Color Palette There is a simple color palette used, the cover is very subtle and classy only really a monochrome color scheme is used but there is a shock contrast used by the red. The catches the readers attention and leads them to another main feature within the magazine.

Mast Head The mast head of the magazine (Rolling Stone) is the largest sized font on the magazine cover, this is to make it clear that this is the title of the magazine and gets the attention of the reader. The colours of the masthead, is very simple Which also means that it does not over rule the importance of the main image which lies in the center of the page. There is also a small strap line which shows more features of the magazine but has a subtle white colours and small sized font to keep the attention on the main features of the cover.

Main Cover Line The main cover line for this magazine is Noel Gallagher, the font size is almost as big as the mast head and also shares a similar font, this is because it is the main story of the magazine and is aimed to be the main attention of the front cover. The smaller text underneath the cover line translates as there is plenty more after r oasis (Noel Gallagher's previous band, before he turned solo.) This is anchorage of the picture as it shows the significance of him being alone in the main image.

Main Image The main image is Noel Gallagher now standing solo as he returns to his career as a solo artist. The image has many connotations coming from it. He is looking upwards slightly, or into the distance, this shows that he has left his past behind and is moving on with his life and his music career. The eyes are the only part of him which have remained in color in contrast to the rest of his face, this is an enigma code which leaves the audience thinking why they have remained blue.

Layering I can count 10 layers on this magazine, excluding the text layers down the right side of the magazine which could be individual layers each word or linked together as one layer. The barcode is also one layer this is placed discreetly at the top of the page.

Mast HeadThe mast head of this magazine (Rolling stone) is as always with rolling stone magazine fitted into the color palette of the cover and also the largest sized font on the page, this is ultimately to make the masthead stand out to possible readers. The mast head is also a different colours to the cover lines, which make it stand out jut as much.

Main cover lineThe main cover line of this magazine is ‘JACKASS’ and the new television series it is soon to release. Although this is not a story about music, the genre of this magazine is much about popular culture as it is music which I why I thought it was important to choose. All of the cover lines are white, this keeps the cover looking quite clean and not to filled up. The smaller cover line underneath ‘JACKASS’ also helps the reader understand what the feature is about.

Main ImageThe main image is of the main character of the Jackass TV and film franchise. He is named as ‘The King Of Pain’ which provides anchorage for the image of him attached to some sort of target board. He is looking like he is in pain and has been shot with a paintball gun, this is an action code of what else could happen in the programme and is also advertising the programme whilst selling the magazine.

Color Palette The main color scheme of this cover, red and white, are very important as they also play as a bit of an action code as the red and white can connotate danger and make the reader intrigued to read more and see what will happen. The orange mast head breaks is the red and white slightly as do the blue jeans. This makes the magazine stand out a bit more than just white and red circles.

Cover Lines The main cover lines are of the popular culture side of the magazine, but the other cover lines do tell us of the musical side to the magazine . The main musical story is of the break up of Rage Against the Machine. This could be called the main cover line though as it is almost as bigger sized font as the main cover line about JACKASS.

The contents page is dominated by 1 main image and one smaller image, but does still leave enough room for a detailed but clear and neat contents page. The use of such a large image almost does the job of the contents page without writing, it instantly gives the reader a clue of the best story of the magazine, similarly to how the front cover does with the cover lines. The main image on the contents page also has some anchorage to it, which gives the readership a brief insight to what the article is about but in more detail than a single cover line. The other stories are also relevant to the audience of the magazine, the audience of this magazine should have a keen interest in music aswell as current affairs around popular culture and simple issues within the country. The stories consist of a Q and A with Alicia keys a female singer which is relevant to the music aspect of the magazine along with the stories on Green Day, and the Kings of Leon review. Also a very important feature for the music aspect is that of the charts, this is possibly one of the most important things to include in a music magazine as it keeps the reader up to date with that latest music. The other articles are then very useful for the readers who also read the magazine for the social content, the articles on a pro George Bush group. The problem is with this magazine is that it has a very big audience to try and please so it has to try and get the correct balance between the different topics each magazine concentrates on. The color of the contents page is very simple, it is just black and white which keeps it looking very neat and tidy, the font is also the same style consistently throughout which also keeps a clean look about it.

Near the bottom left of the contents page is a link the to the magazines website, this is very useful and a very important thing to have in this modern era as, technology is more powerful than ever and encouraging people to use the website could influence them in a cycle to continue to buy the magazine.

This contents page from Q Magazine is also based around one main image, with the written contents surrounding it. The band in the image (The Courteeners) do have a large part in the magazine, but in the written part of the contents it become clear that the magazine is actually mainly about OASIS, with a 42 page special. OASIS have dominated the music scene for the past decade and the influence they have had on people is huge, so people would be more drawn to reading the article about them, than the courteeners who are still quite a young and upcoming band. This magazine is specifically a music magazine and therefore the stories within the contents are only music related, but although they are purely about music there is a certain element of social context used that will appeal to readers. There is a story about personal trainers to keep fit with the rock star lifestyle which would appeal to the audience especially men. One story is also about politicians and music, something that you wouldn’t usually put together. One interesting feature of this contents is that part of it is completely broken away from the rest, this is a review section which shows us the features within the magazine that are just simply about the reviews of new and current music. The color palette is quite simple with a fairly light colored theme, the gold edge around the OASIS article helps to show almost an idea of superiority about the article and that it is definitely worth reading. The banners with the subtitles are also very useful on the red background as they are really easy to read and see.

