Front cover and double

page spread analysis

 Masthead - A title that is
Front cover codes and conventions normally full page width that is Main image - Only one image is used
used in a unique font and this on the front cover, this will usually be
is a magazine’s trademark just one person

Positioning statement - This

is how the magazine
positions itself in the market
place to distinguish it from
other magazines

Coverlines - These are Colour scheme - Usually a

about feature articles that simple colour scheme with
are covered throughout only a few being used,
the magazine one/two at best

Main cover line - This is the

largest text on the cover
after the title itself and it
anchors who the person in
the image is, which in this
case is Elon Musk Buzzword - This
promotes something that
is exclusive in the issue
of the magazine
Double page spread codes and conventions Title - The biggest font on
the pages with the font
normally having a
meaning behind it

Main image
- This will
normally Standfirst - An
take up introductory
more space paragraph on
than the what the article
article is about

Body text - A
big block of
Drop cap - writing in the
A chunky article
capital letter
at the
beginning of
the article

Secondary
images
Front cover analysis
At the top of the front cover we can see the masthead in its full page width with it being
used in a unique font, with it in this case being used in a fiery font with the words
“FourFourTwo”, this is the magazine’s trademark. On the far left hand side of the cover,
the positioning statement can be seen and it is made to look as though it is being quoted
by Robert Lewandowski and the statement being “When you’re hot you’re hot!”, possibly
showing that the magazine are not just saying this about Lewandowski but also the
magazine as it could be hot in demand by football fans. I say this because a positioning
statement is all about how a magazine positions itself in the market place to distinguish
itself from other rival magazines, and I believe it would be a clever way for the magazine
to use its positioning statement.

There is then of course the main image of the front cover, with it being Robert
Lewandowski on this issue of FourFourTwo. Lewandowski has most likely been used as
the front cover of the issue as he happens to be one of the most popular names in world
football and when football fans see the magazine advertised, they will be interested in
reading the issue as it could involve things such as detail into his style of play as a striker
and how exactly he managed to become one of the deadliest strikers in current world
football, which is a clever way of FourFourTwo to grab their target audience’s attention.
Going across the main image we can see the main cover line which simply reads
“Lewandowski” in a simple, white and readable font for the audience, which is the largest
text on the cover after the title and it anchors who exactly the person in the picture is if
there is the chance that the audience don’t know already.

There is also plenty of cover lines all over the cover, such as No 9’s special starring many
former players with a proud history, how Lewandowski got to this level of football and what
managers helped him along the way, and at the bottom of the page there is an apparent
“love letter” revealed to Liverpool from one of their greatest old rivals, Sir Alex Ferguson.
At the top of the front cover we can see the masthead in its full page width and once again
with a unique font being used, in this case it being a dark but massive font with the word
“Empire” spread across the top of the cover, with this being the magazine’s trademark. This
helps for the audience as they will be able to know exactly what magazine they are reading, if
there is a case of they happen to be reading the magazine for the first time and would in fact
like to read it again. Just underneath the masthead on the far left hand side we can see the
positioning statement in smaller but still black font which quotes “The world’s biggest movie
magazine”, showing how Empire magazine positions itself in the market place and
distinguishes itself from other rival magazines in a good manner. The positioning statement is
important for every front cover of a magazine and particularly in this case as they are
distinguishing themselves from other magazines to their target audience, so that they are
given the impression that Empire magazine is the best film magazine available to read.

There is then the main image of the front cover, with it in this case being the Joker played by
Heath Ledger for this particular issue of Empire magazine. Ledger’s character was most
likely used because of the films demand around the time it was released as there was lots of
praise for his portrayal of the Joker, therefore around this time when people who would’ve
seen the issue on shelves and saw Ledger’s character as the main image, this would
instantly have got their attention and make them interested in buying the issue, particularly if
they happened to already be fans of Empire magazine. There is also the use of direct
address from Ledger’s character on the image, making it look as though the magazine are
using this as a way to grab people’s attention to read the magazine and especially if they
have an interest in the film itself. Going across the main image we can also see the main
cover lines which read “The Dark Knight” and “Batman vs the Joker - summer just got
serious” with both being seen in a bright green font that can be easily seen by the audience,
as not only is it bright and presentable but it is also the largest text on the cover after the title
itself with it anchoring who exactly the person is in the photo, with in this case it being Heath
Ledger’s Joker, and what film exactly is being advertised.

There are also plenty of cover lines to be seen spread all across the cover, such as a 12
page special on American actor Clint Eastwood and a cover line on the bottom regarding Will
Smith, allowing Empire magazine to drag the reading audience into reading the issue.
At the top of the front cover we can see the masthead except this time it does not have
its use of full page width as it is shown to only be positioned in a large font in the top left
corner of the front cover, however a unique font is still in use as the colour gold is in use
as we see the letters “GQ”, which of course is the magazines trademark. The masthead
is always in use on a front cover so that the audience have a clear indication of what
magazine they are reading, for example, if it is the first time they have read the
magazine and would like to read more issues of it. Just underneath the masthead in the
use of a small font is where the positioning statement can be seen in a white colour
which quotes “Gentlemen’s Quarterly”, showing how GQ magazine position themselves
in the market place and distinguish themselves from rival magazines in a great manner.
A positioning statement is always important on the front cover of a magazine and
especially in this case, as they are establishing themselves as a magazine that is more
read by men than women and it is more of an enjoyable read for men, possibly making
the magazine stand out from others.

