Unit 1 Fact Sheet Rhys Thomas-Berry

Front Cover Analysis

Masthead
A Masthead is the name of the magazine. It is conventionally the largest text on the page
and is always written in a unique font. It is always positioned at the top of the page, this is
mainly just to make it look good and that it is extremely visible to the audience. This enables
the reader to easily see it when stacked on shelves. For very established brands, the main
image may overlap the masthead.The masthead is usually in a bold font and in a colour that
stands out from the background. The name of the magazine itself usually signifies the genre
of the magazine.

In this issue of BBC Top Gear the masthead is conventional as it is the largest piece of text
on the page and is positioned centrally at the top of the page, it is in a unique bold font and
is extremely visible for the audience. The colour of the masthead is yellow which contrasts to
the blue background which makes it even more visible to the audience. The name of the
magazine usually signifies the genre of the magazine itself. Top Gear does signify the genre
as ‘gear’ relates to motor vehicles which the magazine is all about. The masthead for Top
Gear is very bright and bold which interests the audience, this is effective as more people
will be inclined to read.

Main Image
The main image conventionally always uses direct address which makes it appear that the
person in the photograph is always directing/looking at the audience, which engages them. It
usually overlaps with the masthead and takes up the whole page and is normally positioned
centrally. It will usually always be a person and often they will be famous to attract the
attention of the audience. The person will be relevant to the genre of the magazine and it is
used to signify the genre as a whole. It is conventionally a visually striking image. It uses
mise en scene which is a french term meaning ‘in the scene’ and including everything you
can see in the shot/image, hair, makeup, outfit, costume, props. The mise en scene signifies
the genre to the audience and will be visually engaging.

The main image of the car uses a direct address as although it isn't a person, the car is
always addressing the audience from every angle. The main image itself doesn’t overlap the
masthead but the background of the racing track goes through it. The main image is relevant
to the genre of magazine as Top Gear is all about cars and the main image is a car. It is
conventionally a visually striking image and engages the audience as it uses mise en scene
which is a french term meaning ‘in the scene’ which includes everything as the main image
on Top Gear does. The mise en scene signifies the genre to the audience and it is visually
engaging.

Secondary image
Secondary images are images in addition to the main image. They are there to illustrate
cover lines.
In this issue of Top Gear the secondary image is on the left hand side within the middle
section including a picture of a car that is relatively newly released and it is used there to be
advertised to the more wealthy viewers. It has been published in that location to illustrate
and highlight the cover lines. This signifies the genre of the magazine.

Cover Lines
Cover Lines are relatively small text positioned around the main image. They highlight the
front cover as people are intrigued by this. It highlights the feature content in the magazine to
inform the audience and appeal to them. There is always some text that is
bigger/bold/different colours to stand out and this will usually be the thing that would appeal
to the audience to engage them. There is then smaller text underneath the sub line that
gives more information about the content. The cover lines on the right hand side just
beneath the masthead are relatively small pieces of text positioned around the main image.
They highlight the front cover as people are intrigued by the message/information that they
may give to the audience. It highlights the feature content and appeals to the audience. The
cover lines are conventionally positioned in the spot that they are placed in as they attract
the audiences attention to the magazine due to the main image and masthead being
positioned right next to them. The cover lines signify what the magazine may be about, what
the genre is and whats going to be included within.

The cover lines on this issue of Top Gear are positioned relatively high up on the right side of
the front cover and they are used to highlight the front cover as a whole as the Top Gear
target audience will be conventionally intrigued to this. They are positioned next to the main
image and masthead so that they are easily visible to the audience and give them the
information they need to be enhance to purchase the magazine. The use of the cover lines
being placed where they are in this issue of Top Gear is to highlight the feature content and it
also appeals to the audience. The use of these cover lines signify to the audience the
content they are going to be getting and what will be included within the magazine.

Main Cover Line

The main Cover Line is formatted in the same way as the other cover lines but larger than
them all the main cover line is always relating to the title or name of the person that the
magazine is mainly related to. The main cover line is often positioned overlapping the main
image or just touching it.

