1. MediaStudiesMagazineAnalysis
By Debbie Onyemelukwe

2. The NME magazine

3. Languageand Modeof address
The language on the front cover of the NME magazine is rather formal. I
believe this is because there is a slight limitation because there are no
articles or reviews on the front cover where an informal writing style
may be used; instead there are only coverlines, kickers and explanatory
text which should be clear, concise and to the point. However, one
could argue that the line ‘The 50 greatest debut albums ever’ is of a
statement of colloquial (conversation-like) language because of the use
of ‘ever’.
The mode of address is indirect as there is no mention to the potential
buyer. For instance, there is no address to the audience as the use of
‘you’ or ‘your’ is not present on the front cover of this magazine.
Personally, I believe this is a hindrance as it doesn’t draw in the person
which may be a contributing factor of the customer not buying the
magazine.

4. Colour scheme
The colour scheme on this issue of NME is black, white and
red. The colour scheme is kept consistent throughout the
front cover, resulting in a professional look. The model’s
clothing also compliment this colour scheme as they’re all
dressed in black, which is appropriate with the music
genre they’re part of. The set of the magazine is an all-
white background meaning there is a large majority of
white space in the image. This is a safe background choice
as using an alternate colour or a different setting; a park
for example, could clash with the text colour and cause
the writing to be illegible.
Also, black and white are classic colours which often go with
any colour, so the black, white and red combination work
very well on the front cover.

5. Font
There are a number of different fonts used on the front
cover of the NME magazine. For example,
Franklin Gothic Heavy for the magazine title is a
suitablefont as it is clear, bold and memorable. Allthe fonts used on
this issue of the magazine are fitting because all of
the fonts are comprehensible and easy to
understand.
The size of the font is also appropriate as I don’t
believe people would have trouble reading anything on
the front cover.
Using different types of font is also agood idea so the reader willnot get
bored of looking at the same thing.
Magazine Title font

6. Layout
The layout of the front cover is simple and understandable. The title is
situated on the top left hand corner with the price and issue date
directly above it. The coverlines, kickers and explanatory text are
located in various positions around the magazine, for example some
are right aligned, whilst others are left aligned while the main
coverline is centre aligned. Some are positioned near the top of the
magazine, whist others are near the bottom. Having things placed in
different areas adds interest to the cover and also gives it an
interesting spatial design.
In the western world, we read from left to right, starting at the top, and
going down to the bottom. The positioning of the title, the date and
pricing is placed at the start of where an English person would start
reading as these are the factors that a potential buyer would look
for first and possibly could make the decision in whether or not to
buy it.

7. ModelGaze
There are four models used in this version of the cover for NME. All are female but
do not look like the stereotypical models seen in the magazines such as Vogue.
Although none of the coverlines, kickers or explanatory texts directly addresses the
audience, the models’ gazes do. This is because they’re all looking towards the
‘camera’ which is effectively you. Having all the models keeping eye contact gives
a sense of consistency to the image.
However, because the image is simplistic and of people, the emotion in their eyes
communicate a lot. The model to the left has one eye covered by her hair which
shows connotations of mystery and ambiguity, which my imply the band embody
these characteristics also because everything that is placed in the image has been
put there for a reason.

8. BarcodePosition
The barcode is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the
front cover.
A main colour used in the magazine is white and this is in good
relation to the barcode as it is white also. When the front
image is something alternate to white of the colour white is
not used in a colour scheme, the barcode can look almost
slightly intrusive pending on whether it clashed with the
background.
It is of a relatively small size and has been rotated.
How the barcode is positioned on the magazine

9. Image Analysis
The mise en scene of the used image in 4 female models in
front of a white background, resulting in a large use of
white space. They are positioned at different levels adding
more dimensions to the photograph.
There are no props used within the image and this may
because they wanted to keep it realistic. However, all the
models are dressed in the same attire which would’ve
been pre-planned.
The lighting used is artificial as the model’s faces are well-lit
which may not be the case in the use of natural lighting.

10. PriceLine
The position of the price of the magazine is a crucial location as
this is arguably the first and most important thing a customer
would look for before making a purchase. The location should
be clear and visible so the potential buyer will know all the
significant details of the magazine before making an informed
decision on whether or not to buy it.
The NME creator paid specific attention to this because the price
of the magazine is actually repeated. It is written at the top left
hand corner of the magazine on top of the ‘NME’ title, which
is a prime location because once the customer will see which
magazine it is, they will then look to find how much it costs.
So, the close proximity between the magazine title and pricing
initiates easy eye flow.

11. Sellingline/Strapline
The selling line of the NME magazine is the ‘Free Classic Posters’
section along the bottom. This is an effective selling/strapline
as it pleases the customer as they get free posters of various
bands if they buy the magazine. This also acts as a form of
propaganda as seeing this strapline will cause the customer to
think that NME is one of the best magazines.
This section of the cover is extremely important as it may cause
the customer to go ahead and buy the magazine instead of not
being fully sure if they’re getting the full value of their money,
hence the term ‘selling line’.