The document analyzes the design elements of 3 different music magazine covers. The first magazine features Drake on the cover to attract music fans. It uses a black, yellow, and white color scheme to connote danger and edge. The second magazine, Q, stands out with a bold red letter Q masthead. It uses a close-up shot of a musician to depict an attitude of rebellion. The third magazine aimed at teenage girls features a smiling photo of Jessie J. It uses pink and images of fashion/artists to appeal to its young target audience. Barcodes, mastheads, and cover lines are consistently used across the magazines following convention.

1. 3 Music Magazines front cover
Analysis

2. Puff
This highlights the artists
included in this issue of the
magazine which helps
buyers to decide if they
would like to buy the
magazine.
Masthead
The masthead of this magazine
cover is ‘vibe’. The masthead
follows the convention of the
magazine by having it at the top.
The alignment of the bold
masthead at the top makes it the
focal point and therefore would
immediately attract the audiences
attention. The contrast of white
text against a black background
makes the masthead eye catching
to the reader.
THE MAIN IMAGE
The main image of Drake is a
medium close up which has a clear
display of his facial expression.
The image of the popular celebrity
will encourage music fans to buy
the magazine as he has a bigger
influence on younger generation.
Barcode
The barcode on the front cover of this
magazine follows the conventions of
having the price and issue information
on the front of the magazine. This
makes the magazine feel more official
and lets you know that it is
professionally made media text.
Cover line
The cover lines of the
magazine are placed around
the main image to make sure
that the attentions isn’t drawn
away from the main article.
The sell lines colour scheme
match the rest of the magazine
to have a consistent style.
The cover has a primary colour scheme of black,
yellow and white which complements with theme
of music scene. The black and yellow connote that
the content of the magazine is dangerous and is
willing to cause harm, as these two colours are
usually linked with warning signs.

3. THE MASTHEAD
The Masthead for Q
magazine is a bold
capital letter Q. They
use a white font and
have a red block
square around the
letter. This has the
effect of making it
outstanding and clearly
noticeable. It is
important that the
Masthead is noticeable
so that the readers are
aware about the
magazine. The letter Q
is simplistic enhancing
it’s importance and
exciting. coloured
white so it can stand
out on the red
background.
Barcodedate/issue/price
A barcode has
been included at
the bottom of the
magazine. This is
so that the reader
knows how much
the magazine will
cost, when the
magazine was
released, and
which issue it is.
Cover Line / Main
image
The magazine is
white/silver colour it is
quite plain so the cover
lines and main image
can stand out. The sell
lines are placed around
the domination cover
image so they are also
dominating to the
audience.
Shot used
The shot used in this
magazine is close up
shot this shows the
musician in the cover
has BACKGROUND
attitude.

4. Puff
Engaging with the readers by including
quizzes, this shows the magazine is
interacting with teenagers making them
want to read the magazine.
Images/ colour scheme
The pink is a key colour
throughout the magazine as
it has been used on the cover
also, and is extremely
feminine. Images- Lots of
images are used on the page,
mainly of fashionable clothes,
and pop artists which
immediately suggests that
this magazine is aimed at a
younger audience (girls) as
they tend to be entertained
via imagery. Having an image
of Jessie J in a medium close
of her smiling and making
eye contact with the
audiences this gives a
positive friendly atmosphere.
Barcode
The barcode is placed
at the bottom of the
magazine, so it is out
of the way, and not the
main focus point of the
magazine. It shows the
date and issue number
of the magazine for the
reader to easily
identify each issue.
Masthead
The masthead is written
in an extremely girly,
bubbly font, with the ‘S’of
the ‘Pops’ exaggerated
and uses swirls. This
suggests that the target
audience is quite young,
The masthead ‘Top of the
Pops’ is glittery and shiny
going across the
magazine; this instantly
attracts the readers.
Mode of Address- The
mode of address is
extremely cheesy,
informal and colloquial
something that teenagers
would like.