Form Research Cover Page

Front Cover
The masthead on the front cover is generally at the top of it, this is because when they are stacked, the top is the only bit that can be seen sometimes. The masthead is only ever one word because then the reader can quickly see what it is and it means that they will remember it more. The masthead is usually the biggest text on the front cover and is bold, sans serif typography to connote informality. Some magazines have the main image covering some of the letters of the masthead, this connotes to the reader that the artist is the main selling point, not the brand itself. It could also show how the brand is very successful and already known/recognisable enough to be only partially seen. The main image takes up the highest percentage of the front cover, being about 60%/70%. The image usually links to either a stereotypical view of the artist or genre to get across the type of music they are from if the reader is not familiar with them. Various shots are used for the main image, the most common ones are medium close ups, medium shots and long shots; these shots are used for either showing the expression of the artists or getting across their body language to connote something else. The key
light always lights up the artists face to show their expression, most of the main images are quite light and don't have many shadows in them. The artists name is usually the second biggest text on the page after the masthead, the typography is often big incase they are not instantly recognised by the reader. The feature headline is generally bold and very clear, being the third biggest text on the page, to promote the article. The colour palette contains about 3 colours and they are often contrasting so they stand out a lot and are memorable and appealing to the target audience. The colour palette also usually links to the artist, for example, stereotypically men wear dark colours so the colour palette may use a black/dark blue colour for them. The rest of the front page has a few bits of texts, usually a short sentence, that promotes one of the articles in the edition. The front page isn't very over-crowded or busy, leaving some blank spaces often taken up by background from the main image.