Pop Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis

I have found 5 pop music magazine front covers in which there is a range in style. Below are two detailed analyses of pop front covers.

The masthead fits in with the vibrant purple colour scheme. However the masthead is slightly different as it is a lighter shade of purple, therefore attracting less attention to the masthead and placing more emphasis on the main image which is a vibrant dark purple. The masthead is in a clear bold font and not obstructed by any other objects making it easy to read and also eye catching. Furthermore the masthead is prominent which means it is projected out and very visible, further attracting the young female target audience. The larger text size also allows the masthead to be more prominent thus catching the readers eye line. The left third involves three main features to entice the reader. The three bullet points of text follow the consistent and house colour scheme. This is achieved by alternating between different shades of purple. The first and second bullet points are short rhetorical questions that entice the reader and make them want to find out more on these points. The third point uses an exclamation mark adding emphasis and meaning it jumps out at you, attracting the reader further. The word win also instantly grabs the readers attention as it implies there is a competition, involving the reader through synthetic personalisation. This graphic effect grabs the readers attention and is very effective as it is a very unique shape and one that gives connotations of a bang. Furthermore the colour yellow sets it apart from the rest of the front cover drawing in the reader. The big bold capitals FREE further entice the reader as they imply that there is a gift that is free, therefore making the reader want to purchase the magazine. This is also placed slightly below the middle of the left third meaning it is easily visible and therefore able to catch the readers eye. The cover lines at the bottom of the page also follow the colour scheme of purple. The main word in each feature is emphasised by being placed in the house colour of purple. The purple is therefore recognised as being significant and draws the reader in. The features at the bottom also provide the reader with something to look forward to as well as a small insight to the article. This entices the reader as it makes them want to read more. The use of pictures further attracts the reader as it instantly grabs the readers attention as it triggers their memory and makes the feature instantly recognisable.

The main image is very large and a medium close up, taking up most of the background. This highlights its importance and attracts the target audience as it is a big pop icon, Britney Spears. This therefore has relevance to the young female target audience and attracts them to read the magazine. The image is in the centre of the front cover placing significance on the image and catching the readers eye. The colour also involves the consistent purple colour scheme involving it with the entire front cover. Furthermore Britney Spears is a teenage idol and will therefore appeal to the young female audience. The main image is also making eye contact, direct address, which entices the reader by involving them and making it personal. The purple colour scheme is very vibrant and catches the readers eye instantly. It is also very prominent and allows the reader to clearly read certain parts of the front cover. The purple gives modern connotations as well being associated with luxury. This therefore adds quality and gives luxurious and opulent qualities. This association with luxury is also reflected on other features of the front cover and therefore gives a constant theme of luxury and opulence. Furthermore, purple is a feminine colour, showing that this magazine is targeted at young females. The barcode is placed in the bottom right corner of the magazine ensuring little emphasis is placed on it. This use of mise-en-scene allows other features of the front cover for example the graphic effects, left third, cover lines and the masthead to stand out more. Furthermore the barcode is integral to a magazine as it is used to be bought, however it shouldnt take up much space as it doesnt draw the reader in.

The cover line uses alliteration and keeps intact with the purple colour scheme. The alliteration means it rolls of the tongue making it more memorable and allows the information to stick more firmly in the readers mind. The short and snappy nature of the cover title means it is catchier and therefore entices the reader. The large font of the cover line means that it attracts a lot of attention as well as implying that it is very significant. By placing it in the lower middle of the front cover, it shows that the text is even more significant as the reader is likely to see it and therefore catch the readers eye. The use of white font colour means it stands out from the purple attracting the reader further and adding a unique quality.

The masthead is very clear and bold, allowing the reader to clearly distinguish it. This therefore means it is very eye catching. The masthead also keeps intact with the fluorescent pink colour scheme. This is very common in the pop genre and allows the reader to easily find the masthead as it stands out. The fluorescent pink is mainly targeted at girls as it is mainly a girly colour and has connotations of love and romance. Love is a big part of a teenage girls life and therefore pink is very relevant to the target audience. Furthermore the masthead is prominent which means it is projected out and very visible, further attracting the young female target audience. The left third has no real structure making it look colloquial fitting the target audience. This is because the young target audience are used to colloquialisms in their lives making the left third relatable as it has a colloquial and informal look. There are four main features of the left third used to entice the reader. A quote from a famous teen idol is used to attract the reader and make them want to read more. This is used to attract the specific target audience as it is a pop idol. Another feature is emotive language such as secrets which give the impression that the target audience are being invited into their idols life and therefore relate the reader to the idol. A third feature of the left third is the use of images and graphology used to tap into the readers mind and connect with the readers memory. This means that the reader is shown a recognisable image such as their pop idols, here it is Little Mix, and this shows them instantly what is in this magazine making them want to pick it up and read it. Fourthly the use of graphic effects such as bright yellow boxes catch the readers eye and draw attention to left third. The box shapes are very sharp and this makes them jump out at you more, therefore placing more attention on them.

