Analysis Of Front Cover Of Best

The television presenter, Fern Britton, is placed on the right side of the magazine, as the biggest photograph on the cover. The image of the presenter is conventional for this type of magazine, she is around the same age as the targeted audience, making her a potential “friend”, where she is acting as a symbol, almost as a mothering figure, someone you can relate to. She is a striking image compared to the bland white background which she is placed on. She looks straight out at the audience in a confident manner, smiling at the audience in a friendly way, reinforcing that the magazine is trying to make itself appear to be a friend to the reader. She is wearing a formal black dress which provides an interesting contrast between her and the background. Despite the celebrity status she appears to have in the photograph, she is pictured lower down to her right in a normal everyday situation with her child. The photograph almost makes the reader feel like that is her and can relate to her like family. The title next to the picture, ‘FERN - HRT has made me a NICER MUM’ is in a direct form of address which makes the audience feel like they are being spoken to directly. It is in a big, bright, contrasting colour compared to the background photograph. Also, the way the magazine refers to Fern, is almost as if the audience are close to her. As well as fulfilling some of the audience’s needs, i.e. makeshift friendship, it suggests that because the magazine refers to the presenter in a close way, the audience is getting advice from a celebrity.

One of the cover lines is cleverly written to entice the audience even more than any other story. Because it offers simple ways for “9 EASY DINNERS”, most women would be interested in learning the secrets of quick appetising meals, as 5 dishes are displayed in images. However it is possible that the readers could somehow feel disillusioned because as they read on to they find that the meals actually take around 45 minutes to an hour. One other cover line “SISTERS OF COURAGE” stands out from the others, as it is not in big, bold multicoloured, yet in smaller red sans serif font, with bullet point styled border on a white background. This can make the impression that it’s a shocking story. The picture to the right of the cover line is of two normal looking sisters, together, with an exclusive tag underneath.

This can make the reader feel smug as they are reading a story that other magazines may not posses. The phrase underneath the cover line is somewhat exaggerated slightly as it quotes “We broke our silence to JAIL our EVIL DAD”. The three words, JAIL, EVIL and DAD are in a dark red, bold font. As red is seen to be an evil colour, it emphasises the words more to make them more dramatic and shocking.

“My 3 Miracles, mended my broken heart underneath” is a cover line with a photo of triplets. The three are placed on a bright pink background, easily noticeable. The triplets make a bold contrast as the colours are completely different to the background, making the image stand out. Yet as it does this, the photograph is a heart warming, enticing the reader to read on. Again, the way that the phrase is being displayed, it further reinforces that the magazine is your friend talking directly out to you in a informal manner, almost like the other person telling the story is there, next to reader.

In conclusion, the BEST editor has used a proven publication model to entice the fickle public to purchase and read its magazine in preference to a competitor.