The fashion magazine industry is a tough one and so in order to generate sales the front cover must appeal to the audience and stand out from the rest. Below is an analysis of the competitions front covers. It will highlight the successful and consistent features that appear on the lead magazines.
Company Magazine
Masthead: The masthead of this magazine is one that covers the whole top of the magazine. In this issue it is behind the main picture of the girl on the front which shows the audience that the company are very confident in their branding, in that although part of it is covered, people are still able to recognise what the magazine is. It is written in a serif font in a light blue shade. This is cool toned colour and carries connotations of confidence and tranquillity that could appeal to the audience by indicating what is in the magazine. I like this feature and would consider using it as part of my cover.
Main cover image: The main cover image is quite a relaxed image. Although the girl is looking straight at the camera, which appeals directly to the reader, her positioning is quite laid back, giving a welcoming and less intimidating feel. This would appeal to the demographic because they are young girls and may lack self confidence so don't want to feel pressured of being judged. The background that the photo is take against appears to be a room that you would find in a home and contains quite soft, earthy and neutral tones. This again gives a welcoming feel to the cover and invites the audience to buy the magazine. The lady on the front cover has been presented in a dominant ideological way as she has flawless makeup and hair. This is to sell the idea of perfection and to promote the content of the magazine. This also makes her look young and youthful which will attract the demographic as they are of a similar age and so it is more relatable.
Cover Lines: This magazine has an interesting style of cover lines. Each one is written in a different font from the next and they are all of varying sizes. Some are serif and some are sans serif. This could indicate to the audience the varying significance of all the stories within the magazine but still draw them magazine in order to read more. within the cover line references to social media and other forms of the magazine are used for example hashtags which will encourage the reader to get involved on many multimedia platforms. Stereotypically younger generations are supposedly more technological and so will have access to these sites which is good as this is what the magazines are targeting. There are no pull quotes on this front cover. There is however a spot which contains text claiming that it is a special issue. This would have been done as a promotional features as it is more prominant to the eye and so will intrigue the reader.
The Left Third: The left third on this cover has a lot more content than others in this genre and is therefore very unique and attractive to this magazine. It contains a lot of pictures and features that in the magazine and act as taster of the content inside. This is what the target audience will like to see and could be persuasive to them. Its more aesthetically pleasing and involves less reading which is what a target audience would be looking for when selecting magazines.
Colours: The colours on this cover are all matching and the fonts, spots, and the girls clothes all match. This gives a professional, polished feel but is also soothing to the readers as they are quite calm and peaceful, pastel shades. They also reflect the season that the magazine was published in as pastel shades usually carry conotations of spring / summer which is when it was released.
Allure:
Masthead: Similarly to Company, Allure have their masthead positioned behind the main cover photo. This once again shows the brand's confidence but it also shows the significance of the lady on the front and her role within the magazine. This time the colour is red which is a colour associated with strength and power. This could mean that the company are trying to present to the audience how good their magazine is and that it is reputable.
Main Cover Image: Again the format of the cover image is much like the one seen on Company's front cover. It has Lauren placed central but has her body language quite relaxed. This then portrays onto the reader. She is looking at the camera again which has a direct appeal to the audience but her head it positioned at an angle that is not harsh and intimidating. The clothes she is wearing depict the season that the magazine is released at and are also young and youthful, which could appeal to the demographic. Again she is being presented in an idelogical way with the perfect hair and makeup which can appeal to the audience. The background of this photo is outside and you can tell this from the sand and blurred foliage behind her. This gives a sense of freedom and nature which contrasts with the content but gives the reader a false impression of being natural. It makes all the conscienceness of image less fake and materialistic. it appears that the
Cover Lines: The cover lines are in varying fonts and sizes and are a mix between serif and sans serif fonts. They all indicate that the content is about appearance which appeals to the target audience as the demographic of this magazine is young women and stereotypically that is what they enjoy and spend their time and money on. The varying colour and sizes have different effects on the audience that could potentially draw them in. There are no pull quotes on this front cover or any spots.
The Left Third: The left third of this issue is very simple yet effective. It contains three simple but different cover lines that are hooks to the reader. One is a rhetorical question that could interest an audience and below it has a page reference which indicates that you could read further information if you pick the magazine up. It has quite generic cover lines that don't indicate or relate to the cover image but that could be done as a promotional feature because it could lead them to then picking it up to have a look at the rest of the cover.
Colours: The colours on this cover are mainly primary shades. This gives an air of simplicity but sophistication which, is what the target audience can relate to. Red again shows power and authority which is what the magazine could be trying to make their readers feel and blue is calm yet confident.
