NME Front Cover Analysis

From the front cover we can see that the box office draw is going to be able My Chemical Romance as he is the central image, the image is placed over the text showing his importance. The anchorage text indicates that the articles will be about their “comeback album”. One of the anchorage text state “vampire weekend” which is a band and doesnt relate much to the central image or colour scheme, but it can show why the colour scheme is red, white and black. These colours make a bold statement making the, the white and red font is visible with the black background. The colour scheme looks very professional and can be easily spotted and stands out, the vibrant red stands out.
The target audience for NME magazine is teenagers from the ages of 16-19, who is interested in rock or indie music genre. The magazine included music that is popular at the moment.
The central image, also reflects the on the puff words “Vampire weekend” he is wearing black attire and white shirt, making him look formal but the long trench coat could imply that that trench coat is a cape and he really is a vampire. The lighting is very bright around his face, producing a shadow to one side of his face obstructing one side of him again implying that he could be a vampire, also showing that there is an hidden part of him that is going to be released his album. The lighting also makes his face seem pale, like the vampires. the image doesn’t have a direct mode of address, this adds to the edginess of the image, the male artist isn’t looking directly at the camera his eye is covered by the shadows and his body is at an angle. This gives the reader the impression that the photo shoot could have been an action shot, meaning that while he was posing for the image he could have been moving. It could also show that not all is being revealed at this moment and time. This image is really strange as his feet seem to be framed in the centre but his head is more framed on the right and side, it could even be mistaken that he is jumping out the image at you because his back seems very long.
My Chemical romance is on the front cover because they are a rock band and they are going to be releasing a comeback album. They are used because they match the criteria for the target audiences and it helps them promote their album. The anchorage text “My Chemical Romance, with their punk comeback album” states that they are making a new album and it will be part of the punk genre. This would imply that the artist is making a change to the kind of genre that they usually use.

The overall message that the artist represents is that edgy. He looks very fashionable in this image looking very swave.

At the top of the magazine there is a buzz word, the word NEW seems as if the audience will be the first to get their eyes on this, it makes them feel as if it is exclusive. Also at the bottom of the magazine there is a buzz word, the word plus makes it seem as if they are give the audience just that little bit extra.

The title block is the abbreviated version of the full title and stands out as it is block capitals, the font with white and black outlines. The edges of the font type are edgy sharp, this added to the whole edgy vampire theme.

There isn’t a slogan but under the title block it includes the full name of the magazine New Music Express, although this isn’t the slogan, it is placed in the space where slogans are usually found.

The colour scheme is black, white and red. This helps to add to an edgy atmosphere, also because this is a classic colour scheme that can be easily identified.
A lot of the font is bold, so that it can stand out and the audience are able to read it. The font type is a basic type, so that the it is illegible.