Magazine Cover Analysis 2

Magazine Cover Analysis 2: The Week magazine is a well-known current affairs magazine. The target audience are 35-54-year olds, who are the peak of their profession and earning power and are left leaning. The demographic is split 50/50 between males and females. The masthead is in a bold white font with a red background. This masthead is used on all the magazine covers by The Week. This creates and maintains a brand identity for the magazine and means that the audience will instantly recognise the magazine and instantly comprehend that it is regarding current affairs. The colour scheme consists of predominantly white, green and red. The colour green connotes the earth and environment and subtly implies instantly that the magazine regards current affairs. This appeals to the target audience due to them being interested in the news and current affairs. Red is used to add a background to the masthead to reinforce the brand identity, whilst the colour white is used to contribute to the neat house style. The main cover line states “What’s allowed?”, which is followed by another cover line which states “The PM’s confused message”. This was during the first peak of the coronavirus and the government guidelines were unclear. This is followed by the main image, which is of a busy park location, with a police officer using a confused facial expression. The idea of using a police officer, to show a confused facial expression reinforces how confusing the guidelines are, due to important figures in society not understanding the rules. This subtly belittles the Conservatives by suggesting they have not set clear rules for the public and portrays them in a negative light. This will appeal to the primary target audience as they are left leaning and most likely oppose the Tories. There are other cover lines and supporting images at the top of the magazine. Such as “Did this creature give us the virus?”, which is supported by an image of the animal. This further implies to the target audience that the magazine is regarding current affairs. It also gives the reader an insight into what will be in the magazine which may influence them to read and subscribe to The Week. The Week challenges the traditional codes and conventions of magazines. For example, there is no attempt at using the rule of thirds. This technique is normally used to structure the topics on a cover. However, the main image takes up almost the whole of the front cover. In conclusion the magazine cover consists of codes which will appeal to the target audience such as the main image and cover line used. However, The Times do not follow the traditional codes and conventions which implies they are different to other magazines, which reinforces to their target audience they have their own identity.