Music Magazine Analysis – 13/12/12

Analyse the front cover, contents page and double page spread – annotating your copy with analysis of the following:

• The house style – how the three elements link together with colour, images, text, font, features

• The audience that’s being targeted and how e.g. design, price, features, no. of pages.

• The sub-genre of music that the magazine targets and how

• How effective and successful the three pages are

Main colours used are not limited as Red, Black, Olive, Orange & White is used – links with the music genre as it is based on Classic Rock which is commonly known for dull and dark colours.

A Long shot with a low angle is used on the front page to highlight the genre that the magazine is actually based on – also shows the band’s facial expression as the angle of gaze is communicating with the readers. Long shot also allows the audience to see what the band clothing and they’re actual posture.

Rhetorical question is used to attract readers.

Sub headings are in capital which emphasize what topics are included in the magazine itself.

The masthead is bolded and more larger than any other actual text on the front cover however the magazine itself is conventional as the main photo of Rival Sons is layered over the masthead which is seen on many other rock magazines

The font Aerosmith is used in the masthead to stand out as the font is curly and can be clearly seen by readers.

Pull Quotes are used to communicate with the audience who are obviously Rock lovers mainly based on the age group 17-23

Overall, the whole front cover is conventional as it covers all aspects that a typical rock magazine would generally have for example the use of colours all link to Classic Rock and the cut out of the band is commonly placed on top of the masthead. The layout of the front cover follows conventions as it still looks professional and easy to read.

The colour red is used again on the page numbers which makes it stand out more and it also shows that the theme is consistent.

The photo itself takes up a lot of space on the content page and it is also is in black and white which reinforces the fact that the genre is actually classic rock.

The page number allows the readers to easily find the page which again is conventional as this feature is important in a content page.

The photo is again a long shot like the front cover however this time there is no angle of gaze as the band is looking away from the readers which may highlight that the band in the picture may not be current as the picture itself is in black and white.

Not a range of pictures used which is unconventional as a lot of usual content pages use a variety of different pictures to engage readers more with the article.

The subheadings are bolded and more large than the actual description which shows that readers can quickly find the topics that interest them.

Small features such as the symbol of thunder is consistent through the magazine as it is even used in the front cover with star symbols.

The font serif is used on the red font captures attention on the quote chosen as it is enlarged to engage the readers attention. Common colours are used from the cover page

A bold drop cap is used to start the article off which makes the article more interesting to look at.

Certain sub titles are bolded – highlights that the band is actually answering questions

The name of the artists are bolded to make it easier for the readers to show who is talking through the article.

The double page spread does follow conventions as the main image of Nikki and Duff is typicalas it takes up half a page in which a lot of magazines do commonly do.

Another thunder symbol used to maybe represent the genre classic rock.

The picture is black and white and also the style of the two artists may highlight the fact that the genre is focusing on only classic rock as they are dressed in such an old school feel.

A pull quote is usedto engage withthe readers as it links with the whole concept of the article.

• The front cover is effective as it clearly shows who they are aiming at which is ‘classic rock lovers’ and this is shown by the way that the actual layout is structured and the type of colours used for example the classic rock magazine uses red, black and white more which is typical in a rock magazine.

• The content page also links with the front page as the same main colours are used e.g. black and red which shows that the theme is consistent. It is also effective as there is a variety of different page numbers with different topics which show that the genre ‘classic rock’ has different current bands.

• The double page spread is successful as it does capture readers attention with the use of a bold drop cap which overall makes it look more interesting and exciting to read. The subheadings of the paragraphs are also bold to show what topics are being asked to the artists. The double page spread also links with the content page as the picture is also black and white and the thunder bolt symbol is used throughout the front cover, content page and double page spread.