Magazine Cover Analysis: Zoo EU & Vogue Australia

Zoo Magazine - No. 45 2014

This here is the front cover of European Arts magazine, Zoo (not the weekly vulgar British magazine). This magazine caters to people with interests in arts, fashion and music.
This particular cover hosts quite a minimalist design. It features, plainly, an image of the band Rammstein, a masthead and one subheading.
The masthead is relatively unreadable for some, as it is not in a plain text font. However, in the context of colours, it is bold and readable as it is in front of a black and white main image. The font is 'posh' and 'artsy', which reflects the target audience. The masthead is in gold, which is an upper-class colour, which makes it seem more exclusive and expensive.
Unlike most magazines, the date and article number is in a large text. It is also written as an issue number, rather than a month.
The image between the masthead and issue number is of the Brandenburg gate. This is appropriate because this particular issue, as displayed by the subheading beneath the masthead, is the Berlin issue.
The main image displays the band Rammstein portrayed in a way which is unfamiliar to most. Typically they are seen on stage in an excessive theatrical performance, whereas in this image they are in particularly calm and reserved. The image displays the six men sitting on a sofa, wearing suits and smoking cigars. This image will appeal to a mainly male audience as they are doing a 'manly' thing. The magazine publishers will assume that men will think that "I want to be like these men" and, hopefully, purchase the magazine. It is the magazines way of using masculinity to sell their product.
Their body language within the image is casual. It is not endearing or overly confident, but just casual. This can be appealing for the audience because it will make them realise that, although they are celebrities, they are still 'normal' people. They still like to kick back and relax with each other and smoke, like many other (middle/lower class) people. This causes them to become relatable, therefore people will be drawn to this image.
The main image being in black and white makes it relatively more eye-catching. This is because it can easily be differentiated from other magazines and, due to this, possible stand out better on news stands. It also makes the headlines and masthead stand out easier.
Fans of the band will purchase this magazine because they too will be interested by seeing the band in an unusual environment, as they are used to seeing them on stage with extreme pyrotechnics or playing strange roles in controversial music videos. The star appeal of the band will draw in a secondary audience of Rammstein fans.
Below the group is a small, simple subheading of 'Rammstein'. On a typical magazine, a heading of this size would not be the main coverline. However, considering there are no other headlines at all, this headline is the most appealing. Also, it is white, and it is up against the black part of a black and white photo, therefore it is easily readable and it stands out, despite it being small. It mentions beneath the main coverline that the article and photography is by Bryan Adams, who is a famous photographer (not the singer). This could also draw in a secondary audience of fans of his work.
Considering this magazine is purposely made to look upper class and relatively artsy, the audience could also be lower-class as they may be interested by upper-class media and would like to possess the same interests as the upper-class.
As this magazine is very different to the typical bright and bold gossip magazine, it stands out due to its uniqueness of lacking the tacky bright coloured headings and close-up face shots. Often, people can be drawn towards different things due to either them wanting to be different or literally just being drawn towards something other than the norm. Although not being mainstream can be a negative, sometimes it can have a positive impact on audience.

Vogue Magazine Australia - June 2016

This is the cover of high-class fashion magazine Vogue Australia.

The masthead is in the house-style font that Vogue has been using for years. It is covered by the image of Kim Kardashian. This is done because Vogue is a common magazine and people will always know what magazine it is, regardless. The colour black is used within the masthead and subheadings because the image is prominently light colours and this is contrasting with it. It makes it easier to read for the audience. 

The subheadings are wrapping around Kim's body to make the main image more apparent and easier to view for the audience. It also emphasises her shape. This is important because a lot of magazine publishers want women to be manipulated into buying things to encourage them to look a certain way. Some media publishers exploit women's views on themselves to gain sales.

The main cover line varies in size. This is because the more important things that the publisher want the readers to be able to read at a glance stand out more and are easily read. It prevents the magazine looking particularly tacky.

The main image in particular is relatively plain. She is not overly sexualised and she is simply wearing white clothing whilst in front of the sea. However, this image can stand out amongst other magazines because it is very bright and it doesn't host a variety of different bright colours. The simplicity of it just being white can help the person in the photograph stand out also as she has darker features. Also, this image is a body shot, and Vogue do this regularly because it is a fashion magazine, therefore they want the audience to see what clothes are being modelled and who is modelling it. Often, Vogue has famous supermodels such as Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss, however in this instance, it is the reality star Kim Kardashian.

The prominent use of the colour white implies a purity around Kim, which for most people is unusual. She is not in her usual 'skimpy' revealing clothing, as she is sporting a simple white beach dress. The fact that she is in an environment different than the usual could be a selling point for the magazine.

