Unit 6 – Task 2 – Analysis Of A Magazine Cover – Elle

1. By Chelsie Brandrick Page 1
Unit 6 – Task 2 – Analysis of a Magazine Cover – ELLE
By Chelsie Brandrick
I. INTRODUCTION
Elle magazine is a worldwide publication of French origin that focuses on fashion
beauty, health and entertainment. Elle is the world’s best-selling fashion magazine
and was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title is
French and means ‘she’ or ‘her’ which emphasises the magazine is for female readers.
In the 1960’s the magazine was considered to ‘not so much reflect fashion as decree
it’, had over 800,000 loyal readers and a famous slogan ‘Si elle lit, elle lit Elle’ (if she
reads, she reads Elle). The magazine was purchased in 1981 by Daniel Filipacchi and
Jean-Luc Lagardère and then launched the magazine in the United States as well as 25
other foreign editions. In 2007, Elle website was created and today Elle has 44
editions; over 70 million readers across 60 countries, 88% of which are female and
6.6 million copies sold every month.
II. LINGUISTIC FEATURES
Linguistic features are a type of code and convention that are used to sell a magazine.
Techniques like teasers, declaratives, imperatives, ellipsis and alliterations have all
been proved to make a magazine more interesting and capturing to the customer if
they are presented on the cover. Top magazines like Elle display these techniques on
the cover of their product in the form of a plug, masthead, feature headline and a pull
quote.
MASTHEAD
The masthead is the title of a magazine and is often displayed towards the top of the
cover in a large font. ‘Elle’ is the masthead featured on this December edition of Elle
magazine and is displayed in white font, which matches the colour scheme of the
chosen celebrity and the surrounding writing that is shown on the cover of this
fashion magazine. The title is positioned at the top of the magazine behind Rihanna’s
face as her face is the most recognisable aspect and pairing it with the title of the
magazine it ensures the reader sees Rihanna as well as the title of the magazine before
they read the surrounding words on the front cover. The proportional size of

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Rihanna’s head is equal to the height of the masthead, which creates a clean and
symmetrical presentation for the cover. The title ‘Elle’ is a short word and is
displayed in Bordeaux Roman Bold LET, which appears as a big, clear, bold yet
simple font. The masthead covers the top quarter of the magazine to ensure it is clear
to read and catches a potential customers eye on the shelf in a supermarket or shop. If
a possible reader recognises and remembers the name of the magazine they will be
more likely to choose the magazine as opposed to other less dominant option.
The repetition of the letters ‘E’ and ‘L’ make the title symmetric and the presentation
of the font is tall and slim, which signifies the desired figure for a female. The style of
the title is smart, sophisticated and distinctive, which targets every attribute the
potential readers would wish for themselves. The colour of the title is white which is a
calm and tranquil shade that suggests the representation of peace, goodness and
plainness. This displays the idea that all readers can relate to the magazine as it is
simple and easy to read which will enable customers to relax whilst reading it.
The top and left third of a magazine is the most important section on the front cover
as it is what potential purchasers will see when the magazine is displayed on a shelf at
the supermarket or shop. The first thing a potential reader will see in the top third of
the magazine is the name ‘Elle’ which instantly informs the customer that this
magazine is for women.
COVER LINES
The words ‘fashion’, ‘hair’, ‘party’ and ‘success’ are all down the left hand side in
white capital letters. These buzzwords are all designed to stand out and draw the
potential reader into a purchaser.
The cover lines of ‘fashion’, ‘sexy hair’, ‘party’, ‘success’ and ‘skin cream’ are
purposely arranged mainly down the left hand side of the magazine so they don’t
distract the reader from the centre photograph which is the main focus of the cover.
Only a few select words are used and are all presented in the same colour scheme as
the rest of the piece. The main buzzwords are in the white to match the title to form a
simplicity and elegance. These two traits are what readers want from a magazine as
they don’t want to analysis the front cover in order to understand what it contains.

