Cover Analysis

 Cover One 

On this edition of Vogue magazine, the masthead” Vogue” is written in all capital letters in the magazine’s recognisable serif font. The letter G is missing from the title and is replaced with the face of the cover star, who for this edition is Lana Del Rey. Vogue can afford to do this because they are such a well-known brand that readers will still recognise their iconic font and name in a shop even if the title is incomplete. The elegant serif font of the masthead reflects that this is a magazine that is marketed more towards middle-class female readers who enjoy high fashion and high culture products, and the colour pink used also appeals to a female audience with its feminine connotations, however this does change with each issue. The main image on the cover is of pop-star Lana Del Rey, whose main demographic is a largely female audience, again reflecting the target audience of the magazine as a whole. The main image employs high-key lighting and direct mode of address to draw audiences in, as it is position directly in the middle of the masthead - in the middle third of the cover, which is where audiences would typically look first if they saw the magazine on display in a shop. Lana is dressed in a lacy yellow dress - which stands out from the other colours used (exclusively pink, black, and white on the coverlines and background) and a lot of sparkly accessories, with her hair styled framing her face – which emphasises the direct mode of address – which again draws in a female audience who would be typically more interested in high fashion and cultural products since Vogue is a high fashion magazine. The style of her makeup heavily emphasises her eyes, which strengthens the effect of the direct address; in addition, the word ”fascinating” is used to describe her, which invites audiences who may not know who Lana Del Rey is but were drawn in by this direct address to buy the magazine and find out what is so ”fascinating” about her. The coverlines on this edition are also mostly written in the same pink shade as the masthead, with few words in black or white to add emphasis. For example, the word ”Essential” is written in a different colour and font than the rest of the cover line ”Essential International Collections Issue”. This signals to audiences that this edition of the magazine may be exclusive and special, so it is ”essential” that they buy it. In the coverlines, there is a common theme with phrases such as ”play dress-up" and ”princess dresses and silver shoes” which sounds as though they would be targeted to an audience of young children – as young girls are often into princesses and playing dress-up. Along with the tagline of the edition, ”Oh so pretty!” these phrases would appeal a younger audience – like a lot of Lana Del Rey’s listeners – and a more girly audience than other editions.  

Cover Two 

On this edition of the music magazine NME, the masthead is written in all capitals and a San serif font. The artists featured in this magazine usually fall under the indie and rock genres, which is reflected by the font choice, as it is less sophisticated and more colloquial than a serif font. The main colour used throughout is red, which has connotations of power, anger, and rebellion – which are common themes in indie and rock music. The masthead is outlined in black and white which allows it to stand out against the rest of the cover. The main image of the cover is of Alex Turner and Miles Kane – who are two artists who released music separately but came together to release an album; this brings an extra audience to the magazine as both artists have their own pre-sold audience from their prior activities. Both artists are looking at the camera with a serious expression and direct mode of address, which draws audience in as they see it in a shop. Alex Turner’s head is slightly covering the NME masthead, which reflects how the magazine is already an established brand which is recognisable enough to their target demographic that they do not need to see the whole logo. This could also suggest that Alex Turner is being used to market this edition more than Miles Kane, as it can be argued that the Arctic Monkeys are more popular amongst the magazines target demographic of young indie music fans. This is conveyed by Alex taking up the entire middle third of the cover, which is where readers typically look first. Also, the main story line of the cover talks about Alex’s activities with Arctic Monkeys, rather than speaking about the Last Shadow Puppets or Miles Kane at all. Therefore, this markets the cover more towards the pre-sold audience of Arctic Monkeys fans that this would bring. This edition of the magazine appears to target a more male audience than previous editions may have, since the cover stars are both male and every other artist mentioned in the coverlines are also male, except for Amy Winehouse whose name is written in smaller print and a different colour and font, therefore there is very little female representation to draw them in. It could also be argued that the magazine as a whole targets a predominantly male audience because stereotypically, women don’t listen to indie or rock music as much as men do, so they would not be interested in this magazine. Other magazine conventions present in this cover include the barcode and sticker illusion which promotes new music and stands out among the rest of the cover by using yellow instead of red lettering. 

 Cover Three 

On this edition of Girls’ Life magazine, the masthead is written in all capitals and a San serif font. This reflects a more relaxed, youthful manner that the magazine seems to carry. The masthead is not covered by the cover stars head at all, which could be because it is a less recognisable magazine like Vogue or Cosmopolitan. The main cover image is of Zendaya, who is a successful actress – however, by placing the masthead over her, the magazine is suggesting that they are not relying on her to sell their magazine. She is dressed in a black dress that shows off her shoulders and collarbones, a large pearl necklace, and a messy bun hairstyle with quite a few strands of hair falling down. This style is more relaxed than a lot of high fashion magazines and does not adhere to the male gaze due to its target readers. The target demographic of this magazine is younger females, aged 10-16, who are interested in stereotypical girly things like boys, makeup, and clothes. This is conveyed through the pink and purple colour scheme - which are typically considered feminine colours, and the coverlines of the magazine ”Cute trends we love”, ”unleash your inner Supergirl”, and ”are you a good flirt?” The language used on these coverlines target a demographic of younger females as these are the words stereotypically expected to be included in their vocabulary. There is also an arrow that points towards Zendaya and says ”Ok, we love this girl” in a serif font. This colloquial language also hints to a younger female audience. The use of Zendaya in the main image also targets this audience with direct mode address, but also the fact that Zendaya would be a very recognisable star to these younger teenage girls as she was on the Disney Channel, which is also typically marketed towards younger girls interested in ”girly” things. However, there are some coverlines that would not necessarily appeal to these young girls, for example ”7 ways to get in a good way fast”. Young girls may not be interested in mental wellness yet, and this would be more of a coverline expected on a magazine marketed to older women, but it could be argued that it does target some of its audience, as some girls may be going through puberty and experiencing hormones for the first time, then they may be interested by this article. Other conventions of a magazine cover that can be found include the barcode, sticker illusion that indicates something new and stands out from the rest of the cover, and website address located under the masthead.