Existing Magazine Anaylsis - Front Covers

This front cover of the magazine Rock Sound has many conventions that help the genre of the magazine be shown and who it is aimed at. For example the jagged circle that is surrounding the letter R of the title which is very clever as it incorporates the magazine logo in with the magazine title. This gives it an edgy rock/punk look, which the editor is clearly going for. The use of jagged edges is also used at the bottom of the image to contrast the white banner at the bottom to give it a more exciting look instead of just having a plain blocked banner with straight cuts to separate. There is a key colour scheme shown in the image of white, black and green; the most important information seems to have been deliberately put in the colour green as your eyes are automatically drawn to these bits of text and at first glance you can tell that the band Lost Prophets are going to be mentioned in the magazine due to the bright colour and that they are shown behind the text.

There is a main dominant image used which gives them a high prestige and the banners which state that they are ‘The Kings’ and ‘World Exclusive’ add to this idea of them being not only dominant to the magazine, but dominant to that specific music genre. The band members are easily shown as being in a metal band as their image is of the genre with the dark clothes and the lead singer wearing sunglasses. The band members are all looking into the readers eyes which makes it seem as if they are making the reader want to go and buy the magazine and read it. To the side there are some smaller images of what else will be incorporated in the magazine which have been placed off centre and in a messy and natural manner to demonstrate the metal /rock genre. This along with the bright colours and jagged edges are successful as it livens up the mood of the front cover and make it seem exciting and fun to read. There is a simple font used throughout which gives is consistency and that there isn’t too much going on at once. There is use of words such as ‘more’ ’also’ and the use of plus signs (+) illustrate the magazine of having a lot of information inside it. Also the use of having free items and displaying them in an offset manner make them stand out and attract the reader to this point.

In my own magazine I would like to use some of the conventions that have been used in this magazine, such as the jagged edges and continuing colour scheme throughout the piece as it defines the metal genre. I would also like to use the idea of having the ‘most important’ pieces of information in the bright colours to make them the most attracted to bits of the magazine cover. I like that even though the magazine has a unique layout and style, they still have the typical barcode in the corner feature which I would also like to use in my own piece.

This front cover of Kerrang! Magazine is successful in many ways, such as the way that they have a fair balance in images and text which caters for both types of reader. They have used 4 main colours red, white, black and a little hint of yellow which give sit that extra little colour and is very effective in catching the reader’s attention. The target audience of the magazine is displayed very clearly in all ways possible for example they have used very unnatural and offset banners and images which give it the messed-up rock look. The main title has more of it covered up than is show, yet the reader is still able to spot which magazine It is which just demonstrates the vast establishment and how highly regarded the magazine is in the music world. The title is shown in a font that looks like glass smashing and is rough on the edges which shown that it is aimed towards the metal/rock genre.

The centre image has been used to show the genre with the dark clothes and dark eye makeup on the plain white background matches up to the logo of the band underneath the image which is also in black and white. The banners above and below the band name have been made red fading gradually into black which contrasts the colour divide of the magazine of half of it being red and colourful and the other half being black and white. In the top right hand corner there is a competition shown in a blue circle which completely goes against the colour scheme which shows that it isn’t really anything to do with 30 Seconds to Mars but it can be found within the magazine. Down the side of the magazine, there is a red bar which shows what is going to be inside the magazine and there is a brief summary of what they will be talking about in the section of the specific band. The band names are in bright yellow which help it stand out. Along the top of the cover, there are small versions of the free posters that you will receive for purchasing the magazine.

In my own magazine, I would like to use the idea of having part of the main title covered up to give my magazine a well-known and established reputation. Also I like the idea of having free posters and a competition inside the magazine as it would attract more readers and more people buying it. Another key feature I would like to use is the fact that they are releasing music festival lineups inside the magazine which again, would make people buy your magazine. I am also going to use an on-going colour scheme throughout as it helps the cover flow together and look professional. As I am going for the same genre, I would like to use dark colours for the models on my front cover as it clearly establishes what I am going for in my final outcome.

This front cover of Hammer magazine is aimed at the metal/rock genre and this is clearly demonstrated in many ways. For example the colour scheme is mainly based on the colours of black, white and a very dark blue which makes it achieve the metal house style of the magazine. The title has been covered up by the man’s head which shows that the magazine is well known and that they themselves know this and they can afford to do this.

