Analysing Indie Magazines

• The main colour scheme on this front cover is red, white and black
• Obvious conventions being the masthead, barcode, price
• Direct address from the model, looking and pointing at the camera
• Two puffs, one being in the corner promoting the magazine itself and the other next to the main image promoting something inside the magazine
• Main cover line linking to the main image
• Strapline '100 ways to get free music!' written in caps and placed at the top of the cover drawing the target audience to read the magazine
• Alternative special about U2 album

Overall this magazine looks quite crowded which isn't something I would want for my own magazine. It does include quite a lot of features, some of which I will probably want to try experimenting with and use for my ideas. The image has a direct address to the target audience which again I will experiment with doing, aswell as taking some photos that aren't giving that effect. I like the idea of a strapline because it draws more attention to the target audience, and encourages them to read the magazine. However I don't really like how the colours and fonts have been used and placed; the fonts look abit too bland and have no originality or representation to the genre or the image. I would want something more unique and more fancy for my magazine so it gives it more edge and it gives it some originality. This magazine isn't something I would gain many ideas from because it looks too typical and doesn't look the most eye-catching magazine there is.