Magazine cover 1 : Rock Kerrang Music Mag
This is KERRANG! music
magazine, the title 'kerrang!' is an onomatopoeia which might have been
used because it is short and catchy like most onomatopoeias so is more
memorable to readers. Onomatopoeias are used to describe action which
suggests to readers that it is an exciting magazine to read, in addition
includes an exclamation mark on the end that adds to the excitement. The title
is also associated to something loud such as loud music which fits in with the
genre of the magazine (rock,punk). The masthead of the magazine is black bold
capital letters and is underlined this is eye catching to viewers, the colour
of the title and background are contrasted to grab the readers attention.
The magazine cover uses bold colours such as blacks,whites,reds and yellows, when any of these colours are contrasted together they make each other stand out, they're also not immediately associated to a particular gender, which suggests the magazine is unisex; in addition includes pictures of mixed genders. The genre of music for this magazine is punk rock, we know this because of the dark colours such as black and red.
Muse is a rock band and is the focal point of the cover, they try to make them stand out from the rest of the page by making them the largest image and by covering the masthead (the masthead is generally the most important on a magazine cover and by covering this takes away the importance of the masthead); this creates a powerful image of Muse and gives them a sense of importance as they dominate most of the cover. It says MUSE in the second largest font and the white font is contrasted with the black background ,so that they are clearly recognisable for readers either by text or image.
The magazine cover includes text of other bands such as lost prophets, Biffy Clyro e.t.c. Including different bands names will attract different types of people and create a wider audience, therefore more people will buy the magazine.
The cover uses language such as 'plus', 'huge' and 'free' to show that the readers are only gaining from the magazine which convinces them to want to buy the magazine.
It includes free posters with
the magazine because more people would want to buy it because they think they
are getting value for their money. In addition uses the word SPECIAL to make
the magazine sound more desirable to readers which persuades readers to buy it.
Magazine 2 : R & B Vibe mag
The theme of the magazine is blues and greys however pinks have been added this may be added to create a unisex magazine but also uses pink as it is vibrant and stands out from these colours to create an eye-catching cover. The magazine alternates the 3 colours, black pink and blue to emphasise the individual words for example the featuring artists on the right hand side.
It says '10 big secrets the film won't tell' this persuades the audience to want to have a look inside as it includes 'secrets' this makes the audience feel special as they feel as they are the only ones who will know the inside gossip. It also indicates that the magazine includes exciting and interesting content as it says 'the film won't tell' which suggests the film will not tell tell the audience but the magazine will and portrays the content as secretive and full of gossip. It uses words such as 'exclusive'
It says ' I am rap' in blue which is basically telling the audience that Kanye is an expert in rap and portrays him as
The cover includes positive language and negative language to not come across overly optimisitic for example it say '+his 50 greatest songs (and 10 to delete)' - this is showing 10 bad songs for those pesimistic readers.
Magazine 3 : Classical Music mag
This is a front cover of a classical music magazine called 'music', the 'u' is in italics to add some attention to the masthead, it is in the largest font on the page and is in white font to stand out from the dark imagery in the background.
The magazine includes a picture of a record which immediately associates the magazine with music, it has 'the 50 greatest recordings of all time' written in the centre, which is hyperbolic language as it uses the word 'greatest' and 'all time'. The 50 is in large font compared to other writing to stand out as numbers draw your attention quicker than words do. This magazine signifies a classical genre as it has images of violins or people playing the violins and also uses old looking images to suggest a traditional approach to music for example the old looking yellow paper slightly scrumpled in the corner and the image of the record- which is slightly outdated. Because of the use of traditional imagery this may imply that it is aimed at older people. In addition to this there is an image of a holy cross in the corner which might shows that it is aimed at christians or that the genre of music includes religious songs.
The images on the magazine seem quite cluttered and uses old traditional images to make it appear homely, the use of reds, yellows and golds make it warming to the audience. Also the theme of colours have connotations of royalty and luxury : this adds elegance to the magazine and suggest it to be a luxurious magazine.