The main image is a close-up of a pop icon that fills the majority of the background. By using a Jessie J as the main image, the reader automatically can relate to the magazine and feel comfortable with it. This means that it appeals to the specific target audience of young females. Furthermore the mise-en-scene of the pop idol entices the reader. The way Jessie J is smiling and looking at the camera involves the reader and makes it personal. This use of direct address therefore attracts the reader. The lipstick that Jessie J is using is a mix between purple and pink and therefore matches the colour scheme of the magazine. This means that the reader will associate Jessie J with the magazine, making them want to buy it more as they idolise her. The pink and purple colour scheme are adapted to suit the young female target audience. Pink is a very popular colour with young teenage females and this therefore makes the magazine relatable and identifiable. Furthermore the pink and purple is a very vibrant an bright colour making the magazine stand out overall and jump out at any reader. The fluorescent pink allows certain features such as the cover lines (at the bottom of the front cover) to stand out and grab the readers attention. Purple is associated with luxury and therefore makes the reader feel important and pleased. The barcode of the magazine is very small placed at the bottom right corner of the page meaning that it is less likely to catch the readers eye line. This use of mise-en-scene is clever as it means that very little significance is placed on an irrelevant yet integral feature of the magazine. Furthermore, the placing of the barcode draws more attention to the more relevant features of the magazine. The main cover line is used to grab the bulk of the readers attention. The bright, vibrant and relatable font entices the reader. The fuchsia appeals to the young female audience as it is relatable and specific. The brightness and vibrancy of the fuchsia colour draws the readers attention to the cover line and makes it noticeable. The repetition of the underneath the cover line means that the anchorage text is memorable and catchy. This use of three also makes the cover line more satisfying as it rolls of the tongue. The use of hyperbolic words such as exclusive further entices the reader as it makes the magazine seem unique and important. The yellow background allows the hyperbolic text to stand out more and add to its dramatic connotations, thus appealing to the reader.

The cover line at the bottom of the front over has a bright pink background to make it stand out and catch the readers eye. The bink background is further relevant to the target audience of young teenage girls. The words 10 posters entice the reader. This is because they are in a big and bold font in relation to the anchorage text beneath it and in a bright yellow font colour. This allows it to easily draw the readers attention to the feature at the bottom. The yellow font also sets it apart from the rest of the front cover making it seem exclusive and significant. The words 10 posters also give the reader the feel that they are receiving a special gift in which they wouldnt receive in other magazines.

Pop Music Magazine Contents Page Analysis

I have found 5 pop music magazine contents pages in which there are a range in style. Below are two detailed analyses of pop contents pages.

The contents title is inside a big purple speech bubble which gives the impression of spoken language. This gives an informal feel to the contents page, which therefore appeals to the young target audience. The purple background of the speech bubble appeals to the female readership as it is associated with females and connotes luxury and feminism which appeals to the target audience. The font colour is white and black which contrasts against the purple background and therefore stands out, grabbing the readers attention. Furthermore the font is very modern and rounded, which appeals to the target audience as the young females like to be up to date and modern. The contents page uses an interesting technique of annotating the front cover, which allows the reader to easily find the features of the front cover in the magazine. This can be used as a guide and is therefore very helpful to people buying the magazine as the front cover is what draws them in and makes them want to initially buy the magazine. This is also very useful as it simplifies the magazine to the reader. This can be essential to the specific target audience which is young females, as a too complicated set out would confuse them and deter them from reading on into the newspaper. This is also a very clever technique, because it makes reading a lot more interactive and enjoyable. Sometimes the pages of text can be perceived as boring but here the magazine is making it fun as it creates a puzzle-like image that is like a quest to find the pages that were advertised on the front cover.

