Front Cover Analysis

For Billboard Magazine

Masthead- The masthead for this cover is unusually at the side- the name generally tends to be across the top in this magazine. Despite this, the name of the publication is instantly recognisable; they’ve continued to use the same font they’ve always used since the redesigning of their logo. The name ‘Billboard’ has a strong brand image as the company has been around for over 100 years. Also, due to the publication’s other assets in the music industry (such as the Billboard Hot 100 & Billboard Hot 200) the audience instantly knows that it is a music related magazine without even needing to glance at the artist on the cover

Main image-The main image is on an artist named Lorde. The shot is full bleed and is a mid-long shot which shows her leaning back on what presumably is the arm of a grey sofa. Her hair is windswept and is perfectly tousled. This connotes that she is a very laid back person (not feeling that she has to brush her hair and keep it under control) but also ,potentially, that she is, in a way, a rebellious kind of person. She may not feel the need for society’s demand that we look prim and proper at all times. By staring directly into the camera, she is directly addressing the reader and drawing them in- this encourages them to buy the magazine as they feel like they have made a personal connection with the artist. The pop of orange draws attention to the falling jacket. This makes her look more relaxed and also draws attention to the small amount of skin she is showing; this makes the image slightly sexualised as she appears to be taking off her clothes but it also connotes that she is open with the magazine in the sense that she isn’t hiding anything. The denotation of her taking off her jacket connotes that she has nothing to hide. Similarly, her relaxed position gives the impression that she is not under pressure and feels comfortable with the magazine. As a result, it can be inferred that she will reveal lots in the publication as she looks as if she feels comfortable enough to reveal details about herself. Due to this, the audience may feel more inclined to buy the magazine as they feel they’ll lots about Lorde

Cover line explanation- This gives more information to the primary cover line. It offers some explanation as to why Lorde is a ‘prodigy’ and subtly notes a few of her achievements and describes why she deserves to be on the cover. The pop of orange used for her name is the only mention of her name of the entire cover. It is a very understated way of stating who she is while being able to maintain the streamlined, chic look of the cover. Furthermore, Kanye West is a star who is notorious for being picky over which stars he supports and is synonymous with the ‘cool’ music scene. The mention of his name tells the audience that she is seen as a great artist by the big players in the music industry. This point of view may prove influential with them and they may like Lorde more because of this.

Colours-The colours in this cover are calming, they’re toned down and understated. Different shades of blue are used along with white and the occasional pop of orange. The orange refreshes the page and gives it life whilst still allowing it to maintain that sleek, Zen chic look that they’re going for. The grey background gives a relaxed atmosphere to the magazine.

Primary cover line- ‘Evolution’ suggests to the audience that the artist has grown since launching onto the chart; the reader may be intrigued by this and as a result would become more interesting. This would attract fans and music lovers on its own as they would be excited to discover just how she has changed and grown and what effect the music industry has had on her. ‘Prodigy’ leads us to imagine that she is ahead of her time and has abilities beyond her years. So even if the audience had never heard of Lorde, they’d know that she is a very talented person and would be interested to know just what makes her a prodigy.

Sell lines- These are in a smaller and thinner font and are located at the top of the page so as to still be readable but not detract from the main image/feature. The orange line adds to the pops of orange throughout the cover and adds some life to an otherwise grey corner of the page.

Colour- The monochromatic theme of the cover gives it a relaxed feel as it isn’t overcrowded. It has a timeless look due to the lack of colour- black, white and grey are often thought of as a classic colour combination. The crisp contrast of the white text against the black t-shirt gives the cover a modern feel. Also, the slight grey gradient of the background (it gets darker as it rises) adds some dimension to the cover.

Main image- The main image is a full bleed midshot of a smiling Drake on a grey background. The smiling male RnB artist is somewhat of a rarity in the world of a magazine. Male artists are generally shown to be solemn, moody or straight-faced. By using a ‘happy’ image, they show the artist to have more personality and character- he is depicted as actually being a human being rather than just a singer/rapper. And that’s what I believe Billboard are trying to do: they’re trying to sell Drake as a person, not just as and artist. This idea is also enforced by the lack of any music-related talk on the sell lines. The backwards cap and t-shirt give the impression that the interview featuring Drake will be close and personal; due to his relaxed attire, it seems unlikely that the feature will be overly formal. Also, the way that Drake is looking off camera and laughing gives the impression that the audience will feel a part of the conversation that Drake presumably has with the interviewer as they may feel as if they are watching his side of the conversation. In addition to this, the wide smile and crinkles in Drake’s seem genuine- especially since eye crinkles can be hard to force when smiling. As a result of this, Drake is represented as a very genuine, real person (i.e.. Not fake/pretending to be something he isn’t). In fact this fits in with the artist’s representation of himself as he prides himself on staying true to himself. Due to this, more people/fans may purchase the magazine as they may feel like they're seeing a true, genuine side to Drake which can be a rarity in this industry.

