Front Cover Analysis (AO2/AO4)

Semiotics is the study of signs. A sign is a series of individual codes that carry meaning. This NME cover has been specifically encoded to give a particular preferred (or dominant) reading.

The main picture on the cover has been encoded so that it will be interesting to, and will attract the attention of, the target audience of the magazine –young males (mainly) and young females. It does this in a number of ways. For example, Lily Allen has been mediated to make her look rebellious and attractive. She is wearing a tartan shirt, which is iconographic of the late 1970s Punk fashion. The shot is also a high-angle shot, which has connotations of inferiority and may represent Lily as being vulnerable. This has been anchored by the tagline(s): 'LILY ALLEN TAKES ON THE WORLD'. It is written in black and white which makes it stand out from the rest of the page. It has been juxtaposed to another tagline "I CAN'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS, IT'S DOING MY HEAD IN.". This makes the reader want to know what is 'doing' Lily's 'head in', and what she is doing about it.

Along the bottom of the page are the other bands which are featured which may grab the reader's attention by offering a wide selection rather than just advertising the cover star.

The masthead uses blocky font, in the colours red, white and black, which have connotations of masculinity and will appeal to the target male audience. The red will appeal to female audiences similarly. NME stands for 'New Musical Express', which denotes that the magazine is about modern music.

At the top of the page, there is a tagline "NEW MONKEYS TUNES. ARCTICS PREMIERE THIRD ALBUM DOWN UNDER." This is using peer-to-peer mode of address, which makes the magazine chatty, as if it is your friend talking to you. This may attract NME's female readers as a dominant female ideology is that girls enjoy gossip, and the mode of address gives connotations that the article will be gossip-like and will be something that can be shared between friends. It is however, written in yellow and black, fairly masculine colours which will appeal to the male audience.

The same can be said for the other taglines on the cover - they are all very gossip-like ('FAREWELL ASTORIA' is talking as if the London Astoria was a friend and 'HOW BOWIE STARTED THE CREDIT CRUNCH' is a ridiculous statement which makes you want to read on) and are always using the masculine primary colours of red and yellow, along with black and white. They are also placed at an angle, like a sticker book or a girl's pinboard or similar which will obviously attract the female audience.

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AO2 - Apply knowledge and understanding to show how meanings are created when analyzing media products and evaluating their own practical work.

AO4 - Demonstrate the ability to undertake and apply appropriate research.