Magazine Analysis

Magazine Analysis!

Magazine Covers

The barcode is only on the front cover of the magazine as it is needed to scan when buying it. Due to this it will be kept quite small and usually in the corner, so that it doesn’t conflict with any other features on the magazine, it may also have the date, price and issue number around it.

The masthead is the name of the magazine, and is generally very iconic, and recognisable. It is placed at the top of the magazine, and usually goes right across it. As we can see from this the main imagine is slightly covering it, this is because it is so recognisable it does not matter as people will still know that it is Kerrang! As they recognise it. The font of it is quite cracked and broken, also gothic like, which relates somewhat to the type of music it is based around and also the type of people that read it. It is black, which always links in with the colour scheme of it also.

The main image is usually in the centre of the magazine and takes up the majority of the cover, the artist’s on the front will be the main feature, within the magazine, this allows for a fan of the artist to see this and then it will make them want to buy it. The main feature inside the magazine will be about them, also. The imagine may also give clues to what the feature may be, for instance in this Josh Franceschi has horns on his head, suggesting something dark, relating also to the colour scheme of this issue.

The main cover line is used to advertise this issues main feature, and it is usually quite large in order to catch peoples eyes, and is an anchor to the main image on the front of the magazine, as it is usually the artists name, and tends to have a short snappy sentence or two near it, which gives hints as to what this main feature will be about, so in the this it says ‘death to pop-punk! You Me At Six come over to the dark side…’ this is clearly stating that they have changed their genre of music and will intrigue fans, and they will want to find out more, the name of the artists is also a lot bigger than the other writing to catch peoples attention.

Cover lines are things on the cover of the magazine which are used to again show different items that will be included within the magazine, usually different artists, or articles that will be in it, its brief and easy to catch the eye of the reader.

Magazine features are usually shown in the form of a strap line, and in this case it is showing some of the features included, which are the posters and the gig guide, it is an extra bit of information, that may intrigue the reader, or entice them into buying it.

Strap lines are found at the top and bottom of the magazine and in this they have both, in this one it is stating another feature of this weeks magazine, ‘Evanescence: You sent your problems in! Amy Lee fixed them!’ if people see this and they are a fan of Amy Lee it will make them want to find out more about this; they have also put ‘Amy Lee’ in bold and a different colour, so that fans of Amy Lee will notice it more easily.

Here you can see an advertisement for a competition, it is once again brief and puts emphasis on ‘win’ so people will know there is a competition and will want to find out more about it, the prize will also be something the majority of the readers will want; so it relates to the genre.

The colour scheme for kerrang! Is made up of red, black and white, with small amounts of yellow, that is mainly used for highlighting things. The theme of You Me At Six becoming darker relates to the colour schemes as red and black and dark colours and can be related to the devil and hell, things like that. the colours contrast well with each other in this issue, although I’ve noticed that the kerrang! Colour scheme changes slightly ever issue, although they mainly keep black and white as prime colours.

Once again the barcode is out of the way in the corner, although they have made it look as though someone is holding it which is refreshing and very inventive.

This strap line does not go all the way across the top of the magazine which is unusual, but it is highlighting artists that are going to be featured in this issue of Rock sound.

This is a competition again and is in a different colour to everything else on the front cover, in order to catch your eye and also they have made the word ‘WIN’ in bigger letters and added an exclamation mark, so that people will notice and want to find out more about it.

Here we see a list of artists that are also included in this issue, so they have listed them all just in case you see an artists you like, and it may entice you into buying the magazine. It corresponds with the ‘Z’ or ‘E’ pattern in which people look at the magazine.

As well as stating the name of the artists ‘Black Veil Brides’ they have also included a picture of the lead singer, which of course will be more eye catching that writing as we always notice pictures more than text, and this will catch someone’s eye and then they will read the text which it is linked to if they are a fan of them, he is also very noticeable, making it more obvious when scanning the cover.

The mast head for this magazine is once again all the way across the cover from left to right and at the top. Round the R at the beginning it has a ring around it, which is Rock Sounds emblem. you can see again that a portion of it is covered, but enough is visible for us to know what magazine it is. It is a fairly simple font, although the colour changes from issue to issue.