The front cover is very heavily image based and in this case, it is very effective as it make you want to read on and find out more. Along the top, there is a series of bands listed in a blue colour which separates it from the rest of the page and is used in a text style which is normally associated with things such as Halloween which conforms to the targeted genre of being dark and sometimes, scary.  The main image is in black and white to match up to the colour scheme and makes it seem as if it is inside the cover as it is mixed in and fades in with the rest of the cover. You can clearly see that the man posing with the typical ‘rock on’ hand gesture is part of the band Metallica as the title of the band has been place to seem as if it is pointing up to the man posing. They have used the bands logo on the image to define that the band is being shown and is appearing in the article even more. They have a quote from the band which makes is seem as if the band are speaking to the reader. The barcode at the bottom makes it seem more like a regular magazine instead of the distinct layout that the editor has used.

From analysing this magazine I have picked out various points that I would like to use in my own magazine such as using a quote from the band. I have also taken the idea of having a perfectly symmetrical layout as it makes it seem in place and is good to look at. I would also like to use the idea of having various band names running across the top to show the reader who will be inside the magazine.

This front cover of the magazine ‘Classic Rock’ has many key features which help it reach its target audience for example the magazine name itself of having ‘Rock’ in the title lets the audience know what genre of magazine it is. There is a various choice of texts that have been used on the cover which lets you know which parts of the text are different sections which make it easier to read and give it quite a unique look and makes it unnecessary to use a range of bright colours to section off each part of the cover. The main image is of a very dark and mysterious style of photography as only half of his face is displayed which gives the man a very mysterious look and edges you to want to find out more about him. The black background is mixed in with the dark image which is very effective as it allows the whole cover to merge together into one and looks professional. The colour scheme of black, white and red all go very well with each other and they all seem to have a fair amount of colour used on the cover which shows that every piece of information is important whatever colour it is. The font that the band name Led Zeppelin is used in has a very natural style and looks as if it has been handwritten which adds to the edgy rock look which attracts the target audience of people who listen to rock/metal music. The use of shapes like small dots and stars catch the attention of the reader and make you read what is within the dots or the writing inside the stars. They slogans such as ‘the UKs fastest-growing rock magazine’ and ‘voltage & rock n roll’ which give the magazine some prestige and make it seem professional and highly regarded.

In my own magazine, I would like to replicate the style of having a vary of fonts on the front cover and also keep a simple but effective colour scheme of some colour that go well together as it has been demonstrated that this style can be very effective if done correctly. I would also like to have an image that fades into the background as it works very well and looks very natural. I like the way that the image is in black and white as it doesn’t clash with any of the colours on the front cover. From analysing this magazine I would like to use text boxes with dots around them like the one that is displayed on the right hand side of the cover as it is very effective in catching the reader’s attention. The use of exclamation marks works well as it livens up the mood a bit and puts emphasis on some the points in which it is used with. A slogan which is associated with the magazine would be good to use as it would able the magazine to be associated with the slogan which would promote the magazine and make it be more established within the music magazine industry.

This Kerrang! Front cover has many key conventions which make it successful, for example they make it obvious that this issue is about Nirvana and the editor has cleverly chosen the colours as they have made the headline of the front cover yellow and have also made the colour of the main story inside the magazine yellow which links the two together through colour choice.  They use of arrows and plus signs give it a modern and exclusive look. They are reviewing a bands album from 20 years ago so to show that they are going back in time, they possibly put the photo in black and white to display the time period and give the image an aged look. They band have an edgy rock look and the lead singer Kurt Cobain has messy hair and a neutral facial expression to add to the metal/rock genre that they aim their music towards. On the yellow banner they have also used the bands logo in replacement for a ‘0’ this displays that they are talking about the band and show this through a picture.

The use of the paint splats as a text box is a very key feature and helps to conform to the target audience with the messy look which is emphasised also by the smashed title of the Kerrang!  The range of subheadings like ‘Also Inside’ are effective as they adds to the amount of information that is inside the magazine and makes you intrigued to find out more. Throughout the front cover the language used is very short and to the point which would benefit for just skim reading without giving away too much information of what is to come inside the magazine. Even though the front cover is mainly dominated with Nirvana related articles, the use of the bar at the bottom with bold font and bright colours makes the other parts of the magazine seem just as important.

I have gained some ideas form my analysis of this front cover and would like to use some of the key features in my own work, these being the use of the messy paint splats as text boxes, it gives the magazine a unique and effective look to it. I am going to use some sort of distorted and smashed font in my own magazine as I think that the use of it on this front cover is very effective and works very well to meet the genre needs and hit the target audience.