Indie Magazine Cover Analysis

I am going to analyse some indie rock magazines, including "Clash", "Spin" and "Q".

Front cover 1 - Clash magazine:

The masthead is large, spanning almost the entire width of the page. Unusually for a music magazine, it is in front of the artist's picture, however, it works well as it only covers part of his hair. The white contrasts nicely with the background, and the bold font really makes it stand out, so it is more likely that a potential reader will pick up the magazine.
The font is very simplistic and thus easy to read, which is important in a magazine; if the audience cannot read it they are not going to buy it. Although each font for each part of the magazine (i.e. masthead, article titles etc.) is slightly different, they are not so different that they do not work well together, and because of their slight differences, they compliment each other.
The article titles are all lined up nicely at the sides of the cover, making it organised and easier to read. The variation between the white, yellow, black and red fonts keep it interesting, and the reader can distinguish between the article titles and their descriptions.
The background is very simple; a gradient going down from a darker to a warmer yellow, but the simplicity works well with the magazine, drawing attention to the articles and picture. The warm colour of the yellow gives a sense of friendliness, and the brightness of the colour will catch people's attention.
The colours used all work in cohesion, complimenting each other as they are all quite 'warm' shades. This makes the audience more likely to buy the magazine, as they don't clash, and none are fighting for attention.
The picture of well-known artist, James Blake, in the middle of the page will encourage his fans to buy it. Thus the use of a celebrity on the cover increases sales.
The barcode is found at the upper right-hand side of the page, which is unusual for a magazine (they are normally found in the lower right-hand corner). This quirk could hint at the induviduality of the magazine.

Front cover 2 - Spin magazine:

The masthead is unusually in the corner of the page. This doesn't draw much attention to it, especially as it is under the artist's head. However, the magazine is well-known so this is not a problem; its fans will know what to look for. Also the smaller masthead leaves more room for article previews.
I like the white on red look of the title, I think the simple white font on the red box works really well.
The font is very simple, like 'Clash', (this is a continuous feature so I will take it into account) however, 'Spin' magazine uses a much thinner and longer font, which clearly goes with its house style. The titles are neatly placed at the sides which, along with the use of the white background, gives a fresh, clean look to the cover. The black for the titles stands out more than the light blue for the details, asserting its authority as the more important.
There is no barcode which is unusual for any magazine. It is probably placed elsewhere on the magazine, leaving the front cover with more room to display more of its content.
Duffy is leaning forwards with her hand reaching out, as if enticing the audience to come closer and buy the magazine. The picture is centred, so attention will be drawn to her. Her fans will want to buy this issue to find out what is written about her.
The use of the white background is very clean and fresh, and the shadowing behind the picture looks very proffesional; the photographer clearly knew what they were doing. The other colours stand out really nicely on the white because it is so neutral.

Front cover 3 - Q magazine:

The title is big, bold and in the corner. The shade of red is really bright, (and works very cohesively with the artist's hair) which draws potential readers attention to the cover. The fact that the title is only one letter, 'Q', creates a sense of mystery, what does Q stand for? (It stands for Quinten Richardson, the creator of the magazine, just in case you're wondering) Of course, potential readers might be more inclined to buy it if there is this sense of mystery, as the magazine might hold the answers inside.
The font is very plain, but bold, the fact that it is all in caps makes it seem as if the articles are being screamed at the audience, which I don't particularly like, as I feel a magazine cover should be friendly, however it also makes them look exciting, thus making the reader think that the content is exciting.
The white writing stands out very nicely from the darker picture, so is easy to read. If the audience can actually see the article titles they are going to be more inclined to buy it, so obviously having clearly visible titles will aid the sale of the magazine. Like the other magazines, the articles are very neatly placed at the sides, leaving more space to see the artist as the main focal point.
I really like the blue circle on the right-hand side, the colours (the red of the hair, the blue of the circle and the white) work extremely well together (especially the blue and red) and the bright blue draws attention to the Zane Lowe thing.
The barcode is neatly placed in the bottom left-hand corner. I think this is a good placing, out of the way but still visible enough for the shop assistant to scan it.
Florence fills the page with a close-up, eliminating the need for a background. Her face is still centred, meaning that the readers can still clearly see her with no writing on her face. Her pose, looking at the camera, enticing the audience in, with her hands neatly placed on her face. The focal point of the picture is her eyes, as the rest of the picture is so perfect, and her eyes are the only place which really stand out. This makes it seems as if she is looking at you, so you should buy the magazine. Also, as I've said for the other front covers, the use of a celebrity will really reel in the buyers, as the artist's fans are going to want to buy it. Thus the more famous the celebrity, the more readers there will be.