Unit 1 FACT SHEET QUINN CAIE

Front Cover Analysis

Issue information and price Sky line

Masthead

Main image Puff

Cover lines

Barcode

Main cover line

Sub line

Cover line
Masthead
A masthead on a magazine is the name of a magazine that is presented as the largest text
on the cover and has a unique font unlike the other fonts used in other pieces of text on the
cover. It is the highest text on the screen and therefore above the main image. As the
masthead is at the top it will stick out above other magazines when stacked on a shelf in a
shop. Some famous brands will have the main image overlap the main image. Magazine
titles will usually relate to their genre. For example, a fashion magazine will have something
related to fashion in its masthead that people will recognise as belonging to fashion and the
fashion genre. These indicate the genre and make identifying the potential contents inside
the issue easier.

In this issue of Empire magazine, the masthead is the largest text on the screen in a bold,
sans serif and gold coloured font. The background is dark and in partial shadow which
makes the masthead stand out against the backdrop, which draws the audience’s attention.
The main image partially covers the ‘p’ because Empire magazine is already an established
brand that can be recognised. The ‘r’ and ‘e’ are also partially covered by the puff. The gold
font relates to the main subject of the magazine which is about Gladiator 2. The gold colour
and shine have connotations of grandeur, wealth, strength and awe which is what the film
and its director hope to instil in the audience. It also makes the magazine appear more
expensive and high quality, appealing to the target audience of men middle aged men who
want to make their purchase worthwhile. The title ‘Empire’ relates to movies and
entertainment because the movie industry is rich and successful in a manner that might be
similar to real Empires. The masthead also has a reflective finish so lights bounce off of it.
This will draw more attention when overhead lighting reflects off of it in shops and stores,
thus increasing the chance that the magazine is noticed and purchased. Overall, the
masthead follows conventions because it draws attention to the product using colours and
different materials.

Main image
The main image of a magazine cover is conventionally a famous person or someone related
to the main topic of the issue and the genre of the magazine. It traditionally uses direct
address and the image will partially cover the title of established brands. Main images use
‘mise en scene’ which is a French term for ‘In the scene.’ This means everything that can be
seen on the front cover like hair, setting, lighting and every single thing in the image. This
signifies the genre of the magazine and is visually engaging to draw the audience’s
attention.

The main image of this front cover is placed in the centre of the cover, flanked by a puff and
cover lines. The image is the main actor of Gladiator 2, equipped with armour and a sword
which has connotations of fighting, strength, action and drama. The choice of clothing
references the original gladiator and further relates the two films. This generates appeal
because people will want to see the connection of two stories. His stance may signify that
this shot is before a fight scene or after because of the blade in his hands, the mud on his
arms and intimidating gaze. This might imply that he is about to face an opponent or just has
in this scene of the film. The actor uses direct address by staring directly into the camera
lens. This eye contact with the audience connects the two and ‘speaks’ to the audience
directly. This emotional contact connects the audience to the magazine and film. His stern
expression further signifies that that is a serious film with some mature themes like violence
and fighting. He is between the two vertical lines so it therefor follows the rule of thirds
despite not having
golden points. The image is laid out in this manner to show the films important central
character, important central theme of combat and to show the general importance of the
character. The aperture setting is likely low because only the actor is in focus but the
background isn’t. There is warm lighting coming from the right side of the screen that helps
highlight his torso and head which is where all of the important details like the armour and
sword can be seen. This makes the genre of the film more obvious because we can clearly
see his ancient equipment and gladiatorial fighting gear. The lighting does not reach the left
side of his body which might signify that the character has something to hide about
themselves. This gives his character more mystery and will appeal to the audience and
make them want to discover more by reading the magazine or watching the movie to learn
more about the character, their background and conclusion in the story. The background is
also lit up but because it is out of focus and less bright it helps the brighter actor stand out
more.
Overall, the image is visually striking and easily signifies to the audience what the main
subject of this magazine is just by a glance. This helps sell the magazine due to being easy
to understand and also being interesting to film fans and history fans.

Cover lines
Cover lines are short sentences positioned on the left and right of a main image. They
conventionally show the featured content of the issue in short sentences but not the main
content. Some text will be slightly bigger, bolder or in a different font to attract attention to
the content inside the magazine to interest people and let customers know what is in the
issue. The cover line traditionally includes smaller text underneath in a short list or short
sentence format that provides some context to the article before a reader has flipped the
page. This is done to hook readers and make the magazine articles appear more interested.