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Instead a customer wants to make a purchase as quickly as possible rather than be
confronted by a busy front cover, as their lives are busy enough. All the cover lines tie
in with Rihanna’s image as a singer, actress and fashion designer as the words ‘crazy’
and ‘beautiful’ emphasise her talents and life.
The figures ‘390’, a big + sign and ‘70+’ informs the reader that this magazine has
lots of information for them to read and therefore represents very good value for
money.
The quote ‘ I did everything right and I’m broke’ followed by ‘What’s really the
ticket to success?’ entices the reader to find out how they can improve their life. The
reader will be attracted to the magazine after seeing Rihanna as they see Rihanna as
beautiful and successful so by linking articles that relate to Rihanna’s attributes it will
suggest to the reader that they can learn how to become like Rihanna by reading the
articles in the magazine.
By including topics that are relatable to the celebrity on the front cover it makes the
information more credible as readers would assume that as Rihanna is on the front
cover of the magazine then she is endorsing the information inside. It suggests the
idea that the reader can look as good as the model if they read the magazine and its
guide to achieve a lifestyle similar to the celebrity. The escapism theme is apparent by
using the words ‘success’, ‘party’, ‘earth’ and the features of celebrity culture.
Readers can be transported momentary to another world from their own in order to
escape their monotonous lives albeit temporarily.
QUOTE PREVIEW
The quote preview states ‘Rihanna’s most shocking act yet’ and links to Rihanna’s
outrageous styling which emphasises what the customer may read about Rihanna and
makes them want to find out what Rihanna has said in her interview as they want to
feel closer to her.
LAYOUT
The cover is presented with a large margin that separates the writing from the sides of
the magazine, which ensures the reader sees all of the text on the front cover that

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advertises the magazines content. The font on the cover is equally positioned so the
text can easily be read and the main image can still be seen. The words on the cover
will be read from left to right which is the traditional way people would read English.
This allows the readers to be comfortable with the text so that they are capable to read
it.
LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES
The language used is crucial in order for the reader to understand and desire to
consume the content. The cover uses hyperbolic words such as ‘success’, ‘best’,
‘shocking’, ‘crazy’ and ‘broke’ to automatically seek the reader’s attention and focus.
Hyperbolic words are used to exaggerate what is being said so the reader can focus on
those particular words and then see the sentence and articles they relate to. The cover
also uses persuasion and a rhetorical question –“ the best skin cream on earth?” – as
every reader wants to achieve the best lifestyle they can and in this scenario the best
skin cream, as it would enable the reader to enhance their skin and make them appear
more youthful and attractive. This persuades the reader into buying and reading the
magazine to find out the lifestyle improving content that they can use to achieve
success in their own lives. The advertised content and words used suggests that the
magazine is targeted for the older female of 20’s and 30’s as they would want to look
after their skin more than a teenager would. The phrase ‘every woman needs to know’
addresses the reader directly as the article is specifically for them. These language
techniques ensure that not only does the reader feel part of the magazine but also they
feel it was written for them to help them with their lives.
III. VISUAL FEATURES
Visual features are a code and convention that is frequently used to sell a magazine.
Techniques like font colours, colour schemes, the main image and the makeup and
outfit choices on the model have all been proved to make a magazine more appealing
to the customer if they are presented on the cover. Top magazines like Elle display
these techniques on the cover of their product in the form of a main image, colourful
font and colour scheme.
MAIN IMAGE
The main image is of actor, singer and household name, Rihanna. She is presented as

