Magazine Cover Review

  Initially, I never took the time to analyze magazines and the work that went into designing the cover image and feature article. After viewing many different magazines in class and examining them closely, I realize that the cover image is tremendously important. According to Keith Blanchard, “people are busier today then they will ever be in their lives; they have shorter attention spans than any previous generation; they are chronically over-stimulated and easily bored", (Columbia Journalism Review). This means that nowadays you need an attention grabber to catch the audience. 

  There is just no need for long articles anymore if readers do not care about it. The amount of text has been reduced and there has been an increase in picture boxes and captions. Editors now need to put more effort into cover images and intriguing the audience. They usually include a celebrity or a person with a trending social media platform. An example of this is in a very popular magazine, VOGUE. In a recent issue Rihanna was showcased on the cover, the image depicted a serious tone. This magazine is filled with high fashion, advertising expensive brands, and also contains art and culture. The target audience is well informed, and most likely upper-class women. The magazine, Better Homes and Gardens cultivates brand loyalty by sticking to their genre of decorative arts and crafts style. Customers who buy this are generally women who want to know about new trends and ideas. 

  Furthermore, editors have had to change the way they do things because of the new generation of readers. Magazines now contain a significantly higher number of visuals. They are typically filled with bold headlines, colorful text, and captivating graphics. This can be seen in Oprah's magazine; she is always on the cover and she incorporates oversized headlines to draw the reader in. An example of one is “finding joy in the mourning: positive thinking”. Her audience is pre-dominantly middle-class white women. It is truly a necessity to include elements like these to develop the interest of new audiences and keep devoted customers hooked. A well-known magazine, Rolling Stone has also adapted to the new demands of readers. In a new issue of this music magazine, Lil Baby was featured on the cover and many bold and colored headlines were added. Some of the headlines included talk of the recent riots and politics. Another publication that stood out to me was Men’s Health. They used a black, white, and red color scheme to draw in their masculine readers. 

  Magazine consumers may still have a desire to read but in today's world there are so many choices to pick from. In the article J Walker Smith asserted that, “The number of television channels, the number of published books, the number of Internet sites, and the number of information technologies have all skyrocketed in recent decades. But there are still only twenty-four hours in a day”, (Columbia Journalism Review). Therefore, it is essential to design the magazine to allure readers. Upon class viewings and discussions, I have decided that I will be choosing to do a magazine for my portfolio project.