There are five cover lines present on this magazine cover. Four of them are at the side of the
main image and one is placed under the subline. These cover lines advertise films and
present actors that are included inside that issue. The larger part of the cover lines are in the
same gold font as the masthead but is smaller so attention isn’t taken from the main cover
line. They are laid out in this format because the fill the same role. The masthead acts as a
title for the magazine while the larger text of the cover lines acts as a title to the smaller
sentence or list that actually gives context to the article. The actual text only forms a single
sentence which saves space and delivers the information in a short format. These smaller
cover lines are not intended to detract from the main cover line or image. This makes the
articles that appear later in the magazine look smaller than the main article which is
Gladiator 2. However, the gold font of the smaller titles ensures that while these articles are
smaller in size, they are no less important. These appeal to readers because they are being
told that these smaller articles have the same level of quality.

Main cover line

The main cover line is the second largest font and traditionally has a different font compared
to the smaller cover lines. The main cover line is the main topic of the issue and there is a
smaller line of text providing more information. It is traditionally positioned below the main
image to underline it and show that they are related to each other. It can also be above the
image or touching it.

This main cover line of this magazine issue is conventionally placed just under the main
image. This is because the main image is traditionally directly related to the cover line which
is the name of the film that the main image is taken from. It uses the same gold colour as the
masthead and is only slightly smaller to signify that it is important but slightly less so than the
masthead. The main cover line is the title of the film which links to the image and further
indicates the main featured content of the issue. “Gladiator 2” is the main cover line; it
obviously indicates that this image is from the sequel to the original Gladiator film which was
a massive financial success in the film industry. This would generate appeal for people to
see the sequel to one of the biggest films ever made in the last few decades. Because the
original gladiator has so many fans the sequel will generate a lot money. The main cover line
also uses roman numerals instead of a modern ‘2’ which further reinforces the historic and
gladiatorial themes of the film because roman history heavily involved gladiators and it is
where the modern concept of gladiatorial combat was invented/popularised.

Positioning statement
The positioning statement is used as a tagline or slogan for the magazine. It tells customers
the genre of magazine, the purpose and the high quality of the product compared to other
magazines on the market.
There is no positioning statement present on this issue of Empire
magazine, however it would normally be positioned under the
masthead and in a smaller font. It would indicate the quality of the
magazine by making a claim about the magazine. The claim is
conventionally something like ‘The world’s biggest movie
magazine,’ or something related to high quality films or the
magazine itself.

Because there was no positioning statement on my chosen

example, I took this front cover image from an older issue of Total
Film. This front cover states “The Ultimate Movie Magazine,”
which does not outright say that it is the best. This statement
indicates that this magazine is one of the best in the movie genre.
The magazine cannot say they are the absolute best because
that is a false advertisement and information. It is positioned
underneath the masthead and is in the same font and white colour which would indicate that
it is only slightly less important than the main mastehad.
Issue information and price
The issue information and price are the smallest text on the cover
and is conventionally placed by the barcode, masthead, or both
depending on where the barcode is.

The issue information and price are present in between the peaks
of the letter ‘m’ on the masthead. It is in a smaller font and in the
colour white which makes it stand out from the gold masthead
which helps people identify what year and month the magazine
was released. On this specific issue the price of the magazine is
not present but it is likely on the back or on the barcode. This issue
of Empire is older from August 2008 but includes the price upfront
unlike the modern issue from October 2024 which only contains the
date of release.

Barcode
The barcode is traditionally on the front of a magazine at the sides so it can be scanned and
purchased easily and also so it doesn’t distract from the actual content being displayed on
the front cover of the magazine.
The barcode on the Gladiator issue of Empire magazine was not originally present. This is
because it was an image taken from google, but a stand-in barcode was placed where it
would traditionally go during the development of this power point. The barcode is placed in
that spot so it is easier to purchase in a shop.

Sky line
The sky line is a line of text that goes from one side of the cover to the next above the
masthead. It traditionally has the main cover line or the positioning statement of the
magazine inside of it.

The skyline of this issue is present above the masthead conforms to traditional methods of
placement by being placed above the masthead. The sky line is made up of four words
“Avengers: doomsday move over, Endgame.” This sky line is not related to the Gladiator film
sequel or franchise and this is made clear by placing the name of the franchise as the first
word. This is done to tell people that there are other pieces of content inside of this issue
and therefore appeals to people who want as much content for their money as possible. The
first two words use the same gold font as the masthead but the other half is in white. This
might help signify to the audience who are unfamiliar with the other product to differentiate
the franchises. The gold colouring on the first two words might signify the newer and ‘better’
movie, while the white half of the sentence represents the older, “worse” film. This layout and
colour scheme will appeal to the audience of middle-aged men who are possibly not fans of
these other films and therefore will want to know if these are in the issue. It indicates that
there is more in this article than just Gladiator centred articles and appeals to fans of multiple
franchises. This colour scheme and layout would indicate that the purpose of the article is to
tell fans that there is a new movie release that is better than a previous one and these fans
can learn more by buying the magazine and reading the related article.
Puff
The puff is a circular or circle shaped sticker that conventionally has an incentive to buy the
magazine inside and draw a customer’s attention. They are placed on the side of the
magazine so it is clearly separated from standard cover lines. The incentive is usually
different on each magazine.