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a solitary female figure, which consumes the whole centre of the magazine from top
to bottom and is the only pictorial element in the foreground of the front cover. This
positioning displays Rihanna as being more exposed and approachable whilst
claiming attention at the centre of the cover. This highlights the importance of the
celebrity and the surrounding words. Rihanna’s face is positioned to overlap the
masthead, which suggests that Elle is an extremely successful magazine and
customers will recognise the brand even if it is covered. Rihanna is photographed
looking directly into the camera, known as direct address, to appear like she is making
eye contact with the reader and willing to divulge and converse. Her direct eye
contact shows she is confident and willing to have communication with the reader as
suggested by the caption ‘Rihanna’s most shocking act yet’. The message that
Rihanna is strong, bold and confident is emphasised by her bold stance and
extravagant outfit choice. Rihanna’s hair is curled which makes her appear more
friendly and relatable to the readers, whilst her makeup is subdued and natural. Her
dark lip colour contrasts the rest of her look and emphasises her outfit as it stands out
and highlights her lips as she makes a provocative pout in order to appear sexy and
attract male attention.
The photo of Rihanna is framed to stop at her thighs and her hands are placed at the
top of her thighs as she leans forward slightly which draws attention to her torso and
shows off her curves and figure. In 1975 Laura Mulvey used the phrase ‘male gaze
theory’, which was taken from Freud’s concept of scopophilia (pleasure that is linked
to sexual attraction). Laura stated that the camera puts the viewer into the perspective
of a heterosexual male to present women as objects of male pleasure so men can
appreciate them and women can desire to be like them.
Rihanna wears an unusual, velvet type, white short sleeved long all in one outfit that
is dressed with two black silk type fabrics with buckle style clasps that creates a
unique style appropriate for a magazine cover. This daring outfit sexualises Rihanna
as the black fabric is positioned to add attention to her chest and hips. The outfit could
be considered shocking to some and links well with the quote preview ‘Rihanna’s
most shocking act yet’ and emphasises the article that is inside the magazine. The
buckles on her outfit can easily be undone to ‘bare all’ and be open and revealing like

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Rihanna would feel during her interview. The clever wording used on the cover like
‘shocking’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘crazy’ have been the inspirations to how Rihanna is styled
and perceived to potential readers.
COLOUR SCHEME
There are three main colours used in addition to white: faded lilac, ochre and black.
The faded lilac is highly visible and forms the background colour, which catches the
reader’s attention and highlights the elegance and femininity of the magazine. As the
grey lilac is a warm shade as opposed to a cold grey it shows warmth, wealth and
class and emphasises the warmness that is present with family at Christmas time.
The background also allows the black, white and ochre words in the quote preview,
masthead and cover lines to stand out much more than a blue or green background to
attract the interest of potential readers.
Ochre is shown throughout the cover in the numerical elements such as ‘+’, ‘390’ and
‘70’ as this informs the reader that the magazine has lots of information for them to
read and is good value for money.
White is used for the key parts of the cover, such as the masthead and headline
previews. The use of white allows the customer to see the vital information and is
able to read it well, which can entice the customer to buy the magazine. Black is used
for the quote preview to contrast the white font used on the rest of the cover. The
black highlights the celebrities name and suggests power, mystery and emphasises the
‘shocking’ element that the article could include.
The black font on the celebrity name alongside a photo of the celebrity that
consumers the centre of the magazine cover emphasises that Rihanna is the main
feature in the magazine. This informs the reader that the magazine contains
information that they may want to read and encourages the reader to purchase the
magazine. By using a different colour for the celebrities name and the quote preview
is draws the reader to the celebrity on the cover and confirms that the customer can
associate the model on the cover with the celebrities name beside it. For example if a
grandparent bought a magazine for their grandchild, they might not know who the
celebrity is but could be aware of their name.

