MOJO Front Cover Analysis

MOJO music magazine's first issue was November 1993, and focuses on the classic rock genre. The magazine doesn't have specific coour shceme that is present in each issue of the magazine, however the style is similar in each issue, making it more easily identified by the reader. This issue has a large grayscale image with yellow and white writing overlapping the image. This is effective as the bright colour font makes it bold and stands out vibrantly against the dim background. This colour scheme is due to this issue being the "Special Anniversary issue" of twenty years since 1991, and how artists affected this year.
The main image is of the band Nirvana. This is significant as they are an extremely well-known band and shows that this is the main feature of the magazine. The front cover's purpose is to attract the reader to buy the magazine, therefore an image of the well-known band is likely to encourage people to buy it, as they want to find out more about them. The image shows the three artists sitting and drinking alcohol. This suggests that they are laid-back, relaxed and the bottle of alcohol has connotations of the rock'n'roll persona. The image overlaps the title, "MOJO" which suggests how well-known the magazine is, that the reader will be able to identify the magazine due to the house-style.
Each issue features the same title, which shows continuity between the issues and makes it easily noticeable and creates a brand of the magazine. The title is white with a dark shadow, this enhances it and makes it look as if it is standing out, which in effect makes it morebold. This is helped by the use of white font, as it contrasts with the grey and black background, ensuring the customer can see it clearly.
The main coverline; NIRVANA 1991" is written directly across the centre of the cover, in bold, capital letters and in yellow. This contrasts with the initial title due to the colours however is more noticeable, not only showing that this is a main feature of the magazine, but also to stand out to the reader and encourage them to buy the magazine. The "1991" is placed underneath the word "NIRVANA" and the colour scheme alternates to have a white centre with a yellow border. This incorporates the whole colour scheme, tieing the cover together, and create a front page with continuity. It also makes the page more visually dynamic as all three colours contrast yet compliment one another, therefore giving a more professional impression.
Other coverlines include a range of artists that will be featured in the magazine; these are artists such as; Dave Grohl; Pearl Jam; Rumer; Beady Eye; Johnny Cash; Swans; Richard Thompson; Scritti Politti and Plastikman. These are all artists of a similar genre however diversifies the range of music and articles that will be included in the magazine, encouraging a wider range of people to buy the maazine.
The font of the cover page is completely in capital letters, attracting the viewers attention, as this appears more urgent, suggesting it needs to be read. The colour of the font alternates between yellow and white: yellow is used for the heading of the cover line, and white is used for a description underneath this coverline. This is effective as the reader can simply see where the headings are and decide whether this is something that they wish to read, and the extra description also acts as encouragement to buy the music, due to the detail of each feature making the reader want to read more.
The front cover also includes a pug in the top left corner, stating "FREE CD!" The placement of this is ideal, as this is the first place the reader immediately looks at, and therefore acts as an incentive for the reader to buy the magazine. This pug also in keeps with the colour scheme, however the black writing against the yellow background ensures that it is bold nd noticeable.