While at first glance, and even more so after analysing it for the blog page, the cover for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' edition of EMPIRE Magazine is somewhat hideous but it also full of things to talk about regarding layout, text and design. With a large image of Spider-Man slap bang in the centre of the poster with his iconic fingers raised in web-shooter fashion, EMPIRE are both attracting and deterring potential readers. A highly recognisable figure, people of all ages may be drawn to the vibrant colours of his costume. but his theatricality, and the manner in which it is displayed in this cover, may put off some people. In accordance with the Spider-Man theme, modification has be done to the title of the magazine in order for it to relate to the film's plot. The antagonistic character of Electro (who is not featured on the cover) has the power of controlling electricity and so it only seemed fitting for EMPIRE to change their logo to reflect this power and so it is styled as to look it has been created out of electricity. In my mind, however, it is a very cheesy effect and perhaps has not been designed as well as it could have been. This is also my opinion of the colour scheme of the poster. While the red and blue of Spidey's costume, and the various shades of blue found in the background and electric logo, are acceptable and to an extent effective, the use of bright green is unappealing to the eyes, and more than anything reminds me of the nineties show 'Goosebumps' and is too odd looking in relation to the rest of the cover.
The cover features a great deal more text than is usual for an EMPIRE Magazine cover, making it look rather cluttered and messy, further exacerbating the ugly state of affairs, but this is a success for the publisher as it means they can showcase a lot of information about what exactly is contained within the pages and so draw a much wider audience who individually would be interested in different films (and television shows as the cover points out). Five film titles appear in large, bold letters on either side of Spider-Man while two separate boxes beneath single out the sci-fi films 'Gravity' and 'All You Need Is Kill' with an image each and a short line that mentions their star and a use of alliteration to explain their role in the film, for instance 'Bullock does Speed in Space' which references lead actress Sandra Bullock's previous acting role and a (very weak, I must add) comparison between the film's two plots. 'Gravity' is very much unlike 'Speed', despite what EMPIRE suggest. Underneath the EMPIRE logo is another short line, promising '15 Electric Comic Con Exclusives' using the word 'electric' as an obvious allusion to the world of the film, while the top banner is unassociated with Spider-Man and instead focuses on the twentieth anniversary of the release of 'Jurassic Park', as well as its impending 3D theatrical re-release with 'Access All Dinosaurs' a play on the phrase 'access all areas' implying that the reader will discover some secret, unknown information about the film and its creation, while bold, yet painfully typical, words and phrases like 'First Look!', 'On Set!' and 'Inside!' are used at the bottom left of the cover to provide further insight into the magazine's contents. Overall, the EMPIRE Magazine cover is functionally acceptable but aesthetically speaking, it dissapoints and all fronts and so design is something I am going to take considerable care with developing my magazine cover.