Changes in Visual Rhetorical Features of New Weekly Magazine Covers Published from 1996 to 2001

Abstract

This article is part of the study “New Weekly Magazine Covers: A Study on Visual Rhetoric in Magazine Cover Design from 1996 to 2001.” The article is aimed at describing the changes in visual rhetorical elements across 111 New Weekly magazine covers from the launch of the publication in 1996 until 2001. Variations in the relationship between cover images and cover topics were also explored. The study is based on semiotic and visual rhetoric theory and used media content analysis to discuss the merging of three variables: media technology, visual form of the image, and type of image function. Changes in the relationship between the cover images and cover topics were characterized, and these changes were discussed in terms of their connection with New Weekly's short- and long-term marketing goals and brand image construction. According to the study’s literature and interview findings, New Weekly used a total of eight visual rhetoric modes to create its cover images. It adopted and tested these different modes not only to gain short-term market advantages, but also to identify a visual voice that could convey New Weekly’s basic concept of "something new." In other words, innovation related to the magazine’s visual rhetoric mode helped New Weekly to establish its long-term brand image. Keywords: New Weekly, Magazine Cover, Visual Rhetoric, Content Analysis