The puff on this issue of Empire magazine is placed on the right side next to the main image
and partially covers the bottom of the ‘e’ and ‘r.’ The background of the puff is in white; the
title is in a gold font and the main sentence is in black. These colours have connotations of
richness, high quality and expensive products which further reinforces the idea that Empire
magazine is high quality and worth the money. Around the outside of the puff is a pattern
which makes it appear unique compared to other traditional bland or plain puffs and might
also have connotations of being expensive like high quality patterned clothes. The title has a
shiny finish over it to make it stand out like the other titles and masthead. The text uses a
line from The Lion King “hakuna matata” and also mentions a “lion king.” This advertises the
new Lion King film without directly saying its name as to not detract from the main subject of
the magazine issue which is Gladiator 2. The next issue or an upcoming issue may be
related to The Lion King and this puff could serve a double function as an advertisement for
an upcoming issue and to inform buyers of what is inside the current issue. This all shows
that Empire magazines are full of content and definitely worth the money spent by buyers.

Incentive
The incentive is a piece of text separated from the other words
or can be inside the puff. The incentive can range from a
chance to win money, vouchers, or something material.

There is no incentive present on this issue of Empire

magazine, however there is one present on this older issue of
Empire. The sky line uses the words “free!” in a gold font as
one of the incentives. The second incentive is underneath the
sub line and above the cover line. It draws more attention by
having black and white text on a gold background with words
like “free,” “exclusive” and “collectors.” These both attract
customers and give people FOMO (fear of missing out) so they
are more likely to buy the issue to see the exclusive
information. This helps to sell the product because it provides
an incentive to purchase the magazine over another which
might not have an incentive or extra reason.
Buzzword
The buzzword is a single word that is traditionally a different
colour or font compared to the other pieces of text. The word
stands out and is made to appeal to the audience and make
them interested in the magazine. It is usually a bigger font
compared to the cover lines.

There is no buzzword present on this issue of Empire

magazine. But on this older Empire issue the word “exclusive”
in all caps appears on the top left corner. This tells customers
that there is exclusive information inside with only one word.
This appeals to the audience because people, especially fans
of the franchise or product, will want to know more about their
favourite thing and the products they enjoy. As it is in red it
stands out compared to the black/dark background and the
other white font in the sky line.

House style
The house style is the specific style of the magazine brand. It is traditionally appropriate for
the target audience and includes the style, layout and general colour scheme. Different
magazines will have different styles and none are the same. But magazines in a similar
genre might use similar layouts or words.

The traditional style of monthly releases of Empire magazine usually uses a dark
background that isn’t in focus to keep attention focused on the main image. The main image
is usually in full light or only partially shadowed. The buzzwords, masthead, incentive, puff
title, cover line titles, main cover line, and parts of the sky line are all in the same colour to
but use different font sizes to signify what to look at first. Other pieces of text are smaller and
issue information can traditionally be found in between the ‘m’ or elsewhere. The darker
colours and atmosphere of the covers will cater to the target audience of Empire which is
traditionally 30-year-old males. There is constant use of exclamations and capitalised words
everywhere on the cover that all take your attention one at a time. The fonts used are usually
solid, bolder letters that are easy to read and present information clearly. Traditionally the
masthead is partially covered by the main image due to Empire being a popular and well-
known magazine brand. The sky line is placed above the masthead like all magazines, the
subline and coverline traditionally stay under the main cover line. The gold-coloured fonts all
have a reflective finish to make this magazine appear more expensive and high quality, it
also catches attention better to potentially make more sales and therefore more revenue for
the owner company.
This specific house style is an appropriate choice for the target audience because it uses
bold and large letters which are easy to see. This is helpful because the average age of
Empire readers is 36 which is when eye sight starts to deteriorate. The colour choices are
traditionally masculine colours or colours associated with masculinity; these correlate to the
target gender which is men. The colours and layout are clean and professional which might
appeal to the lower- and middle-class men which might consider themselves to be
sophisticated and too adult for a magazine which might look childish.