Front Cover Analysis

Title of publication

• The title of publication follows the general conventions of it being in the top third of the magazine and using a distinctive typeface. This allows the magazine to be noticed amongst other magazines on the shelf and so making it more successful. The distinctive typeface allows the brand to be built and to build recognition. This attracts customers that usually buy the magazine to carry on and buy the magazine. 

Slogan

• The slogan in magazines intend to sum the content of magazine up in a short and memorable sentence. In this case the slogan would be "The Day of The Doctor!" This reinforces that the topic of this magazine is Doctor Who. This slogan helps the consumers know what to expect reading this magazine. It also attracts the fans of the series of Doctor Who.

Central image

• The central image establishes the magazines core values and identity. In this magazine the central image is the Doctor. The mouth and eyes of the model is not obscured by any text which is a common convention in the central image. This keeps the characters seen expressive. In this magazine there are 3 images seen but the centre image is the Doctor. The costume worn by the characters are casual suits. This is the typical attire of the doctor and so it helps with the branding and the conventions of Doctor Who.

‘Flash’ / Cover Line / Sell Line

• The key convention of a cover line is used in this magazine. An example of a cover line in this magazine is "The Doctor's past has come back to haunt him". This attracts the consumers as this short sentence has an eerie implication thus creating an interest amongst consumers. Another cover line used is ..."the biggest TV event in the history of the universe" This use of adjectives to highlight the magnitude of their topic such as "biggest" and "universe" create an importance and an expectation.  

Free offer

• There are a series of offers seen in the front cover of this magazine. The free offers are Doctor Who related merchandise. Offers such as "9 Downloads of Doctor Who audio adventures" and "Special 1960-themed mini issue" This gives Doctor Who fans another reason to buy this magazine. So the free offers create a unique selling point to the Doctor Who fan base.

Colour scheme

• The colours used in this front cover are colours that aren't to heavy to look at. The colours are namely: black, silver and light brown. Limiting the front cover to just a colour scheme it makes the magazine easy for the readers to decode and it avoids it becoming too busy. The cloud of sliver coming from the black gives an element of surprise and anticipation. As it seems like there is something hidden in the mist. This intrigues readers as it brings about an uncertainty.  

Name Checks

• The names checks in this magazine are "Matt Smith" and "David Tennant" The thing that these two people have is that they have had the role of playing the Doctor in Doctor Who. This clearly indicates that the topic inside of this magazine is Doctor Who. It is clear for the audience to distinguish that this magazine will be concerning the British series of Doctor Who. Also it acts as a unique selling point because readers would want to read what they say as readers could gain exclusive information about what to expect in the following series's.  

Language

• One of the texts standing out on this front cover is "The Day of The Doctor". The language technique used is the repetition of "the". This gives a sense of importance as it is "The Day". This brings interest as readers would want to read about why this day is so significant for the Doctor. Also, the alliteration of "D" in "day" and "doctor". The 'd' sound is harsh sound which could foreshadow that something bad could happen. Also the alliteration is also used as it makes the phrase more poetic and song-like which makes it more memorable.  

Competitions

• The competition is seen on the bottom right hand corner of the page. It reads, "WIN! BLU-RAYs, DVDs, BOOKs and CDs" This makes the reader feel more personally involved with the magazine which draws the readers in. As the word 'win' is capitalised, it catches the readers eye and the word 'win' can appeal to people as this verb implicates prizes and celebration. 

Direct Address & Asking Questions

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Bar code, Date and Price

• The bar code is seen next to the competition section. This is mainly for selling the magazine. The bar code is small which is common so that the integrity of the magazine isn't compromised.

The ‘Real’ Target Audience

• The target audience of this magazine is for those who are interested in Doctor Who. This means that the age range of this magazine is very broad as the first series was aired in 1963. The original Doctor Who started in 1963 and ended in 1989. So the target audience of this magazine is all the way up to people in their 50s.