This is the main cover line, and it is showing which band will be the main feature of the magazine, and it links in to the main imagine which of the band All Time Low. It is in yellow, which is mainly used on this cover to catch your eye, so if you’re a fan of All Time Low you will want to buy this. ‘Dark secrets + Dirty work’ is the small line underneath it which leads you on to wanting to find out more about what they’re talking about.

The main imagine is clearly the main focus, as it takes up just about all the cover and is right in the middle, it is an imagine of All Time Low which is related to the main cover line, they are wearing all black clothing except for a red top so both those colours link in with the colour scheme, and fans of the band will of course see this and want to buy it.

We can see here that you have another little feature that will be included in the magazine, and they have highlighted the word ‘Free’ in yellow, which will make it stand out from the other words, and obviously everyone likes free things, so that will draw people in.

The colour scheme for this magazine is red, black and white/yellow, the writing is mainly in white or, if it is more important in yellow. It seems the black against the red highlights their faces, so they are more noticeable when someone is scanning the cover.

The colour scheme for this cover of NME is orange, black and white. The back drop is white, as is some of the writing on the strap lines at the top and bottom; the orange is for the main areas of it, for instance the mast head, and the main cover line; and the black is used for some of the writing and the top strap line. It is quite a bright colour scheme, and the orange on the white makes the orange look more predominant, and therefore more obvious to the reader.

The mast head for NME is slightly different compared to Rock Sound and Kerrang! Because although it is at the top of the cover is only covers about half of the width, so is more in the top left corner than the other two. It is only covered slightly by the end of his head and the trumpet, but it is still very obvious which magazine it is. In this issue it is bright orange, although it varies. The font is slightly toned down compared to Kerrang! As it is more about mainstream rock, whereas Kerrang! Is more of an acquired taste.

The barcode is only on the front cover of the magazine as it is needed to scan when buying it. Due to this it will be kept quite small and usually in the corner, so that it doesn’t conflict with any other features on the magazine, it may also have the date, price and issue number around it.

The main imagine on this cover of NME, is Mark Ronson, and it is placed slightly off centre to the right, but still takes up most of the cover, he is holding a broken trumpet, which suggests numerous things, but will link to the main cover line, as he is reinventing his music. The white background allows for you to see him very clearly, so fans of his will notice its him.

This strap line is just outlining more artists that will be included in the magazine, and like I said for the others is at the bottom and it corresponds with the ‘Z’ or ‘E’ theory of how you look at covers of magazines, its also broken up by orange lines, and the orange draws you to it.

This Banner goes against the rest of the cover, so that you are drawn to it; you are drawn to it due to the colour(pink) and the image next it, this will be another way of enticing people into looking at the magazine, as there is a magazine within a magazine and if you are a fan of ‘The Clash’ you will be more inclined to purchase it.

The main cover line matches the colour scheme, and is significantly larger than the other text so it stands out, Mark Ronsons name is the majority of it, which is what fans of his will see which is what the magazine cover is trying to do, so that they will be interested in reading it; also the short snappy lines above it suggest a change in his music, which fans will be interested in.

The cover lines are advertising more features within the magazine, and you can see in bold they have the artists name so that it is more recognisable, and then the short lines bellow is a hint at what will be about them in the magazine. So you will notice the artists first and read see what the feature is likely to be about them which may quickly get you interested if you are a fan of the band; it also goes with the colour scheme as it is in black writing.

Contents Page

This is the main image of the magazine and suggests that this artists will be the main feature in this issue, it is in the top half of the page and slightly to the right. He is wearing all black, which links well with the colour scheme, and the fact he is tilting his sunglasses may be implying for someone to read on through the magazine, just to hint at them to read it.

This is to tell us obviously it is the contents page, and it is in yellow writing which goes with the colour scheme, and it then has the issue number and date underneath, which is so you know whether or not it is a recent issue of the magazine.

Here we can see two double page spreads that will appear later on in the magazine and it then has the page numbers next to them with an arrow. This is so you can get a taster of what will be included in this issue of the magazine, and what the layout is like. The page numbers are in arrows, persuading someone to look at the imagine as it is as if its pointing at the pictures, of the DPS.

This is something I noticed only ‘kerrang!’ has, and it is a little editors note, of this issue. Every week they have one, and depending on who published/wrote that weeks issue, they do a little message to the readers briefly telling them what this issue is like and what’s included; this is a good idea I feel because it makes the reader feel more wanted and like they are more involved within the magazine itself.

