Analysis of front cover by Maddy Ryder

Front cover analysis:

I chose to analyse this magazine cover because of the codes and conventions used. The magazine is popular and sells incredibly well due to the methods used, and so I would like to replicate some of these techniques in our own music magazine.

 The dark hair, heavy eyeliner, red lipstick and white teeth of the model in the picture match the red, white & black colour scheme of the front cover. I would like to use these features in our magazine because it is aesthetically pleasing and puts an association between the magazine and the artist, giving the impression that the magazine ‘owns’ her.

The sexual conventions used on the front cover (her heavy makeup and expression - she is looking straight at the camera and has her tongue out) will not be used in our magazine, as we are aiming towards an audience of teens rather than adults. The close-up increases the sexualised nature of the picture, as it appears to be more intimate, although a full body shot may be used in this way, depending on the clothing (or lack of it) of the model.

The sell line (the UK’s biggest music magazine) is very effective as it grabs the attention and focuses on the magazine’s reputation as a selling point. I would like to use this technique in our own music magazine as, according to the research we have done, the reputation of a magazine is an important factor as to whether the customer decided to purchase it or not.

The simple use of three colours (red, white & black) is effective as it is bright and bold, catching the eye of the customer, without being over complicated. The simple layout and lack of any explanation or extra information about the featured artist (simply the words ‘Cheryl Cole Rocks’) is a code used that suggests that the artist is too important – she needs no introduction. The lack of any other pictures or artists featured on the front cover implies this further, although since our magazine focuses on new artists rather than more experienced, popular ones, we may not use this technique.