'EMPIRE' Magazine Analysis

The Masthead for this magazine is in large, bold, uppercase typography. This is due to the fact that the designers of the magazine are trying to capture the attention of their target audience; in this case it would be film fans. The main title of the magazine is ‘EMPIRE’, a very powerful word that instantly sets the tone for the magazine; it indicates a dominance and leadership, which is communicated to the audience. This says to the audience that this is going to be a successful magazine that is going to behold all of the best things in film; this is backed up by the number of names that are used on the cover, ones that are instantly recognisable.  To read is to be part of that ‘EMPIRE’, making the audience intrigued to be involved. The font used for the title of the magazine seemingly has an almost Roman quality to it, which links heavily to the context of the Roman ‘EMPIRE’. Further power is emphasised on the title with the red colouring, it indicates and gutsiness, almost that power is gained at all costs connoting to that sense of danger along with blood. 

The same typography is used for the main cover line, putting a strong emphasis on the importance of the story also shown by it coming in front of the main cover image, it shows that this is the main selling point of this magazine and it is what they want their audience to notice. The primary colour scheme of the magazine is red, black and white, all of which are very strong colours with in their own right; they clash against each other, making them very noticeable. The black is used for the cover line text, not as important as other factors on the cover, the background is an establishing shot of a city which creates a complicated colour pattern, as a result black is the one that stands out the least. White is used for the details of the masthead and the main cover line as well as the strapline, it is used for the other extras to the magazine that the audience may be interested in. 

The main cover images show a dominant image of Leonardo Di Caprio, an extremely well-known actor. It ties in very well with the tone of the magazine; it is compelling shows real strength, something that you can’t help but notice and respect, creating appeal to their audience. Serious pose from a famous actor, instantly creates interest due to their credibility in that field, perfect image for the target audience of film fans. The headline then balances the main image out with the rest of the composition as it comes over the top with the headline detailing, to take away the image having overwhelming power, as it already is arranged in front of the masthead. The strapline uses a very clever name dropping technique of other very successful films to describe this one, as it contains ‘The Matrix’ and ‘007’ (also known as James Bond), this used to grab the audience’s attention, this is something that they can relate to and recognise as these are some of the most successful films of all time. A collaboration between the two used as a comparison is a massive statement so it is bound to create attention. The banner at the bottom of the magazine is used to create significance to another feature that will be compelling to the audience as it is another big name in film ‘Hitchcock’, said to be one of the greatest directors of all time, directing hit films such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘the Birds’.