Main Task: Analysis of Existing Magazines - Cover

 

 

The 'Rolling Stone' masthead is placed behind Taylor suggesting the importance of the star, allowing them to dominate the page. The choice of costume and makeup supports the idea of the headline 'The Heart Break Kid' -  the use of clothing suggest her young age and the ‘American school  kid’ look suggests she is still a ‘kid’. The use of colours are centred around the colour of her hair, therefor quite neutral. Similarly the use of make-up suggests that she has been crying, connoting the idea of 'heartbreak'. This sensationalist subject suggests that there is a side to Taylor that her fans have not seen, therefore leading to them buying the product to read what they have missed, allowing themselves to potentially connect to the star. Additionally, the heading 'THE 2012 HOT LIST' is in red, symbollic of the temperature.

 

 

 

 

The red colour scheme used for Rihannas hair, co-ordinates with the colour blocking in the masthead adding a sense of proffesionalism and keeping colour to a minimum. The use of colour blocking means that the masthead can either compliment or contrast the images used on the cover.

The sensationalise subject matter 'My fans don't really know who I am' suggests that fans will be more drawn to reading and buying this magazine so that they can discover the true identity of the star. The magaizne uses visual heirarchy in order to direct the reader through the contents of the magazine so that they read all of it.

There is also the use of block shapes in order to make the headings more noticable on the busy background. In addition to this, most of the headings are on the left third of the magazine, addint to the visul heirarchy, in contrast to 'Q magazine' below.

The use of a medium close up emphasises the body language and seductive facial expression as shown by Rihanna, promoting sex appeal, revealing a true side to the star, and to capture the attention of the reader.

The size and positioning of the 'Q' logo, straight away makes it easier for the audience to recognise and identify the company. It is positioned like the sun over the town, emphasising its dominance and power. The black and white/toned down colour scheme empahises the companys house style and the cover star's (Florence Welsh) hair. The minimal use of colour throughout this product makes the magazine look more proffesional, and minimal, drawing the attention to the information rather than distracting the audience with the variation of colour.
The use of the long shot which is a contrast the the downsize of the famous landmarks, shows the power of Florence in the industry, and how 'big' she has become in music. On the other hand, this contrasts the headline 'The 100 greatest front men' suggesting that Florence has become bigger than all of them.
The provocative clothing and the direct eye-contact from florence draws the attention to the magazine, promoting sex appeal and directing the audience to read/buy the product.