How does the front cover and contents pages entice the reader?

The Big Cheese is a typical rock/metal music magazine which aims to attract a particular audience. The mise en scene is full of colour and vibrancy which anchors the surrounding text and images. A wide variety of greens, reds and whites are used which connote danger and excitement which is what the rock/metal scene is all about. The main aim of the front cover is to tempt the reader into buying the magazine.
The front cover immediately suggests that the target audience are male teenagers aged between 13-18. My reasoning for this is the fact that all the bands mentioned including “Sum 41” and “Angels and Airwaves” are typical of both age and genre. The linguistics too, reach out to that particular audience and references to their interests. It assumes the reader already has previous knowledge of the music and culture.
The magazine has a very traditional layout. The title and lead story are both printed in bold at the top of the page to emphasise its significance. The headline is the main sell line which the editors hope to hook the audience in by. The text, which is written in a mixture of old western and military style fonts connotes importance and authority.
The headline “ALEXONFIRE” anchors the main image which almost totally covers the final ¾ of the page. The image has a central focus involving all 5 band members who are all dressed in period costumes, holding guns and pick axes. This represents a violent attitude. Also, all band members, including the other bands shown, are white which suggests it has a prominently white audience.
The image itself is in sepia tone which adds more definition and detail especially facial features which makes it stands out on the shelves. This is emphasised by the fact that all the band members look as if they’re staring out of the page, catching the reader’s attention. All other text is written using the same military style font, emphasised by a white background. Hook inns such as “Free posters” give the magazine a certain exclusivity.
After the front cover, the next most important page is the contents. This aids the reader by giving a sample of what the magazine is about and what it represents. In this instance, the first page is taken up by a “Vans” shoe advertisement. This is stereotypical footwear of the rock/metal scene and is effective in attracting that type of audience.
In this instance, the contents are spread over a double page which gives the reader a larger and easier grasp of what the magazine has to offer. It kis also categorised in numerical order which also makes it easier for the reader to comprehend. The left hand side is started with an editorial which is written in white and highlighted by a black background. The editorial is basically an attempt to encourage the audience to read on by giving a brief overview of the main article.
All pictures are bordered with blue which connotes coolness and gives it a funky edge. All subheadings are in red which both signifies its importance but also separates it from any other text. With the contents there is a larger variety of fonts and layouts which gives a quirky appearance. There is also a section mentioning all those who have produced the magazine. This gives the reader an appreciation for the effort gone into the making of the magazine. The magazine offers a large variety of interviews, competitions and festival advice which are all key interests to their audience.
It is split into 2 sections- “REGULAR” and “KINGSIZE”. “KINGSIZE” gives the impression that the magazine is big and has a lot of textural content. It also suggests that it is highly popular. Many of the pictures are accompanied by captions which use lots of word play and exaggeration to stress their exciting and exclusive article. They entice the audience to read on.
In a similar way to the front cover, many of the pictures used
Present the band members as looking out of the page almost as if they’re reaching out of the page.