This document analyzes and compares the key visual features of the magazine covers of Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. It discusses the mastheads, selling lines, main images, cover lines, and target demographics of each magazine. For Vanity Fair, the analysis highlights the bold masthead, celebrity-focused main images and selling lines, and use of cover lines to promote featured articles. For Harper's Bazaar, it notes the placement of the masthead over the main image, simpler selling line, focus only on fashion through the main image, and use of bold pink text for the cover lines. The document examines how each magazine's cover design features work to attract their intended audiences.

1. By Liam Belch
MAGAZINE COVER ANALYSIS

3. KEY FEATURES: VANITY FAIR
Main cover
line
Masthead
Cover lines
Selling line
Left Third
Photographer
credit
Main
image

4. TITLE OF MAGAZINE
Vanity Fair is a monthly magazine that
covers topics such as pop culture, fashion
and current affairs, launched in 1983 and
published by Condé Nast. The main
demographic of the magazine are mostly
women but also men teenagers and young
adults from the ages of 18+. The content
within is not particularly unsuitable for a
younger age but is rather sophisticated and
more expensive than magazines aimed at a
younger age range.

5. MASTHEAD & SELLING
LINE
The masthead for vanity fair is Very bold and in
very large white letters, these defining qualities
build up a certain image and have become iconic
of the magazine, therefore the full name doesn’t
always need to be on display because people
will know from the style and rest of the letters
what the title is, (e.g. Lady gaga’s head is
covering most of the F and A but this doesn’t
cause a problem) The selling lines are often
based on Shocking Celebrity news to draw
readers in with a short vague detail creating an
allure of curiosity. Not giving away any details
allows the reader to become excited and curious
about what could possibly be wrong enticing
them to purchase/read the magazine.

6. MAIN IMAGE
This particular issue of Vanity fair features 3
different covers with a separate main image
of lady gaga. The main image is the first
thing everybody notices, it is the largest and
often most colourful part of magazines to
catch the eye and draw peoples attentions
to the cover lines around it. The purpose of
the 3 different covers is to allow people to
pick and choose their favourite one or to
collect all 3 solely for the cover, this allows
them to sell 3 times as much because
people like lady gaga fans will often just buy
anything with a picture of her on it. More
issues sold means more revenue.

7. COVER LINES
The cover lines are used to draw people further
into purchasing/reading the magazines as they
outline the basic content and the reader can then
decide if they want to read about what is in the
issue. The large STYLE ISSUE shows that this
particular issue is focusing more on fashion which
draws in the more fashion conscious audience. All
other cover lines apart from the main are about
fashion. You would read the large style issue first
as it is the most predominant and then read the
others after it. Even if you read the other lines first
you would understand what the issue was about.

8. KEY FEATURES: HARPER’S BAZAAR
Masthead
Cover lines
Left Third
Selling line
Main Cover
line
Cover lines
Main image

9. TITLE OF MAGAZINE
Harpers Bazaar is an upper class Sophisticated
monthly magazine fist published in 1867 by Hearst
publications. It is a specialist fashion magazine
aimed at Upper middle class and upper class
women. Aimed specifically at older women rather
than younger the content is purely fashion as
opposed to Vanity Fair which features articles on
pop culture and current affairs.

10. MASTHEAD & SELLING
LINE
The masthead is the largest print as usual and the
design is rather odd because Harper’s is smaller and
placed way far behind the larger BAZAAR. Unlike
vanity fair the print is over the main image on the front
but is covered slightly in one corner by the selling line
stating simply ‘’shopping special’’ The selling line
doesn’t always need to be so detailed, for example
the selling line on vanity fair is a snippet from celebrity
gossip article which draws readers in but saying that
the

11. MAIN IMAGE
In Contrast to the other magazine this main
image is Behind all the text and more colourful
in style. The text is bolder and more
overpowering but somehow manages to keep
the picture in focus. While the other magazine
relies on Celebrity gossip as well this magazine
focuses only on Style and Fashion knowing that
this is enough to attract the women (and
sometimes men) That read the magazine. The
splashes of colour and brightness of the
magazine are also very different in contrast to
the grey, black and white of vanity Fair.

12. COVER LINES
The Cover lines on Harper’s Bazaar Are much
bolder in style and really stand out over the top of
the main image. The use of pink and the double
special issue text allows the reader to distinguish
that this is a special issue straight away as it is the
first/second thing your eye is drawn to. On The
Vanity Fair cover the cover lines were slightly
curved around lady gaga with some over the top of
the dark part of the photograph to allow the writing
to be distinguishable This magazine is very similar
in the fact that the writing is placed specifically
around certain areas of the photo to allow the Text
to be clearly seen and understandable to those who
read it.