5th Cover Analysis: Mixmag 19/2/16

Mixmag is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine, published in London, England. Launched in 1982, the magazine covers dance events, reviews music and club nights. It has a demographic of 18-25 year olds and is a successful magazine which has recently found itself as an on-line format.

The main image is of American electro house musician, record producer, and music executive Steve Aoki. The image is a full-body shot of Steve jumping and the rule of thirds is used- placing the most important features in the middle third. Steve's head is in the top middle third and the American flag on his hoodie and shoes are also in the centre third. This has been used to draw our attention to Steve and give us an idea of his background. He has a very playful facial expression which gives the magazine a fun vibe. Additionally, his hand gestures and crazy hair excite the reader as they reflect the dance and clubbing lifestyle. 

Steve is represented as a very unique and edgy artist through the styling, positioning and choice of shot. He comes across very calm and confident which is necessary for DJ's as their image is one of the most important parts of their career as this is what sells their music. The magazine is represented as stylish and modern and by straying from the traditional cover conventions, the younger generation will be more convinced to buy it.

The banner (mixmag) is very striking and prominent in its bold non-serif font and bright white colour. Although some of the banner is being covered by Steve's head, we are still able to recognise what the writing says as the font stands out on the page. The main colour theme is red, white and blue- probably chosen as they represent the colours of the American flag. These colours compliment one another and create a musical background for the artist as he is of American origin. The majority of the text is written in red or white colour as they are most prominent on the background. Some of the writing is sectioned in white, black or red boxes which makes the writing even more eye-catching and clear. 

With regards to lay out, the cover is visually effective and the positioning of the image is very clever as none of the writing overlaps his body other than his name. Steve is the focal point of the cover and his name is in a bold font with and black background which immediately draws your attention. This piece of text is the largest making it the most important feature. The use of a logo in the dot above the 'i' helps with the branding side of the magazine. The turn DJ turntable is easily recognisable and links to the magazine genre. 

For my music magazine, I wish to incorporate some of the conventions this cover follows. Firstly, I would like to have a fairly simple front cover as it is effective and not too over the top with regards to colour and text . Additionally, I shall have the name of my artist as the largest piece of text after the banner as this is the most important feature. I would also like to include a sentence explaining my magazine like the one that is presented on this page- 'The world's biggest dance music and clubbing magazine'. I believe this will immediately draw in attention as it is an impressive fact. Overall, I would be very pleased if my magazine was as well put together and visually attractive as this one.