Magazine Cover Review

         Unlike the moving images and music of a movie’s opening scene, magazines must capture the attention of their audience with pristine visuals, sleek covers and aesthetics, and interesting articles. In contrast to movies, however, magazines tend to cater to a more specific audience, allowing for many creative opportunities. The creative direction these magazines take must simultaneously appeal to a group, create a certain ambiance, keep subscribers loyal, and earn the attention of advertisers. 

In earlier magazines, it was commonplace to have lengthy articles unbroken by visuals or ads. However, this is no longer an effective strategy to get more readers; in fact, it does the opposite. This is especially apparent in younger readers. In one report on the subscribers of The Atlantic and The New Yorker, average reading times per article “for ages eighteen to twenty-four dropped from forty-three minutes an issue in 1990 to twenty-nine minutes in 2002” (Scherer, 2002). Contrary to the common belief that this is due to shortened attention spans in younger generations, this is actually due to two major reasons: Americans feel as if they “have less time than ever before” due to the constant rise in average work hours, and a large increase in the number of topics to read about. Because of this, magazines need to “reach out and grab the reader” to keep their attention. 

Some magazines appeal to smaller demographics within larger groups of people. For example, Cosmopolitan is a long-standing publication that appeals to women—more specifically, teenage girls and young women. One cover features actress Joey King, who is famous for her roles in romantic comedies targeted towards young girls. The cover also sports the cover line “Wear a Damn Mask!” in large letters across the front, using a casual tone to appeal to a younger demographic. Other coverlines featured include “Will You Ever Wear Heels Again?” and “How to Fake a Mani”, both traditionally topics that appeal to females concerned with appearance. On the inside of the issue, ads for various makeup lines such as Covergirl and Maybelline fit well with the magazine’s overall image, which boosts viewership and makes it more likely for them to be effective considering the audience Cosmopolitan caters to. 

In contrast, take the Oprah magazine, which caters to middle-aged women. The cover features Oprah (there is only one issue without her face on the cover, the Breonna Taylor issue) holding a puppy, surrounded by soft light and warm colors. This is meant to evoke a feeling of calm and happiness, which can provide a mental break for the target demographic, who are usually employed. The feature article is “Joy in the Mourning”, and several other coverlines have the keywords “joy” and “peace”. This makes an emotional appeal that keeps readers hooked on how to unlock this joy and peace by reading the articles. Oprah Magazine sells self-fulfillment, which is usually what many middle-aged women look for (mid-life crises). This markets the magazine as an escape from the stresses of life, which keeps readers loyal to the brand. 

Other magazines create a certain image of what their readers want to be. The publication Gentleman’s Quarterly creates an inspirational image of a high end, well-educated man as the reader. In the issue we examined, a sleek, red-lit long shot of rapper Travis Scott wearing high end clothing takes up the cover, as well as words in a flaming font. The main article featuring Scott is featured, titled “Change Is Good”. These images and the text give a high-end ambiance, and makes the magazine look modern and expensive, appealing to men that wish to obtain that image. Inside, the first few pages are occupied by designer ads such as Rolex, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren. Some of these ads feature men wearing more effeminate clothing, such as gloves and slimming suits, indicating that this is the future of fashion and perhaps redefining what it is to be a man. Altogether, it feels very modern and futuristic, which is exactly what the target audience of young adult men finds appealing. This benefits both the advertisers and the readers, keeping them loyal to GQ. 

Lifestyle magazines focus on one or a few areas of interest, such as travel, cooking, music, etc. In some cases, such as in the case of Southern Living, these magazines work to sell an ideal lifestyle and how to achieve it. Southern Living explores all the details and trappings of a cozy, inviting Southern American lifestyle. Right on the cover, readers are greeted with images of beautiful houses and delicious home baked food. They even have a baking-focused issue. This all appeals to a mostly female, more traditional Southern audience. The cover lists phrases and topics that the audience might find useful, such as “Apple Butter Pound Cake Recipe (and more)” or “city/town spotlights”. On the inside, pictures do more of the talking than words, as warmly colored images dominate entire pages. These comforting visuals entice the audience and allow certain ads to seamlessly blend into the magazine, such as ads for river boat tours or old historical garden sites, both of which might catch the target demographic’s attention. 

Sometimes lifestyle magazines must appeal to a wide audience in order to cover a general topic. Once solely a rock n' roll, youth-oriented publication, Rolling Stone had to adapt to a much larger audience of young music enthusiasts over time. Their articles and issues expanded to pop, hip hop, country, indie, and alternative music genres in order to keep their old readers and entice new ones. In the issue we looked at, rapper Lil Baby is featured on the cover, seen in a low-angle shot and surrounded by a long shot of a crumbling background. The word “Rebellion” appears many times, which excites its youthful audience. It is also very clear that the magazine is left-wing, with phrases such as “Trump’s plot against America” inciting strong emotions in its readers about their views. Not only does Rolling Stone appeal to its readers' musical taste; it also appeals to their social and political taste. 

Overall, the magazine seems like a much more interesting project to pursue than the movie.  Oddly, I feel as if there is more creative freedom with a magazine because it is more easily edited and created than a movie. There are also many more directions you can take with a magazine, and I enjoy the idea of keeping a consistent theme and style in one publication.