Critical Analysis of Music Magazine Front Cover

1. Does the front cover represent the aim (to give information about ...) and style (genre of music, design) of the intended magazine?
Yes, it gives information about the genre the magazine is and what can be found inside. The artists that will be inside are clearly shown and the genre is obvious from those artists.

2. Can you read the coverlines easily and clearly?
Yes, especially because I put pale coloured ovals underneath the coverlines. You can read them easily and the stand out. They are also quite big so it would not be a strain to read them at all.

3. Are the coverlines obscuring the photograph/going over the artists face?
No. The artist's face can be seen clearly and is not hidden behind any of the coverlines.

4. Does the choice of font work?
I think it does work because it's alternative which fits in with the whole theme of the magazine.

5. Is the background too light/too dark?
I don't think so. At first it was too dark, so I brightened it in photoshop. The brightness now fits in with the colours I used on the front cover.

6. Is the masthead prominent and easily read?
The masthead is prominent as it is very different to the background. The masthead is behind the artist's head but that is intentional as it connotes that the magazine is well known as you don't need to see the full masthead to know the magazine.

7. Is there a barcode (with numbers underneath), date, price, and if appropriate issue number?
The cover has a barcode with numbers underneath on it. It also has a date (January 2014) and a price (£1.50). It does not have an issue number which is something I should probably add.


8. Is it appropriate for the intended target audience?
I think it is because the coverlines will appeal to them and the artists featured on the cover fit into the genres they listen to.

9. Does it look like a music magazine front cover?
I think it does. It has all the connotations of a real magazine; an image that covers the whole page, a puff with a buzzword that might encourage a potentional customer, a barcode, a date, a price, a footer with extra artists included, a main story line and other (smaller) coverlines.

10. Have you realised your design intentions?
I wanted my magazine to stand out and not blend in with any others. I achieved this by choosing fonts that aren't conventional and choosing colours that aren't too bright; I wanted to front cover to be outside of any norms.