Analysis of magazines

This is the front cover for NME , it’s lead image is a picture of a band that is popular among the target audience which would instantly draw their attention to the cover. There is a house font that is used on every piece of text on the front cover, although it varies in size and colour. The colours used are red, white and blue – perhaps to indicate the heavy coverage of British music. The pull quote is something that may interest the reader and encourage them to want to read further.

The contents page is set out in a fairly unusual way, the title is written in a completely different font to the front cover. Only the main articles are shown, and each one includes a picture and pull quote related to it. There is a small section at the bottom which includes regular features, however this is just written in small black and white font.

This double page spread includes several design features such as a pull quote from a member of the band. This is written in bright blue, showing that it is separate from the rest of the text and to draw attention to it. The use of drop caps is featured here and there is a standfirst, which introduces the band in a very positive light.

The front cover of Q magazine has a bold and distinctive masthead. It is a large capital ‘Q’ in white text on a red background. This is a simple design but looks effective and ties in with the traditional tone of the magazine. There is a banner of text above the masthead which reads “The UK’s biggest music magazine”. This may encourage the reader to buy it as it is a very positive statement. The lead image is of several popular music artists. The reader may be familiar with many of them and want to read about them.

This contents page is split into two main sections – ‘artists of the century’, a special feature and regulars of the magazine. They are both set out very clearly with a house style of red, white and grey with the same font used throughout, although it varies from capital to lower case letters. The tone of the magazine is quite “sensible” and would probably appeal to middle class adults. The name of the artist is shown with the page number so that if the reader wishes to read about a particular artist, they can turn straight to the right page.

This double page spread is set out in a way that would appeal to the target audience. The title is quite noticeable and the word “noughties” is written in a different colour to make it stand out as it is the main focus of the article. The drop caps are very big in order to define the start of each column. The standfirst is designed to be witty so it appeals to the reader. The next page has a range of images that people would associate with “noughties” trends in bright colours so they stand out.

The front cover of Kerrang! makes it obvious that the magazine is designed for a specific type of reader – someone who is into rock music. The lead image is of a rockstar in an aggressive looking pose. Several fonts are used, which all look quite heavy and everything is written in capitals. The masthead is obscured by images, which shows that the magazine is well known by it’s readers – they would not necessarily need to look closely to see what the magazine is. It gives the reader an idea as to what is inside the magazine, such as interviews, posters and a gig guide. Overall, the front cover of Kerrang! is quite busy, using a range of colours and styles.

The contents page is set out very clearly. It has a house style with features about different bands stored under organised headings. This makes it easy for readers if they wish to read about a particular band, they can just turn to the page that applies. There is a main image which relates to one of the main stories and two other previews of main features. The top of the page displays the magazines issue number and the date it was released. At the bottom of the page there is a letter from the editor and an advert to encourage people to subscribe.

This double page spread is slightly unusual as the pull quote is written aside the lead image, whereas it is normally placed in the text. The second word of the title “Hero” is written in a blurry font, which relates well to the blurred image. In the standfirst, the name of the band and it’s lead singer are written in red to stand out from the rest, so the reader knows who it is about. This is the same with the drop caps in the main article.