Analysis of a similar style magazine cover

“We love pop” is a new monthly pop magazine aimed at teen girls, more than five years after Smash Hits folded.

Egmont Publishing Group launched the first edition of the magazine in July 2011.

The marketing campaign will include sales with retailers such as Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and WH Smith Travel, advertising on London buses and digital activity on Stardoll, Sugarscape and Vevo.com.

The magazine which I am deconstructing is the 12th October- 8th November issue.

"Egmont firmly believes there is a place on the newsstand for a respected teen pop magazine.”

We Love Pop magazine

Title The title of the magazine gives the reader a sense of

involvement due to the use of a personal pronoun- “We”- they get the idea that they have something in common with the magazine and therefore feel familiarised.

The use of a logo incorporated into the title gives the magazine individuality and an identity aswell as making it easier to read as it stands out and contrasts.  The reader will consciously or unconsciously identify this speech bubble with the magazine in future therefore is more likely to buy it when they see it .

The advertisement of the magazine being a “Brand New Mag!” is an attraction as people associate new with the unknown and therefore want to find out what they don’t already and but the magazine.

“GOSSIP FASHION BOYS UNCENSORED” are all topics which girls want to know and read about therefore this attracts the target audience well. The use of the word “uncensored” hints that there are things in the magazine which shouldn’t be e.g. secrets leaked in interviews which is also attractive to the audience as they enjoy knowing all the top gossip.

Cover lines

The cover lines on the magazine are intended to make the reader want to find out more about them. This example is advertising a problem solving page where the popular boy band ‘One Direction’ answer readers issues.

This gives the reader a chance to get on a personal level with the boys from the band which is a desire which many young girls have about ‘boy band’s. Also, the idea of them caring and wanting to help out readers is an attraction to the reader.

The slogan “it’s tea and tissue time” similarly adds a personal touch to the article as it provokes imagery and ideas of the band members being “normal”, “average” and just like the reader.

The use of a pretty girl in similar style clothes to their “20 trends to make Autumn awesome” makes readers understand the style which they’re going for and therefore trust the magazine’s judgement- “She looks good therefore so will I” kind of pattern.

The idea of an “awesome Autumn” is also appealing as Autumn isn’t known for particularly interesting weather, events or holidays therefore the clothes are presented as an idea to make up for it.

Cover lines

“In Jessie J’s bedroom” is an eye catching cover line as being in someone's bedroom is very up close and personal, which is how a fan would love to be with Jessie.

The slogan “(she could have hoovered)” gives a humorous touch to the article as it is a funny idea that someone would moan and complain about the state of a celebrities room “they should be thankful they could be there” springs to mind, which makes the magazine editor’s seem comfortable enough to joke with the celebs and therefore provokes ideas that they are on a personal level with them therefore must have all the secrets and gossip within the magazine- key selling point.

“beyonce, JLS, glee, the saturdays joe jonas & 5 bare chests!” uses contrasting colours and popular name drops to attract attention. The use of lower case letters also shows that the magazine is flexible and relaxed in language use- they don’t need to use capital letters for each name like the English language should- they are modern and don’t follow the rules.

Lead article

The lead article is about Cher Lloyd, a runner up in the X-Factor talent show. She is a popular singer and style icon among many young girls.

The way that the title dominates the cover by being written right across it in large, lime green capitals instantly catches the reader’s eye.

The use of a model credit, “CHER”, is the main eye catching word as she has an individual name which she is instantly recognised by.

The word “WOAH” implies that it is a shocking and impressive article which is also a key selling point.

Main Image The main image of the cover is

a photograph of Cher Lloyd which compliments the lead article.

The “WOAH” in the article name is portrayed through her shocked facial expression and the flash of the vintage style camera she is holding- the flash is supposed to act as a shock to the reader as the brightness of the light is eye catching.

Her facial expression also suits the genre as it is fun, excited & expressive.

She is quite heavily made up which contrasts with the simplicity of a plain purple-blue T-Shirt- perhaps Cher’s style is toned down to suit the younger audience.

Overall look

I think that the magazine does a good job at appealing to it’s target audience of girls aged 8-16.

It uses celebrity names which would appeal to girls of that age range and cleverly word’s articles to give the impression that the magazine is very involved with the celebrities themselves.

The cover’s colours are quite different from the average girls pop magazine as you would usually associate lime green with more of a boy’s colour but it works well and contrasts with the other colours and the background used.

The colours also reflect the unique style and personality of cover girl, Cher Lloyd.

I will take these key points into consideration when designing my own Pop magazine.