LIFE - John F Kennedy

MASTHEAD/STRAPLINE
The large masthead is in a fully capitalised san-serif font and reads 'LIFE'. The choice of the word 'life' is interesting for a number of reasons. It connotes positivity as life is often regarded as sacred and wonderful so this would suggest that what is inside the magazine will reflect that view. Alternatively, life is what you make it so the same may be able to be said for the magazine itself, the magazine may be allowing its audience to take what they want from it. The simplicity of the masthead's design gives off a level of professionalism that the audience may be drawn to opposed to a cluttered design that feels childish. The formatting of the masthead seems grown up and is clearly trying to appeal to an adult audience.

MAIN IMAGE
The use of Senator JFK suggests that the magazine will be dealing with high level politics and as this is in 1954, JFK is not currently president and won't be until the next decade so the audience that may recognise him will be people with strong political interests, rather than the mainstream audience member who might only hear about JFK when he becomes a presidential candidate. Kennedy's head slightly overlaps the LIFE logo which suggests a strength of brand name and that he is more important than the magazine's name. That being said, his head isn't that big really and doesn't cover up much of the logo but it still adds the idea that he is of importance. The lack of colour in the image is a choice that was made here to add strength to the coverline 'Politics in black and white' which may also be making reference to the struggle of rights for black Americans in the time period. Having a coverline that talks about this issue suggests that the magazine is in support of civil rights or at least is willing to acknowledge there is some kind of divide between the races that needs to be addressed. JFK is dressed in a suit not because that was all he could find in his wardrobe but to represent the magazine as something serious rather than a casual pick-up-and-go magazine and something that you would actively seek out to learn about current affairs. It appears that Kennedy has taken off glasses and has been caught casually like some kind of loving dreamboat of a politician. Clearly this is not the case but the fact that this idea has been created for JFK suggests that he is some kind of figure that can easily be identified with which therefore would imply that the magazine operates in a similar manner and is easy to identify with. It looks like JFK is about to lean forwards and whisper "listen in closely" or something.

LAYOUT
The magazine cover has been laid out so that the main focus is Senator Kennedy's face. Coverlines and the masthead are either completely away from his face or being obscured by it. The simplicity of the cover appeals to an audience member who considers themselves educated and professional as the precision of the layout is almost clinical. The sharp lines, particularly at the bottom of the cover, are razor sharp and in conjunction with the consistent use of capital letters on the entire cover and the thin and precise font choice create the feel that only the elite appreciate. The emptiness of the cover suggest that the inside will be quick and to the point - no tabloid nonsense. The coverline referencing Sid Caesar and Imogene Coco intrigues people who know who they are, a dynamic duo who could be breaking up??

INTERPELLATION
The magazine clearly values politics and makes this clear with the huge image of a politician and the coverline about politics. It also values an audience member who enjoys to relax and take in the pop culture of the time. The coverline about a TV comedy duo, Sid and Imogene, suggests that the audience member has a television and also is interested in finding out about the people they see on TV. The television is still something that is relatively new but there are millions of homes with access to a television by 1954 so this may be a coverline targeting the more mainstream audience. Most likely an audience member will buy the magazine purely because it is LIFE magazine, a trusted and long running print. LIFE are using this fact and highlighting their brand name and the price in the stark red. The red colour is traditional of the magazine and has created a familiarity with its audience.

TARGET AUDIENCE
It would be safe to assume that the target audience would be someone who aims to live a middle-class lifestyle and is of the succeeder audience group. A succeeder will be able to benefit from being one step ahead of their peers by reading about and finding out information about the political system.