L.I.I.A.R Analysis of NME cover - John Lennon

This front cover is very simple so that it draws no attention away from John Lennon, he is such an important figure in the history of music and therefore people don't need a lot of convincing to pick up and buy this issue of NME. The denotation is him smoking, this often has the stereotype of being cool which of course he is! The teasers have a plus side to show what else this article will feature but also it shows that this issue is mainly about Lennon. The black and white connotes it been an old photo which evidently it is since it's an early photograph of him in the 60's. Black and white also gives a strong connotation of rock'n'roll and the colour red is like blood, which reinforces that he's dead. The anchorage ''30th Anniversary special'' indicates that this issue is paying tribute to the legend. The article teaser reads ''his genius, his demons, his final hours'' this is such a bold statement and is visibly seen in a sans serif font, it will draw people in because Lennon was a very intriguing charachter everyone wanted/wants to know about him, therefore they will buy this edition in the hope of getting just that! He is the most dominant image on the cover which illustrates and connotes how important he is. Above him is the iconographic bold + clear ''NME'' sign it is in a grey colour, again to not take any of the limelight off Mr Lennon. It also helps it fit in with the strong colour scheme of black, grey, white and red. The anchorage gives an explanation to why the image is so dominant. The barcode and price are hiding in the corner so all your attention is on John. All writing on the page is bold and clear so the consumer can see it effortlessley at first glance, however, all the writing is on the right side of the page. This is unconventional, usually it's on the left third so it's visible when sitting on the shelf in a shop. The audience for this specific edition of NME is fans of The Beatles and John Lennon,. this couldn't be more apparent from the layout to the masthead and picture! Usually on NME covers there are many thumbnail pictures of various other artists however they've kept it very simple as to not take away from John. The image is a direct image of him so it instantly connects with the audience and is a very powerful image for a tribute magazine. The ideology of this edition is that John is a huge (literally on the page) musician and should have a special tribute to him. Although the colour scheme looks grey it also looks slightly silver which links in with the idea of this been special.