The magazine intends to attract attention as it uses a variety of different fonts and sizes, showing that the magazine is trying stand out in different sections of the magazine. Furthermore uses underlining to highlight the persuasive words for example, 'the legendary performances you have to hear!'; this is use of very persuasive language as it uses all kinds of techniques such as the word 'have' is giving you an instruction and makes you feel like your missing out if you do not cooperate, it is underlined to add emphasis to the word. It sounds like naturalistic language by saying you have to hear it which creates a connection with the magazine and audience through the informal language. The use of the exclamation mark adds enthusiasm which suggests the magazine to be exciting. In addition uses the word 'you' to adress you and makes it feel like the magazine is directed towards only you. It uses further use of hyperbolic language as it says it is 'legendary' , making it sound better than it is.
It says 'the worlds best selling classical music magazine' at the top of the page in very small font which indicates subtlety and modesty this implies a sophistication and also makes it more warming/inviting to the audience. This also shows that the magazine applies to older people as it isn't too overwhelming or deliberately in your face like often younger targeted magazines are.
The magazine includes words that add value to the magazine such as free and plus! which is in capitals to highlight that you are getting a bargain.
There is a small banner in the top right corner which says, see page 112 ' complete radio 3 listings inside' this gives the audience importance and makes them feel special as it is giving them a sneak peak of the content in the magazine which is usually seen as forbidden to the audience when looking at the front cover. Also by using the words see page is pushing the audience to buy it as the language is acting like the audience has already bought the magazine.
Music genre analysis: Pop magazine covers
Magazine cover 4: Billboard
This is vibe music magazine the name gives energy to the music magazine to portray it as exciting, energetic and the music genre as up beat, it's also a slang word commonly used by teenagers which relates to a younger target audience this portrays the magazine as current. The mastehead colour coordinates with the clothes of the Kanye West's photo this tells the audience that the magazine is associated with Kanye West and instead of selling the magazine it feels as if they are selling Kanye West's image to the audience. This encourages people to buy the magazine as they feel like they are buying information on Kanye West - a popular rapper.
It says '10 big secrets the film won't tell' this persuades the audience to want to have a look inside as it includes 'secrets' this makes the audience feel special as they feel as they are the only ones who will know the inside gossip. It also indicates that the magazine includes exciting and interesting content as it says 'the film won't tell' which suggests the film will not tell tell the audience but the magazine will and portrays the content as secretive and full of gossip. It uses words such as 'exclusive'
It says ' I am rap' in blue which is basically telling the audience that Kanye is an expert in rap and portrays him as
The cover includes positive language and negative language to not come across overly optimisitic for example it say '+his 50 greatest songs (and 10 to delete)' - this is showing 10 bad songs for those pesimistic readers.
This is a front cover of a classical music magazine called 'music', the 'u' is in italics to add some attention to the masthead, it is in the largest font on the page and is in white font to stand out from the dark imagery in the background.
The magazine includes a picture of a record which immediately associates the magazine with music, it has 'the 50 greatest recordings of all time' written in the centre, which is hyperbolic language as it uses the word 'greatest' and 'all time'. The 50 is in large font compared to other writing to stand out as numbers draw your attention quicker than words do. This magazine signifies a classical genre as it has images of violins or people playing the violins and also uses old looking images to suggest a traditional approach to music for example the old looking yellow paper slightly scrumpled in the corner and the image of the record- which is slightly outdated. Because of the use of traditional imagery this may imply that it is aimed at older people. In addition to this there is an image of a holy cross in the corner which might shows that it is aimed at christians or that the genre of music includes religious songs.
The images on the magazine seem quite cluttered and uses old traditional images to make it appear homely, the use of reds, yellows and golds make it warming to the audience. Also the theme of colours have connotations of royalty and luxury : this adds elegance to the magazine and suggest it to be a luxurious magazine.
