cover star. I chose this as Clash is one of the main magazines I'm drawing inspiration from, and like the issue of Q, it shows a solo artist as the main feature in the kind of style I'd like to use, but I think this is more aimed at both genders unlike that particular issue of Q.
The image of Duffy is fairly close up, a very similar shot distance to Madonna on Q, therefore it has a similar sort of effect, in that it is quite intimate and personal. However I don't think it connotes Duffy being the reader's friend, because of the microphone acting like a barrier between her and the reader.
The microphone is quite a motivated sign to use as it's an old-fashioned style, something that I've noticed artists often use to give them some credibility and to suggest their work is done from scratch and very meaningful, yet this is how I personally read it because of my own individual circumstances, so possibly to a typical male who just denotes it may just represent her music as being old-fashioned and therefore something they'll not be interested in. This then gives a characteristic of the target audience Clash are appealing to by using using the microphone as a prop, that they are more interested in something that's a bit quirky, than the manufactured kind of music which would have been represented had they used an average black microphone. It may just have been used to emphasise that Duffy's style goes back to basics, that it's not gimmicky or over the top with electro riffs and what not, which matches the connotation of her black clothing being so plain and the pearls she's wearing as earrings. The image has a general tone of classiness, which is signified by all the signs of Duffy's style, the microphone, the plain clothing and the earrings, which I think definitely proves pop is sophisticated and doesn't always need to be Disney pop to be considered as popular/mainstream music, therefore it can dabble successfully with other genres.
Something the other covers haven't used are graphic as part of their main image, but this manages to use them very subtly to again add a grown-up feel as well as promoting stardom. The shine of the mic, the stars around "Duffy" and the faded yellow circles suggesting show lights or paparazzi all connect back to the idea of Duffy not being presented as the audience's friend, but more as a friendly superstar. I think these subtle graphics are incredibly effective, yet I cannot put my finger on exactly why they work so well. They are something I would consider on my own cover, as I think they do add to the grown-up tone, something I'll need to make sure I do to present pop in non-cheesy way.
Moving onto the colours, it is definitely starting to become clear that a co-ordinating colour scheme is a convention of popular music magazines. This magazine uses white, cream and pink mostly, the cream tying in with Duffy's hair, the pink corresponding with the background, and the white just being the general stand-out colour. The white and cream are quite neutral, but the hot pink adds a youthful touch to the whole classic tone of the cover, so that it still appeals to the target audience and doesn't look too boring.
Unlike both the other magazines, Clash uses more detailed fonts for it's masthead and main cover line. It's masthead is very recognisable, and also the it is in front of the image of the celebrity which is unusual, so therefore conveys the opposite idea to Q and Billboard, where it needs to promote itself and use some kind of attention attracting fonts to draw in readers. It also suggests to me Clash may be for a younger target reader than Q and Billboard, which would make sense, by using the bright colous and subtle graphics as these will probably be more appreciated by a younger audience. Also the main coverline uses a swirly serifed font, therefore in-keeping with Duffy's style and tone, and may have also been used to steal attention from cover lines featured that aren't as important, therefore making one celeb interview stretch a long way.
In the language a lot of genre is referenced, like "soul", "electronic", "hip-hop" and "Sixties", therefore it's trying to connote to the reader that it has a large variety and can be for anyone, also the fact that the genre cannot be simply denoted from the cover helps this. Not many puns or play on words are used on this cover, which contradicts my idea that Clash is maybe for a younger audience, however it may just be fitting to the convention of straightforward language to just deliver it's main selling points simply. Similarly to Q, Clash just uses the artist's names as cover lines, with a small description, so that with a galnce the target reader will know the kind of content included.
Overall, I do quite like the main image of this cover, as I really like the subtle graphics used, however I prefer the language and layout style of Q, as it seemed to be compact and well laid-out so parts could be read in a methodical order. I do like the warmth this cover displays with it's colour scheme and lighting, and makes for a very inviting appearance.
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