Salford City College Eccles Centre AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio

Masthead:-The masthead is placed in the primary

optical area spreading over to the strong fallow

area. The masthead is being shielded by Kanye

West’s head but is still recognisable to the public as

it is in a large font with a bright colour and also if

you are a regular reader, you will be able to

recognise the magazine.

Main image:-The main image is of a close up shot of

Kanye West’s face looking rather serious and this

could signify that Kanye is serious about the music

he produces. The model is rather important as it will

attract readers, as Kanye is a well-known rap artist

so having him on the cover will attract Kanye’s fans

to read the magazine.

Model credit:-The model credit is placed right next

to the model which is unusual as it is usually placed

in the weak fallow area. The quote used shows that

Kanye is rather confident in his career and this

comes across in his pose. The striking colour of the

model credit attracts the eyes of readers and to

then look at the model.

Coverlines:-The coverlines are all surrounding the

model without breaking up the image by disturbing

it with text. Coverlines are placed in the primary

optical area slowly leading to the weak fallow area,

there are also more in the strong fallow area. The

important words in the coverlines are in pink or

blue to attract the audience’s eye to then guide

them to read the whole coverline.

Main cover line:-The main coverline is of ’50

Greatest Song’ as the size of the text is large and

takes up a lot of space on the page which allures the

audience to look at this coverline and then read the

other coverline attaching to it.

Colour:-The colour is used to entice the audience,

although the colours aren’t luminescent, they are still

bright and vibrant and captivate the audience. The

colour of the masthead is then worn on the model

which then could slightly promote the magazine. The

colours are used to make an impact as it will stand

out against the grey background.

Typefaces:- Bold font is used on most coverlines,

however more italic and delicate font is

inconsistently used which then enhance the other

coverlines. The combination of bold font and

powerful colours draw the audience to the magazine

cover.

Photography Lighting:-High key lighting is used to

enhance Kanye’s features to make him recognisable

to the audience. Editing could have been used to

shadow some parts of Kanye’s face to bring out other

features of his face. It could also be possible that

editing was used to create a false shadow behind the

image of Kanye West. Alongside the lighting, mise en

scene is used to create the representation on gender

as the facial expression is quite dismissive and

unemotional which could indicate that the male

gender is rather emotive and expressive of their

feelings. However, frown lines and wrinkles haven’t

been rectified which could suggest that he is angry

which then reprensents the male gender over all.

Design Principles Used?:- The Guttenberg design

principal has benn considered when this magazine

cover was created as the most important information

such as the masthead and vital coverlines are placed

in the primary optical area as the designers will know

this is where the eyes are drawn to first when looking

at the layout of magazines. On the other hand, not all

aspects of the design principal have been fulfilled as

the weak fallow area and terminal area are left blank

whereas in other magazines the model credit is

usually place here to fill the void or even a small

freebie that comes with the magazine. Even though a

small icon could be applied, such as a bar code this

could still impact the overall look of the layout of the

magazine cover.

House Style:-The consistent placement of the masthead creates the feel of a continuous

layout which then the audience can recognise as it is always placed in the same position, so

the audience won’t necessarily have to look at the masthead to know what magazine it is,

as they could be a regular reader and won’t have to study thee layout.

Comment on how the design of the magazine cover attracts the target audience:-.The relatable

artist on the front cover will attract the target audience as they will want to know more about

Kanye. The target audience is R&B and rap lovers so anyone with background in rap will attract

the target audience.