Magazine Cover Analysis

Cover One: Blender

Blender was a pop culture magazine which focused on both style and music which ran up to 2009 because it had moved to an online only format which led to job losses and the eventual closing of the company.  It released Magazine’s ten times a year.

The Masthead is in a large black sans serif font which creates an impression that it is rebellious and not afraid to be seen in that style, though sometimes the magazine’s masthead would change font and colour to match the artist presented on the front cover. However, the L and the R are covered up by the drummer and guitarist of the band Fall Out Boy who are the main image on this issue of the magazine. With their pop punk style of music, Fall Out Boy were popular during the release of this issue drawing in attention of their fans as well as the presold audience of the newspaper. The colour scheme consists of cool blues and greys, but the bassist stands out at the front with his yellow patterned trousers and red and black bass as he pulls most of the attention toward him.

Though the band all have their instruments and microphone, they seem energetic and happy to perform, creating a V shape composition with their bodies on the cover as they jump or lunge forward all sharing the same amount of space because they are all integral parts to the band. However, under the main cover line, consisting of a thinner two-toned blue font, is a smaller cover line with a black font which portrays a ‘secret breakup’ and a ‘bromance.’ This binary opposition creates the selling line as it presents information which may be exclusive and unseen, creating profit if people buy this copy for it. Other coverlines, which fit around the composition of the band display what other content is included in the issue, like other rock or alternative music artists. Although the main target audience is favouring the main band’s audience, young adults of any gender, they are offering their usual content because of the cultural industries theory so secondary target audiences know there will be something familiar in each issue.

The outfits they wear like the coats and flat caps reflect the 2010’s pop punk fashion which linked to the musical subculture which Fall Out Boy was known for.  Because they are leaning toward the camera it creates a sense of depth for the audience which makes them relatable and real.

Cover Two: Harper's Bazaar

Harper’s Bazaar is a fashion, culture and beauty magazine targeted toward women aged 18-30 presenting news about celebrities and fashion and beauty tips published in New York City since 1867 and it is the oldest women’s fashion magazine (with its first cover presenting a range of hairstyles for women with long hair) and releases an issue monthly.

The Serif font (typically used by fashion magazines) at the top of the cover has a magenta colour matching the bottom colour of Avril Lavigne’s hair and this is a common convention for Harper’s Bazaar as the colour matches the artists colour scheme, this colour is also related to femininity because of semiotics and pink being used as a sign for women. The colour scheme involves this magenta as well as black and white which creates binary opposition as she talks about her ‘20 year’ career in the music industry in a coverline, this reflects the power Avril is given as she takes up most of the cover as the main image with the lack of supporting images, looking directly out to the audience.

The Noun ‘takeover’ in the main cover line, which consists of the same serif font but smaller and coloured white instead, also reinforces the idea that Avril is a powerhouse in her genre of music, which was pop-punk. A smaller coverline underneath describes her as a princess which is a presentation of her feminine power and readers may want to understand how to be like her because she is a role model to young women, which is the main target audience.

Avril’s makeup is also typical of pop punk and her own personal style which an audience would be used to seeing, following into the cultural industries theory because people understand she is still the icon of her genre even after 20 years. Because this cover is Vietnamese issue it could connote, she has a larger audience to appeal to there

Cover Three: Alternative Press

Alternative Press (sometimes known as altpress or AP) is an entertainment magazine which focuses on music, style and culture. It was released in 1985 which was originally sold at concerts for bands playing ‘underground’ and alternative music. It now releases issues 4 times a year rather than monthly.

The Masthead uses two of its titles with the larger one being AP in a larger futuristic font because of its sharp angles and clear edges, it uses a red colour and a lower opacity to create an effect where it blends into the background to show the clear layering of the blue background image and the font, this makes it look alternative as the brand name suggests. In the cover line, many different fonts and colours like red, white, blue and yellow are used to fit the punk and pop punk aesthetic the band Green Day are known for. The words ‘Green Day’ is diagonal like it stamped onto them; this makes them look iconic as a musical artist. Using the idea that Green Day is coming out with one of the ‘most anticipated albums’ of the 2009 creates interest as the magazine may present unseen information that is exclusive content to this specific issue.

The main image consists of the band staring out to the audience with neutral facial expression and tilted heads which make them look both interested and powerful. Though all the band members all share an equal amount of space, Billie Joe Armstrong, the frontman and the singer of the band, is clearly placed forward to create a V shape composition for the group.

Their outfits also fit into the punk aesthetic that reflected in their music with leather jackets, makeup and dyed black hair. Because they are presented positively and in their usual style, their target audience of late teens to late 20s understands this is typical behaviour for them, linking to cultural industries.