The Big Issue Front Cover Analysis

Masthead: As the masthead is bold it stands out from the other text, the background and the other elements on the front page which makes it catch the audience's eye at first glance which tells them what magazine they are reading straight away. On magazines sold in shops the masthead is usually spread out across the whole of the top section of the page, whereas the masthead for The Big Issue is only on one side of the page and it changes which side it is on for different magazines; for this magazine it is on the left. The masthead might not be the largest text on the page but it doesn't need to be as it is sold on the street so therefore it isn't sold right next to other magazines meaning it doesn't have the competition.

Main Cover Line: The main cover line ''WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN...''  is very bold and is the largest text on the page showing that it is important to this magazine and it tells the reader what the magazine is going to be based about. The positioning of the main cover line being in the centre/left of the page makes it clear for the reader to see.

Main Image: The front of this magazine is a collage of images but the main focus is Donald Trump holding the world. The head of Trump is the biggest image on the page showing he could be important in this magazine and as he is a well known figure it will attract more buyers and readers rather than if it had someone on the front that wasn't well known. The fact he is holding the world shows he is full of himself and thinks he runs the world when he doesn't he is just the President of the USA. Also as his head has been enlarged shows he is big headed and full of himself.

Sell Lines: The front cover of this magazine has a sell line, at the bottom of the page with a yellow background and black writing. The sell line is to tell the reader key information that is going to be inside the magazine for example other stories/ articles inside the magazine. As the target audience for this magazine is adults, it has articles inside that are about people around the same age of the audience so this will increase the popularity of the magazine rather than if there was a really old or a really young person on the front of the magazine or the articles inside the magazine.

Magazine Sell Line: The magazine sell line for The Big Issue is ''A HAND UP NOT A HAND-OUT'' which is on the front of every magazine The Big Issue underneath the masthead. The meaning of this is that by buying a Big Issue magazine you are helping people in need instead of just handing out something that has no meaning, it is a hand up as it does have meaning ad it is helping someone that needs it. Therefore this tells the readers/audience that they are doing a good cause and helping someone and it might not seem like a lot to them but it means a lot to The Big Issue sellers.

Advertisement: The advertisement on the front of this magazine is in the top right corner and it is made to look like a folded corner so it makes it stand out and look important as when you fold corners of books/magazines/newspapers is means you want to go back to it or the thing on that page is important. The advert is promoting the final sales of the magazine issue and the website for The Big Issue.

Date & Price: The date the magazine was out is positioned underneath the mast head and the price is positioned at the centre at the top.

Masthead: The masthead for this magazine has everything about it the same as the magazine above but it is just positioned on the right.

Main Cover Line: The main cover line for this magazine is ''Brain Tickling with EMMA WATSON & DAN STEVENS INTERVIEW'. The names stand out more than the other words on the cover line which makes them more eye-catching for the reader. It is the biggest writing on the page showing it is the most important and it is a big part of this magazine. The positioning on the main cover line is half way between the middle and the bottom of the page which makes it easier for the readers to see as it doesn't overlap with the main part of the main image (their faces).

Main Image: The main image is of the 2 main characters from Disney's The Beauty And The Beast with a speech bubble from each of them, the Beast's saying ''How can you ever love a beast like me...'' and Belle's saying ''Build me a library, sunshine, and I'm yours forever''. The image is in the centre so that all the writing for the front cover can fit around it and it wont cover the faces of the characters in the image. This image could attract a lot more people than The Big Issue usually do as it is a film loved by many children meaning when families or people with children with them walk past The Big Issue sellers in the streets the children could point it out to their parents and ask them to buy it.

Sell Lines: There is a sell line underneath the main cover line which is ''PLUS Why they support The Big Issue Literacy campaign''. This tells the readers what else is inside the magazine and key information about them. It is in smaller writing than the main cover line but it isn't the smallest on the page and it is still in a bold font so is still eye-catching for the readers.

Magazine Sell Line: The magazine sell line is the same for this magazine as the one above.

Advertisement: The advertisement for the front cover of this magazine is positioned at the bottom left of the page in a red circle which makes it stand out from the other things on the page as it is the only thing in red on there. The advert is promoting something for Mother's Day and the website for The Big Issue.

Date & Price: The date is positioned underneath the masthead and the price is top left.

Masthead: The masthead for this magazine is the same as the first magazine analysis.

Main Cover Line: The main cover line is ''LIAM''; the name Liam is the largest piece of text on the front page which is the name of the person in the image and is clearly what the magazine is mainly about. The name is also in a very different font to the rest of the writing on the front which makes it standout from everything else as it is very clear to the reader.

Pull Quote: The pull quote for this magazine is ''IT WAS ALWAYS ALL ABOUT ME ANYWAY'' which is a quote that Liam said in his interview that is inside the magazine. This attracts the readers as it gives them an insight of what the interview is about and it draws them in to make them want to know what else is in the interview.

Main Image: The main image for this magazine is Liam Gallagher. The image is a close-up and it is in the centre so that all the writing can fit around it and so it is clear for the reader to see. The main image targets fans of Liam Gallagher, which is mainly adults but also some teenagers know him as he is a very popular and well-known artist. This image would also attract the target audience as he is around the same age as them which makes it more popular as people are more likely to buy a magazine that has someone around the same age as them on the front.

Sell Lines: The sell line for this magazine is ''THE BIG ISSUE INTERVIEW'', which is found under the main cover line and the pull quote. This tells the readers what's is inside the magazine which makes it seem more important to the rest of the things that are inside the magazine as they are not on the front page. It is a lot smaller writing than the main cover line and the pull quote but it still stands out as it is in capital letters, bold and isn't the smallest writing on the page.

Magazine Sell Line: The magazine sell line is the same as the first and second magazine I analysed.

Advertisement: There is one advertisement on the front cover of this magazine and it is positioned at the top right of the page. The advert is saying that if you buy this magazine you get something for free which in this case is a free entry to an art fair which could make more people buy the magazine and make it more popular because you are not just helping people in need, you get something for free as well.

Date & Price: The date and the price are positioned underneath the masthead on the top left of the page.