This document provides an analysis of three magazine covers - Country Music People, NME Magazine, and Country Music People again. For Country Music People, the summary analyzes the cover's use of color, layout and design, images, poses and styles, composition and framing, written codes, language, and provides an overall impression. For NME Magazine, a similar analysis is provided examining the cover's color, layout and design, images, poses and styles, composition and framing, written codes, and language. The document concludes with lessons learned about coverline styles.

1. Textual analysis
By Natasha Newton.

2. Country music people
MAGAZINE

3. NME MAGAZINE

4. Country music people
Magazine
• Circulation: N/A
• Readership: N/A
• Mission Statement: Bringing
the latest country music news
to a worldwide audience,
bringing you the best of New
Country, Roots, Honky Tonk,
Americana, Traditional,
Acoustic, Country-Rock, Old
Time, Bluegrass, NashPop,
Cowboy, Rockabilly, Western
Swing, Singer-Songwriter, and
Alternative music direct to your
doorstep.

5. NME Magazine
• Circulation: 24,924
• Readership: 289,000
• Mission Statement: To
Provide up to date and new
information, reviews and
listings of the best new
music.

6. Nme magazine target reader
profile
Target Reader Profile: Going out and INTERNET
spending is all part of the new music 94% use the Internet – 76% have Broadband
scene. Spend an average of 2.4 hours per day – That‟s
almost 19 hours per week!
They go to gigs and live events. CONSOLES AND GAMES
NME readers spend £152 on £197 spent on consoles in the past year – Total
footwear per year readership spends £45m
Total readership spends £46m. £108 spent on games – Total readership spends
£532 on clothes per year £18m
Total readership spends £189m 84% receive digital TV or satellite channels
£1229 on audio equipment per
year NME READERS AGREE THAT:
Total readership spend on They spend a lot of money on clothes – 45%
audio equipment £326m Its important to be well informed about things –
52% own a digital camera 92%
£170 on digital cameras per Its worth paying for extra quality goods – 71%
year They like to try new drinks – 75%
Total readership spend on Its important to them to look well dressed – 71%
digital cameras £4.6m

7. Nme publisher
IPC Media is a Time Warner Company.
They are the UK's leading consumer magazine
publisher who engage with 26m UK adults - almost
two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men.
Their portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million
users globally every month.
With more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates
content for multiple platforms, across print, online,
mobile, tablets and events.

8. Country music people
COLOUR
Colour
The colour blue used on the front cover suggests the
connotation of loyalty and wisdom, suggesting that the
readers of the magazine are loyal to the country genre.
The colour blue is also associated with inspiration,
suggesting that country inspires its listeners through its
many variations of sub-genres.
The colour used as the title of the magazine and the strap
line at the bottom of the page also matches the colour of
the top being worn by the woman in the main image and
her eye colour, I believe that this has been used because it
brings the pieces together and makes the front cover
stand out.
The copper hair colour of the woman in double page
spread and the front cover suggests that she has a fiery
personality which contrasts against the calm association of
the colour blue used as the main image on the front cover.
The colour red used in the text for the contents page and
the main text of the double-page spread also suggests the
idea of strength, which suggests that the country genre of
music is still thriving even though it is not the most popular
music choice.

9. Country music people layout
and design
Layout and design
The layout of the front cover is very simple and is not
overcrowded with coverlines or inserts.
The masthead of the magazine has been placed in front
of the main image, which suggests that the title of the
magazine is more important that artist appearing on it.
Also, the masthead has been placed at the top of the
page to ensure that when it is placed out on the shelves
in stores, the title will be visible over other magazines.
The contents page has a very simple layout and uses
titles to separate specific aspects of the magazine such
as features and reviews.
The layout of the double page spread feature on the
artist, the image takes up the majority of the page with
some text along the right hand side, which suggests that
the feature run across more pages further on in the
magazine, this double-page spread is seen as a
„opening‟ page of the feature on the artist.