There is then the main image of the front cover, with it being Manchester City and
England footballer Raheem Sterling on this issue of GQ magazine. Raheem was most
likely used due to the fact that of him being a well known and respected figure not just in
football, but in general due to how he has unfortunately suffered with racial abuse a few
times in the last few years and he has been able to become the poster boy for racial
injustice and has been able to encourage many people to speak out about racial abuse
they have suffered themselves, therefore when people are to see Raheem as the front
cover they are most likely to be interested in reading the magazine and maybe begin to
read more issues of the magazine, particularly if they already have an interest in GQ
magazine. There is also the use of direct address from Raheem in the image, possibly
being used by GQ in an attempt to pull in the audience as Raheem is a well respected
figure by many people at the moment. Going across the bottom of the main image we
can also see the main cover line for this issue, with it quoting “Guardian Angel”, which is
in fact the largest text on this front cover and just like the masthead has a gold font in
use and the quote itself is most likely signifying how Raheem has encouraged millions of
people worldwide to speak out against racial injustice. There are also many other cover
lines across the front cover, such as “How Raheem Sterling saved football from itself” at
the bottom of the cover and Andy Burnham’s Manchester “masterplan”.
Double page spread analysis
On the left hand side of the double page spread we can see the main image, which will normally take up more space than the article but in this case they seem
to take up similar amounts of space, with the main image of this article being Rick Ross wearing a white shirt underneath a black blazer with black suit pants
while he is holding a glass of what seems to be champagne in his right hand and in his left hand a champagne glass. There can also be colourful balloons seen
behind Rick Ross and he is also shown to be looking away to the side of the image rather than giving direct address to the reading audience, with the point of a
main image always being that it is to be signified who exactly is in the image and what the article is about. The first thing that we see on the right hand side of the
front cover is the title of the article, which is always the biggest font on both pages and the title itself will normally have a meaning behind it, with it in this case
being “Man Made”, which is most likely due to the fact that it is described down below the title that he was chosen as man of the year. The title is in a simple, big
and seeable font as the colour of black stands out from the white background and is used twice, but above and below the standfirst and the difference being that
it is upside down when it is below the standfirst, possibly signifying to the audience that a title to an article always needs to be seen in a clear manner to describe
to the audience what exactly the article is about before they read it themselves. There is then of course the standfirst, which is an introductory paragraph on
what exactly the article will be about, which in this case is positioned between the normal title and the upside down title, and although it is only three lines long in
this instance, it is a big help for the reader if they aren’t too sure what the article is about before they actually read it.

The use of a drop cap can then be seen at the beginning of the article itself, which is simply just a big block of font for the first letter in an article, so that it can be
signified to the reader that this is the start of the article. After this we then see the use of body text, which is simply just a big block of writing that is used in the
article. Below the article we can see the use of byline’s which is where credit is given to the people who took the photo of the article and who actually wrote it,
with in this case it being wrote by a person called Shaheem Reid and the photographer being Jamel Toppin, byline’s are always important on a double page
spread as it is crucial to make sure that the correct people are always credited for the work that they have done as there may be readers who appreciate their
work and might possibly want to see it more often.

There is in fact no secondary images on this double page spread in particular, as there is just one image that simply focuses on Rick Ross, who the article is
written about, however there can be balloons seen in the background of Rick Ross as they seem to be represented in a grey colour scheme, possibly so that
they can be seen easily by the reading audience and be able to stand out from the white colour scheme background. It also seems as though blood can be seen
on the floor of the main image, possibly signifying that they are on about when he suffered from a heart attack back in 2018 in Miami or possibly because of the
fact that he is seen by some as a controversial figure due to his background history including things such as his legal troubles, as he grew up as a child
unfortunately seeing drug deals take place. Ross has suffered from health problems over the last ten years, as it was reported that he suffered from a health
scare back in 2011 where he suffered multiple seizures on two different flights during the same day, which could possibly be one of many reasons behind the
blood on the floor in the image.
On the left hand side of the double page spread we can see the main image, which takes up more space than the article itself, with the main image in this case
being Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man in his suit as he appears to be hanging from the side of a tall building as he is looking towards his left hand side as though
there is something of threat for him in that direction, possibly making the reading audience question what exactly his character is looking at and encouraging
them to therefore read the article in an attempt to discover for themselves. Underneath the main image we can then see the title of the article itself which reads
“The Amazing Spider-Man” which is simply because that is also the title of the film itself and this is almost a way of the film being advertised ahead of its release
and it is a small insight for the audience to read about the film before they watch it, the title for this article also happens to be the biggest font on both of the
pages and there is a simple and seeable font for the audience to see it as it is in large and white font, making it able to stand out from the image itself which has
a darker colour scheme compared to the colour scheme for the font. Underneath the title is then the standfirst which is quite simple in this case, with a standfirst
being an introductory paragraph on what the article is about, with in this case the standfirst quoting “Andrew Garfield is the perfect Peter Parker” and it is
positioned between the title of the article and the body text, which is simply a big block of writing that is used for the article that is spread across the bottom part
of the left hand side and the majority of the right hand side of the double page spread as the body text is well spread out into separate paragraphs with each one
going into great detail.

