Music Magazine Analysis

Magazine Cover Pages

Mast Head:Biggest text, co-ordinates with background of main image, contrasting background to text. Text behind figure in main image.

Main Cover Line:Band title, is as big as mast head, which is unusual, but this magazines main cover line was a special after the death of one of that band members. The text doesn’t co-ordinate with a picture like it usually does, it’s more bold which makes it more eye catching and the use of a pull quote draws attention.

Cover Lines:Band titles biggest text in cover lines, also different colour, then more information about articles, for the biggest cover lines there is also an image of the band/ celeb

Main Image:Use of red, an eye-catchingcolour, and the first colour your eyes are drawn to makes it more bold, image has a lot of impact through colour and pose, also through the mask, the whole thing draws attention.

Buzz words and Puffs:To capture audience attention, offers freebies, in the form of posters, gig guide and competitions.

Sky line:Give a way of posters so it’s up with the mast head to capture audiences attention and to be seen from news stands.

Teasers:Short phrases or words on the front cover to tempt the reader to but the magazine

Date line, Barcode & Price

Cover Lines:Band titles biggest text in cover lines, then more information about articles, for the biggest cover line there is also an image of the band.

Main Cover Line:Band name is the biggest text. Relates to the cover image, pull quote and insight into celebrity that audiences want, her pose is also welcoming , letting the audience in making them feel like they’re getting to know her. Text colour co-ordinates with main image, contrasts, and highlighted text colour and font co-ordinates with outfit.

Mast Head:Biggest text, co-ordinates with background of main image, contrasting background to text. Text in front of main image.

Buzz words and Puffs:To capture audience attention, offers freebies, in the form of posters, gig guide and competitions.

Sky line:Big competition so it’s up with the mast head to capture audiences attention and to be seen from news stands

Main Image:Use of yellow is very bold, welcoming pose to entice audience, and figure leaning to the her left leaves a margin for cover lines, she’s looking directly at the audience, which draws attention.

Teasers:Short phrases or words on the front cover to tempt the reader to but the magazine

Date line, Barcode & Price

Sky line:Lists band names and a poll to capture audiences attention and to be seen from news stands

Publisher, Date line, Barcode & Price

Mast Head:Biggest text, co-ordinates with background of main image, contrasting background to text. Text behind figure in main image.

Main Cover Line:Name of the band is very big, using the bands actually font and in a colour that contrasts to the colour scheme to attract attention, use of buzz words like exclusive and revealed also help to capture attention, and the language, slang used relates to what is displayed in the main image, i.e. “spilled his guts” and he’s holding a chainsaw.

Cover Lines:Band titles biggest text in cover lines, then more information about articles, the name of the band/title of argument contrast in colour and size to info.

Main Image:Use of red, the most eye catching colour, the prop co-ordinates in colour to the mast head, his outfit contrast the rest of the image, use of a plain background so not to distract detail.

Publisher, Date line, Barcode & Price

Mast Head:Biggest text, co-ordinates with background of main image, contrasting background to text. Text behind figure in main image.

Sky line & Cover lines:Lists band names and a poll to capture audiences attention and to be seen from news stands, also cover lines as it adds more information about the bands, gives the main image more impact as it leaves the sides of the cover clear

Buzz words and Puffs:To capture audience attention, offers freebies, in the form of a free album.

Main Cover Line & Image:Name of the band in their own font and also the logo, the image displays the man in a very powerful pose and captures attention, the figure is also in black matching the masthead, the use of locus's to display the name of “Machine Head’s” new album, pull quote also used to gain audiences interest.

Mast Head:Contrasts to the rest of the page, is bold and noticable, yet a subtle and not harsh colour.

Publisher, Date line, Barcode & Price

Sky line:A saying/quote, has high impact and matches the main image.

Main Image:The image is very free to interpretation, no text on the page except for mast head and skyline, making the image have a bigger impact as it’s not distracted. The image is very shocking and has high impact itself though, with the thick costume make up, and the implication/imitation of Jesus, links to the sky line, mentioning pain.

Magazine Contents Pages

Buzz words, in a bold sticker looking shape, catches attention.

Advertises subscriptions for the magazine, at an offer price.

Images relating to articles, each image has a page number to show which images relates to which article, more of a visual contents as appose to the words.

Contents:separated but sub-headings, making it easier to find a certain type/style of article with a quick glance.

Editors letter and note to readers, would talk about issue and the month, picture of the editor to the left before passage.

Contents title, edition number and date

Witty quote from a band.

Biggest image, relates to the biggest/most important article in the magazine.

Contents title, edition number and date

Witty quote from a band.

Images relating to articles, each image has a page number to show which images relates to which article, more of a visual contents as appose to the words.

Contents:separated but sub-headings, making it easier to find a certain type/style of article with a quick glance.

Editors letter and note to readers, would talk about issue and the month.