10. Country music people
images
Images
The artist in the main image is a well known
country artist, Reba, who the readers of the
magazine are likely to admire and look up to
as inspiration.
The main image of the double-page spread
has been used to feature the “male gaze” as
the target audience of the magazine is majority
male and so the type of image used has been
suited to fit their gratifications.
The images used on the contents page are
much smaller than the ones featured on the
other two pages as they are used to support
what is being listed in the contents and
illustrate what features will be in the magazine.

11. Country music people pose, style,
hair and make-up
Pose, style, hair and make-up
Both of the main images have been posed
rather than natural shots. She is not
smiling in either of the photos which
suggests she has a serious nature
towards her musical career.
In both photos of Reba she is wearing
cross necklaces which suggests that she
feels very strongly about her religion and
wants to influence her fans into following
her religious ways..
The make up worn by Reba is natural and
not overly extravagant, which suggests
that she is staying true to her country
roots.

12. Country music magazine
composition and framing
Composition and Framing
A medium close up has been used on the front
cover because it shows the facial expressions of
the artist, without cutting out too much of the
background or body.
The background of the two main images are very
different, for example in the image used on the
front cover the background looks fluffy and warm.
Whereas, in the image used on the double-page
spread, a shiny reflective material has been used
as a background which could represent the two
different sides of her personality. The first being
warm and comforting and the last being cold and
proffesional.
I find the image on the double-page spread more
difficult to focus on because of the background
standing out more than the artist, I think this is
because it draws the attention away from the
main focus point.

13. Country music people written
codes
Written codes
The coverlines of the front cover leave the reader
guessing as to what will be included in the
magazine as they do not go into in depth
information on each subject.
The names of the artists are larger than the
following text to ensure that the reader knows
who is going to be written about in the magazine
and make sure that fans of those artists are able
to see their names clearly to ensure that they buy
the magazine to read about them.
I also believe that the names of the artists on the
coverline have been made bigger so that they can
be seen clearly when placed on a shelf so that
potential buyers can be drawn into buying the
magazine as they are more visible from further
away.

14. Country music people
language
Language
The language used on the front cover of the
magazine is not very good at grabbing the
readers attention, unless they already know the
artists being named on the coverlines. Also, the
smaller text of the coverlines does not give lots of
details as to what is going to be included in the
magazine, so may not actually grab the readers
attention and draw them into wanting to buy and
read the magazine.
The language used on the double-page spread
however, is much better at grabbing the readers
attention as it includes a lot more detail. The style
of language used is very „chatty‟ which makes it a
lot easier for the audience to read through the
text, this is a better style of language to use as it
makes it a lot less likely for the reader to get
bored and stop reading through the text on the

15. Country music people overall
impression
Overall impression
My overall impression of the Country music people magazine is mainly positive.
The main strengths of this magazine include that the layout of the pages are well
set out and easy to read, also the types of images used to illustrate the text fit in
well with the context of the magazine and help to show the personality of the artist
being written about.
The disadvantages of this magazine include that the coverlines are not in enough
detail or worded well enough to interest the reader and grab their attention. I also
believe that this could be improved if the coverlines were spread around the page
more evenly, rather than being all bunched together, it would make the front cover
more visually easy to read.
After analyzing this magazine, it has influenced me to use a less formal style of
language when writing about an artist in the double page spread as it will make
the reader be able to take in the text easier.

16. NME Colour
Colour
The colour red used as the main colour of
the front page makes the text stand out a
lot more and will grab the attention of the
potential readers when being sold on the
shelf. The use of this colour suggests that
the audience of the magazine likes to
stand out from the crowd, it also suggests
that the audience do not want to conform
to the stereotypical „teenager‟ stereotypes
and be different from others their age.
The colour red connotates the impression
of passion and love, suggesting that the
readers of the magazine have strong
feelings about their genre of music and that
music plays a vital role in their lifestyles.

