Front cover analysis - Blender

From looking at this magazine we can see that it looks like an R&B magazine with the use of colours as R&B magazines usually have a white background with coloured and black text. The font of the masthead also gives this away as it is large and bold which represents power. There is a cut through the masthead ‘Blender’ representing toughness which is another connotation of R&B also the use of red as red represent power and control.

The main cover line is about Jay-z one of the  most known and famous R&B artist of all time, using such an aspiring artist attracts a lot of attention as Jay-z is known to have many fans who listen to him and who emulate him. ‘The fly life of the American gangster’ this is obviously gossip which is what most people look for in a magazine, people like to read about their favorite artist and be kept up to date with what’s new  and again this attracts a lot of audience into buying the magazine. The use of the word ‘gangster’ attracts the target audience who are mainly teenagers as it language they are familiar with and use in their daily lives. ‘Fly life’ gives a little ring to the over line which attracts people and it is something that they will remember because of the ring it has.

‘Wealth! Fame! Beyonce!’ this is stereotypical as R&B artists are usually represented as concerning mostly about wealth, fame and women. This again attracts those who are interested in gossip and those who emulate him and look up to him. This is written in capitals and boxed showing how important it is to artists and that it is their main interests.

The main image is of Jay-z as he is clearly the main topic of the magazine and so anyone who is a fan of Jay-z or finds him inspirational or even those who emulate him would want to buy the magazine. He is wearing a suit which subverts the stereotypical R&B look who are mostly seen wearing hoodies and a lot of ‘bling’ whereas he is only wearing a ring. As he is wearing a suit this could attract a wider range of audience, it would attract those who look for a more sophisticated magazine and still attracts Jay-z  fans as they will want to know what the suit is for and what all the hype is about. He is looking at the audience, making eye contact to them as though he has something to say and he has a pretty serious expression on his face which makes people wonder what it could be about. He has slightly lifted his head up representing him to be superior and confident as most R&B artist are represented, he is also slightly looking down at us standing sideways which again connotes confidence and power.

The cell lines include other artists that are in the magazine which attracts a wider range of audience as it attracts Alicia Keys fans as well as Jay-z fans. It also attracts fans of indie-rock music as it includes ‘the 100 greatest indie-rock albums ever’. Adding all this on the front cover attracts a wider range of audience meaning more people are likely to buy the magazine which is what the front cover is for and so succeeds in doing so. The typography is written in black and white, black where the background is white and white where the background is black creating a contrast in colour.