The main function of a magazine cover is to be able to target the audience effectively. New Woman does this by aiming the article and features on the front cover of the magazine at each of the particular groups that they aim to target and sometimes the ones surrounding them. On the cover there is a wide variety of different articles ranging from reader’s true stories one of these articles in “I cooked his chicken in wee” to celebrity stories, with articles that will appeal to everyone. Each magazine cover also features an article about a celebrity on it with a taster line to make you want to read the article.
However Yours magazine uses articles of relevance to the particular age of the reader. They also use the red background withy the white title for their mast head so readers will know what they are looking for and the magazine will be easy to spot in the shops. The magazine appears to be quite plain compared to the other one’s for sale which makes it stand out more to the chosen target audience The style of the writing is formal not slang using regular sentences to make it easier for the reader to understand.
By contrasting the two front covers we can see that the pose struck by the model on the cover of New Woman magazine is one that stands out from the others. The reasons for this are she is standing looking down on the camera with her hands on her hips makes her look like she is oozing with confidence and is very successful in everything she does. She is also dressed up and is looking immaculate and perfect giving the reader the impression you too can look like this. I feel that this image will draw the reader to this magazine and will make them want to look and have a life as good at the models. It will also encourage the reader to believe that this look will be achievable for them and that they will be able to go to same type of places and live the same life as the model who is also a celebrity.
A rather different approach is taken by Yours magazine, the model is Judi Dench a famous actress and she is dressed conservatively which makes her appeal to the target audience and shows how they too can dress when they go out. The camera angle is down slightly and to the side to give the impression that this was not done as a pose but was taken at either an awards night or the opening of a new film. the reasons for this are there are people in the background quite possibly on a screen or backdrop. The image is effective in this way because it has bold yellow writing across the model. The cover image is effective to the chosen audience and easily recognisable to them.
Every magazine uses a mode of address to communicate to the reader they do this by picking out a language style. New Woman magazine uses informal friendly language with the occasional use of slang. The article featured on the front cover about Dannii Minogue “I’m learning to be a diva” is an example of the use of slang in the magazine. They also have questions of the front cover along with statements and commands to get the reader interested. New woman magazine uses education disguised as entertainment for example “What married men really get up to”. They use a lot of persuasive language with the statements and questions that they use. For example the article on the front cover which stands out the most “Never have a fat day again”
Another way to do this is by looking at Yours magazine they only use formal language throughout. Near enough all of the articles on the front cover are statements and are mostly educational with the exception of the cover story “who is the real Judi” which is a question about the model. The educational content is not hidden or disguised as entertainment it is trying to sound factual instead and to give the readers hope that all is not lost if any of the these problems were to happen to them. For example under the health section there is an article about your sight “Superfoods that keep your sight sharp”
It is important for magazines to attract advertisers as they help to keep the cost of the magazine down by attracting consumers who are in turn interested in buying the products advertised. The back cover on the New Woman magazine ties in well with the front as both the models are shown to be both smart, confident , sexy ladies. The angle of the camera is also very similar to the front. The model is wearing a mask to keep the reader guessing as to whether she is an angel or demon. This will make the reader want to buy the perfume “ange ou demon” so that they too can be either angel or demon. The advertising on the front cover is appropriate because it is all items that will be of interest to the reader.
This is effective because on the front of Yours magazine there is an advertisement for s section on health and the back cover in an advisement for Flora and there motto is “love your heart”. The front cover is effective in this way because it is disguised as entertainment so all the articles are of interest to females aged fifty plus. Readers are encouraged to read these sections as they are in relation to the articles of relevance to the reader.
Magazines must be able to attract their readers by including articles on items that will be relevant to all people in their chosen age grope, for instance nearly every female is on a diet or would like to be thin. So including article on the latest diet or the healthiest foods to eat, even exercise plans would appeal to the majority of the female population. They must also include the latest fashions this would apply to all magazines from pregnancy and birth to men’s health magazines as every one wants to look good.
