The document provides an analysis of various film posters and magazine covers. It examines the color schemes, layouts, images, fonts and texts used in the posters and covers. For the film posters, the analysis looks at how the design elements represent aspects of the films like genre and storyline. The magazine covers are analyzed in terms of using design principles like the rule of thirds to draw attention to the title and images being featured. In all cases, the document discusses how the design choices would appeal to and intrigue audiences.

1. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
BY KATIE MOULD

2. FILM POSTER (1)
(500 DAYS OF SUMMER)

3. Colour Scheme
• The colour scheme for this film poster
follows very stereotypical idea through
the main use of the colour blue, which
tends to represent a male. In this case it
looks at thought the blue has been used
to represent a male dominance and
authority.
• All of the other colours that are being
used on this film poster tend to be very
natural and simple which may reflect
the story that is going to be shown.
• The smaller images that we are shown in
the poster also have very natural colours
to indicate the type of film.
• The natural colours that we are shown
may in fact represent the drama genre
as they are very relatable and easy to
view colours that would appeal to a
wide range of audiences, which is what I
think that the designer of this poster was
aiming for.
Layout
•
•
•
•
•
The layout of the poster is also very simple,
much like the colouring that we are
shown.
It is clear that one of the main characters is
going to be the focal point of this image,
being the character Tom (Joseph Gordon
– Levitt). This indicates to the audience the
type of film that they are going to be
watching, if they know the type of films
that he has been in.
It is important to show the main characters
on a film poster because it is one of the
main factors that entices an audience into
wanting to watch either the trailer for the
film or sometimes even the entire film.
The way that the title of the film is
presented right in the middle of the film
poster is effective because it stands out
amongst the photos.
The use of all of the photos around the title
shows the audience the type of scenes
you are likely to see.

4. Image
•
•
•
The images that we are shown in this film
poster are presenting various scenes
throughout the film in a kind of screen
grabbed kind of way. I like this way of
presenting images because it lets the
reader get to know what they are going to
be watching, which is important if you want
to get them intrigued and interested in the
film.
The main image of this poster being the
character in the background essentially
wearing the other photos, is presented in a
very happy way which is used to represent
the style of film and the happy nature and
storyline that is going to be presented.
It is important to include a significant facial
expression and body language to the
audience so that they can feel like they
can relate to the characters, therefore
feeling more and more like they would like
to go and watch it. For instance, in this film
poster, due to his happy expression, an
audience is going to feel more
comfortable.
Font and Text
•
•
•
•
The font and the text on this poster does not
play that big of a role and the font and text
that is used, is very simple to reflect the
nature of the film.
All of the main writing on the poster is all in
the same font to keep the continuity going
throughout the entire poster. This is so that
you are not attracted to one area over
another.
Even so, the fact that the title is clearly a lot
larger than the rest of text on the page,
means that a lot of the attention is going to
be drawn into this area putting a lot of the
emphasis onto the areas surrounding it.
The text that is put on this film poster is
designed to make you want to watch the
film. The review text that we see is put
there to make us think about going to
watch the film or even just viewing the
trailer. Also, the way that the names of the
actors are placed underneath pictures of
their characters highlights their significance
and importance.

5. FILM POSTER (2)
(THE GREAT GATSBY)

6. Colour Scheme
• The colours used in this film poster are
used to replicate the style of the movie.
Seeing as the movie is set in the 1920s, the
designer of this poster has tried to the
sense of style and patterns of the time
which I think has worked out really well
with the overall colour scheme being very
bright and bold.
• The colour scheme is used to represent
the characters as well, there are quite a
few natural colours being used, such as
the blacks, browns and greys. These
colours represent the characters and their
individual personalities. This is why the two
characters on the far left have brighter
colours of blue and red, as they are more
outgoing and lively characters.
• The overall colour scheme that has been
used is a simple gold and black to signify
the extravagance of the time which I
think has worked really well against the
other colours.
Layout
•
•
•
I particularly like the layout for this movie as I
think the way that they have placed all of the
characters in a sort of hierarchal type of
scenario indicates immediately to the
audience, who the main characters are. It is
obvious that the the man in the middle and the
women at the bottom have a lot of
importance in the movie, which is in fact true,
seeing as the movie centers around their
relationship.
Other than the way that the characters are
placed on this poster, there are other factors
such as the positioning of the text on the
image that is also important. I like the way that
the actors names have been presented at the
top of the poster however, if you don’t know
who the people actually are it would be hard
to identify them apart from the other
characters.
The way that the title of the film is directly
underneath one of the characters would make
the audience assume that he is the main
character and may even be the reasoning
behind the title. This feature allows the
audience to ponder on the idea behind the
characters and their positions.