Elle:
Masthead: This magazine has a different approach to the masthead. Instead of being in front of or behind the main cover image it has been spread around it. This means that masthead has covered to whole top of the cover and is central. The masthead unlike most other magazines in this genre has a coverline in the middle of it. This takes away from the headline but it
shows the confidence that the coming have in their name. It is written in a sans serif font and gives a feel of elegance and class which would appeal to the reader. It's in a pastel shade of orange which carries connotations of wealth, joy and prestige which could give off those sorts of vibes to an audience about the magazine and its content. It also could persuade the reader to feel such feelings.
Main cover image: the main cover image on this particular magazine is in black and white which it's quite striking and contrasts greatly with the colour used for the text. It is a full body shot and is taken in an urban outside setting. This makes it reals table to readers as that is where most readers will live in such like areas. It also relates to what the content of the magazine is portray as it is 'high street' and easily accessible. The picture sees Cheryl wearing an animal print coat, which has inspired the colour theme. It stand out to the eye but also creates a basis for the colour scheme. Usually leopard print is orange and yellow toned which is why the producer chose those shades for the text around the picture. It's almost deceiving to the eye as it makes it seem like that jacket could be in colour.
Cover lines: the cover lines on this magazine are written in the same font just varying between bold and normal text. It is written in a serif font which gives a feel of importance and attracts the eye to them. Again you can tell that it is aimed at a younger audience as it is about appearance and where to find things on the high street which suggests that it's at a cheaper price. ( due to a younger target audiences minimal income.)
The Left Third: compared to other magazines that I have looked at in this genre, this left third is very bare. Although this does not tell the reader about much of the content it does express the importance of that particular feature. The cover line is about loving your body which although is contradictory to what the magazine is selling (materialist products to a chance your appearance) is an important message to send to the reader which could be why it's on it's own. It could also help reduce the pressure on what younger women take from the magazine and that is that what they already have is to be loved as well as modified.
Colours: the colours on this particular magazine and very bland but do make a statement as mention before. It is in black and white and has the colours in the text. Also unlike the other magazines we have seen primary colours have not been used which indicates again a youthful feel, relating to the target demographic.
Cosmo:
Masthead: Cosmopolitan have chosen a pink masthead, in a serif font to cover the whole of the magazine. This is the same approach as the other magazines I have researched. Once again the head of the celeb on the front is covering part of the masthead showing brand confidence and celebrity significance. This time, the branding is in a hot pink colour that carries connotations of passion, fun,and all loving, meaning you should love yourself. The masthead on this magazine is also covered slightly by a cover line this tells the reader that this particular cover line is significant and should be read as a priority by the reader.
Cover lines: The above cover, is very busy with cover lines. There are a lot of them filling any spare space on the magazine around the picture. This could be for one of two reasons, the first being that the target audience may be very busy so this is a code for that or that the magazine are simply trying to display as much content as possible to attract a wider target audience. The cover lines clearly show that this magazine is aimed at women. You can tell this from the content, e.g new hairstyles with long or short hair, this itself tell us that its female orientated. They are all written in varying fonts and sizes which is a common feature of fashion magazines.
Main Cover Image: The main cover image on this magazine is of Miley Cyrus who is a character recognised by the age bracket of 25+which are who the magazine is aimed at. She is dressed in a nude dress with gemstones covering it, which indicates party and going out for celebrations or special events which relates to the time the magazine was released. (December - close to Christmas) Miley is also looking directly at the camera which has a direct effect on the reader and makes it more personal. This could encourage them the buy the magazine. Unlike the other magazines there is nothing in the background which directs more focus onto the other features of the cover e.g the person and the cover lines. Again Miley has perfected hair and makeup which creates an ideological image and portrays the idea of perfection and being flawless. She is smiling in the photo with a cheeky expression on her face which relates to the controversial and slightly inappropriate natures of some of the cover lines but it also makes the picture appear more intriguing which will draw the audience in. The colours of the gems she is wearing in the photo are all jewel toned which match the rich pink that they text is written in around the magazine. The lighting in this photo is very soft and do not create any harsh shadows on Miley which give an idea of femininity that will relate to the target demographic.
The Left Third: The left third is very busy on this cover as mentioned before. It contains many different coloured cover lines and has a large spot in the centre. This style, crams as much information onto the cover as possible which increases the chance of appealing to the audience. They vary in content, from appearance, to feelings and relationships which conclude what the magazine is written about. This left third also contains the barcode which is unique compared to the other magazines that I have looked at.
Colours: The colour scheme is a very rich, jewel toned selection. This relates to the time of year but also can appeal to the audience as they are stereotypically 'girl' colours. The colours are all quite bold which are very powerful colours and portray a powerful message to the audience.
Conclusion:
Common and Successful Features of Fashion Magazines:
Bold, serif masthead that is covered by the head of the celebrity on the front. Covers the whole top of the magazine.
Colour scheme relating to the cover image.
Cover lines about appearance, using very powerful adjectives and bold statements.
Busy cover with lots of cover lines.
Colours that are all 'empowering' colours.