Primary cover line- The use of ‘DRAKE’ in large white typography (especially against a darker background) instantly lets the audience know who the person on the cover is if they didn’t already know. Also, anyone can just walk past and will instantly notice the wording- since Drake is undoubtedly very well known they’re likely to stop and see what the article is about, or at least stop to read the cover. The rest of the primary sell line ‘FINDS HAPPINESS’ is capitalized in a simple spaced out font. A potential reason that it is capitalized could be that it is an important fact- it is important that anyone finds happiness after all. Also, the simple spaced out font could be the magazine’s way of expressing that this is the plain truth: that Drake has found happiness and that’s what is important. There’s no beating around the bush- its in a straightforward font because it is what it is and nothing can change that.

Masthead- The masthead in this cover is noticeably smaller to the one in Lorde’s cover and is also landscape as opposed to portrait. By being smaller, it draws more attention to Drake’s mid shot. Also, by being shifted primarily to the left when mastheads are usually stretched across the width of the page, it allows more focus to be attracted to Drake’s face as it is in close proximity to the title of the publication. The white of the title ties in well with the monochromatic theme that is evidently in use across the cover.

Supporting text for the cover line- This is a direct quote from (I presume) the article within the magazine as indicated by the quote marks. The use of the black text for the text as opposed to white which was used for everything else was most likely to allow it still be seen against the grey background but not detract attention from the cover line. It sells the article because it shows Drake’s confidence and his newfound happiness with himself and his career. This would attract readers as they’d want to read why Drake has suddenly found happiness and perhaps apply the same concept to their own lives. As well as this, they may feel glad for Drake that he has found happiness and would want to be able to feel closer to him and identify with him (as part of the Uses and Gratifications theory.)

Audience- The magazine seems to be aimed at Rihanna fans due the placement of her instantly recognisable red hair which no doubt attract the attention of any person who even knows of her. However, it is also aimed at (stereotypical) men due to the inherently sexualised way that the star is shown.

Main image- The main image consists of Rihanna leaning over in a beige cami top with one of her many tattoos on show. Her red hair and red lipstick take centre stage due to the bright pigmentation of both- the saturation has been obviously increased in order to highlight the red. Rihanna’s image in this cover is undoubtedly overtly sexualised- the red hair and red lipstick connote passion, desire and danger. This, in combination with the tattoo, give her the impression that she is a ‘bad girl’ (this fits in with her Instagram username: @badgalriri). The red lipstick automatically draws your attention to her lips- the reflection of light on her lips only add to this. Also, she is wearing a relatively short top, which could be seen as provocative to some people despite it being what she often wears. Also, she is staring directly into the camera- by doing this she is directly addressing the camera, she is making a connection with them. It is because of this connection that some people will buy the magazine- they feel as if they already know her.

Masthead- The masthead generally tends to be the same for every single issue of the magazine. The reason that this masthead differs to the other two covers that I chose to analyse is because this was before Billboard recently underwent a brand redesign. This was their old logo- the ‘b’, ‘o’, ‘a’ and ‘d’ are coloured in red, pink, blue and yellow respectively. The use of multiple colours allowed the magazine to be flexible with the colours that they chose to use for each issue- all issues would match the masthead due to the inclusivity of common colours. Also, the use of many colours in the masthead could be representative of how Billboard, as a magazine, covers many genres and many different artists.

Colours- The colours in general are very saturated in this cover- the colours tend to be very vivid. The background is dark which could suggest secrets (this links with the pull quote) but it could also be used to bring to attention the star due to the contrast of the colours. The beige top could’ve been chosen due to the fact that it is close to the star’s skin tone so it does not detract from the main coloured feature of the cover: Rihanna’s hair and lips. The bright red is a sexualised colour and since this is a main colour in this article, she seems very sexualised. The use of a light colour for the cover line (‘THE RE-REIVENTION OF RIHANNA’) allows the text to stand on its own but not detract from the brightness of the hair.

Cover line- I presume that they placed Rihanna’s name in a large typography midway down the page underneath her brightly highlighted face was so that any passer-by would automatically glance at the text as it is very eyecatching due to the contrast of its light cooour to the red/dark backing and it is very big. The fading out of the text potentially links with the pull quote as she may be losing herself as her fans ‘don’t really know who she is.’ The ‘re-reinvention’ refers to the star changing up her image and her sound. The use of ‘re’ in front of ‘reinvention’ suggests that this is not the first time that she has done this.

Pull quote- The mere suggestion that her fans don’t know her would send the Navy (the name coined for Rihanna’s fan base) into a frenzy as they would rush to buy the magazine in order to truly find out who she is. This would align with the Uses and Gratifications theory as they’d buy the publication for information but also to identify with her as they find out that she is similar to them in some way.

Sell lines- With a white backing behind the text, the subheadings stand out & are easily distinguishable from the explanations positioned below them. These allow the reader to identify what will be inside the magazine & help them decide whether or not to buy it.