Front Cover Analysis 5 - Smash Hits

The masthead of the magazine cover is in a red colour and capital letters which makes it stand out, especially against a plain white background. The masthead is large and takes up a large strip of the page, making it very visible. The font used is in a serif font and is unusual and uncommon making the magazine different and unique. The font is bold which relates to the masthead title 'Smash Hit's' as it is very bold an outgoing.
The colour scheme of the cover is limited and uses classic, bold colours that are easy to see. Black, red and white with small amounts of yellow, catches the readers attention as it is block colours and easy to see. The yellow will just catch the readers eye, drawing them in. The colours of the text have been applied carefully and tie into each piece of text on the page, furthermore the colours go well with the image as the star, Lady Gaga is wearing black which goes with the black font for her front cover name.


There is a selling line for this issue at the top of the page, this is seen instantly and draws in the readers attention. "Exclusive Lady Gaga 64- Page special edition", this is placed on a black background in yellow text. The word 'Special' is highlighted in the white colour to make it stand out to the readers that this issue is special edition which will draw them in and emphasises the importance of the issue. This is directly aimed at Lady Gaga fans which instantly grabs their attention.

This issue has a cover line, 'The worlds biggest star uncovered!', Lady Gaga is considered to be one of the biggest stars of today therefore this instantly attracts her fans as they want to know more about her and her life. 'Biggest' is in a larger font size, it stands out to you more showing the reader that it is full of big secrets.

 The main image is of lady gaga which takes up most of the cover, which makes the text revolve around her. Her pose can be seen as a male gaze because of her finger to her mouth and her revealing outfit, which could be seen sexually, this follows Mulveys theory as women being a male gaze. However lady gaga could just be feeling powerful as herself and not afraid to show her figure more. Lady Gaga's black eye makeup goes with her black outfit and the black text on the page, following the colour scheme.

At the top of the page there is a pug, 'FREE Posters', this will draw in fans because they like her and it also gives images of Lady gaga at the bottom of the page, this could be an insight to the posters of her that are inside of the magazine. Making people want to buy the magazine and read on.

This magazine influenced my research and planning because I could use pugs like the free posters one to draw in people that are interested in the genre I chose, I could also make text bigger and smaller to high light the key things that are important.

TA Research - Profiling

'We heart Pop' magazine is aimed at the target audience of teenagers.
The layout is less mature than a Classical magazine. The text is sans serif and shows a modern touch with the kerning of 'Katy Perry' and the letters with gaps such as the A or the P have been filled it, this is a fun way of using text, implying it is more aimed at younger audience because it looks more modern. The speech bubble is very easy to see and looks very pop art, the use of the bubble helps with the magazine name 'We love pop' as it looks like someone is saying it, it has a heart to imply that they use emoticons and that is very modern and attracts a younger audience. Puffs are used to highlight key parts, it attracts younger people because it stands out to them more. A Pug is used to show clothing that pop stars would wear but at a more affordable price for younger people. The star is standing in a position that makes her look as if she is a diva, most teenagers can come across as a diva and will appeal to girls a lot because it uses more styles to suit them.


The second magazine would be aimed at a older audience. The name of the magazine is 'Classic FM' and would be seen to everyone as a classical music magazine, usually people attracted to that style of music are of an older audience. The page is set out to be easy to read and uses a classic colour scheme. The Black, white, red and gold is carried through the cover and these are very safe colours but look elegant and mature. The gold of Paul McCartney's name symbolises that he is an important person, the star of the cover being him will draw in peoples attention as he is a very well known star and is known around the older audience. The magazine doesn't feel as cluttered as the pop magazine however this is because they have kept the text in straight columns. An older audience would be more interested in this magazine too because it comes with a free CD, younger people now download music on apps instead of buying CD's, however an older audience may still buy CD's because they're used to doing that and they don't really use the social media we have today.


The third magazine cover is from 'Billboard'. This magazine is aimed at a young mature target audience, from the ages of 16 and upwards. This magazine is made to look very mature and spaced out. The text is set into columns that are in a white text to contrast off the darker background of the black and white photograph of Drake. The magazine have used a younger artist that appeals to a younger audience, they have also used a white sans serif font through out using small doses of colour to make it pop, however this makes the magazine look young and mature and most appealing. This magazine uses a puff to draw in attention to a story. Overall this magazine is kept simple and stylish to fit a young, possible university students life.

TA Profile Slidely

Bethany Banks's Slidely by Slidely Slideshow

My target audience My target audience is aimed at two types of audiences, a younger audience from ages 15+ and for the older age group of 50+ too, this is because it could interest the younger audience as they could like this style of music and the era. However I want to also target the older audience because they may have lived this era of music and style, so it will take them back to the days! I want to aim this at a younger audience because I am a teenager and I love to read about the vintage rock'n'roll days and the style, fashion and the women of them days inspire me! The women were glamorous and stylish, amazing singers and dancers and they always seem to be having fun! I also like the male singers such as Elvis, he was called the King of Rock'N'Roll, he was an amazing singer that brought a whole new world of music! I like to listen to Vintage Rock'N'Roll because its very enthusiastic and makes you want to get up and dance.

Locations Moodboard

My Inspiration

I am choosing a female star for my story, I am inspired by the vintage stars Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn. I am inspired by these ladies because of there power, their beauty and their talent.
The women could be seen as a male gaze like Laura Mulvey's theory, they were seductive, beautiful and fun. Audrey has big brown eyes that catch attention, her thick eyebrows give her natural beauty the shout out and the signature makeup look makes her stunning look pop!

Yet again Judy Garland also has that look, she has big brown eyes and the signature vintage makeup look. Her hair style is what attracts me because I love the curls, I would love to use this hair style look in my magazine for my star.

The one I am inspired by the most by the looks is Marilyn Monroe. Her beauty is known all around the world, her big eyes and pouty lips. Blonde, effortless curls. She is the model that I am taking inspiration for looks off.

My Stars Name: Survey

I did a survey as to which name people were most attracted to, this helps me decide on what name I shall use for my star in my magazine. I wanted the name to be appealing to people so that they would want to read about the star. I did a survey of 20 people of a range of ages.

From my results I have decided to choose Delilah Rose to the name of my star, I like this name a lot and I think it will suit my star.

Vintage Hair and Makeup Moodboard

This vintage hair and makeup mood board I have created has given me ideas of how I want to make my star look, so that they will fit into the genre of music.

Vintage Fashion Moodboard

Here I have collected fashion ideas for my model to wear in my magazine, this will help link it to the Vintage Music theme.