This bar is like the title over the contents itself, and it states the name of the magazine, so that you will remember it next time, and it then says next well, in yellow writing to highlight what is in this specific issue of ‘kerrang!’ it also corresponds with the colour scheme.

Like many magazines, I noticed that ‘Kerrang!’ also has a box in the contents trying to persuade you to get a subscription to the magazine, you can see that in order to make you notice it they give it a different colour scheme to the rest of the page, and mainly highlight the key things such as the number you ring, they briefly tell you about the price, and make the deal sound as good as possible.

Like a lot of contents pages this one had sub-headings of all the different features, such as posters, news and live reviews. This is so you can locate things easily, for instance if you are just wanting to find one certain thing; they then have sub-headings within sub-headings so that it is even easier to find what you want. They also go with the colour scheme.

The colour scheme for the contents page is black, yellow and white, with exceptions to the subscription box in the corner; it would seem the main text is in yellow and the lesser text in black, on a white background, the fact it is mainly black links to the fact that ‘Kerrang!’ is heavily rock based, and always have that genre within the magazines. And the main picture is slash who is a heavy, gothic kind of artist, so it also links in with that. The colour scheme stays the same throughout each magazine from what I’ve found out.

Here we can see that they have the magazine name ‘Rock Sound’ at the top of the page so that you remember it next time, and they also have the slogan underneath that ‘music with attitude’ this again is so that if you see that slogan you will relate it with this magazine. Most magazines I have seen, have the name of the actual magazine in the contents page.

Here they have the issue number and the date, so that you will know whether or not it is an up to date issue or not.

Like many other magazines ‘Rock Sound’ has a variety of pictures in the contents linked to numbers; this is so for one you know what page you will find these pictures, and so you know what kind of this will be featured on each of the pages, despite this I found that ‘Rock Sound’ had more pictures that most other magazines in the contents page.

Like the other magazines it clearly states it’s the contents page and it goes with the colour scheme, it has a similar font to that of the ‘Rock Sound’ writing also.

The Sub-headings help for clarity of where to find certain features within the magazine, and ‘Rock Sound’ is probably the most organised layout of the magazines I have researched, and it is really clear on simple, and you can find what you’re looking for straight away, and it once again goes with the colour scheme.

The colour scheme for this contents page is Red, white, and black; although there is very little black, and that is mainly used for the text. The black and the red compliment each other well, and they are quite dark colours and the white somewhat highlights the text and makes the pictures stand out more.

Of all the contents pages I saw this was probably the most simple of them all, although unlike the others this had shapes at the bottom; the stars at the bottom seemed unique to ‘Rock Sound’

Here we see the use of ‘NME’ again, to reiterate the name of the magazine so people will remember it for next time, it is also in red, so that also makes it more noticeable to the reader. They also the date under it so that you will know if it is keeping with current music affairs.

The band index is used so that you can clearly see if a band that you like are included in the magazine and you can clearly navigate your way to the correct page, the bands are also all in red so that you notice them, and it fits with the colour scheme.

Clearly this is one of the most important features of the magazine, hence why it is brightly coloured, different to the other content on that page and also in the shape of an arrow persuading people to follow it to that page.

This picture is of the artists that will be the main feature in this issue of ‘NME’ and this is so that you can see which artists it is and maybe what the feature of them will include. It also links with the main feature on that contents page, which as you can see is just below it.

Here we can see a box that is advertising a subscription to the magazine, this is in every ‘NME’ contents page, and you can see it has a differing colour scheme to the actual page its on, in an attempt to catch your eye, and it has highlighted the main words in yellow, and its kept brief.

This is the main feature in the magazine and is placed in the centre of the contents page; you notice they have a short, sharp sentence that will lead you on to reading more, ‘Kasabian got romantic in a church’ and also a short extract from that actual feature, so you can see quickly what it is like, and whether or not you will find it interesting. It also ahs a picture of the band in a church above the writing, so that you can again maybe get a better understanding of what that article will be about.

The colour scheme of the contents also follows that of the entire magazine and here we can see the colour scheme is red, white and black, and they are used well together to highlight certain things such as headers or numbers.