The magazine intends to attract attention as it uses a variety of different fonts and sizes, showing that the magazine is trying stand out in different sections of the magazine. Furthermore uses underlining to highlight the persuasive words for example, 'the legendary performances you have to hear!'; this is use of very persuasive language as it uses all kinds of techniques such as the word 'have' is giving you an instruction and makes you feel like your missing out if you do not cooperate, it is underlined to add emphasis to the word. It sounds like naturalistic language by saying you have to hear it which creates a connection with the magazine and audience through the informal language. The use of the exclamation mark adds enthusiasm which suggests the magazine to be exciting. In addition uses the word 'you' to adress you and makes it feel like the magazine is directed towards only you. It uses further use of hyperbolic language as it says it is 'legendary' , making it sound better than it is.
It says 'the worlds best selling classical music magazine' at the top of the page in very small font which indicates subtlety and modesty this implies a sophistication and also makes it more warming/inviting to the audience. This also shows that the magazine applies to older people as it isn't too overwhelming or deliberately in your face like often younger targeted magazines are.
The magazine includes words that add value to the magazine such as free and plus! which is in capitals to highlight that you are getting a bargain.
There is a small banner in the top right corner which says, see page 112 ' complete radio 3 listings inside' this gives the audience importance and makes them feel special as it is giving them a sneak peak of the content in the magazine which is usually seen as forbidden to the audience when looking at the front cover. Also by using the words see page is pushing the audience to buy it as the language is acting like the audience has already bought the magazine.
Magazine cover 4: Billboard
This is Billboard magazine cover and is of a pop genre, Billboard magazine includes different genres of music. The name Billboard suggests that the magazine is quite broad as Billboards are a big form of advertising.
The masthead is black and bold which stands out against the pale background. It is overtaken by the image of Katy Perry this portrays her as superior and the centre of attention; and represents her as important in the music industry. Furthermore her image stands out because their is a flat colour in the background ,this constrasts a 3D image against a 2D image making her look bolder in the process. Her image looks perfected such as her flawless skin and tidy looking hair this presents the magazine as sleek and represents the magazine as also perfect; the use of perfection also makes the magazine look attractive meaning more people would want to buy it because they are stunned by the imagery or are aspired to look like her. A sleeker look adds sophistication making the cover look modern.
Subtle colours are used to present that magazine as feminine and elegant, it is juxtaposed against the bright colours (such as bright blue and green) to catch the readers attention. Furthermore colour coordinates with each other to create theme of the magazine ,not only does this make the magazine look attractive but also gives the magazine a distinctive style/image. In addition the use of colour coordination allows the magazine to sell the Katy Perry's image rather than the magazine itself, she is the focus of the magazine so that the audience feel like they are buying Katy Perry, this mostly attracts fans of Katy Perry.
We know the magazine is focused on females as it includes a bold title that says 'women is music' it is in capital letters and the ' in' is in brighter colours ,the colours are alternated to make each individual work stand out. Alternated colours and fonts are used in the bottom right corner as well to create more noticeable subtitles.
Magazine
cover 5:
The overall magazine us not
overwhelming and is simplistic with its use of text and images this
creates a welcoming magazine which is inviting to females but creates
modernity this portrays Katy Perry as current in the music industry. It says 'Katy Perry women of the year' this presents Katy Perry as inspirational to women gaining a larger female based audience. The cover says ' Music's 40 most powerful women' which adds to the superiority of Katy Perry and suggests she is important/ popular in today's music industry this encourages people to buy the magazine so they don't feel left out or out of date with music. It also name drops popular artists such as 'Carly Rae Jepsen' another popular female artist to gain a wider fan base for Billboard magazine. It uses a plus symbol to show that the magazine offers extra this makes the audience feel special as they think they are gaining more from the magazine.
This is a pop magazine from Billboard, the masthead does not stand out from the text as much as previous Billboard magazines but blends in with most of the cover. It is almost the same size as the 'Justin Bieber' text ;this similarity makes it looks like it's part of the masthead. His name is underlined by a thick bold white line this separates the headline and smaller texts.
It includes an image of Justin Bieber who is an internationally famous pop star, this automatically gives away the genre of the magazine. He seems to be the only 3D image on the cover and the dark shadows make him appear in the foreground which gives the effect of him coming out of the page; this portrays him as powerful and eye-catching to the audience.; in addition to this he is placed overlapping most of the text. Billboard might have tried to portray Justin's dominance on the front cover to make him stand out but also to shows him as important or desirable in the music industry this persuades others to buy the magazine or see it as a 'must have' so they are up to date with the industry.
