Research, front cover analysis, 8.

The most outstanding feature on this magazine is definitely the model, this has been achieved by breaking a convention of music magazines and placing the masthead behind the star, in this case it works effectively. The masthead is in serif font and follows the constant house style that Billboard magazine have created, white and all three primary colours (red, yellow, blue). There are only 4 cover stories on this magazine as most of the space is taken by the model which has been displayed in medium shot.

The magazine is a special addition 'country's best' this is symbolized through the image as the model is wearing a stereotypical cowboy style hat this helps create the visual representation of a  country artist, this means the audience reaction will be a positive one, they will automatically be informed that this is a country music genre, as Richard Dyer suggests potential readers respond to repeated codes and stereotypes and therefore a star must be 'an image not a real person' which is represented here by displaying the stereo typical cowboy hat to represent the county music genre as he probably would not wear this everyday. The trees in the background, representing the country side also help create the mis-en-scene which would not have been achieved as successfully if the picture was set in a studio as it is too staged and doesn't represent the stereotypical country side setting which the music originates from. The background is not in the studio setting but a natural one which makes it seem true and natural, this creates a different representation them a studio setting would as it creates the connotations of country music being stripped back and simple, similar to the nature pictured in the background however it has been blurred to situate all of the attention on the model.

I believe the magazine will appeal to a male target audience because of the darker and monotone colours, also the models pose is very serious while looking into camera suggesting more manly connotations as opposed to a girl dressed in pink and laughing for example. The brown colour on his jacket symbolises natural and earthy vibe, which is representative of the county music genre.

There are three banners on this magazine, i like the effect of the natural blurred background and the white and red banners it allows the main stories to stand out much more effectively. One of the banners says 'playing to mean' a well recognized symbol of country is the guitar this phrase could be a connotation of the fact he is playing his guitar in order to further himself in the music industry.

Features:

The masthead is white and covers the first quarter of the page, it stands out against the background effectively as the background has been blurred. The font is san serif, it is simple and depicted in a block style with no extensions this is effective as although the background is a natural and quite light setting the masthead still able to be seen by the reader. The masthead includes the three primary colours (blue, red and yellow) therefore there are no possibilities of colour clashes. 

The banner across the name of the artist, this matches the red in the masthead and therefore creates a house style. The cover lines are also white which matches the house style as all of the font is depicted on the whole of the front cover. 

Above is a logo depicted on the front cover. 

The box outs above contain a cover line, the cover lines are depicted in alternate red and black. The red colour continues the house style. Against the white the red and black font colours stand out effectively this means that the 'PLUS:' which is a buzz word is easily read and will therefore grab the attention of the reader persuading them to purchase the magazine.  

The yellow font matches the colour in the masthead which creates the house style. The font is in san serif which is also synergetic with the masthead.  

How this post influenced by ideas and creativity: 

I like the banner overlapping the name of the artist.