Here we see that down the side they have sub-headings of the main criteria within the magazine, and they are in bold and contrast with the colour scheme to make them stand out, to the reader. They also have sub-headings within those sub-headings, just to make it more precise, on what is on each page, and so you have clarity on where to look if you want to find a certain feature in that issue.

Double Page Spreads

Here we have three pictures of the band, showing them all working or performing, this is something that the reader will like to see, as they will be fans of My Chemical Romance; and it will also relate to the text in some way.

The fact t it says ‘World Exclusive’ makes is implying it is a first, and the reader is going to be the first person to know about this, making them feel special; it also is in the shape of an arrow, which is pointing to another section of the double page spread.

It says ‘News’ in capital letters, which links to the contents page as that’s what it was listed as in the contents, and it also has the web address underneath, so it gives the audience more information,, and it’s a good way of advertising.

The main image of the double page spread is a mid shot and takes up one of the pages; it is the lead singer of the band, and he is used because he is more iconic, and more people will recognise him. It obviously is linked to the feature as well.

Here there is a small caption box, they have this by each picture, and it is usually a short witty sentence, which is quite humorous.

This is a ‘lowdown’ of all of MCR’s most recent and best songs, which is a way of giving them more advertising, and this too is shaped like an arrow directing you to another section of the page they want you to look at. And it also goes with the colour scheme.

The mast head for this DPS is an extract from the article itself, and is usually a line that will captivate the reader, and leave them wanting to find out more; and the font of it is similar to that of the ‘Kerrang!’ title itself. We can also see that the article itself is in two columns.

The colour scheme for the DPS is red, black and white, which goes with the genre of the magazine, as it is rock orientated and also fits the genre of the band, so they are quite dark colours, and the majority is in black.

Once again we have a small caption box about the picture. And in this case the only picture on the page.

They have said the artists name in big text, so that when you open it you will be drawn to that and see who it is, and if you are a fan you ill want to read on.

Underneath the name of the artist they also then have a slogan, as to what the this article will be about, it says ‘The new sound of sacrifice’ which may then be lead to interpretation by the reader

Again like many DPS’s they have a quite from the actual article on the page, in this case it is quite a humorous one, and if it does make the reader laugh, they will probably want to read on; it then also follows the colour scheme. The main image isn’t very conventional, as it spans across

both pages and is a high angle shot, looking down on them, they also don’t really correspond with the colour scheme as they are all wearing different coloured clothing and look to be on a field, but if you are a fan of the band you will probably recognise.

I didn’t see this on too many magazines but it is almost like a brief introduction to the band, and gives you an idea of what they are like, I thought it worked quite well, and they kept it within the colour scheme.

The colour scheme for this DPS is quite simple and a bit vague; it is mainly black and white, although the main picture has no relation to it and they seem to be on a field, which has green grass; also the name of the artists is in light blue, so it doesn’t really fit together, which is strange as most magazines have more defined colour scheme where as this DPS clearly does not.

The ‘Everyone’s Talking About’ section is a good advertisement for other bands, and also fans of the ‘The Teenagers’ will probably like them, as they are of the same genre, and they can find out what kind of ventures they are on. The blue and black also ties in with the colour scheme. It even has a suggestion from a famous artists so, this will be good publication for that band.The main imagine is of the

band ‘The Teenagers’ and they are all lying in what looks like a bed in a teenagers room, so it ties in with their name, and the posters on the al, suggest they are stereotypical teenagers as they are of girls, so maybe people can relate to this.

Here we can see that they have added an extra bit of advertisement for ‘NME’ as they tell you to go to the website, and they put it in red, which is different to the predominant colour scheme, making it more eye catching.

The mast head for this DPS is just simply the name of the artists which is ‘The Teenagers’ so it is simple and if you like them then you will want to read more.

Here we see a little box that is filled with quick facts and information about the band so you can get a brief overview of what they are like, it also links in with the colour scheme as it has all three colours in it, blue, black and white.

This is a small quote from a band member which gives you a little taster about the article itself.

This is the name of this section of the magazine, called radar so you know what its about , and what things will be included. And it also links with the colour scheme with blue and white.

The colour scheme for this DPS is blue, white and black and you can see that everything that has been boxed or text that is surrounded is blue, and some headers are black, whereas the some of the text and background is white. I think the light blue also links with the idea that ‘The Teenagers’ are quite a youthful band, as light blue is a youthful colour.