This particular NME front cover shares numerous similarities and differences with the previously analysed front cover.

Evidently, the general colour scheme, masthead, and blockish, bold font remains the same, in order to coincide with brand identity and attract readers of the genre with the bold, ‘brash’ feel that is so reflective of the music itself, and thus conform to general conventions. However, the fact that this particular issue is focused primarily around the upcoming indie rock festival of Reading and Leeds alters the layout significantly – which demonstrates how the magazine refuses to stick to an exact formula for fear of becoming boring and losing fans. Firstly, the positioning of Caleb Followill (the artist) as the main image is irregular in accordance with the general conventions of a music magazine, as he is positioned to the right where the sell lines are usually displayed and are now absent. Furthermore, a significantly larger amount of

puffs can be seen, with the majority of sell lines and feature article photographs pushed over to the side adjacent to the positioning of the model. This helps illustrate that the artist and his band are the main headliners of the aforementioned festival and consequently are segregated from the smaller acts on the left side of the cover, and this is epitomised by the bold font of the sell line ‘THE BIG HEADLINERS!’. Secondly, features such as the barcode appear slightly out of the bottom third of the page, making it seem more prominent in its close proximity to the main image. In accordance with most NME front covers, this particular one shares the ‘crammed-in’ amateurish feel about the text and how the larger sell lines dominate over the smaller text due to the close proximity of the jumbled text itself. The amateurish, ‘do it yourself’ feel is also reminiscent of the independent, edgy nature of the music it emulates and also the independency of the magazine itself – highlighting its separation from all other magazines, even of the same genre. Pull quotes/captions shown underneath ‘Kings Of Leon’ show that they are taken from the band themselves and most likely the lead singer displayed on the cover, and the worldwide fame of the band make it instantly familiar and relatable to the reader, enticing them to share in the humour shown in the pull quote and read on in the magazine. Also, words like ‘EXCLUSIVE!’ and ‘WIN!’ advocated on the puffs advertise the exclusive nature of the magazine and thus prompt the target audience to purchase it over any other magazine of the genre, and the fact that ‘WIN!’ is an imperative further emphasises this commanding nature to read the magazine. The colour scheme itself shares in the typical colours associated with NME – red, yellow, white – but also uses other colours to ensure that it is as bold and eye-catching as possible,

FRONT COVER ANALYSIS 2

suggesting there is no fixed colour scheme and subsequently allowing for a greater range of unique front covers to be displayed.