Main cover line/banner: positioned in the centre of the

main cover image, at a slight angle similar to the skyline.

Being positioned here suggests it may be more important

than the actual photo itself. The line ‘HEAVY! HARD!

HERE!’ uses alliteration to make it catchy and the bold

lettering makes it stand out from the cover. The cover line

consists of the colours red, yellow, and black which all

represent the genre of rock music being loud and ‘heavy’,

relating to the artist’s ‘domination’ mentioned in the line.

Side banner: positioned in the left third part of the

cover. The images are placed in a black background

that have been cut and edited in Photoshop to make

it all merge together. The images have been made to

look like polaroids to give the cover a professional

look. The names of each artist have been included

beneath each photo to make it easy for the reader to

identify them. The magazine informs the reader that

they can get the top ’10 pop-punk posters’ by

purchasing the magazine and is advertising the

opportunity to create your own ‘super group’.

Barcode: the barcode has been in the bottom right corner. The

barcode, price and date are all merged together in the box where

readers can easily find them all at the same place. The barcode has

been placed inside the puff to distract the attention away from it.

Puff: common convention of a front cover usually

stands out. The puff on this front cover is looks

like a splattered paint effect that contrasts against

the main image, covering the top of one of the

men. The designer has chosen to do this as it fits

with the genre of rock/pop which the magazine

belongs to. ‘Breaking News!’ makes the feature

exciting and eye catching.

Masthead: The cracked effect of the title reflects the

genre of rock music which is stereotypically seen as

loud and rebellious. The unique design makes the title

memorable and iconic for the audience. The bold,

white lettering stands out against the purple

background. Although the heads of the men in the

cover image are covering parts of the title, the reader

is still able to identify the magazine’s title because of

its layout and memorable title.

Skyline: banner across the top of the page at a slight

angle. Informs the reader they could be given a chance to

‘win! Loads of paramour swag!’ The line is in capital

letters and the word ‘win’ is in bold to emphasis the

excitement of winning this prize. By positioning this at

the top, it is eye catching to the reader and they are able

to notice. The banner is in a contrasting colour of navy

compared to the purple background to make it stand out

Main image: the band ‘Mastodon’ are this issues main

cover image as the magazine looks at their ‘2012

domination’. Their clothing reflects the rock genre and

the target audience reading the magazine will want to

dress like the bands they listen to. The photo looks like

a group shot that could have been taken by anyone and

we can tell this from their casual face expressions that

look like they are not taking the photo shoot too

seriously. The men’s’ heads covering parts of the

masthead imply that they carry authority and status as

they are the main story of the magazine

Puff: a cover line has been designed to look like a puff

that distinguishes itself from other cover lines. A band’s

image and their name have been used in this puff,

including a quote that has been said by a member of the

band which makes the cover line interesting and attracts

readers to the story. It is of a red colour which contrasts

to the purple background and therefore stands out.

Colour scheme: the busy layout of the front cover

uses many different colours so it is difficult to say it

has a certain colour scheme but the dominant

colours used are black, red, purple and yellow which

are all associated with rock, heavy music. Using

these colours enables the magazine to target their

audience who are teenagers who like rock music.

Target audience: the target audience for this particular

magazine is mainly teenagers/young adults who listen to rock

music and enjoy reading about their favourite artists.

Masthead: the title is located at the top left-third

of the cover. The title and logo have been

included in the masthead and the use of the

distinct red and contrasting white colour make the

title iconic and memorable for the reader. The

design of the masthead makes it the first thing

you notice and effectively advertises their brand.

The letter ‘Q’ is of a serif style, carrying the

connotation that this magazine is of a formal tone

Pug: looks like it has been stuck on the

magazine after it has been designed. The pug

is of a gold colour, signifying the importance of

the magazine being the ‘300th Issue’. The pug

also acts as the magazine’s USP as it is

advertising the fact that it is there 300th issue.

Main Image: The model is facing towards to

camera from side on. Her pose relates to the cover

line ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it...’ as we see her

touching her lips with her fingers in a sexual way

that attracts the male audience, known as the

male gaze concept proposed by Laura Mulvey.

