How do magazine front covers use denotation and connotation to attract their intended audience?

Look magazine lures their intended audience in several ways. The magazine is called 'look' which emphasizes the 'look' and directly invites the audience to see, signifying the nature and fashion which features in the magazine which suggests 'get the look'. The title 'look' is big, bold and eye-catching; as it is coloured a bright pinky/purple.  The magazine itself is very feminine as it has colours such as pinks, whites, blues and yellows. The various amount of pink used makes the magazine look attractive and girly and appeals female readers. The thought of Look magazine is to give the impression that Look magazine is fashionable, sleek and sophisticated, perhaps maybe for a more mature audience than Heat magazine. The genre of Look is that it is a women’s magazine, mainly dedicated to fashion. The representation of Look is that it is a magazine that a young, fashionable woman would read unlike Heat which is most likely to be read more by a younger teenage audience. I would say that Look magazine is aimed at young women who are interested in celebrities and fashion. I think that the audience for Look would consist of maybe more sophisticated women than Heat magazine’s audience. This is because Heat is all celebrity gossip and the language and phrases used are less formal than Look.

The magazine selling line 'Britain's Best- Selling Fashion Weekly' links in with the title 'look' as they are highlighting the selling line to look once again, directing that this magazine interests women who are passionate with their image. However the magazine has around the same codes and conventions of most women's magazines although look is mainly about fashion and clothing instead of just celebrity gossip like Heat magazine.

The magazine also includes images that are colourful and eye-catching to appeal to a female audience and is filled with cover lines and bright colours. The photo of Cheryl Cole a famous celebrity, posing and smiling with dark bright red lipstick appears to be attracting the audience through eye-level. The photo is close up and you cannot see the background; which allows the readers to be concentrated only onto Cheryl. Women adore Cheryl's looks and her hairstyles which is why Cheryl features on 'look' magazines often.

In addition the narrative of Look magazine is similar every week and the magazine is always mainly devoted to high street fashions. The plot and structure of the magazine remains the same each week so it appeals to its target audience. The codes and conventions of Look magazine is that it gives a stylish outlook and image to the viewer of the magazine. This is combined into every issue of Look magazine to keep the codes and conventions fluent throughout the issue.

 

In conclusion, from analysing Look magazine, I have noticed how the codes and conventions can be noticed throughout the whole magazine, from the front cover and throughout to the articles featured. This is to develop a 'house style' that all the articles, covers and issues can follow so the magazine is noticeable week by week. About my analysis there is an example of the Look magazine cover.