Front cover textual analysis two

Front cover textual analysis Two: Acoustic magazine

My second textual analysis is ‘Acoustic’ magazine.

The masthead is clearly visible at the top of the front cover and has a good contrast of white writing on blue background, making it stand out. The selling line is ‘The UK’s only dedicated acoustic guitar magazine’ which tells you what the whole magazine is about. The coverlines are all mainly on the right hand side so that the models shown are not obstructed and you can see them fully. They themselves are wearing dark clothes so the main coverline, ‘the proclaimers, after walking over 500 miles, they’re back sounding fresher then ever’, is very noticeable and clearly their main selling point.

The dateline is at the bottom just above the barcode so all the information you need is all in one place, when the magazine came out and how much it is.  The two men are looking at the reader with a direct mode of address. Because of their dark clothes against a light blue background, they are even more obvious as the main selling point. The image is iconic because it is just a portrait of the two men.

I would say that this magazine appeals to anyone with a love of acoustic music, regardless of gender or age because the singers on the front aren’t that young and although one of the coverlines says ‘Jason Mraz’, there is a lot of information on guitars which would apply to guitar players of any type.
It’s not following the rule of thirds as majority of the coverlines are on the right, where they would be covered up by other magazines on a stand. This could be because the models on the front are in the way and the editors didn’t want to cover their faces with writing, or because most people who get that magazine will buy it without needing to know too much of what's inside as they just automatically get it every time it comes out.

There is a competition in a puff at the top, saying how you can win an amp which appeals greatly to anyone with a guitar.

I think this magazine is good for who it is aimed at as it has a very simple layout but I would say it was a bit too simple and they should have something else to make it more interesting looking, like different fonts or colours, maybe even more competitions. The artists on the front are quite well known which is good as it would potentially attract more people to buying it and I like that the colours are multi gender friendly and clear. I would personally try to spread the coverlines out more though because they are all crowded onto one side and I think it’s too much information in one place.