7. Image
• All of the images that are used in the
creation of this film poster correspond to
some elements of the actual film. In this
respect, I mean that they characters on
the poster are wearing the same clothing
that they would be wearing in the film.
This idea is used to make the audience
feel like they are getting a glimpse into the
film.
• The images and the poses that all of the
characters are making, gives the
audience an indication of what they’re
like.
• I think it is especially interesting to notice
how Tobey Maguire is looking off into the
distance, maybe indicating that his
character is always far off and thinking
about something.
• The background image consisting of black
and gold is also a way of representing the
time period and furthers the
understanding of the extravagance of the
time.
Font and Text
• The font and text is again used to
represent the style of the film. It is
important that a font is used that best
highlights the mood of the movie and I
think that the one that has been chosen is
perfect for this type of poster. Seeing as it
is obviously a film set back in the 1920s, the
broadway type writing indicates to the
audience the extravagance that we can
see in pretty much everything else.
• Due to the small amount of text that is
actually on the page, the text that is
there, is fairly large so that there is a lot of
attention drawn to it. The main focal point
regarding text on the poster is the title as it
is the most important part of the poster as
it is the audience’s priority to find out what
movie they are looking at. It is also
designed to put emphasis on the
characters surrounding the title. I think
that this idea is a good one seeing as
there needs to be a lot of focus on the
characters themselves.

8. FILM POSTER (3)
(THE BLIND SIDE)

9. Colour Scheme
• The colour scheme in this poster follows a
very specific theme. It is obvious that the
outfits that both of them are wearing are
similar with the green shirt and white
trousers. This effect is used to show the
similarity between the two characters and
to also show that they are connected
even though they may not look like the
are.
• Green seems to be quite a prominent
part of this poster with the grass taking up
a major part of the poster and then with
their shirts being green also.
• The general idea behind the colour
scheme that we get is green and white
which may have a significance in the film,
but that’s what the designer wants the
audience to find out for themselves. This
technique is important because it
highlights how you can use various
colours to entice an audience more into
wanting to watch the film.
Layout
• I like the general layout of this poster and
how everything is set out. I particularly like
the way that they have placed the two
characters so that it looks like they are
walking towards something better, due to
the bright light that we can see in the
background. I think that the pose that
they are making and the fact that it is
centered on the poster adds to the overall
effect of the image.
• The placement of the text on the page,
underneath the characters is also a good
technique because there is a lot of focus
drawn into the particular area because of
it.
• I also think that the placement of the
writing ‘based on the extraordinary true
story’ adds to the effect that the poster is
going to have on the audience. This is
because an audience will generally be
more inclined to see something that is
based on a true story as there is a strong
sense of verisimilitude involved.

10. Image
•
•
•
•
Seeing as there is only one image being used in
this poster, a lot of emphasis needs to be put
onto it in order to get the point across to the
audience.
The way that the woman is smaller than the
boy would indicate him having a dominance
and authority over her, however we get can
sense that this is probably not the most likely
ideology behind it. Seeing as he hand is
placed in a caring and motherly way and also
from the way that she is looking at him would
give us the idea that she has more dominance
and authority over him. This is important for the
audience to grasp as it represents the type of
relationship that the audience will be shown.
The scene that is set in the image is also
important as it is clearly some sort of school
that the boy probably attends. This helps the
audience understand the storyline more and
would probably make them feel like they can
relate to the film a lot more.
I also think that the way that the sky is blue with
a few clouds indicates a comfortable
relationship between the two characters that
we can see.
Font and Text
•
•
•
•
The font and text on this poster is very basic to
keep all of the attention on the image that is
clearly the foreground of the poster.
Even so, the title is still quite large so that the
audience can see straight away what the film
is about. This is important so that the
audience does no have to go searching for
the title if they wish to see it or watch the
trailer.
I also like the way that they have only put the
main character’s name on the front as it
indicates to the audience that she holds a lot
of influence and importance throughout the
film.
At the top of the poster, there is a very basic
font, the same as the title and the actor
name, but it is in a different colour to signify to
the audience that it is a piece of information
that they should either pay more or less
attention to. I personally think that it is there to
indicate that you need to pay more attention
to it, as it is a sentence that could make the
audience make a final decision on whether or
not they are going to go and see the film.