Using her on the cover applies a star appeal, as her fans who may not usually purchase the magazine may buy this issue simply because she is on it. 

There are not many other cover lines on this magazine. This is because most of them are very large and the cover lines are very simple and straight to the point. For example, 'Fashion's new sensuality: Balmain, Altuzarra, Givenchy, Tom Ford, Anthony Vaccarello'. With this cover line, Vogue are rounding up a group of designers under one title, rather than listing them all with the same description. Also, 'Plus Angelina Jolie, Lupita Nyong'o, Reese Witherspoon' is another example of simple cover lines. It doesn't specify why they are in the magazine but the star appeal of their names is enough for their fans to just buy it. 

Camera Shots

Forrest Gump - 1994

This scene is from the start of Forrest Gump. This type of shot, which is a medium-long-shot, displays the two children's relationship. The medium-longshot is used to portray what kind of relationship these two people have and how close they are to each other. It also displays how serene and calm the surroundings are, emphasising the happiness and tranquility of their relationship. The lighting within this particular scene is quite mellow and it is all natural lighting. The lighting in this scene is realistic. This scene has been shot at an eye-level angle, which adds to the realism of this shot. 

The Nice Guys - 2016

This scene is from The Nice Guys. This shot is an extreme close-up. Although it being an extreme close-up, it is also a two shot. This extreme close-up has been used to display the expressions of the two characters. The angle in this scene is also eye-level, therefore the scene is clearer to the audience. The camera is focused on Holland and his expression of concern/intrusion, whereas Healy also has the same expression, but is the camera is not focussing on him. 

The Inbetweeners - 2008

This comedic scene is from British sitcom The Inbetweeners. This particular scene is a birds-eye shot which is also a medium shot. A birds-eye shot is used to belittle the character and remind the audience that this character has little power. In this sense, it is used for comedic affect, as he is looking up at whoever it is taking a photo of him whilst he's on the toilet. This is a medium-shot because it shows the character and we can clearly see his expression whilst we can also see part of the landscape and his body. 

Mein Herz Brennt - 2011

The above scene is from the short promotional German film, Mein Herz Brennt. This shot here is an extreme long-shot. This is because it establishes that the characters are running from their landscape, which we can clearly see, and a lot of it. We can abundantly see their relation as they are all wearing the same clothes and look rough, therefore we can assume that they are all patients and their landscape is a burning hospital in a forest. This scene is shot in an eye-level angle to allow us to see the characters and their location clearly. 

Drive - 2011

This scene is from the film Drive. This particular shot is a close-up. This is because it is used to show his assertive facial expression. It can be identified as a close-up because it displays his face and we can clearly see it but we can also see his shoulders and what is around him. Due to these factors, it is a close-up, rather than an extreme close-up. This scene is shot from an eye-level angle from the outside of his car. 

Mein Herz Brennt - 2011

This scene is also from the horror PV, Mein Herz Brennt. This shot is a long shot because it displays the character in the environment. This scene clearly displays these two factors. This scene is also shot in a (partial) low angle to show that this character has a high status and perhaps, invoke fear within the audience. 

David Bowie magazine cover

The cover I designed is for a music magazine. I used a particularly 'artsy' image of David Bowie because my magazine is aimed at upper class readers (A, B & C1). Also, my choice of font was determined by the target audience because it is a 'posh' font rather than the typical bold Impact font styles used on magazines. This is because my magazine is slightly more upper class and aimed at more intellectual readers rather than the typical gossip magazine. It should be able to be abundantly differentiated from other magazines as some upper class people can be very reluctant to share similar interests with anything not to their standards.
I chose the title 'The Performer Weekly' because it is a word that the reader may relate to as it is an upper-class music magazine, therefore a number of upper-class musicians may read this because it is in tune with their interests.
I chose David Bowie for my cover photo as the target audience are adults and, at a push, elderly, therefore this is the kind of artists most of the people from this era will have listened to. Also, he is considered to be more of a music classic than a mainstream popstar nowadays.
I chose the particular headings because they pose a great relevancy to the subject of the magazine. The subheading '10 music festivals in Europe you missed' has been chosen because the upper class are typically interested in travelling and particularly Europe (as it is one of the more expensive places to travel to).
The particular picture is chosen because it is quite mellow. Bowie isn't doing anything particularly crazy, there are no excessively bright colours and theres non of his typical Ziggy Stardust look. It shows a much more casual and regular Bowie, which could actually attract attention from music fans as it is not his typical look.
The colour scheme I used is quite bland and not eye-catching. I have chosen this because, due to my target audience being upper-class adults, I think that having bold and eye-catching colours could be quite immature and basic, unlike my audience's interests.