In this case, there isn’t the use of a drop cap for this double page spread, which is a chunky capital letter at the beginning of an article but that is not to be seen
in this article throughout. However, just below the standfirst there is the byline, which is where credit is given to the people who took photos or wrote the article,
with in this instance credit being given to the writer of the article in Dana Stevens. Byline’s are always important to be included on a double page spread in a
magazine so that credit is always given to the right people for the work that they have done, as if people also enjoy the work that they do then they might want to
either look into more of the photos that they have took or read more articles that they have wrote themselves, with in this case credit being given to the writer of
the article in Dana Stevens who does a great job of going into detail about the film “The Amazing Spider-Man”.

In the top right corner of this double page spread, we can see four different secondary images that have all been captured from the film itself, with the first image
being of Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy, the second image being Dr Curt Connors also known as the villain in the narrative, the
third image being of Aunt May and Uncle Ben and the fourth and final image being of what seems to be the portrayal of Peter Parker’s dad, Richard Parker.
Each of these secondary images have been captured from scenes of the film, with the first one looking as though Peter and Gwen are becoming closer as the
film progresses, the second image looking as though Dr Curt Connors is about to transform into his villainous trait in the Lizard, the third image looking as
though Aunt May and Uncle Ben are concerned about something and the fourth image being hard to interpret. The reason behind the use of these secondary
images being that they are a way of pulling the audience into reading the article, particularly as it is about the film and the reading audience could be given the
impression that the article could go into more detail on what exactly is happening in each one of the images.
On the left hand side of this double page spread is the main image, which conventionally takes up more space than the article itself, with in this case the main
image being goalkeeper Tim Howard playing for his former team Everton more than ten years ago now, as he looks to be giving out instructions to his back line
during the middle of a game. In this image it is clear to see that a shallow depth of field is in use so that all focus can be handed to Howard in the image, as it is
clear to see that his background is blurred out with the focus being on him and the kit that he is wearing, with this most likely being used to attract attention to
Everton fans as they would most likely be interested in reading an article from one of their players. On the right hand side of the front cover, positioned next to
the main image, the title can be seen very clearly as the biggest font on the two pages as it is shown in a big seeable blue font which quotes “Tower of Howard”,
with the font also having a meaning behind it, as the use of blue font signifying that this is an Everton article as it is a well known fact that they play in Royal
Blue. The title itself also having a significant meaning behind it as it is being hinted to the reading audience that Tim Howard was in great form at the time of the
article being published, along with the fact that there is the tower of Rupert on Everton’s badge which has most likely been used as the title to draw the audience
into reading the article. Underneath the title is then the standfirst which is rather simple in this case, with it being an introductory paragraph on what exactly the
article will be about, with it quoting “Everton’s keeper just finished stunning Spain and now he is aiming to take down the big 4”, which is positioned in between
the title of the article and the body text, that is simply a big block of writing that is used for the article and in this case is spread across the right hand side of the
double page spread, with it being spread out well and each paragraph going into great detail so that the readers have the opportunity to read into detail about
the goalkeeper himself.

On this double page spread, there is no use of a drop cap, which is a chunky capital letter at the beginning of the article but it can not be seen at all throughout
this article in particular. Spread across the entirety of the double page spread down towards the bottom part are the use of secondary images, with seven in total
being able to be seen for the audience with them all showing shots of Tim in action in the middle of a game. The first secondary image seems to be showing Tim
celebrating after Everton have scored a goal, as he is shown to be looking and pointing up at the sky, with this possibly being shown to signify to readers who
don’t know much about the goalkeeper that this is how he celebrates a goal with his other teammates being at the other end of the pitch. The next image then
shows Tim seeming to be punching a ball away from his box in a game that looks to be against another former club of his in Manchester United, with the
impression in this image being given that he is successful in his attempt of clearing the ball from danger and keeping Everton in the game, which could have
been used to signify to the reading audience that this is how Tim is demanding in his box when asked to be the last line of his team's defence. The third image
then showing Tim saving a penalty, with the shot being from being the net during the 2009 FA Cup semi final against Manchester United, in where Tim played a
huge role in helping Everton win the shootout, possibly signifying to the reading audience of how important Tim is for Everton and how good a goalkeeper he is
overall.

The final four secondary images then show Tim once again during games that he is playing in, with the final one being another angle of him saving a penalty in
the shootout against Manchester United at Wembley back in 2009, and the others showing him shouting out instructions to what seems to be his back line, and
the remaining two being him watching the action that is happening in front of him and what seems to be another shot of him celebrating after Everton have
scored, with the article possibly wanting to give the impression that Tim Howard was one of Everton’s most important players during this period, with an entire
article being published on him.