11. MAGAZINE COVER (1)
(KING KONG)

12. Colour Scheme
• The colour scheme on this magazine
follows a very basic theme of yellow and
white to create the title and coverlines. I
think that this is a good way to present the
front of a magazine, using two very simple
colours together as it means that there will
be more focus on the main part of the
magazine which is always going to be the
picture.
• I think that in the case of this particular
magazine. The fact that there is a very
prominent title on the page, stands out
immediately to the audience, which
would suggest that it is the name of the
film that is being shown in the picture. This
is important to put in a bold colour so that
the audience can see it amongst all of the
other information.
• I also think that it is a good idea that the
straplines or strapline is in white so that it
still works with the colour scheme but does
not steal the limelight.
Layout
•
•
•
The layout of the magazine is also really
important if you want to get an audience
intrigued in what is being shown on the
magazine. If the layout of the information is
not put in a way that looks interesting and
unique then an audience will most likely,
not be interested in looking further into
what it is about, as the information would
not be easy to find.
I also think that the way that the image is
placed over the headline putting more
emphasis on the image, can only really be
done if the magazine is well known so as
not to confuse the audience. I do
however, think that if you can do it in the
correct way, like total film has done with this
magazine cover, then you can still make it
look enticing and sometimes this is even
more likely to draw in the audience that
you are looking for.
The strapline positioning at the top of the
page is also a lot more interesting as the
designer of the magazine has decided to
keep it simple and simply put a few words
to establish to the audience what is going
to be featured in the magazine. This is a
good technique to get the audience
excited to find out more.

13. Rule of Thirds
• This particular magazine cover, has
decided to place the two main subjects
slightly to the right of the centre. This
works effectively because it leaves room
for the coverlines to sit to the left of the
image, highlighting to the audience how
the two are joined together and are
telling the audience how it is most likely
going to be the title of the film.
• The headline, as a sort of rule throughout
the creation of magazine covers, takes
up the top segment of the rule of thirds
cover. This is due to the fact that the
audience needs to be able to see what
the title of the magazine is.
• Most of the smaller coverlines, to the right
of the main image, take up the right hand
segment when thinking of rule of thirds.
This is because it is an easy way of
presenting the different aspects of the
magazine in an interesting way that is
easy to view by the audience.
Image and Text
•
•
•
•
The image used on the front of the
magazine, is most likely a film that is highly
anticipated or has already received good
ratings at the box office. This is due to the
fact, that audiences are going to be more
excited about viewing one of these types of
movie.
This particular movie that is presented on the
front of the magazine, is an anticipated
movie, which automatically means that
there is going to be exclusive information
inside the magazine and most likely a large
double page spread for the audience.
The image in particular is used to represent
the type of movie that the film being shown
is. The facial expressions and body
languages of the two characters indicate
fear, which would highlight to the audience
that the film may have a scary and
frightening element.
The text to the side of it, being in a bright and
very bold font, would emphasise this idea of
being frightened and afraid of whatever
happens in the film.

14. MAGAZINE COVER (2)
(ALICE IN WONDERLAND)

15. Colour Scheme
•
•
•
•
The colour schemes featuring on the front of
this magazine is very bright and bold, which is
most likely due to the fact that the image is
presenting the personality of the film and the
types of characters that you are going to be
likely to see.
The magazine cover of Entertainment Weekly
is somewhat similar in their colour scheme to
Total Film in the sense of the white and yellow
theme that we get a sense of.
Some of the titles, in this case one, is in a pink
colour, to represent the fact that it is highly
important and the audience should take
notice of whatever the information explains.
Usually this pink colour that we are seeing on
the front of the magazine is in a red colour
but due to the fact that the magazine that is
being shown is a lot more fun and
unique, the magazine has decided to add
it’s own flare to represent the type of film it is.
It is also a more interesting way to show the
name of a film rather than simply making it
really big on the front.
Layout
• The layout of the magazine is quite
simple and follows a very basic design.
The way that the character is taking up
the majority of the page works really well
and the way that the coverlines are only
on the left hand side of the
page, frames the face really well and
puts a lot more emphasis on the
character that we are meant to be
looking at.
• The fact that all of the coverlines are on
the left hand side of the page is
effective, because it means that we
don’t have to look in multiple areas to
find out the information we want to see
in the magazine.
• It is also interesting how they have
decided to make the strapline on the
front of the magazine cover a lot larger
than it usually is, due to the fact that it
makes it look a lot more important than
it usually does.

