Textual Analysis of a front cover

Textual Analysis of a Front Cover

 

The denotation of this magazine is a photograph of a woman posing with a handbag on her shoulder; her eyes are staring straight into the camera as if she knows her picture is being taken. The colours that are used for the anchorage are yellow and blue which are the primary colours for the college itself.

The mise-en-scene of this magazine is used in significant ways to catch the attention of the reader. The costume, of the woman, is casual and simple perhaps this portrays a typical student because it relates to the purpose and aim of the magazine, to attract students or people that want to be students. The costume could also show how students are in this particular college, happy, casual and relaxed, to make the reader want to go there so that they can feel and look the same way.

There is only one props used in this magazine which is a bag, this is effective because it relates to ordinary people who use this in their day to day lives, this prop tells us that this woman has personality and character and draws the reader to read what the magazine is about and causes us to open the magazine and read more. The lighting of the magazine is very high key which shows us that the atmosphere as a whole is positive and bright; this is effective because it makes the reader happy just by looking at the image.

The setting of the magazine is a plain white background setting to connote simplicity and originality of a student, perhaps its saying you don’t have to be the brightest or smartest person, all you have to do is have character and personality, which is linked to why the woman has a handbag on her shoulder. The body language and facial expression of the woman is very confident and a little bit enthusiastic, this connotes that she is prepared and ready for any challenge that comes her way. Her eyes are fixed in the camera which also connotes determination and grit to succeed in life, and it’s almost as if she is staring at doubt straight in its face. This is effective as it gives the audience an inspection that this is how students’ mindsets are; determined and fortified.

The anchorage of the image is sans serif which generally implies that the magazine is modern and state-of-the-art which is effective because it will cause the reader to read the magazine and because it is fit for purpose and audience. The composition of the magazine uses the rule of three, the main image and the text are separated which creates more energy and attractiveness to the magazine.

The masthead of this magazine is very unique and attractive, the creator has given it a faded –colour look, it also shades a sign of creativity because it looks like it’s been crayoned or pencilled in. This is effective for the audience as it catches their attention and gives a clear view of the font even though it looks like the colour has faded out. The masthead is also very unique and attractive, the author of the magazine was taking a risk as it’s very unlikely for magazines to have faded out fonts because at times it can be hard to read, but this type of font makes the magazine look original and character-filled.

The coverline of this magazine shows vital information needed for the target audiences and is very easy to read, this is useful because the reader doesn’t have to try and find key information because it’s already there blue and bold which makes the magazine, as a whole, easier to read. The coverlines also make the magazine look more formal which in the end makes the magazine look less fun and less attractive for the target audience.

The main coverline of the magazine is nice and bold this makes it eye catching for the audience. Usually the mistake, that designers for magazines often make, for the coverline is that the words run over an important image or an image that has a lot of colour to it but it isn’t true in this case because the  coverlines are aligned in appropriate places. The main image is placed over the main coverline this is a really good technique as it makes the magazine look more professional and less cheesy. It could also connote victory and accomplishment because she looks confident, so confident that she will step over any obstacle. The colour of the main coverline co ordinates with the setting/background colour, this was done to makes the magazine look more smart and less messy and confusing, it there were different colours place in the magazine it would look very disorganized and perplexed which will cause the reader to avoid reading the magazine.

In this magazine the main picture makes the whole thing because it confirms the purpose of the magazine, people who are determined to study, get good grades and widen their learning spectrum and skills will look at this magazine and immediately it will catch their attention because of the image that connotes an ordinary person determined to reach her goal and they will be able to relate to the image.