Magazine Cover Analysis

The primary cover line is even bigger than the logo, which catches attention right away. Also I think Popular Mechanics is characteristic of using a simple, strong, and magnified keyword to deal with headlines: “DEFENDING America”, “SURVIVE anything”, “the truth about OIL”, etc.

The background color and the image of a man holding up a wrench cleverly break the page into three parts, so that the other cover lines can be organized.

A sticker-like callout is used to highlight “extreme.” The color and the way it covers the logo create layers in the page, making it stand out and visible.

Undoubtedly, covers influence the sales of a magazine, but whether "cover" is the decisive factor of sales has always been a mystery. I believe that the main mission of a successful cover image is to grab readers' eye right away, which is the admission to readers' awareness, especially at a dazzling newsstand, and then make readers interested, by raising their curiosity, emotions or connections with cover lines, intrigue them to pick up the magazine and perhaps skim through it, finally to let them have an impulse to buy it.

Therefore, it is very essential to determine that who are the potential buyers and then to evaluate the cover design. Popular Mechanics is my first example. Who reads Popular Mechanics? According to their own definition, “The Popular Mechanics reader is curious. The reader is driven to explore, become knowledgeable and actively participate in a wide variety of interests, making him today's Go-to Guy that Main Street America goes to for advice.”

They set the audience to be outdoor and adventurous men who consider conquering the difficulties as a challenge to attain the sense of achievement. So, the image that a man holding up a wrench implies “it’s a lot of work,” and it’s a coherent image to the cover line ”extreme how-to! Crazy stuff they don’t teach you in shop class.”

Primary cover line “HOW-TO” is very striking, and how-to

There are only four...