Magazine Cover Analysis

Immediately, the masthead of the magazine stands out as a point of importance. The name Elle, deriving from the French pronoun 'elle' referring to 'she' conveys the tone of the brand; given that Paris is the heart of fashion, we can infer (or at the very least assume) that Elle will discuss fashion and appearance, which is also inferred by the coverline "fashion heats up." The font used is also significant; the sharpness of the typography connotes that the magazine is empowering for women, and confident in the way that it stands out from the rest of the (almost) desaturated colour scheme of the cover. It can also be inferred that the brand is very well known, internationally, given that they are able to cover up a segment of the masthead and people would still know which magazine this was.

The strapline, 'The women in music issue' also connotes a lot about what the content of the magazine will be. Not only does this establish a target audience straight away, but it also conveys the point of focus of this particular edition of the article, which is also anchored by the main image of Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus, currently, is symbolic of the music industry, and has sparked somewhat of a controversial career for herself. Her daring and almost apathetic (towards opinions) attitude has landed her in a position where she is either idolised by people, or condemned. Either way, she has become a famous/infamous icon for modern music, and has most definitely gained notoriety over the years. Therefore, the fact that she has been chosen for the main image as opposed to other globally famous artists is significant, as it anchors the idea of female empowerment and eccentricity, whilst also solidly conveying the topic of focus of this edition. The way in which the photograph has been taken is also of importance. Similarly to her attitude, the way in which Miley Cyrus is dressed is unconventional when compared to what the majority of magazine covers will aim to achieve with a female as the main image. There is a definite lack of overt sex appeal, which instantly makes this magazine stand out from the mainstream, whilst also inferring the idea that in the music industry, the music is more imperative than appearance.

The layout of the magazine allows the main image and coverlines to work in cohesion, all sharing a similar minimalist font of the same colour. This use of mise en scene is playing by the ideology of 'less is more', which in this context is effective as it speaks well to the aspirer audience type.