DIY cover analysis

In this issue of DIY, it features a pink background which would make it stand out in shops. It also has white, bold text; this means that the cover is not too busy and there is not too much for the audience to look at. The white text is simplistic and spread out in just the right way. Slaves’ front man, Isaac, is wearing a t-shirt saying ‘festival guide 2015’, this markets towards teenagers or young adults who are interested in music and therefore their target audience. Isaac is screwing his face up, this may link to Slaves’ music genre because it is heavy and loud, it would not look right if he was pulling a peaceful, neutral face because this would imply that they are not a loud band. The contrast between Laurie’s (other band member) tattoos, Isaac’s screwed up face and the pink background can cater to the male and female audience of DIY magazine. Pink is a feminine colour and can show how it can be a women’s magazine. The aggression of Laurie and Isaac can also cater to the male target audience; this widens DIY’s audience and target market. This would be a reader’s first impression on first glance at the cover. On further inspection, the reader would be able to read the tagline “We’ve earned our place. It’s time to prove what we’re made of”. This is an aggressive tagline because it implies that the band is going to do something drastic and people aren’t going to expect it; the use of this tagline can draw people in because they wonder and anticipate what Slaves are going to do which may make hem buy the magazine. Isaac is wearing a deep red varsity jacket which can have connotations with school bullies or jocks which furthermore implies how the band is aggressive. This can therefore contrast even more with the pink feminine background. DIY may have used this contrast to make the magazine different and draw different kinds of people in, and maybe selling more copies.