The paragraph at the start is addressed to girls. This vividly states and shows the target audience. By only stating girls, the magazine emphasises the importance of how the magazine is aimed at girls. This makes them feel exclusive and involved and is therefore a clever use of synthetic personalisation and direct address. The words Hey girls! are in a vibrant and fluorescent pink font colour which is further associated with females and therefore enables the target audience to relate very easily to the magazine and contents page in specific. This emphasises the use of specials (in this case a letter to the reader) to draw the target audience in. This image is used to entice the reader as it shows a snippet of what there is in the magazine. This shows a preview to the reader and therefore interests them and makes them want to find out more on the subject. Furthermore the image is small and doesnt take up much room. This technique allows the magazine to not provide too much information and force the reader to read on and discover the full size image. This means that the reader is attracted and that they are invited to read further into the magazine. The image is placed in the bottom right corner which usually means that it lacks significance and importance. However in this instance this is the largest image on the contents page and it fills up the most irrelevant space on the contents page. This means that the whole contents page is used to a good effect with important features everywhere. The page numbers also fit the colour scheme in a bright pink colour font. This means that the page numbers are integrated into the whole contents page and this gives a sense of unity and brings the whole contents page together. Furthermore the pink allows the reader to easily find the page number as it is bright and stands out, allowing the reader to easily spot the page number for the information they want. Certain page numbers are in a black circle. These tell the reader where the images on the contents page are related to in the magazine, meaning that the reader has an easier job of finding the related articles. This is a useful technique and makes reading more fun and interactive for the target audience.

The category headings are in a white font with a purple background. This allows them to stand out above the black subtext and therefore catch the readers eye more easily. The purple background is relatable as it is a female orientated colour and therefore appeals to the target audience. Furthermore the category headings attract the attention of the reader as they are in a considerably larger font size than the subtext. This means that the readers attention is quickly drawn to them as they are easier to see. The larger font size also reflects the category headings importance as it shows they are more significant due them being larger than the sub text. The category headings are also in a rectangular box which differs from the supporting subtext that is just on top of the background colour. These boxes also place more emphasis on the category headings and further draw the reader in, grabbing their attention.

The contents title uses three short words to entice the reader. The use of monosyllabic words quickens the pace and also rolls of the readers tongue more, making the title more memorable. The solid, bold and large black font creates a clear contrast from the predominantly light blue colour scheme. This means that the title is easily visible and therefore draws the reader in. The use of the ellipsis makes it important for the reader to read on as the reader is given the impression that there is a lot more to see on the contents page. The ellipsis also leaves you on the edge and therefore forces you to want to read on as it tells you there is more information that will be of use. The page numbers are in a clear, gold and 16 font size. The gold connotes luxury as well as implying sense of value and elegance. The luxury gives the contents page quality. These page numbers are placed directly underneath the opening paragraph which is what the readers will read first. This means that the page numbers are placed in a position which ensures they are read. The page numbers also have a heading which uses the same black bold font of the contents title. This house style creates a sense of professionalism and adds quality to the contents page. This also uses ellipsis similarly to the contents title. This leaves the reader on edge and makes them want to read on. The page numbers appeal to the target audience of young girls as the gold is very modern and gives the young target audience a sense of maturity, which makes them feel mature. The bottom of the contents page involves poster previews on a solid orange background. The orange background enables the poster previews to stand out. The bright and vibrant orange also catches the readers eye and draws their attention straight to the poster previews. The poster previews give the reader something to look forward to in the magazine. Furthermore they attract the reader as the images are relatable to the target audience and therefore draw the reader in and make them want to read on, thus being a very effective technique. The words hot posters in a blue star also draw the reader in as the use of hyperbolic words makes the posters sound exclusive.

The logo here is the masthead of the main front cover. This allows the reader to make the easy connection between the front cover and contents page. This is useful for the reader as they can now establish parts of the contents page that are referred to on the front covers the logo tells the reader that they are the same company. The logo also further prints the magazines style onto the contents page. The repetition of using this logo also illustrates its importance in the magazine. The repetition also ensures that the logo is remembered and not forgotten by the readers. It is clear and prominent which allows the reader to quickly find and distinguish it. The main image on the contents page matches the main image on the front cover. It is placed in the centre of the contents page, right in the eye line of the reader. This therefore means the reader is instantly drawn to the image. The reader is also able to make a connection as the main image on the front cover is what draws the reader in and one of the main reasons why the reader buys the magazine, therefore it being essential that it is explained. With it being the centre, not only a lot of significance is placed on it, but it also allows the reader to quickly see the main image explained. It also quickly shows the reader where the information is that goes with the main image. The quote underneath the main image is also used to draw the reader in as it shows a preview of the article, which is exclusive and makes the reader want to read on. The supporting images support the main image and are placed systematically around the main image. They are all the same size and in a flipped L-shape, which gives the contents a professional and orderly look appealing to the young target audience. These images have white page numbers located in the bottom right of each image, which enables the reader to quickly locate the information they require and want to read. These supporting images also have quotes similarly to the main image, which draw the reader in As they show the reader a sneak peek into the articles.

Pop Music Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

I have found 5 pop music magazine contents pages in which there are a range in style. Below are two detailed analyses of pop contents pages.

The feature artists name is in a pink, bold and clear font which is much larger than the quote underneath it. The baby pink is used to attract the young female readership of pop magazines as it is a colour that is associated mainly with younger females. The font is very bold and clear which makes it stand out and catch the readers eye. The font is also very large which means its one of the first things that the reader will m its importance and relevance to the article. see, emphasising Furthermore, the feature artists name is place relatively close to the top of the double page spread but on the left hand side. This shows its importance as it will be one of the first things the audience will read.

The main image is of pop icon Nicki Minaj. This firstly appeals to the reader because she is reinforcing how she is an icon with the word icon on her hand. The picture taken is a half-body shot, displaying half of her body. This gives the impression she is very important as it means she takes up more space on the double page spread. Furthermore she is making eye contact with the camera which makes the reader feel personally involved with the magazine. The photo also involves her hair being tied upwards in a modern fashion style, which appeals to the target audience as young females are always seeking pop magazines for fashion tips and this therefore appeals to their needs.

The drop cap signifies where the article starts. This is in the same font as the name of the artist which shows that it is associated with the artist. The drop cap reflects the genre of the magazine through the baby pink and formal and clar font. It is very clear, however it is in a baby pink which is pale and will appeal to the female readership. This is because it is associated with females and young teenage girls, which is exactly the target audience for the genre of pop. The pale pink also provides a sense of glamour and beauty, which is considered to be essential to a young female teen. The text that follows the drop cap is in size 11pt. It is in a black font and in 5 columns across two pages. The text is tailored around the main image and in columns, which gives it a tidy look and places more attention on the main image. Parts of the text are bold and these parts draw the reader in as they are set apart from the rest of the text. These can be used to keep the reader interested and catch their eye.

The stand first introduces the reader to the double page spread and gives an insight into the article and the pop star. This is useful because it allows the reader to understand what will be included in the article. Furthermore, the stand first is used to entice the reader and make them want to read on into the article. Hyperbolic writing is used to exaggerate certain subjects and further entices the reader as it is exciting. The stand first is in a black font and slightly larger than the article text below it, which makes it stand out more and catch the readers eye first. The stand first is also placed above the article text. This emphasises how the stand first has more importance placed on it because it is meant to be read before the article.

The quote is used as the headline at the start of the double page spread and is placed at the top of the double page spread on the left side. This means that it is the first thing that the reader will read, showing its significance. The quote is in a clear font which is unobstructed and split into black and pink. The contrast between the pink and black makes the pink part of the text stand out and therefore catch the readers eye first. This means that the pink text is what the magazine is trying to advertise and show off. The quote uses emotive language to draw the reader in as it gives an insight into the article beneath it. The word wrong is very strong and has strong negative connotations which shock the reader and make them want to read on.

The main image is a full body shot of Cher Lloyd. This shows her importance to the article as her whole body is displayed. The image involves a bent down pose with a camera. This mimics the young female target audience as taking pictures is something highly associated with young females. This is therefore relevant to the target audience and specific to the genre of pop. The image also uses eye contact, which involves the reader as it makes them feel as if they are being personally addressed, therefore drawing the reader in. The picture also clearly shows the pop stars hairstyle which appeals to the target audience as it is something that young females show interest in.

The drop cap at the start of the article is typical of a pop double page spread. It is a big symbol for the reader as to where to start reading, and also connotes the genre. The drop cap is black however is on a pink shape, which is a typical colour that is associated with pop. The article is organised into three columns which gives it a very sophisticated and formal look. However certain parts of the article are colloquial, for example the way the article is set up in a question and answers form gives it a conversational and slightly informal feel which appeals to the young target audience. The text is all in a black font and size 11pt. which is typical of a pop double page spread. The font colour is changed for the questions and a baby pink is used. This is used to appeal to the female target audience as pink is a colour that is predominantly associated with young females.

The stand first is placed directly underneath the quote that leads the article. This is in order to make it simple for the reader to follow as the target audience are young and wouldnt want things to look over complicated. Furthermore the text is in a very formal font and arranged centrally which shows it is important. The slightly larger font size in comparison to the article text means that it will catch the readers eye first. The use of ellipsis in the stand first makes the reader want to find out more and read on. It also gives a slightly informal look and feel to the double page spread which is reflective of the young readership as it will appeal to the young target audience.