The colours are bright such as lime green, bright red blues and whites, the colours look quite masculine , these colours might have been used to create a male dominant image of Justin. Justin Bieber has a large female fan base therefore females will be attracted to the masculinity of the cover. The lime green text is used as a colour code of the most persuasive words as green is extremely noticeable, it is used in celebrity names such as Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding and Hologram Elvis to persuade more people or fans to buy the magazine. It portrays the magazine as modern as it is used to highlight the words 'reshaping radio' the word reshaping suggests it to be unique and new.
Magazine
cover 6:
The image of Miley Cyrus is positioned in a strong stable stance to show power and overall create a strong superior magazine cover. The big wooden 'M', an initial of Miley Cyrus makes it clear that Miley Cyrus is being featured in the magazine, it also shapes around her face making her stand out from the cover. Miley Cyrus is presented quite tough through the use of her black clothes and leather gloves, she is holding onto the M tightly to show that she is not going to reveal anything about her and looks secretive due to her lack of exposure eg. is all covered in black, has leather gloves. This intregues the audience and makes them curious of what Miley is trying to hide which persuades them to read on.
The cover has a banner in the corner of the magazine which uses the words 'don't miss' in bold capital letters which are eye-catching. Also the colours -yellow and black used signify a warning and are commonly used on road signs; because of this it catches the audience's attention. The word don't is informative to makes the readers feel like they have to follow the instructions. It also sounds exciting with the use of the exclamation mark and you feel like the magazine supports you as it is warning/ notifying you on something that appears to be major.
The overall cover is very symmetrical adding to the superiority of the cover as it looks very ordered.
Conclusion:
The majority of the covers I analysed include an image which overlaps the masthead, this is to create a dominance and to add importance to the image. The covers include overlapping of texts and images; the use of layering also looks more attractive and effective.
Contents pages:
1. Spin
This is the contents page of Spin magazine. The magazine includes a whole picture background It includes a picture of Duffy - a famous artist who has an exciting facial expression as she is smiling with her mouth open, this portrays the magazine as fun and lively. She is holding a ukulele as if she is going to hit someone with it which portrays the image as playful but it also quite a striking image and it immediately engages the audience, her hand is placed quite close to the camera and adds an element of shyness: this creates a genuine character in an image. The image looks unprofessional in a professional way as it doesn't seem like a serious photo shoot image but one of the cut outs instead: this portrays character to the audience and is much more welcoming and adds comfortability. This portrayal of the magazine is emphasised by overlapping the image of Duffy over the title in order to make her stand out. In addition the colouring looks vintage due to a higher saturation of the image which includes more orangey tones and adds a warming vibe. The text is surrounding the image of Duffy and is used up in the space possible: this creates an importance of Duffy.
It includes a quote in the top corner which portrays it as an introductory page and gives more flow throughout the magazine.
Overall I think a whole image background looks more effective and attractive. The text is neatly organised and not overwhelming when it is laid out in columns.
It includes a quote in the top corner which portrays it as an introductory page and gives more flow throughout the magazine.
Overall I think a whole image background looks more effective and attractive. The text is neatly organised and not overwhelming when it is laid out in columns.
2. Kerrang
This is the contents page of Kerrang music magazine.The formation is similar to the previous music magazine as it has a column of the contents and page numbers on the left hand side. However this magazine tries to give off an edgy look by using more rough lines instead of straight lines. Also this contents page doesn't have a photo background but uses smaller pictures inside. This contents page has a headline 'contents' to signify it as the contents, it includes a small line underneath that says 'whats inside...' : this clearly identifies the page as a contents page. Like the previous cover it gives you a small insight of the artists on the page for example Spin has a quote, this magazine also has a small introduction to the band Paramore: this influences readers to go to the pages that are advertised on the contents such as paramore or duffy but also gives a flow to the magazine.
oh my!!
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