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Rihanna’s outfit and make up is black and white, which matches the noticeable black
and white font colour theme. She is also wearing an unusual outfit that stands out like
the words on the cover do by being presented in capitals and multi-coloured fonts.
The outfit and styling choices link with the edition of the magazine as it is all about
fashion and being perceived as sexy.
The use of three colours that are independent to the background shade ensures the
model, writing and magazine as a whole will stand out on a shelf and will encourage
customers to purchase it. The colours aren’t solely female as ochre, white and black
are neutral. Despite the magazine being for predominantly females and features topics
such as fashion and beauty the cover isn’t girly as the magazine is still trying to reach
the small male market that are interested in what Elle produces.
THEMATIC STRUCTURE
The thematic structure of the magazine coincides with the importance of using an
appropriate colour for the time of year. White is used in the main title and for most of
the words on the cover of this December issue of Elle. White is associated with being
calm, peaceful and tranquil so the readers can be transported from their busy lives and
Christmas preparations to a celebrity fuelled world of excitement and wealth. White is
also linked to winter and December so the colour is appropriate for this issue as it was
released in December.
IV. ADVERTISING
The magazine features small but significant elements that have been positioned on the
cover to promote the Elle brand and offer the reader extra information. For example
the date and year the magazine was published, a bar code and the target audience.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The magazine contains content about fashion and lifestyle, the cover lines include
plugs about fashion, hair and skin cream that all inform the reader the magazine is
targeted at young females from 18-40 years old. Rihanna was 27 years old when she
was photographed for the cover so she fits in with the target audience, which makes

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her relatable. The words fashion, party and sexy hair are all aimed at the younger
portion of the target audience as they would be more interested in getting ready and
going out then staying home. The skin cream article is aimed at the slightly older
reader from 30 years plus as they would be more concerned about looking younger.
A younger target audience would have a magazine cover that is overloaded with a lot
writing and would contain a free item stuck to the cover as an incentive to purchase
the magazine. Elle’s magazine cover is minimalistic as it only advertises the key
things that an 18 – 40 would be interested in and would want to read about, for
example fashion, hair and celebrities in order to keep up to date with the latest people,
styles and trends.
According to the official Elle.com website, the target audience is aged between 18
and 49 with a median age of 34.4. 51% of the audience is aged between 18-34 and
52% of the audience are aged between 25-49. 66% of Elle audience is employed and
nearly 43% of the audience are single. The Elle website was launched in 2007 and
there are currently 33 Elle websites globally, which collectively attract over 25
million unique visitors and 370 million page views per month.
DATE, PRICE, BAR CODE & WEB ADDRESS
The date the magazine edition was published isn’t located near the masthead but is
shown at the bottom right hand corner above Elle’s website link. This positioning is
clever as when the reader opens the magazine they are going to open it next to the
bottom right hand corner and ensures the reader will see the website address and are
more likely to be intrigued to log on to it. Once on the website they could then be
persuaded to purchase further copies of the magazine.
The bar code is not present on the cover of the magazine, as it will distract the reader
from the presentation of the cover and will not be in keeping with the simplistic and
elegant theme.
The price is not visible on the front cover near the title or celebrity. This would
suggest that it is expensive and a high-end fashion magazine most likely to be bought

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by a higher socio-economic status in an A or B category. If readers see the price first,
they may be put off from purchasing it. Instead they use words and a picture of the
celebrity to ooze value for money and a must have read appeal, so that readers would
want to purchase it, not matter what the price when they arrive at the till to pay.
V. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Elle is an award-winning magazine that creates elegant and life-
improving content that is appropriate for females aged 18 – 40. The faded lilac
background contrasts well with the three colours used in the text: ochre, white and
black. The theme and styling of Rihanna has been thoroughly thought through to
produce a photograph that stands out and links to the topic of the interview Rihanna
did for the magazine. The design of the central photograph is Rihanna in a sexual
pose assists in displaying women as feminine, beautiful and desirable. All of these
features ensure the reader remembers the name of the magazine for future purchases.
The cover isn’t overpowered with a variety of cover lines and quote previews and
instead features punchy summaries that capture the magazines content and entice the
viewers whilst keeping in theme with the magazines elegant branding. Overall the
magazine promotes content that can help readers to improve their lives whilst
providing entertainment and escapism.
Word Count: 3288.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Website
Elle. 2017. About Elle. [Online]. [Accessed 10 June 2017]. Available from:
http://www.elle.com/in-the-mag/
Wikipedia. 2006. Elle Magazine. [Online]. [Accessed 10 June 2017]. Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elle_(magazine)
Wikipedia. 2006. Laura Mulvey. [Online]. [Accessed 10 June 2017]. Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey