Magazine Cover Analysis Lewis Brown
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Magazine Cover AnalysisLewis Brown
Magazine Covers By analyzing the four magazine covers below, I am
able to discover the various conventions of a film magazine front cover.
By analyzing three film magazines compared to one music magazine I will be able to see what conventions are different when comparing the film and music genre of magazine.
I have also included a horror film magazine.
Masthead
Barcode
Main Image
Free Gift
Background
Pug
Headline
The magazine offers a free giant poster, this along with the interesting headlines will entice the audience to buy the magazine. The typography is yellow and bold to make it stand out on the busy cover.
The masthead is ‘Total Film’ which states clearly that the magazine is about films. The typography is bold and strong to connote that the magazine is superior to other film magazines in the market. The masthead is also quirky and memorable because the word total is cut out of the letter ‘F’ in the word film.
The barcode is vertical on the central right side of the magazine as opposed to being on the bottom right of the magazine cover. This unconventional positioning could connote that the magazine is stylish and out-of-the-ordinary.
The main image is a character from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” played by Johnny Depp. Using a famous and very popular celebrity actor will entice audiences to the magazine; even if they are not particular fans of the actor they will understand that the magazine obviously contains A-list celebrities and they will want to read it because of this. His make-up is also unusual as Depp is most commonly seen with dark make-up.
The background is dark purple and mysterious which reflects the film “Alice in Wonderland” in the main image. The mystery created by the background makes the magazine look unconventional and interesting.
The rectangular pug is the same shade of yellow as the text at the top of the page to create a sense of synergy throughout the front cover. The pug also emphasizes the words “World Exclusive!” of the headline.
The headline has the word “Massive” in it, and this is reflected by its large typography in relation to the rest of the text on the front cover. The use of the word massive also connotes that the magazine is full of lots of information and this will make the audience want to purchase it.
Masthead
Web Address
Main image
Free gifts
Barcode
Headline
Pug
Puff
Price
The masthead is bold and powerful to connote that the magazine is important and reputable in the film magazine industry. The typography is also golden coloured because this colour symbolizes wealth and power and this reflects the film industry.
This is included in the front cover to advertise the magazine company’s website. This website will promote subscription to the magazine.
The main image is of one of the main characters from the sci-fi fantasy film “Avatar”. Not only will this attract fans of the film to the magazine, the make-up and effects of the character will attract fans of sci-fi films in general.
The magazine offers free gifts to the reader to entice them to buy the magazine. It uses the words “special collectors’ cover” to attract avid fans of the film “Avatar”, not just the casual film fan.
The price is included on the front cover in a small simple typography. This is so that little attention is attracted to the price as it is fairly expensive compared to other magazines.
The puff of the magazine is “The World’s Biggest Movie magazine” which makes the magazine sound bigger and better than other film magazines in the market. The puff is also not very clear and is difficult to read, this gives the impression that the magazine is so popular that everyone knows the puff already.
Firstly, the pug is golden coloured, the same shade as the masthead to create a sense of synergy across the front cover. The choice of language in the pug is dramatic to make the magazine sound exciting.
The headline is the name of a very popular film and this gives the impression that the magazine is full of information about mainstream movies as opposed to films made by indie companies.
The barcode, like the previous magazine, is in an unconventional place and suggests that the magazine is unique.
Headline
Masthead
Headline
Main ImageHeadline
Headline
The masthead typography is very gothic and aggressive to reflect the horror genre of film. The typography is also a gradient of various shades of red, the colour red is a symbolism of blood which is common in the gore and horror genre of film. The masthead has the words “fan” and “gore” in it to suggest that the magazine is for fans of gore films.
The headline sounds spooky and refers to the woman in the main image to make her sound dangerous. The headline is in a pug shaped like splatters of blood to reflect the gore of the horror genre.
The main image is an old woman with horrific make-up to clearly state that the magazine is based around the horror genre of film. She has a direct mode of address to make the reader feel as if she is about to attack them and this will attract audiences who are fans of horror.
The headline is the name of a popular horror film and this will be relatable to horror fans and will make them want to buy the magazine. The typography is also cracked-looking with fire flickering on the top of the letters to suggest the ground is opening to reveal hell.
The headline mentions “Scar” which is a popular gore film. By mentioning this film makes the magazine seem relatable to gore fans. The headline also mentions 3D which suggests that the magazine is technologically up-to-date.
In this headline the N is backwards to make the magazine seem quirky and unique. The line “zombies that won’t shut up” reflects on the horror and comedy hybrid genre of film and suggests that the magazine is not just about pure horror films but also hybrid genres as well.
Masthead
Main Headline
Pug
Main Image
Headline
Background
Barcode
The masthead makes a reference to an English rock band, this hints to the audience that the magazine is about music. The typography is stylish and red with a 60s vibe, this could hint that the magazine is timeless.
The typography of the headline ‘Lana Del Rey’ is sophisticated and plain. This reflects the artist’s visual and musical style, straightforward and classy.
The main image is a black and white photo of Lana Del Rey in swimwear. It could be said that the image follows Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory because she looks seductive, however she manages to keep it classy and glamorous as her swimwear is not too revealing. This connotes that the magazine focuses on music and does not aim to sexualize women in a derogatory way. The image slightly covers the masthead of the magazine, which suggests that the magazine is so popular, showing the masthead in its entirety is not needed. The barcode is in a conventional location, this suggests that the magazine sticks with the latest trends.
The pug is shaped like a music poster which reflects the content of the magazine.
The headline mention Lady Gaga who is a famous pop singer. This suggests that the magazine will have information about A-list celebrities and will entice readers to buy the magazine.
The background of the main image is the side of a building revealing some exotic plants. This suggests that the magazine has an informal style, if the main image was shot in a studio setting it could suggest that the magazine uses a formal style.
Music and Film Genre Differences… In the main image, film magazines concentrate purely
on the characters in films with no particular use of making the actors look glamorous, whereas in music magazines, there is more emphasis on making musicians look glamorous and stylish.
The typography in film magazines is bold and simple whereas in music magazines there is usually stylish and curly.
It is common in film magazines to have free gives such as posters whereas this is less common in music magazines.
In music magazines, the headlines are usually about tours, music reviews and interviews whereas in film magazines, the headlines are usually about new films and reviews of the latest films.
Inspirational Covers
The following slide shows a series of covers that I plan to use as inspiration for my own magazine cover.
I have chosen these magazines as inspirational covers because although they have an horrific main image, they still manage to add a lot of complementary colours to make the magazine look scary yet aesthetically attractive.
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