Women will also look at this image and aspire to

be like Adele, as a woman who conveys confidence

and sexuality without showing of her body. The

image portrays a glamorous feel as she is wearing

makeup and her hair has been styled and looks as

if the wind is blowing in it, which relates to the

cover line ‘blows us away’.

Main cover line: The model’s name is in large

capital letters, with spacing between each letter.

The cover line is in a white, sans serif font which

contrasts and stands out from the image. The

magazine has also used a quote mentioned by

Adele as part of its cover line which will attract

readers to find out what the artist actually means

by this. ‘BLOWS US AWAY’ is in a red colour similar

to masthead and contracts with the white text

above it.

Selling line: although some parts of it have

been hidden, readers remember the catchy

USP ‘discover great music’ because of its

positioning.

Colour Scheme: The main colours used in this cover are

red, black and white. The colours used create a

simplistic look for the cover, which makes the main

image of central focus. The use of white gives the

magazine cover a clean and professional image.

Cover lines: gives the readers an insight into

what to expect from this issue, in this case,

the issue features interviews with ‘Q Icons’.

The names of the artists’ to be featured in

the magazine in their interview are in a larger

size font to highlight the authority and

importance of these icons. The text is of a red

and black text to match the colour scheme of

the cover.

Barcode: the barcode has been positioned beneath the cover

lines in the bottom left corner. The barcode, price and date

are all merged together in the box where readers can easily

find them all at the same place. The barcode hasn’t been

hidden or disguised in such way.

Target audience: the magazine does not seem to attract any particular target

audience but appeals to many audiences such older, mature adults to young

adults because of the vast majority of artists and bands they feature.

Barcode: unattractive feature of the cover and is

positioned towards the centre of the page which is

unusual for a fashion magazine as it is usually hidden

or disguised cleverly at the bottom corner of the page.

It isn’t very noticeable at first as it does blend in with

the model’s white clothing. The barcode has been

rotated vertically and also contains the price in a

contrasting colour of light red.

Side Banner: the side banner contains various fashion

items with their prices which are being advertised by

the magazine. The side banner relates to the above

cover line of ‘25 Classic Buys’ which is in a white serif

font that stands out from the black background and is

eye catching to the reader. The images are placed in a

white background that have been cut and edited in

Photoshop to make it all merge together. The banner

has been positioned on the right hand side of the

cover so that it doesn’t cover the face of the model of

the main image.

Plug: positioned on the top right corner of the

page, relating to the side banner. It acts as a form

of advertising as it is encouraging readers to look at

their ’25 classic buys’ which they may look at in

retailers and not feel guilty about shopping at the

same time. The emphasis on the plug makes it

stand out and noticeable to the readers who are

essentially reading this magazine because of its

fashion aspect

Selling line/USP: relates to the genre of the magazine and makes it clear

to the reader what the magazine is based on. The use of alliteration makes

it catchy and the use of capital letters makes the line bold and eye

catching to the reader as it is placed above to masthead in the sky line.

Main cover line: The main story relates to the image as

the name of the model is placed beside her image very

clearly and the use of big bold font emphasises the

importance this story has and is therefore classed as the

‘main’ cover line. Positioned under the masthead, on the

left hand side without distracting attention from the

image or covering it up.

Main Image: Reality star Kim Kardashian is this week’s

cover line and the image used has direct address as she

is looking directly at the camera which draws the readers

in and makes us engaged into the story. The model has

been placed in the left hand side area, with her face

positioned in the centre of the page as she is the main

cover story. The image doesn’t appear to be one that a

photographer of the magazine has shot, but more of a

natural pose of which she is smiling at the camera. The

main focal emphasis is on her facial expression as we

found out her ‘secret’ which the magazine claims to

reveal. The ‘male gaze’ concept can be applied to this

photo as women will look at this photo and want to be

like the model, whilst men will want to look at her. The

model is also wearing a dress that exposes her cleavage

and this feature is emphasised by the magazine.

Website: positioned around the ‘L’ letter of the

masthead in the same colour. By placing the website

beneath the title, readers will be more likely to notice it

as opposed to it being positioned at the bottom right

corner and more likely to go on the website.

