Colours: the master head 'NME' is in bold red which makes it stand out against the dull grey background, this way the audience knows and recognises the name of the magazine before they even know who the band on the front of the magazine are. the image used is in a grey and black colours which makes it look mysterious and unusual, this matches the 'indie' theme of the music magazine the white tag line of the black clothes of the band show us that it is matching with the main image of the front cover.

design: the image takes up most of the front cover which shows that they are a very big band and this would attract readers. there is a banner going across the top and bottom of the magazine, with the top banner telling the audience about a story they have inside and the bottom stating which other artists and bands they have inside. there is also a notice of joining a new band and this is put into a circle to state that it is a story of its own.

image: the image is a dull grey and black colour of a band and is the only image and this shows the band is big enough to attract the audience that the NME magazine wants. the pose of the band is very serious and this is a traditional pose for a indie band. the three band members are positioned one after the other, this shows us that the one furthest forward is the lead singer of the band and the most recognised figure of the band.

language and words: there are not many words used on the front cover. the bold red 'NME' shows us that this is the master head. in the banner above it says 'BOWIE SPEAKS' this is to try and create and excitement that he has spoken out about something very personal in his life. the circle with the 'join biffys band' shows that this may be a competition due to the traditional competition in the circle. at the bottom it has 'let the battle commence' then above that it has certain artists and bands against each other, this is to create an excitement for the reader to see who really is the best band/artist in the indie genre.

overall impression: i do not like the fact that the front cover is very dull but it also helps it reach its target audience which is the 'indie' theme. i do like the way they have minimised the amount of text they have on the front cover because i believe that sometimes it can be to much and can ruin front covers. i believe this magazine has confidence in itself to attract there target audience due to the lack of stories on the front of the magazine.