The main cover line on this issue of Top Gear is the name of an automotive company named
McMurtry Automotive which is conventional to the main image as it is a vehicle produced by
McMurtry. This signifies that the genre of the magazine is related to vehicles which is what
Top Gear is about. It is positioned overlapping the main image which highlights the magazine
as a whole, it is much larger than the cover lines although they are categorised similarly.

Positioning Statement
The Positioning Statement is like a tag-line or slogan for the magazine, it is conventionally
positioned near the masthead. It informs the audience of what the purpose of the magazine
is and usually promotes the magazine as the audience can foreshadow that they are getting
the best content. It positions the magazine in the marketplace and lets the audience know
about the whole purpose of the magazine.
The positioning statement for this issue of Top Gear is in the top right corner where it says
‘new look mag!’. This is conventionally positioned near the masthead to engage the reader
and to target the right audience. It is used to promote the magazine and can foreshadow that
the reader is getting the best content and they are getting exactly what is advertised. It
inclines them to know the purpose of the magazine and in this case for Top Gear, it tells
them about the new looking magazine as McMurtry is not a usual cover.

Issue Information and Price

The Issue Information and Price is the smallest text on the entire front cover and is
conventionally positioned with the barcode as people can easily spot the barcode on the
front cover meaning they can see the price too, this enhances the audience to know how
much they are paying and what they are getting. It can also occasionally be placed near the
masthead which highlights it to a larger extent.

The issue information and price for Top Gear is always the smallest piece of text on the front
cover as it is still visible to the customers but they don't want their attention being drawn to
that over the other stuff that is being published on the front cover. It is conventionally
positioned with the barcode as people usually can spot this easily which enhances the
audience to know how much they are paying and what form of media is being published
within Top Gear. It can also be placed near the masthead which highlights the Top Gear front
cover to an even larger extent.

Barcode
The Barcode is on the front of every magazine so easily scannable in the shop, it is small
and positioned at the edge of the front cover so it doesn’t distract the audience from the front
cover in general as that is the main purpose.

The barcode for this Top Gear magazine is conventionally positioned in the bottom right
corner as it does not completely take away the audiences attention from the front cover as a
whole but can be seen relatively easily so it can be easily scanned in the shop. On Top Gear
magazines it is always usually positioned in the bottom right corner.

Skyline
A Skyline is a piece of text positioned at the top of the page and runs across the
top line, it conventionally has a cover line in it or the positioning statement.

The skyline in this issue of Top Gear says ‘The greens just don't understand, taking
risks in fun’ this highlights to the audience what the main topic within this magazine
will be. It is conventionally placed at the top of the page and runs across the top
line. It usually signifies the genre of the magazine.
Puff
A Puff is a shape(mainly circular) that looks like a sticker, it conventionally has a cover line
or incentive inside it and is used to draw the audience’s attention.
In this issue of Top Gear the puff is on the left hand side and conventionally in the middle of
the page. It is shaped like a sticker and grabs the attention of the audience. It has a piece of
information on the inside of it to inform the audience on what that certain puff is relating to
and in this case it is a new Lamborghini that has newly been released. The puff signifies
what information the audience may be receiving within the magazine.

Incentive
An Incentive is something designed to appeal to the audience and give them an
extra reason to buy the magazine E.g. prize, free item, discount.

The incentive used in this issue of the magazine Cycling Weekly the incentive
used is when they say ‘2021 pull out calendar’. This may interest the audience as
they get to read the magazine and also get a calendar. This is conventionally used
to get more people to want to purchase the magazine.

Buzzword
A Buzzword is word used to create a buzz and appeal to audience intriguing them to want
to purchase, read or view the magazine.

The buzzword used in this issue of Top Gear is where it says ‘new look mag’ this may
interest the audience as it tells them that the magazine may have changed in certain areas.
This is conventionally used to gain the audiences attention and to hit the right target
audiences. This could signify, judging by the colour or font, the genre of the magazine and
what it may include.

House Style
House Style is the brand style of the magazine. It includes different styles of fonts, lay out,
colour scheme and language. This will usually be appropriate for the genre of the magazine
and the target audience.

The house style used within this issue of Top Gear is shown with the font, colour, boldness,
colour scheme and lay out. It is conventionally used to interest the audience and use bright
and vibrant colours to hook the audience. It can signify the genre of the magazine and how it
will gain their attention.