Biggest image, relates to the biggest/most important article in the magazine.

Contents title, edition number and date

Witty quote from a band.

Images relating to articles, each image has a page number to show which images relates to which article, more of a visual contents as appose to the words.

Contents:separated but sub-headings, making it easier to find a certain type/style of article with a quick glance.

Advertises subscriptions for the magazine, at an offer price.

Editors letter and note to readers, would talk about issue and the month.

Biggest image, relates to the biggest/most important article in the magazine.

Contents, edition and masthead

Editors letter and note to readers, would talk about issue and the month, picture of the editor at the top before passage.Contents:

separated into two columns, regular bands/artists and featured/new, ones, easy to read, with some information on each article.

Images relating to articles, each image has a page number to show which images relates to which article, more of a visual contents as appose to the words.

Reviews separated from rest of the contents, easier to find what you want, with the sub contents sections

Magazine Articles/Double Page Spreads

Image takes up majority of a whole page, open pose, looking at the audience, and a black and white theme, simple and honest, which links to the pull quote used as a title.

Interview done in question form, different background for question texts.

Title in big font, taking up almost a half page, key words of the title and description in pink, and buzz word like absolutely in biggest text and with exclamation mark.

Background a grey tone, which compliments the simple black and white colour scheme, and a border of what appears to be lights, resembles a typical Hollywood dressing table mirror.

Image takes up majority of a whole page but is positioned in the middle of the page; hidden and shadowed pose, looking down, almost hiding, and a red, white and blue theme, resembling the American flag, with the stars on his t-shirt as well, shows nationality, colours used in the pull quote used as a title.

Title font all one size, no description, just a pull quote.

Background a plain black, which makes everything else contrast more, and accentuates all the colour, and the shadow on his face.

Interview done in question form, different background for question texts.

Title in big font, taking up almost a half page, key words of the title and description in pink. Different fonts used, the font for “wild” supposed to accentuate the meaning of the word.

Background a plain black, which makes everything else contrast more, but accentuates the dark make-up and all black outfit.

Image takes up over a whole page, open pose, looking at the audience; a black theme, simple and dark, often seen as a “bad boy” and in this case girl colour, along with the leather, which links to the title of bad girl.

Background is completely an image, shot of whole band, all directly addressing the camera, the guy in the middle, looks important with his pointing pose, obviously the vocalist.

Band name at the top corner of each page.

Quote before story, relating to the theme of the article, from a previous review.

Title, contrasts the main background image, the colour matches the rest of the text. Title is abbreviated, short and snappy to grab attention. Pull quote also used, using another big bands name, to gain more interest.

Background a plain black, which makes everything else contrast more, and matches the shadowed look, created by his hand on his face.

Title of the article has a fire font, which relates to the actual text of the title. Tile takes up about a third of a page.

Image takes up a whole page, he is directly addressing the camera but his face is mostly shadowed, it relates to the fire theme as it looks as if he’s shielding his face from a bright fire. A pull quote is placed almost central in the image.

Band name at the top corner of each page.

Quote before story, relating to the theme of the article, from a previous review.

Flat Plan

Cover Ad + Contents Feedback + Ad Cover Line Story News + Ad

Introducing + Ad News + Ad News Live reviews Live Reviews

Live Reviews + Ad Main Cover Line Main Cover Line Main Cover Line Ad + Story

Cover Line Story Ad + Poster Cover Line Story

Ad + Cover Line Story Kerrang Ads New albums Albums +Ad

Posters Poster + Ad

Gig Guide Ads Next week + “K Quiz”Gig GuideAd + Gig Guide

Back Cover

Flat plan for an existing Kerrang magazine.

EvaluationThrough this analysis I have found that for a music magazine front cover the image has to be powerful, whether it’s through clothes or through stance something has to gain your attention. The metal ones are specifically using the models own style and styling the cover around them often displaying their name in the own font and will be the second largest text on the page, instead of a cover line, using a band name gains more attention, but other than these small things the composure of the front cover follows conventions.

For the contents page I’ve seen that mixing a lot of images with the written contents is good, having more of a visual contents captures attention and brings more life and interest to the articles. Both magazines also feature a insert from the editor, showing the audience must like to hear from the editor and besides it gives a more welcoming feeling to the magazine, makes you feel that you can trust the contents more if you can grasp what kind of a person the editor is.

For the double page spreads colour schemes and main image is the main aspect, the image is usually quite large, often taking up all of or most of a page- and in some cases two pages, and the whole colour scheme of the article relates to the whole mise en scene of the image. Question for is quite favoured as an interview strategy, I personally looked at a few magazines and they sometimes do fan questions, and quiz the celebrity/band on that. The masthead or description often contain a pull quote, maybe even some words linking to the mise en scene of the picture, e.g. like “firey” and the picture includes flames, and often in the description the main words relating to the article are highlighted in a different colour.