This is the front cover of NME from August 2012 magazine with Alex Turner from the band Arctic Monkeys featuring on the front.
The target audience for NME magazine is typically of a younger age, normally between 15- 30. This is shown through the text ‘the record that changed my life’. The text is written in a font that could be similar to writing and quite casual. The topics are also less mature. For example ‘destroys Wembley’ and ‘the man behind the monster’.
Mast head-
Main image-
The name of the magazine ‘NME’ is an acronym for ‘New Musical Express’ which is written in a small black serif front underneath the title for anchorage purposes. The main mast head is written in a bold, red and simple font to stand out from the neutral grey colour of the background. It has been placed in the top left third of the front cover and it read from left to right which is conventional for a rock, alternative and indie magazine. The mast head has also been placed behind the main image of Alex turner. This suggests NME believe that their brand is recognisable enough without the full logo being in view. It also passes power to the image and shows the importance of Alex Turner being on the front cover.
The main image is of Alex Turner, a well know celebrity. The image is used as an aspirational element which is a generic magazine convention. It’s a mid-shot with person looking directly into the camera giving direct mode of address. The image is fairly natural with Alex Turner dressed casually holding a record. Its links with the main cover line ‘the record that changed my life’ which is the focal point of his feature in the magazine.
Cover linesThe cover lines are in an italicised font in teal and white colours which are in contrast with the black and red in the blocks of other text; for example the masthead and the banners. The job of the cover lines is to entice the reader into the magazine and to give a hint of what’s to come. All of the bands/artists are in the same category as Arctic Monkeys so would appeal to the target audience. Rhetorical device - a rhetorical question has been used at the bottom of the cover to allow the reader to question themselves and to involve them in the magazine. It makes it more personal. The preferred reading of the question would be for the reader to refer to the Arctic Monkeys.
Colour themeThe generic convention for magazine layouts is to use 3 or 4 colours and to stick to a theme. For this magazine the, colours are red, blue white with small touches of black. The colour are contrasting to each other and also matches parts of the main image. For example the record is black and the shirt that Alex Turner is wearing is black with a red pattern. Main cover lineThe main cover line is written in a sans serif front that is only used in this instance to draw most of the attention to itself. It’s bold and written in white to again draw attention. It’s also a play on pun which relates with the record in the image.
Extra cover lines- on the right of the magazine, more cover lines are added in smaller a font and in a different colour scheme colours showing they have less importance compared to the main cover lines.