Textual analysis of NME cover.
I have chosen to analyse the front cover of the magazine NME from May 2009.
The masthead is in the top left hand corner of the cover. It has been put there because the brain naturally reads things from left to right, top to bottom so it will be the first thing potential buyers see. NME stands for new musical express. NME is a media code-you have to know what it stands for to know what the magazine is about. It is written in the biggest, boldest font on the page so it stands out it is also written in a bold red colour. Red has obvious connotations with danger.
The cover line next to the masthead reads ‘Libertines reunion’. Again this is a media code as only people who know who the libertines are will want to buy the magazine. Below the buzzword ‘special’ is used and is also written in red. A page reference is written next to it in smaller font.
‘Win! £4100 Pounds worth of music gear is written inside a gold circle. Gold has connotations with winning/prizes. The exclamation mark highlights the word ‘win’. The competition links to the target audience as they are obviously going to be into music. The price and date are written under the masthead in very small font.
The central image is a 2 shot of Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno from the band ‘Kasabian’. An alternative/strange mise-en-scene has been created in the photograph, this fits in with the music and ideology of the band. The costumes and props are very eccentric. There facial expressions are very moody/stern indicating they are serious about their new album.
‘Kasabian’ is written in very large font compared to the rest of the text, making it stand out. The word inside has connotations with exclusiveness. ‘Insane is written in red, making it stand out from the white text around it, it is also written in a fitting primal, messy font.
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