Research - Front Cover Research 1 BBC Music February 2009

Pictured right is the first front cover I have analysed as part of my research. The issue dates back to February 2009, and was published by the BBC. The publisher breaks conventions on the front cover by putting its own logo on the front cover, which is a break of convention I like as it enables the reader to know which institution published the magazine at a glance.

The masthead is white in colour, making it pop out against the black background and grab the attention of the reader from the shelf. It is positioned at the top of the page in front of the subject which does not follow conventions of music magazine as usually the masthead is placed behind the subject. This could have been a conscious decision by the editors to ensure the masthead grabbed the attention of readers because the image is quite plain and needed something else to grab peoples attention. The size of the masthead is roughly 1/4 of the page, ensuring that it can still be seen by the reader, but is not overpowering the rest of the front cover. The font used in the masthead is a serif font, which is reflective of the genre it is representing as musical direction on scores and parts in orchestral music is very often written in a serif font, and this continuity is further indication to the reader of the genre the magazine is trying to portray. Also, the masthead complies with the house-style of the magazine as the size, font, and location are the same with every issue.



The image used on the front cover is of German pianist/composer Andre Previn. This is because he is the focus of the main article within the magazine, which follows conventions of the genre. It takes up the whole page with a close up shot and is positioned slightly right of centre so that the main article can be placed on the left of the cover. The subject is wearing a minimal amount of makeup to create a natural look. The subject is wearing a black costume, which contrasts the masthead and makes it more eye catching. Also, the subject seems to be sporting a very studious haircut which is in keeping with the facial expression, and the genre the magazine is trying to portray. This links in to Dyer's theory of representation, as the subject is not in a natural position, and has therefore been directed to stand a certain way in order to represent the genre appropriately.

The feature story is written in slightly smaller font than the masthead, so it is still visible, but clear to the reader that this is an article not the name of the magazine. The colour of the text used is the same colour used in the masthead, which helps create a brand identity for the magazine. The font used is also the same as the masthead, serif, which continues the brand identity that has been created. As well as the singular feature story, the cover displays six cover stories which all link to the genre due to the language used, which also appeals to the target audience, which I think would be males and females around 50 years old and older.

The magazine front cover follows the conventions of this genre by remaining quite simplistic, while at the same time very studious. However, the cover breaks conventions by not containing any instruments with the subject. The house-style of the magazine is kept in this issue, as the masthead, style of text, and colour of the text are kept the same as previous issues.

How this analysis has helped me:

• I like the fact that the font used in the masthead reflects the genre the magazine is trying to represent, and I am going to try and incorporate this into my front cover.
• I like the fact that the subject is portrayed in a very studious manner, again portraying the genre the magazine is trying to represent, and I am going to try an incorporate this with my front cover.
• I like the fact that the cover has a lot of white space, which conveys a more classy look, which could be something I use on my front cover.
• I don't like the fact that there are no instruments on the front cover, which is something I need to take into consideration when I design my front cover.