Analysing Magazine front covers: Spiderman

• Traditional magazine layout with main image in the centre to attract an audience passing by. The image is surrounded by other items featured in the magazine which will attract when being previously attracted to the main image. So if the main image doesnt encourage a particular audience to purchase the magazine, then features contained inside it might.
• Another advertising technique used to market a product is that the most powerful image is pictured on the front of the magazine to attract the audience the magazine is targeted for.
• Spiderman's hand gesture that is pictured is an iconic feature in the film which he followers will recognise. It is almost as if he is inviting us into his world and making us feel a part of the experience. He is also a well-known character as Spiderman is part of a franchise, with past movies being successful, so this creates a high expectation level for an audience and automatically this causes a lot of publicity and advertisement for the film. It also attracts fans from previous projects, and new fans due to the success of past films. The hand gesture could also suggest hes trying to pull the audience in and invite them into his world.
• The word 'FREE' appears on the magazine in big bold letters which catches the audiences attention as we love freebies. Also due to the current economic state, free things are hard to find so when something is free it is instantly appealing. 
• Codes and conventions of the thriller genre are seen in the use of colour scheme on the magazine using colours such as black, red and white. These are all powerful colours to use in terms of connotations of media as they each create a distinct meaning.
• The USP of this magazine, is that the actor is recognisable to a large group of people, immediately encouraging them to purchase the magazine, so this is how Empire magazine manipulates its audience into buying it. The magazine could also appeal more to a female audience as it uses an attractive, well-known actor to build an audience.