• The fact that she is wearing tight clothing and
obvious makeup conforms to the theory of
Laura Mulvey’s Male gaze.