Stephanie Alabi

FRONT COVER OVERVIEW

Stephanie Alabi

All front covers are from NME magazine and they have all been designed to attract fans of the indie/rock or alternative music genre. By investigating each of them and comparing them to each other, I found that you can see similarities between them and pick out repeated patterns. The six front covers all feature typical magazine front cover conventions and we’d expect to see general and layout conventions, such as the fact that the main image takes up most of the front cover and that there are sell-lines surrounding the main image.

There are other repeated patterns on these magazines as each of the front covers either features a band made up of 4 or 5 members or a solo female artist. This may show that either bands or solo female artists are consistent in the indie rock genre of music and that it is rare to see a solo male artist on the cover of an indie rock magazine. This could be due to the nature of indie rock music as it can either be soulful and expressive or gritty and rough. However, it is interesting how in half of the magazine front covers shown, there are females dominating the cover (Lana, Florence and Hayley from Paramore) whereas the other half are dominated by all-male bands (The Vaccines, The Automatic and The Horrors).

In each of the front covers, the main artist is placed in the front of the frame so the audience’s eye is immediately drawn to them; this layout is used so the target audience know who the main artist is for that magazine and/or who the lead member is in the band. This is also another way to attract the target audience as they would instantly recognise the popular artist on the front cover and it would draw them into buying the magazine. This is also shown as in each of the magazine front covers, the main artist/artists are showing direct address by having eye contact with the camera; this makes it seem as if they are staring directly at the audience and it makes it more personal for them.

Some other similarities in the mise-en-scene of each front cover is that in regards to their costume, all of the artists are wearing black or white colours with quite casual looks which make them seem relaxed and laid back. This look is used continuously in the indie rock genre. However, some of the artists have their own unique costumes with colours that are not common in the indie rock genre but having artists put their own particular style into their costumes is frequent in this genre of music.

Another similarity across the six front covers is that most of them include small feature article photographs. These tend to show and preview more of the artists that are going to feature inside the magazine. The feature article photographs are usually placed in the top right hand corner of the magazine front cover beside the main image and are usually depicted in black and white to give off the sense that they are old or exclusive that is now only being used in this issue of the magazine.

Stephanie Alabi

On the front cover of NME, in the top right hand corner, if it is not filled with a feature article photograph then a puff will be used in its place. The puff is also used to preview information that is going to be featured in the magazine. It catches the audience’s eye and is used so that they will read what is inside the puff and it will help persuade them to buy the magazine to read more of the article on the inside.

On each front cover, the NME masthead appears in the exact same large, bold font and is placed in the same place in the top left hand corner each time. Each time the masthead is presented, it is shown either in red, white or yellow and sometimes being outlined in black. This gives off the edgy impression whilst not pandering to one gender. In each front cover with a solo female artist on the front, their heads are slightly being covered by the masthead, however on each of the other front covers with bands featuring in them, their heads are slightly covering the masthead. This suggests that if there is only one artist on the cover then there will be more space on the front cover so they can be slightly covered by the masthead, however with the bands covering the masthead it implies that NME magazine is so successful that they don’t need to broadcast their logo as their loyal audience will already recognise the magazine.

Another repeated feature of these six front covers is that the main sell line which is the name of the main artist featuring in the magazine, sits across the centre of the front cover. It also happens to be the largest piece of text on the cover and therefore catches the audience’s eye first so they recognise who the main artist featured in that magazine is. It is usually accompanied with another piece of text under it e.g. ‘The Vaccines. The Return Of The Great British Guitar Band’. Also in each front cover, there are various sell-lines previewing interviews with other artists that are featuring in the magazine placed around the main image. These are used as the audience will read the preview then want to buy the magazine to read the rest of the interview. Plus, on three of the six front covers, there is a list of artists that will feature in the magazine.

NME tends to stick to the usual colour scheme in each issue of red, black, white, yellow and blue that features on every front cover however on one issue there is a use of purple. These colours will appeal to both the female and male audience and it makes the front cover stand out as it mainly uses primary colours. The layout of each magazine is consistent across the six front covers as the main sell line, masthead, puff, feature article photographs and sell-lines are practically placed similarly in each issue.

Nevertheless, you can spot significant differences between the front covers of NME as in five out of six of the front covers, they all have plain backgrounds with only one muted colour behind them but on the front cover with Lana Del Rey on it, her background is of the American Flag. This may be because her style of indie rock music

Stephanie Alabi

is more fun and lively whereas the others are quite dark and sullen. Also it showcases her proud American heritage.

Another difference is that only one of the front covers features a sell-line saying ‘NEW MUSIC 2011’. This may be because that issue of NME was a special showcasing the most talented artists of 2011 and this is presented as there is a list on the front cover of artists who are the ‘new stars’ of 2011. Plus, on both of the front covers that feature solo female artists, it is presented on the cover that there are free posters included in the magazine. This may be because they are solo artists and you can focus on other artists as well but on the front covers that include bands as their main artists they want to be the focus of the magazine.

Having done this overview, I have found that NME magazine has its own unique brand identity and personality that is easily recognized by its target audience. This is also shown by the signature look of their front covers as the style and layout of each issue is continuous and helps the magazine to sell.