Masthead: the title is positioned at the top of the magazine covering most of the left hand side

section. The font is of a serif style which makes it look formal and the letters are in bold capitals which

make it eye-catching and memorable for the reader as it is the first

thing they notice about a magazine. The colour goes with

the overall colour scheme of white, blue and light red,

whilst contrasting with the sky blue background at the

same time. The title reflects the stylish, modern and

simple look which attracts their target audience of young

female adults who are interested in the latest fashion.

news.

Banner: images of a model wearing several outfits and advertising them which

is essentially the purpose of the magazine to advertise fashion clothing and

give the latest news on trends and current styles. The emphasis on the word

‘will’ makes the idea of wearing wedding outfits more encouraging to the

reader. The box stands out from the page as it is in a contrasting colour of

turquoise compared to the background.

Main Image: The main image is positioned in the centre

and everything else is revolving around the image as she is

the central focus of this issue. This issue features famous

American pop star Katy Perry, who fans are able to

recognise. The model is wearing multi-colour shorts and a

bikini top with a bow on her head. The photo is a medium

long shot as we can see the model from about knees level.

She has her back/bottom to the camera and is looking

from behind her shoulder. This attracts men because she

has been dressed and positioned in a way to appeal to

them and they will want to look at the artist, this concept

being known as the male gaze. Women will also look at

this photo and aspire to be like her because of her sex

appeal and her body confidence, although her facial

expressions indicate her shyness and innocence. The

lighting is really bright and the background is white.

Cover lines: All other stories in the magazine have been

positioned around the cover image, which is typical of

most music magazines. The font sizes vary for each

cover line and particular words such as the featured

artist or band are in a pink colour to make them stand

out as they more important than other words.

All the features included within the front page are about

various music genres such as pop, hip-hop and rock. This

suggests that the magazine aims in targeting a wide

range audience with their distinct magazine that is

different from most other music magazines that focus

on one particular genre.

Colour scheme: The main colours used are white, pink and

black. The use of white gives the magazine cover a clean and

professional image. The use of 3 main colours is a typical

feature in most music magazines.

Layout: overall layout of the magazine is a clear and simple

one as it doesn’t contain many features, similar to the Q

magazine cover. It looks like it has had a lot of work has been

put into it to make perfect and simple, without it looking

cheap. Everything looks organised and positioned to the

correct place. There are also lots of white spaces which make

the magazine look clean cut and not busy. It also makes sure

the attention is on the cover image.

Main cover line: The name of the artist who is this issue’s

main cover image is printed in large capital letters beside

the photo. The cover line of the feature is positioned in the

left third of the page. This draws attention to the story and

gives the audience the idea that particular story is about the

figure on the front page.

The font used throughout the cover is a sans serif which

makes it look modern, young and informal, reflecting the

magazines simplistic and clean look that they archive to.

Masthead: The title is of a black colour in a sans serif font that covers the top

of the magazine. It isn’t fully visible to the audience as the main image is

covering sections of it. The magazine might have chosen to do this because

they believe the masthead is so familiar to readers, they will instantly recognise

the magazine even if parts of the title is covered.

There isn’t a barcode in this issue which is unusual as it is a

conventional feature and is usually included within a front

cover. It may have not been included by the designer as

they thought it wasn’t essential and an ugly feature to add.

Strap line: above the masthead which draws the reader’s attention to the “free downloads!” they are

entitled to if they purchase the magazine. This would increase the sales of the magazine as readers

will be excited about these ‘free’ downloads they can receive. This is an example of synergy within

the music industry as the magazine are giving away this free downloads to increase their sale while

the artist and record labels have agreed to give out this free downloads to promote their singles.

Target audience: the target audience of this magazine is mainly

teenagers and young adults who enjoy a variety of music genres as

the magazine features many different artists such as Katy Perry, T-

Pain and Metallica, who aren’t typically in the same genre. This

particular issue of Blender appeals more to the male audience

because of the main cover image used and the other artists featured

who are all men, although first looking at it, it would appear to be

more female influenced because of the girly colour scheme.

Date: the date of the issue has been placed within the cover

which is a typical convention of any magazine. However the

issue number and the website which are usual conventions of

a magazine have not been included. This may be due to the

designer not wanting to include too much detail that will

overcrowd the page or because it isn’t relevant to Blender.