Front cover analysis Masthead: The masthead is written in bright red and uses a simple style of block capitals which catches the eye regardless of personal preference and as a result conforms to the basic purpose of a masthead, the masthead is also recognisable due to the brand/institution being a well-established one in the industry and also has the same colouration and style as the rest of the publications created by NME. The masthead has been overlapped by the cover image and this is significant as it shows that the brand is so well known and recognisable that there is no need for masthead to be fully visible. Main image/cover model: The main image is one of Alex Turner from the band Arctic Monkeys and is a very suitable cover model as they are an indie rock band and the main genre which NME are known to cover is indie rock. This selection of model is in order to attract the female gaze and to attract attention nonetheless as he is the frontman of the band and is arguably the most well-known of them, the cover will also obviously appeal to the fans of the band due to the picture but even without knowing who he is the mode of dress he is wearing conveys an indie rock artist thanks to the use of black and the rose, The shot is a medium shot and this means that more focus is put on his face and his direct gaze will also attract attention. Mise en scene: as it has been mentioned before the models way of dress adheres to the conventions of the indie rock genre and his hair and vinyl disc prop also adds to the iconography the creators are trying to display. Cover line: The cover line refers and relates to the models vinyl disc prop with the phrase “the record that changed my life� and the additional phrase that follows the previous statement directly addresses the reader with 2Whats yours?� this makes the reader get an idea of what sort of questions or article is going to be in the magazine and gets the reader interested in reading onwards.
Sell lines: The sell lines are used to interest the reader and attract the attention of a wider audience by referencing other bands also using standout colours and typography to draw the attention of the reader but not too much so that it overwhelms them. House style and colour usage: The predominant colours used in the front cover are white, red and blue which relates to the nationality of the cover model but also continues a theme of using those three colours throughout their many issues. Header: The header uses the word exclusive in order to sell content from another genre perhaps to draw in readers who are not interested in the Arctic Monkeys and otherwise might give that issue a miss.