MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

Masthead

Sky line

Puff

Sell lines

Cover line

Anchorage text

Barcode

Skyline

The sky line summarises the magazine issue.

The mast head is featured in the top third of the magazine . The magazine name stands out from the backdrop as white font with a small drop shadow is used. The word ‘film’ is emphasied more than total to let the audience know that it is a film magazine.

The main image would appeal to both men and women.The positioning of character shows he is strong, confident and edgy and he is positioned in front of the masthead showing he is important but also that the magazine is a recognizable brand even when the name is covered. His face is positioned in the middle third once again showing that he is significant .He is dressed in armour and wearing a sheild and his clothes give you an idea about at genre of film.Men idolise male characters that are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero). Women would find him appealing and ‘eye candy’ .

The colour palette is quite basic. Black white red are used throughout keeping to a very traditional American theme. The colours also help the cover look professional and sleek look.

The puff is used to gain readers attention. It uses a colourful star border to keep to the America theme but also to make the puff stand out from the white masthead.

Skyline at bottom includes additional information about what is included inside magazine .It doesn’t go into to much detail and summarises other articles.

The sell lines also summarise the articles within the magazine. It provides more information than the sky line and can gratify the readers need for information .Different fonts are used to differentiate the importance of different part of text .

Sky line

Masthead

Main image star

Coverline

Puff

Sell lines

The main thing that helps this magazine cover stand out is the colour scheme. Unlike other magazines this magazine uses a strict colour scheme of red, white and black. It works well as the main text like the masthead and cover line stand out from the main image and these are the most important parts of the magazine and what will sell.

The main image uses direct address and draws in the readers attention and others a sense of connection. The black and white edit matches with the issues theme and uses low key lighting .This represents the character as powerful, mysterious and menacing. It would appeal to woman because he is physically attractive and to men as he is seen as a powerful, independent man.

Same typography is used throughout cover. Capital letters are used throughout showing that every word is important.

Cover line uses the second largest font on page. It informs the reader of what film the star featured in .

Sell lines are used to gratify the readerwith information. White font is used to keep with the theme. Sell lines are positioned on the right or left thirds of the page so focus is centered around the character.

Puff advertises the magazine and features images of ‘collectable’ issues.

Skyline uses red font to separate the sell lines from the rest of the cover. Small dots are used to separate each part of information. They do not actually tell the reader what is featured in the magazine about the films and by doing the reader will then need to purchase the magazine to satisfying curiosity and general interest.

Anchorage text below uses words like boldest and coolest. They stand out and emphasize the popularity and excitement of the actual film.

Masthead

Puff

Coverline

Main image star

Sell lines

Strap line

Anchorage text

Main image star clothing hints at genre. The man is dressed in the same clothes that he would be wearing in the actual film. He is positioned in the centre third once again showing confidence and firmness represents him as a strong male figure.

Masthead of Empire has the same font, tracking and leading but a lightning effect is used. This allows the reader to connect this to the plot of the story .It also can gratify the readers excitement and help them escape from everyday life.

The anchorage text hints at the plot of Iron Man 2. This advertises to the reader that the magazine may include more information and this could gratify them .A border is used to help the text stand out from the character .Iron Man 2 is the second largest font on the page. It is the second most important part of information after the magazine name .

The magazine also like most magazines features a puff. ‘Ultimate’ is in black making it stand out from the other text. Ultimate also hints that this is a crucial, vital review that cannot be ignored.

Skyline once again is positioned above masthead. The fonts is kept the same, only the colour of every other piece of information is changed. This helps separate each part and show that they are different important parts of information.

The strap line below the anchorage text features images and text. The images are much smaller than the main image showing that the character once again is more important and the main feature of this issue. By using images the reader can link the text to an image that they may already know and gain a sense of security through knowledge. This is a convention commonly used in music magazines.

There is only one sell line on the magazine . It is positioned to the left of the character not drawing the attention away .’First look’ is more important and summarises the information. The text underneath adds more detail to the article without giving to much away.