5280 Magazine Analysis

     The issue of the 5082 is a scenic travel magazine that portrays Colorado's extravagant views. Various techniques are utilized on the front cover of this magazine. For starters, the background photo consistently shows mountainous shots. The shots show grassy or rocky terrain and mountains as the backdrop. Two of the three covers show a person in the shot. This can possibly allude to readers as they feel it is a welcoming site instead of an intimidating terrain , given that others have explored the same views portrayed in these shots. The shots are taken either at dawn or dusk, this may be because the sunset/sunrise highlight the beauty of the views (hues of color) and hikers tend to be early birds, making readers want to be present at the time; also, making the possible target: adventurous travelers and nature's admirers. 

     Furthermore, the colors in the magazine help to create a placid mood and a welcoming feeling. All the editions include a blue hue through the incorporation of the the sky in the shot. The blue helps to establish the calming scene and creates a longing for readers as the wish to be present in such a peaceful environment. The contrasting green and rustic rocky color are part of the scenery, these colors establish the connection to earth by creating a raw image of the landscape. This alludes to the potential audience being mother nature's admirers and "outdoorsy" travelers. 

     Textually, the masthead "home style" seems to be a largely bolded font of "8052" centered on the top of the cover. This is seen in two covers; however, one of the front covers I choose to analyse has the "8052" as a slightly smaller banner on the top and the masthead being "Traveler." It seems that it is a special edition. The magazine covers contain main cover lines related to the main imagine present. For example, the first magazine has "Colorado's best mountain biking destinations" and the main image seems to show one of these mountain trails. These cover lines clarifies and emphasizes the main cover picture. The banners and subheading show special content included in the magazine in order to allude readers towards purchasing the magazine. 

     The colors included in the magazine design includes yellow, white, and orange. These compliment the colors included in the main photos. Furthermore, the cover includes the use of buzz words such as "best." These words allude readers towards the purchase of the edition. The fonts included on the front page are san seriff. The use of a simple font allows for the minimum of distraction from the main photo. The edits are all focused around the enhancement of the photo landscape of Colorado's scenery. One of the editions however, has a sarif font. The edition differs generally from that of the other editions. It seems to be a special edition, which explains the different format unlike the house style. 

     I will use this analysis in creating my edition. I like how the creators focused the magazine front solely on the landscape photos. I would like to do this for my edition. The landscapes included are similar to the ones I want to include. The content is targeted towards adventurous travelers, which is something I am fond of and wish to include in mine. The use of the sarif font is also what I am interested in terms of distracting as minimal as possible from the main photo.