The masthead is one of the main focuses on the independent cover as the magazine is lesser known, so the brand needs to be highlighted. This reinforces that this is an independent magazine.

The masthead on the mainstream magazine cover is slightly covered by a puff as the brand is well known, so it doesn’t have to be a main focus of the cover in order for the audience to recognise the brand.It reinforces that this is a mainstream magazine.

The mainstream cover has lots of bold and colourful typography to link with the masculine theme of the magazine. It also links with the action-adventure genre of the film on the cover.

The use of warm tones on mainstream cover reflect elements of the theme of fire in the narrative. It also makes the magazine more eye-catching for someone interested in the action adventure genre.

The cover lines suggest this film is the final in a series through the phrase “the end begins”. The cover line also tells the audience of some of the people involved with the film, “Jackson’s final chapter”.

The use of large font for “The Hobbit” shows that this is the main article in the magazine. Whereas the use of smaller font for other cover lines shows the smaller articles that will feature in the issue.

The banner shows any other general articles that are included in this issue.

The main cover line shows what the main article of the magazine will be about.

The use monochromatic colours on the independent cover create a dark and minimalistic effect, this reflects the eerie atmosphere and tone in the film.

Unlike the mainstream cover, the independent cover has minimal typography so that the image is the main focus. The simple, typography reflects the eerie tone of the film on the cover, this is shown through the delicate, feminine typography.

The font for the main cover line is small so the main focus is on the cover image. It is on top of the black so the text stands out.

The are no cover line on the cover of the independent magazine, this is so the main cover image is the focus, it also entices the audience to purchase it to find out what’s inside.

The layout of the mainstream magazine, with the bell and fire establishes elements of the film.The frontman establishes the heroic character role we expect to see in the film and mentioned within the magazine.

The layout of the mainstream cover helps to establish a theme of isolation in the film.The main cover image establishes that she is the main role in the film and further suggests her isolation as she is alone.

The mainstream magazine cover contains lots of cover lines, banners and puffs to show all the different articles within the issue.The busy nature of the cover reflects that Empire focus more on the action adventure genre.

The independent cover is simple and minimalistic, as it has no puffs, banners or cover lines. This reflects the artistic nature of the magazine. It emphasises the cover image and the main film in the issue

The simplicity of the independent cover reaches out to a more niche audience as the cover is very unique, like nothing else on the market, it also looks like a piece of artwork in itself.