16. Rule of Thirds
• The general idea that Entertainment
Weekly has decided to follow in regards
to rule of thirds with this magazine cover,
is to cover 2/3 of the page with the
character that we are presented with.
This is so that the coverlines can then
take up the other 1/3 of the page, on
the left hand side of the page.
• This technique of using rule of thirds in
this way, is actually more effective than
putting the main subject right in the
middle of the page, as it gives you a
more developed page to look at and
further makes you look around the
page.
• It is also a better way of making it easier
to view information as there isn’t lots of
coverlines on both sides of the page.
• I also think it is important, much like in the
other magazine covers, that the
headline takes up the top third of the
page as it helps the audience identify
what magazine they are looking at.
Image and Text
•
•
•
The image on the front, stands out a lot and
draws in the attention of the audience due to
the bright and bold colours that we are
immediately faced with. Through using this
bold character to front the magazine is a
good way of gaining a wide rang of
audiences. It can attract a much younger
audience due to the colours, however it can
also appeal to an older audience due to the
mature themes that the magazine tends to
cover.
The text that is used is designed to stay simple
but informative. As there is clearly no other
main focus on the front of the magazine and is
purely based around the Alice in Wonderland
idea, means that they are targeting the
audience at quite a niche audience of
people who either like Johnny Depp or fantasy
films such as Alice in Wonderland.
There is no other text on the page about
anything else that features in the magazine,
which is not stereotypical for a magazine
cover, which could effectively turn people off
of buying the magazine.

17. MAGAZINE COVER (3)
(THE HOBBIT)

18. Colour Scheme
• The colour scheme of the actual
magazine is gold and white, which would
indicate to the audience that the
magazine and it’s contents are important
and exclusive. Seeing as the general
colour scheme of Empire magazine, is
generally red and white, the change
would probably be somewhat of a shock
to regular readers. However, new readers
would most likely be excited by the fact
that they are seeing a gold colour instead
of a more basic colour.
• I like the way that the magazine has
decided to use this gold and white theme
to highlight an important, exclusive film
being shown on the front of the magazine
and that everyone should buy the
magazine because of it.
• Through the use of simple white text to
explain a little further, it puts a lot more
emphasis on the image and the general
gold colour that we are being shown.
Layout
•
•
•
•
I like the way that the layout of this
magazine is slightly different to what you
expect to see when looking at magazines.
The way that the two characters are
placed at different depths, adds to the
effect that it gives off when an audience is
viewing it.
It also works a lot better in this case, how
the description of the cover photo is
underneath it rather to the side, positioned
like this makes the entire magazine cover
look a lot more interesting than if it were to
be placed in a conventional way.
I also like how the strapline is still in keeping
with the rest of the cover, as usually the
feature in the strapline is different to the
cover story and indicates more features in
the magazine.
The way that the small sticker is also
placed right down the bottom near the
headline puts more focus on that area of
the magazine.

19. Rule of Thirds
•
•
•
This magazine cover, uses rule of thirds
really well, positioning the two characters
on either side of the page, rather than
having the both of them in the middle or
right next to each other. It adds more
dimension to the image due to the fact
that it makes the two characters looks like
they are rivals and may be part-taking in a
form of conflict that we would expect to
see if we saw the actual film being shown.
The title, like all of the other magazine
covers, takes up the top segment of the
rule of third grids on the magazine. Once
again, I think that it is really important to
make sure that the title stands out amongst
the rest of the actual magazine image as it
is important that the audience knows what
they are reading.
I also think that the way that the main title
and description is positioned in the bottom
third of the page as I think it is an interesting
and much more unique area to place this
piece of information.
Image and Text
•
•
•
•
The image on the front of the magazine
cover is very dark and mysterious to
replicate the type of movie that is being
shown. We know through the
representation of the fantasy/adventure
genres. The aura that the front cover gives
off to the audience is used to draw in a
particular target audience that is going to
most likely be the main target audience of
the film itself. The two characters being
shown on the cover, are two of the most
favoured characters in the film which is why
they have been shown together.
The text on the front cover, is kept highly
minimal due to the fact that the designer
obviously wants to keep a lot of the focus
on the image and the characters that are
being presented to the audience.
It is clear that through looking at this front
cover, that a lot of the focus, much like the
magazine cover I looked at previously, is
focusing on the main cover story without
really looking at any other films or stories
that are similar.
This is designed to keep the entire focus on
one particular film to again, appeal to a
niche audience of people who are a fan of
‘The Hobbit’ series.