Magazine Front Cover Analysis

I will be looking at a range of magazine covers from the horror genre as well as fashion, music and film in general to allow me to compare the differences and similarities between the conventions of the different genres in order to inspire me with ideas and designs to use within my own front cover design for a magazine of the horror genre.

BILLBOARD Music Magazine

The main image is conventionally positioned central of the page and is of Beyonce; a well established female artist within the music industry and therefore an iconic model for the audience to recognise. The cinematography has created a medium close-up so that we can see enough of her feminine physique to connect to the male audience responding to the Laura Mulvey theory and also that we can see what she wears to appeal to girls with a fashion audience therefore allowing the magazine to target a wider market. However, the image size allows her face to be the main focus with the use of direct address to communicate with the viewer and covering the masthead to make her even more predominant on the cover. The lighting used in the image has been positioned in front of the model to create a shine across her body and face and a slight halo effect around her denoting her power and potential as a role model. The colour white that she wears reflects purity and in this image importance relating to the article that she has been titled woman of the year by the magazine. Her stance and posture also signifies this as she stands tall and proud with her hands on her hips as well as slightly looking down as though the camera has been positioned beneath her eyeline.

BILLBOARD Music Magazine

The model wears a white dress to fit within the colour scheme of a teal blue and white with hints of yellow and red. Her white dress is very eye catching appearing the brightest colour on the page and linking straight to the masthead. The main cover story with the artists name covers the main image in a conventional way , and the colour of the typography has a fading affect that allows the blue shades to cover over the white background and the white to cover over the blue background. The text around the model has been evenly positioned on the page into three columns following the rule of thirds design concept making it recognisably clear for the viewer to pick up the artists that they are interested in. On the right hand side a pug has been used to promote a particular article and has been placed next to the main image and photoshoped behind the image drawing it into the centre to make it more eye catching to the viewer. The background of the image uses a darker tone of the teal colour used for the text to maintain a minimal colour scheme and has a gradient effect creating dark to lighter shades across the page. The typography used for all the text on the page is in a basic style that is simple and clear to read.

ELLE Music Magazine

The background of this magazine front cover is very plain and simple so that the main focus is on the model who is, similarly to Billboard magazine positioned central of the page. She wears red a colour that indicates love and passion and along with her body language gives a very sexy and seductive appeal to connect to the audience which mainly consists of women who in response to the Laura Mulvey theory feel in ore of how pretty the model is and aspire to be like her. The main cover story covers a section of the model and uses the phrase hello sexy to attract the ready by using a word that ultimately describes the image and saying hello to communicate directly with the audience as well as the direct address. The majority of the typography is in a black font that contrasts with the white background and the red dress to create a classy style that represents the style of the magazine, however the gold masthead adds another colour blending with the models hair so that all the colours tie in together; it also emphasises the classy style of the magazine as gold is recognised as a wealthy tone. The models head covers the centre of the top

of the page and so the second letter of the masthead has been moved closer to the first letter and the third letter has been moved closer to the last letter to allow room.

ELLE Music Magazine

This is unconventional for new magazines as it is their priority to get their brand recognised however with Elle being the biggest worldwide fashion magazine they are a well established brand already and therefore their masthead is instantly recognisable just by the typography and simplistic classy style of the magazine even though it is not entirely visible . The chosen font styles used for the typography on the page is, very similarly to the music magazine cover very plain and simple so that it is clear and easy to read. This also emphasises the fact that the main image is the major focus as there is no fancy text to draw the attention away. However, instead of using various font styles the company have chosen to vary the sizes of the typography in order to catch the viewers attention and to show the importance of different piecces of information on the cover. Therefore the smaller text is likely to be the less interesting articles within the magazine or the stories which target a smaller market, and the larger fonts are of the interesting stories that will be grabbing the readers attention. It is known that numbers such as the 650 will be written large on covers as immediately audiences are interested in figures as they usually relate to the audience being given something or rewarded in a way that may not even be that important but the size of the font makes it appear as though it is.

PARACINEMA Film Magazine

Immediately this magazine front cover is noticeably different to the music and fashion magazines by the darkness of the background and the disturbing background image which is instantly recognised to fit the genre of horror. The typography of the masthead is in a rough style that influences the idea that it is related to horror and something scary as well as the unusual choice of colour being yellow which contrasts to the black background and is therefore eye catching to the reader. Usually if mastheads are positioned in the centre of the top of the magazine front cover they are stretched and enlarged to fit perfectly in the gap across the top however in this case there is room either side of the masthead suggesting to the audience that it has not been produced by a big and successful publishing house or that it is aimed at a specific niche as it is unique and stands out amongst most other magazine covers. The style of typography used for the other text on the page is very basic and simple showing similarities with the music and fashion magazine cover I previously analysed, it seems unusual that the different genres have similar conventions however all audiences share similarities that they want something that is easy and clear to read regardless of what genre they are interested in. Each element on the page has been positioned about 1.5cm inwards from the edge which again is an unusual style that this cover has adopted.

