3. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme used on the cover consists of
dark red, black, white and dark beige. None of the
colours are bright or vibrant other than white, but
when used along with these other colours white also
looks fairly dull. These colours have most likely been
used because they fit in with the genres of music the
magazine features. These colours are reflected
throughout the rock/metal world and the target
audience is likely to be familiar with them. Not only
this, but I discovered that darker colours appeal
more to males than females through my research.
This is most likely deliberate since rock/metal bands
generally have a larger male fan base than female.
4. MASTHEAD
The masthead features black text on a white
background, which stands out well and is easily
readable. The font used on the masthead is bold,
rough-looking and angular rather than (for example)
bubbly and round. This gives off a feeling of
strength and energy, much like most of the music
featured in the magazine – a feeling that is likely to
be recognised and understood by the people Bauer
Consumer Media target with this particular product.
The masthead alone suggests that the magazine
may be targeted at more at males than females, and
this is reflected by the colour scheme.
A bar sits on top of the masthead itself advertising
content within the magazine. It is overshadowed in
terms of importance by other elements on the page.
Size, specifically, is used to indicate which parts of
the magazine are focal.
5. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH
The largest, most clear item on the cover is the photograph of
Jacob Bannon from the American hardcore band Converge.
The vocalist is performing, gripping the microphone with both
hands tightly and (presumably) screaming, rather than simply
smiling at the camera with a relaxed facial expression. This
intensifies the magazine cover, adding to the bold and
energetic appearance. The skin of the featured person is
tattooed and individualized rather than bare and ‘normal’. The
tattoos are blatant and in-your-face – the original image has
possibly been enhanced to make them clearer. Not only does
this further complicate the cover but it may also call out to the
target audience. Many rock/metal fans dislike perceived
mainstream music and mainstream physical appearance.
Tattoos are often a part of their culture. If the target audience
do, therefore, have body modifications then they would be
able to relate to the image on the cover which means that the
product may appeal to them more. It should also be noted
that the image cuts into the masthead (a commonly used
technique on many magazine covers), which highlights the
importance of the image and attracts the viewer’s attention,
since it is the only element on the cover to do this.
6. TEXT
Text featured on the cover outside of the masthead continues
to use the rough, angular style. None of the text outside of the
masthead is black, making the masthead unique. The band
name Converge is placed on top of the image of the vocalist,
using the second-largest font-size on the cover. This would
immediately grab the attention of any followers of the band
and probably the majority of rock/metal fans in general, since
the band (ironically) has a reasonable amount of popularity. It
reels the viewer in for a closer look which may result in
another precious purchase. It’s needless to even say “article
inside” or something along those lines because the viewer
instantly makes that connection. The magazine uses the
success of a band to appeal to the target audience. A mild
profanity, “pissed off”, is also present on the cover. While it
isn’t quite as prominent as other elements, it is slightly
exaggerated with a unique font. The lyrics to many rock and
metal songs use similar language, sometimes considered
offensive. The target audience may favour an almost
obnoxious, aggressive attitude since it is shown by many rock
and metal band members (for example, Corey Taylor of
Slipknot), which increases the appeal of the magazine to this
audience.
7. TEXT
Band names are strewn about the magazine cover, also.
They are crammed into almost every available space and
the effort put into doing this gives off the impression that
the magazine is full to bursting point with information
about said bands.
The “free posters” text lures the audience in with the
promise of receiving more than they pay for, a common
sales tactic used by magazines. The “free posters” text has a
blood red background and this same colour surrounds
Apocalyptica and Enter Shikari, indicating that a poster of
these bands are included within the magazine. I can deduce
from this that colour scheme isn’t used just to relate to the
audience, but also to link items on a busy page to one
another as a form of organisation.
8. OTHER PICTURES
It is worth noting that the photos of the two bands
at the bottom are distinguishable from the photos
of the two band members at the top. The bottom
photos feature a full band posing for the camera (a
group shot) – ideal poster material – whereas the
upper pictures just feature one member of each
band; a close-up and a medium shot. The close up of
a masked Corey Taylor emphasises the element of
anger alluded to by the text underneath, whereas
the medium shot is taken from a live performance
relating to the “Projekt Revolution” text underneath
(Projekt Revolution is a music festival).
9. BARCODE AND PRICING INFO
This is barely noticeable due to other elements on
the cover. It can be argued that this draws a
potential buyer’s attention away from the cost of
the magazine, away from the money they will
spend. What the publishers want to be at the
forefront of the buyer’s mind is not the money they
lose but instead what they gain, as this is what will
ultimately sell the product and generate revenue.
10. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The front cover of NME Magazine is
uncluttered, stylish and quite plain in the
sense that none of the colours used are
particularly energetic.
11. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme of this particular issue consists of
white, black and orange. It is not particularly
colourful and, coupled with the main
photograph, gives off a sort of dreamy, almost old-
fashioned vibe.
The upper half of the cover is black and white. The
lower half is orange and white. Therefore, it is likely
that the magazine is intended to appeal to both
genders – the black and white combination, based
on my findings earlier, would appeal to males
whereas the mixture of orange and white is brighter
and might therefore appeal more to females. This is
almost certainly intentional, as pop music has a
roughly equal division of male and female fans.
12. MASTHEAD
The masthead can be located at the upper left
corner of the magazine. It is entirely white and equal
in size to the main “Florence” text, although the
letters themselves are thicker. It is very prominent
and easily noticeable, most likely the first thing
outside of the main image the audience would
notice. It is masculine in the sense that the font used
is angular and blocky, but because it mirrors the
colour of the shirt worn by the female model, it also
denotes femininity. This links to the idea of the
cover targeting both genders.
13. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH
The main image depicts Florence Welch of Florence
and the Machine. The most prominent portion of the
photo is the upper half, roughly upwards from the
shoulders. This allows the audience to identify the
main subject of the magazine and establish the
selling point, the main reason for them to part with
their cash. The model stands in a way that does not
convey attitude (unlike the previous cover) but, at
the same time, isn’t mundane. The pose emits a
feeling of sophistication and maturity and carries no
sexual undertones as is often the case when female
models are used on magazine covers reaching out
to a male target audience. The photo aims to attract
attention from a group of people interested in the
artist and their music specifically and does not
exclude a female audience in any way.
14. TEXT
The fonts used on this magazine cover are straight-edged
and in themselves rather masculine. They are certainly not
the bubbly fonts often used on magazines aimed solely at
females. However, the text has been italicised which
removes somewhat the masculinity of such text and stylises
it. Further stylisation is subtly exhibited by the “Vs” text,
typed in a unique font. As an emphasis on style and fashion
is stereotypically associated with females, the angular text
that appeals to males has also been moulded to appeal to
females. The text also might convey a strength of
personality and soul, both of which are associated with
music released by Florence and the Machine. The orange
text is featured less heavily on the page than black and
white text, highlighting the importance of the word
“Florence” and drawing special attention to the information
at the bottom of the cover that would otherwise be difficult
to notice. Letter spacing is, finally, used to make more or
less prominent certain elements on the cover. For example,
“Florence”, with wide letter spacing, is more prominent
than text with little distance between each letter.
15. OTHER PICTURES AND BARCODE
This magazine cover features just two pictures – the
main Florence Welch image and a man in the upper
right corner. Consequently, it appears that this
magazine targets the audience through text more
than visual stimuli. It can therefore be argued that
the magazine actually aims itself more at a reading
audience than a viewing audience (potentially as a
result of its roots as a music newspaper). The other
image might actually just be an example of the
mentioned “free” posters, designed to act as an
additional selling point.
The barcode is positioned at the bottom-left of the
cover. It is not prominent and the same assertion as
before can be made – that pricing is not supposed to
be something the audience actively considers when
debating whether or not to buy the magazine.
16. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Despite tidy, uncluttered presentation, this
cover still grabs my attention and has about it
a feeling of intensity.
17. COLOUR SCHEME
Four colours - bright red, black, white, beige – make up the
colour scheme for this particular cover. It is the brightness
of the red that gives this cover its impact. Instead of using a
dull red, the publishers chose to use a more vibrant shade.
Red possesses connotations of danger, anger, lust and
vehemence, all things society dictates should be avoided or
controlled to some extent. The presence of these colours on
the cover implies that no attempt has been made to hold
back, and in a sense, it is thus wild and out of
control, dangerously alluring. Because the focal point of the
magazine is Adele, a singer-songwriter, the audience
associates these qualities with her. The connotations of red
are juxtaposed against the innocence of her facial
expression, indicating that the artist is perhaps more
sinister or ‘naughty’ beneath the surface. The promise of a
revelation tempts to audience to buy this issue.
Beige is used on this cover to highlight the significance of
the issue being the 300th issue. It is distinctive because it is
the only element coloured thus.
18. MASTHEAD
The masthead consists of the letter Q sitting inside a big red
square at the top left of the cover. This is distinctive in three
ways: firstly, the bright red square is very hard to miss;
secondly, it is uncommon for a magazine to be sold under a
single letter name; and thirdly, because there is just a single
letter to fit into the square, the cover has the advantage of
giving it a big font size. It is very noticeable and easily
identifiable.
Underneath the Q text reads “discover great
music”, establishing the focus of the magazine to those
who don’t already know.
It is likely due to the emphasis placed on the name of the
magazine that the name alone rather than an abundance of
other features is needed to sell it. It gives off the impression
that the magazine is popular and recognised. The audience
is expected to either already be familiar with the quality of
the magazine or quickly reason that everyone else is and so
they too should be.
19. MAIN PHOTOGRAPH
By far the most important aspect of the cover is the photo
of Adele, as it consumes the most of the available space.
The photo itself is a close-up shot taken with her standing
to the side, as if turning around to face the viewer. It gives
off the impression that the model knows a potential buyer
is looking at her. In this sense, it is quite confrontational and
perhaps even a little unsettling. However, if this magazine
stood side by side with other magazines sporting mundane
covers, it is this one that is likely to attract attention.
With her hair being blown off her face the illusion of her
whirling around to catch the viewer’s eye is created. Her
face is pale, nearly white in colour, and the black eye make-
up draws attention to the eyes. She locks a potential buyer
in an artificial stare.
Worth mentioning is that the model also cuts into the
masthead, so that no attention is truly taken away from her
face. The photo is a very direct attempt to engage the
viewer, less subtle than Kerrang! Magazine’s inclusion of
tattoos, for example.
20. TEXT
The text on this cover is organised into two blocks. One
column advertises features within the magazine not directly
related to the main feature, while the other indicates the
primary focus of the particular issue.
The text on the left is smaller than the text on the right, and
clearly isn’t therefore as important. People buying this issue
are expected to buy it primarily for the article on Adele.
Letters are spaced out more to emphasise names (e.g.
“Adele”, “Keith” and “Liam”) which act as a selling point.
The text inside the beige circle is italicise, with a unique
font, boasting of the issue number so as to attract people to
buy it. The rest of the text is blocky and masculine, but
when combined with the presence of the model, does not
really seem to appeal solely to males. As with NME
Magazine, it seems to be geared towards both males and
females.
21. BARCODE AND PRICING
For the third time, the barcode is hidden away
beneath everything else. I think it is now fair to
conclude having seen this same tactic used on three
music magazines that it is a typical convention of
music magazines.
