Magazine cover textual analysis

Billboard magazine

This is a front cover taken from Billboard magazine. On the front there is a long shot of Katy Perry as the main focus of the magazine as he is the main interview in the magazine. The look of the magazine is very feminine I can tell this form the pastel pink and floral patterns that have been used. The font matches the outfit that she is wearing. This suggests that the target audience would be mostly young females due to the colours used and the fan base of the artist. The other cover lines also suggest that the target audience is teenagers as they include things like Facebook and the top charts which are mostly linked to teenagers.  The way she is covered in flowers suggests that she likes to look ‘girly’. Flowers are normally associated with nature, so it could also represent that she is natural, possibly naturally talented.  The puff in the middle of the magazine slots nicely on to the space where her waist goes in and her skirt sticks out. Her make-up matches the colours used throughout the magazine. The masthead follows the codes and conventions of genre by starting in the left third. The main cover line is in the left third, this means that it will be seen when it is in a magazine stand. This could attract the artists’ fans.  All of the cover lines are in the left third, meaning that they will be seen easily.  The title However it goes behind the artist suggesting that they feel they don’t need to stand out, they are big enough. This is a convention for the magazine and can be seen on many of their front covers, as well as the two letters which are coloured in this is also a convention of Billboard magazine. The cover lines cover a range of topics, which will attract a range of audiences for example, the other interview with Sheryl crow is another cover line that stands out. The cover line referring to the charts suggests that this magazine is up to date with all the new music and upcoming stars. Suggesting that this would be a good magazine for music lovers. The text is mostly sans serif there is an occasional use of serif fonts, this draws the reader’s attention and this is a convention for the magazine industry and Billboard magazine.

Overall the main target audience would be young female teenagers aged between 14 and 17, possibly in the social class bracket of A-C. This is because of the colours and description use; this would appeal more to that target audience.