PARACINEMA Film Magazine

Each element on the page has been positioned about 1.5cm inwards from the edge which again is an unusual style that this style has adopted. Another similarity that the three magazines share is the rule of thirds and how everything on the page can be divided into three columns. This cover slightly breaks the rules however the text has been equally positioned around the main focus of the background image so that the face of the character is entirely visible. Although, the main image uses a fictional character or has been adapted to look like it, it still follows the same style as the other main images used on the fashion and music magazine, using direct address to communicate with the reader. However, I think it most important for this genre of magazine to have a main image that uses direct address because the purpose of horror is to frighten the reader and therefore by looking at them directly the magazine has more chance of doing so. With an immediate reaction to this cover it looks like a male magazine or one which is targeting males as there are no feminine colours used and males are stereotypically the tough ones who dont get scared and therefore it seems contradictive that what appears to be the main cover story states the womens issue although this in itself can be eye catching to the audience and be used to attract the female market.

EMPIRE Film Magazine

Similar to the fashion magazine the main image covers the masthead slightly but in the same way as ELLE, EMPIRE is also a well established magazine within the film industry and therefore to its target market its brand name can still be recognised without being exactly visible. The typography used for the masthead is very bold and bright with the use of red which stands out in front of the background clearly. This main image doesnt use any direct mode of address but appears to look away from the camera however the gun he holds does point to the direction of the camera suggesting a way of communication to the audience. Also, the sub-image in the top right corner of the page uses direct address which in addition is also working to communicate with the reader. Each of the sub-images in the white strip in the right column show very action packed situations therefore suggesting the genre of action movies to the audience along with the use of a gun in the main image. The mise-en-scene in the images on the cover each link together well with all the characters wearing dark costumes and having action related props such as swords and the gun.

EMPIRE Film Magazine

The expressions on each of their faces within the sub images are very serious enhancing the genre of action. The chosen colour scheme of the layout and design uses a very bright red along with greyscale colours of black, white and grey giving it a serious look with the red expressing fire and action. In a similar way to the Para cinema cover this magazine also has the unusual rim around the edge bring all the elements tighter together in the middle of the page. On the left side of the cover a pug style advertisement has been used to attract the reader and the word attention written on it in capital letters and exclamation marks makes it even more eye-catching to the audience. There is a misty/smoke effect coming from the bottom left corner of the page adding an unusual background to the bottom of the page and enhancing the genre effect.

Inspiration
After analysing each of the following magazines I have found specific conventions and styles from each that have given me inspiration to help me design the front cover for my magazine. Although the first two magazines have no relevance to the genre of horror I feel that some of the elements used to appeal to the reader will be useful to add to my cover to make it more eye catching to the audience. However looking at the horror genre magazines I can see the codes and conventions that are essential for me to include in order to allow the audience to understand the genre of my magazine cover instantly without any confusion.

Inspirational Horror Magazines

SCREAM Horror Magazine

The style of typography used and the name of the masthead for this magazine can instantly be recognised as a horror genre of magazine. The typography used is in red which in this case appears to indicate blood as the font style has a dripping effect however the brightness of the red is quite unrealistic. The main image is used as the background for the magazine and is a closeup of a characters face. The image is set behind all of the text on the page including the masthead which is unusual as for many magazines the main image covers some of the masthead making it less visible. The page is divided into the three columns to follow the rule of thirds, however an uncommon element is the positioning of the main cover story which has been placed central and covers the centre of the image which is untypical for magazine front covers. The typography used for the main cover story is also very influential of the horror theme, it has a scratchy effect which creates a disturbing look and has been positioned in the centre of the page exactly on to the axe. The main image is very distressing due to the computerised effect and the makeup and lighting used for the photoshoot. The character has an extremely pale face which emphasising the horror genre. The eyes appear to be the focal point of the cover being completely white with a glass effect giving a horror twist and creating a disturbing affect for the audience. This therefore acts as a very eye-catching element to the page and draws in the attention of the audience. The chosen colour scheme for the magazine cover consists of red, white and black; colours which can be picked up across the entire page within the images and therefore the colours help to tie the whole piece together. A pug is used in the top right corner of the page with a white background and black text to match the colour scheme.

FANGORIA Horror Magazine

The main image used for this magazine front cover is a female character, a pale faced model who has been adapted using make-up and props to make her appear horrific with the use of fang style teeth and the use of excessive blood. The typography used for the masthead is unique to the magazine with the use of a fang effect at the start and end to promote the masthead. The font is red indicating blood and the red is used throughout the cover along with black and yellow to create an unusual horror style colour scheme. There arent many stories on the front of this page which is unusual and the font size for these stories is quite small and squished together either side of the models face rather than spread out which is untypical of magazine front covers. Also the typography style for the main cover story positioned across the bottom of the page, is very unusual considering the genre of the magazine. It also has a white misty affect around the letters creating mystery and intrigue to the audience.