This contents also has an ‘every month’ section which shows us that the magazine has a few certain features every month, this is a very useful part of the contents because if a regular reader opens the contents they will want to know where the articles are that they read every time the purchase the magazine

This cover of rolling stones magazine is very much based on a selection of images to carry the contents page as opposed to one which shapes it. The images consist of musicians and TV stars. With so many images this page could be in danger of looking to overcrowded and maybe a bit of a mess, but it has turned out well. Each image is supplied with a head line and a few lines of anchorage which give the reader a choice of which article to read. What is the most interesting thing about this contents page though is that it’s main purpose is advertising stories that are now on the magazines website. This is a very clever idea as they are encouraging the audience to explore more aspects of the company. Down the left hand side of the page is the more traditional contents which is split up and has the page numbers in the corner of the articles title. There is a very clear layout within the actual written contents, the red lines that separate each story are particularly useful as they make the contents in a nice orderly format. Each story is also under a sub heading which is in red writing which is exceptionally useful as it makes picking the category of text you want to find easier. There is a ‘On the Cover’ section to this contents aswell which adds extra guidance to the audience that have picked up the magazine because of an interesting looking cover line.

The color palette of this contents is very plain, grey and white dominate the background with black writing which stands out over the top and red headings which make it much clearer to read. In the bottom left hand corner there is also a specific name of the man who took the images for the page.

This double page spread is about alternate rock band My Chemical Romance. The spread is a very full page and has a very strong image about it, we as the reader care instantly drawn to so much about this page. First of there are the images, the images are very clear of the lead singer standing at the microphone there are then smaller images of the rest of the band surrounding the article from a different angle each image also has a small line of writing as anchorage for the image. After the image we are equally as drawn to the main title of the page “We’re being the best MCR we can be!’ this suggest that they could have been criticized and are fighting back, or are simply re assuring there fans that they are still doing well and don’t want the fans to forget about them. And finally before the actual article itself we are drawn to the white banner down the right side of the page, this completely breaks the black background that has been used and stands out, it does give quite interesting information to complement the article though which is very helpful. The article then starts with a bright red drop capital which instantly adds character to the article. The article is written in a white font which stands out well on the black background. The article is laid out in a 2 column format which keeps the article neat and not to crowded, there banner down that side though also adds extra information.

The content of the article is very good there is a balance between what the band have told the magazine and what the magazine have written to adapt on the bands statements. The article is not a question and answer, so it is important that it is not simply laid out like one, there is a fluent flow to the article where points are backed up with something that the band have said or an opinion by the magazine backed up with why they have thought in this way. I think that this article is a good example as it has a balance of each aspect of the band and the magazine which form a nice non stop article which make it entertaining to read as much as it is factual.

This Double page spread is about the vaccines and how they are feeling and people opinion just after they have played a gig, this is a very important kind of article as it is like a review of the band. The whole spread has a very vintage look about it, even down to the almost tea stained colored paper which makes the band look almost quite grimy but the way that they are dressed in the picture shows an element of sophistication about them. The color scheme is quite dull which is why they seem to look the way they do, but the bits of flailing blue, that’s are randomly cascading the spread break up the palette a little bit and add a bit of a difference to the spread. Underneath the main heading of the page is the lead, which simply describes why the band have made it into the magazine. The article then starts with a blue drop capital which stands out as the starting point of the article as does the second drop capital later on in the text which marks the beginning of anew paragraph. The article is written in a2 column format which again keeps the magazine in a neat tidy order.

The article is very relaxed and isn't to over whelming to the reader by being packed full of facts, but it is more a mixture of opinions and anecdotes, but there are some facts in the which keep the whole piece together. They also talk about there albums a little bit and how it has been a struggle to get to it done, this not only gives the audience an insight into what the band has to go through to complete an album. But by talking about the album in a positive way is very clever as it could also be used as a technique to be marketing albums and new releases. To the masses who read the certain magazines.

In this double page spread about Lily Allen the image of her is what dominates the page, the picture of her and the strange writing used for the main headline of the page adds to the effect of the care free approach she is trying to portray. The way she stands with her hands on her hips though makes her look like she is taking a stand for what she believes in and standing her ground, with this image and the headline we try to gather an image of what may be in the feature article itself. Using a quote at the top of the page aswell instead of a simple heading is very useful as it shows something the singer has said and gives an insight to what the article may be about without looking, so we may now think it will be about how Lily Allen has been wrongly accused of being an attention seeker. The article starts as usual with a drop capital, but it is plain black keeping to the color palette , the writing is also black and it is laid out in 4 columns of writing which seems like quite a lot compared to some articles on double page spreads but, they are quite small columns so it is good as it evens out the page and makes it look full and avoids possible white space.

In the article it is not really a question and answer, it is a reporter who wants to speak to Lily Allen and is ecstatic that they have had the chance to speak to her. It is also about Lily as a person at home which is an interesting way to speak about the musician. The article also states about how she doesn't like to be controlled by her record company and wants to be recognized as a musician not a pop star style celebrity. Opinions of the artist themselves are very important and especially controversial ones as they will raise lots of discussion between the readers.

MOOD BOARD