Textual Analysis: Empire

Masthead
The masthead is the recognisable title of the magazine. The masthead for this cover of the Empire is white and is going behind the main image. The white stands out from the background which draws our attention to it. When the masthead can be seen from a far, the cover can be recognised by its audience due to the fact that it's typeface is unique. The masthead is basically like the logo and its seen as visual branding for the title. Empire has such an recognisable masthead as it is so popular and international.

Cover lines
The cover lines are important when it comes to the cover, especially of this magazine. These cover lines are about movie-related things to match the theme of the whole magazine. They are also related to the audience effectively as this is what the audience would be looking for when they pick up the latest issue of the Empire. The colour scheme for the cover lines is made up of red, white and gold. This matches the main image, Iron Man. This is used effectively as it compliments the main image as well as standing out from the background. The way they are laid out give the cover a professional look and makes it seem to be a slightly high end magazine.

Main image
The main image definitely obeys the rule of thirds on this front cover. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is shown in the middle vertical third in his famous and iconic Iron Man suit. He is looking straight at the audience and so is his helmet. This draws the audience in by making them interest in the main image. The main image is what the audience sees before anything else on the front cover. So it is important for the image to look straight at the audience. The main image is a reason why some people buy the magazine. This is due to the fact that some people would just buy it because like the image on the front.

Main cover line
For this magazine cover, the main cover line links with the main image, "Iron Man 3. Downey Jr.'s lethal weapon flies solo". This cover line is bigger than all the others which suggests that it is the most important. This makes the reader interested to know more about Iron Man 3 and Robert Downey Jr.'s role as Iron Man. This cover line matches the same colour scheme as the others even if its more important than them. The fact that it links to the main image might suggest that the theme of this issue is about the 'due-to-release' Iron Man 3. It is a visual promotion of the film and will get the audience to buy it as it will possibly give them as much insight information they can get.