17. Nme layout and design
Layout and Design
The image used at the main image of the front cover fits in
well with the text on the page, as there is a text box dedicated
to that artist and explaining what will be included in the
magazine.
Bolder fonts have used as they stand out a lot easier from the
background image, it also makes the text a lot easier to read
from a distance, this use of bold fonts also suggests that the
audience have bold personalities and like to stand out from
the crowd.
The title of the magazine has been placed alongside the
image, which suggests that the title of the magazine and the
main image are of equal importance.
The layout of the contents page is very well structured and
includes a good mixture of pictures and text, the text also
supports what is being illustrated in the image.
Both images used in the front cover and the double page
spread use the rule of thirds, this makes the images a lot less

18. Nme images
Images
The main images used on the front cover and the
double-page spread represent who the target reader
of the magazine aspires to be like, for instance the
images used for this magazine is the lead singer of
the band Muse. The audience may look up to this
artist for inspiration as they are the fans of their
music and want to be like them.
The images on all three pages represent the content
of the magazine, for example on the front cover the
main image has been used because that band will
be featured on a double page spread further on in
the magazine. The images reflect the content from
the contents page because images have been used
to support the text that has been listed as the
magazines content. Finally, in the double page
spread, the image has been used as the feature is
about Muse so a picture of the lead singer has been
used to support the text and what the artist looks

19. Nme Pose, Style and Make-up
Pose, Style and Make-up
The pose of the main image makes the artists
stance look angry as he is frowning and has his
fists clenched, this could be explained in further
in the double page spread. This pose is staged
as it wants to illustrate his anger with
something.
The pose of the main image of the double page
spread is more natural, in the image the artist is
staring into the distance, which could symbolize
him thinking about the future of his band and
looking ahead to creating more music for their
fans.
The fact that he is wearing sunglasses in the
image suggests that he does not want to be
recognized.

20. Nme composition and framing
Composition and Framing
A medium close up has been used as the main image
on the front cover, this is because it shows both facial
expressions and body language well, the background of
the image is blurred which suggests that he wants to
stand out more against the background, it could also
suggest that he wants to forget the past and move on
with the present and future. On the front cover, the
feature that stands out the most for me is the text within
the red box, which gives details about the double page
spread featured inside.
A medium close up has also been used for the main
image of the double page spread, this could be because
they want to show his surroundings and his lack of facial
expression. The use of half open blinds in the
background could suggests that he has been restrained
behind bars and is looking to escape.
A variety of shot types have been used within the
contents page, this could be because each story needs

21. Nme written codes
Written Codes
The coverlines include quotes from the text that is
found from the relevant pages inside the
magazine, this is clever because it makes the
reader curious as to what the quote is actually
referring to and what context it was said within.
The coverlines are mainly quotes from band
members, which suggests that the reader of the
magazine is not only interested in the bands
music, but also their experiences and what they
get up to when they are not touring or making
music.
The coverlines are bold and are easily read from
a distance, which is a bonus because it allows for
them to stand out more than other magazines
when being sold. This is because they are either

22. Nme Language
Language
The language used in the magazine grabs the
readers attention by including the names of the
artists featured, so that the potential audience
and the fans of that specific artist are able to
see that they will be featured at some point in
the magazine.
The language used in the double page spread
details an experience where the artist had met
the journalist interviewing them, the way that
the text is spoken is quite chatty but does not
use many forms of slang language. Many
quotes are included in this feature as it is
describing what had happened that day, and
including quotes from what had been said by
various people.

23. Nme overall impression
My overall impression of NME magazine as a whole is positive. The
strengths of the magazine include that it draws the reader in with catchy
coverlines, it also uses brighter colourings to make the magazine stand
out from the others. I also like how, on the double page spread, they have
incorporated the text within the image so that it looks like it is a part of the
image. The weaknesses of the magazine include that the way the smaller
images have been set out makes the page look quite messy and I believe
that it could be improved if they were made to look straighter rather than
slanted, also I believe the page would look better if less text was on the
front cover.
From analyzing this magazine, I have decided that I will use a similar
coverline style to the one used in NME, because I believe that it is unique
and will stand out more than if I used the conventional coverline style. I will
also use some white text on my front cover because I think it looks better
than just black text on its own.