Graphic elements of a magazine cover

1. MASTHEAD: The masthead is used to allow the
audience to recognize the title of the magazine. The
colour of the title is an acidic yellow which really stands
out and makes the magazine more appealing. The font
is a modern bold in a condensed style which gives it an
intriguing feel and allows the audience to easily view
the title.
COVER LINES: There are other cover lines apart
from the main one which identify different
issues and subjects inside the magazine, which
allows the audience to be aware of them
without any hassle.
FONT TYPES: The font types used in this
magazine cover are sans-serif fonts, which has
an aura of simplicity about the magazine; It is
easy for the reader to read. This particular
element invites the all types of audiences to
read the magazine even though they may not be
interested.
COLOUR SCHEME: The colour scheme makes certain
elements stand out in the magazine. The dark
background allows the acidic yellow headings to stand
out and look striking. This colour scheme is linked to hip
hop as they are two mentioned colours that artist’s use
in their lyrics, to show off their fancy possessions. The
black and yellow combine to create the impression of
luxury as it stands out. Other information is in white,
which allows the reader to easily read it.
MAIN COVER LINE: This is the text that goes with the
main image. It is a short statement to describe what's to
come which entices the reader. This is because the main
cover line tempts the reader to look inside the
magazine as it is pinpointing the main content of the
magazine which is interesting.
MAIN IMAGE: The main image is a photograph
of Jay-Z in the middle of the magazine. He takes
up most of the space in the front cover and
blends in well with the dark background and the
different yellow headings.
The image is anchoring over the title which
resembles Jay-Z’s importance and strong ties
with ‘Hip Hop’.
BARCODE/DATELINE: This is useful because it
allows the readers to see how old the magazine
is and the price.
Pugs: ‘He’s Back!’ underneath the main cover line is a
pug which is effective in catching the readers attention
which is short yet vital to the magazine’s content. Also
the ‘Free CD’ in the top left corner is a pug as it is
informing the reader immediately about the magazine’s
content.
Puffs: This sticker is placed on the cover to make
something stand out and involves text in a shape. In this
case, there is a circle with ‘50 New York Anthems’ which
is effective in promoting something inside the
magazine, as it stands out.
Skyline: The skyline offers a brief insight about
the magazine’s content and other artists
featured. This is particularly appealing for the
target audience as they will be able to recognise
the content on the skyline and will be
interested.

2. MASTHEAD: The masthead here enables
the audience to immediately recognize the
title of the magazine. The colour of the title
is a clear white which is very simple and eye
catching because it stands out from the
light blue background. The font of the
masthead is also a modern bold which
makes it easier for the reader to read the
title.
COVER LINES: There is not much other cover
lines apart from the main one, but they still
communicate different subjects inside the
magazine.
FONT TYPES: The font types used in this
magazine cover are sans-serif fonts, which
embodies a modern and simple mood for
the magazine.
COLOUR SCHEME: The background is a
smooth light blue which is attractive for the
reader. The blue colour is effective in
appealing to both males and females as they
both can be associated with this colour.
Other information is in white and other
cover lines are in yellow., which aid in
adding a variety of colours, which is
appealing.
MAIN COVER LINE: The main cover line
gives an insight to what the readers should
expect inside the magazine which is about
the artist on the cover of the magazine. The
fact that the main cover line is the name of
the model, immediately outlines the target
audience, as it is trying to attract fans of the
artist.
MAIN IMAGE: The main image is a
photograph of Bruno Mars at the centre of
the magazine taking up much of the space
which highlights his importance. He is a
famous music artist and stands out from the
light blue background with his bright red
shirt. This image is also anchoring over the
title which further resembles Bruno Mars’
significance in this magazine. As well as this,
the image partially covers the main cover
line which is his name. This is because he is
such a recognisable icon in the hip hop
industry that the image is more of relevance
compared to the main cover line.
BARCODE/DATELINE: The barcode shows
the issue number and the date it was
released as well as the price.
There is few other elements in this
magazine cover which communicates a
simplicity which is unconventional but
effective in looking stylish. This is because
‘Billboard’ is a hugely popular music
magazine which has a wide target audience,
and they know what to expect of the
magazines, therefore they are very simple
with their magazine covers.

3. MASTHEAD: The masthead of this
magazine is effective in allowing the
audience to see the title of the magazine.
The title is a bold white which is fairly easy
to observe for the readers. The readers are
instantly aware of what magazine they are
reading due to the masthead.
COVER LINES: Other cover lines flag up different
issues inside the magazine which allows the
audience to view different content in the
magazine without having to flick through the
pages.
FONT TYPES: The font types used in this magazine
cover are sans-serif fonts, which allows the
audience to easily read the information and the
masthead. Using this element, the magazine
invites other audiences to easily have a read of
the front cover and perhaps gain interest.
COLOUR SCHEME: The main colour which
stands out is the bright red jacket worn by
Meek Mill and the red banner. There is a
mixture of other natural colours in the
background and a combination of black
and white on Meek Mill’s shirt. These
colours are associated with the rap genre
as they connote a street lifestyle which is
highly conventional with rap music today
which influences this. Other information is
in white.
MAIN COVER LINE: The main cover line of
this magazine shows the magazine’s focal
purpose, which is about the rapper on the
cover of the magazine. Again, this grabs
the attention of the reader as they will
recognize the name and will understand
the genre of the music magazine which is
rap.
MAIN IMAGE: The main image is a photograph of
Meek Mill at the centre of the magazine. He takes
up a lot of space on the cover of the magazine
and perfectly matches the red background on the
masthead with his bright red jacket. The image
slightly anchors over the title which is effective in
installing an elegant and luxurious feeling about
the magazine.
BARCODE/DATELINE: The barcode is useful
in showing the price of the magazine to the
readers as well as the date and issue
number.
Skyline: The skyline offers brief information
about the magazine and is useful as it is the first
place the reader will look at on top of the
masthead.
Website: The website is useful to the audience as
they can receive further information. The website
also promotes the magazine, and there is an
inclusion of their Facebook and Twitter page.