Semiotic analysis of magazine cover

Black Swan Click to edit Master subtitle style

In this magazine cover, the film is not being promoted in an obvious way. One of the lead characters, Mila Kunis is used here to promote the film. As soon as we see this dominant image of Mila Kunis, we do instantly associate her with her recent hit, Black Swan. However, there is text that overlays the image of her saying Black Swans Mila Kunis.

TEXT (masthead) - within the text on a magazine cover is a collection of signs which is called a syntagm. FONT- The font for the masthead (W) is different to the majority of the other text on the front cover. It is very elegant, classy and sophisticated. POSITIONING- The positioning of the title of the magazine is in the top left hand corner. The combination of the positioning and the fact that it is a short name, means the main image is not overlapping the title. Therefore the title of the magazine is also very dominant. COLOUR- the colour of the title is very bold, which stands out against the white background and very dark clothing worn in the main image. SIZE- the title is very large, taking up about a sixth of the magazine cover. The combination of the syntagm (set of signs) gives off a paradigmatic meaning that the title of this magazine is well known and well established, as it is very dominant on the page. There are also a few flash articles which are included in this magazine cover, such as Spring Neon Brights and 70s glamour. These are writen in the same font as the main headline, only in smaller writing. These are writen below the main headline, and are placed on the left hand side of the page. They

BANNER- the banner links to the masthead, making the short name W more significant. The banner says : WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND WHY IN THE WORLD OF STYLE. In this banner we know why the magazine is called W and also the genre of this magazine; fashion. The font of the banner is similar to the masthead except it is in italic. The size of the writing is rather small, especially in comparison to the masthead. The colour of the writing Is the name as the masthead. The paradigmatic meaning of the combination of these syntagms seems to be that the name of the magazine is so well known that it does not need to be boldly explained to its viewers. The lead article of this magazine is Fashion Heats up This is written in a different style of font to the masthead and the banner. It is also in white writing, which stands out as it is overlaying the black clothing worn in the main image. The main headline is also central in the magazine making it stand

MAIN IMAGE SIZE- The size of the image is very large and therefore takes up the majority of the cover. POSITIONING- the positioning of the image is very central SHOT- the shot used is a straight on medium shot CLOTHING- the clothing is quite revealing. The clothing also reflects the film (the black feathers) The combination of these syntagms creates the paradigmatic meaning that this character is the main selling point of this film and is a dominant character within the film. It also suggests that she is the focal point on this magazine cover, and the main story within this issue.