Music magazine research

Music Magazine Research

Front Cover Examples

Large image of music star taking up most of cover, makes an impact suggesting it is linked to main features article. The lighting of the image is quite bright and there is a contrast in the colours like her skin to her hair.

Masthead/ name of magazine positioned in corner, still makes a big impact. It is slightly covered by model however magazine is well known so it does not make a difference. Bright red square behind large white letter makes a huge impact as it is very noticeable yet is simple. This masthead/logo continues throughout magazine.

Flasher in gold announcing 300th issue, which is introduced by Paul McCartney. This shows the magazine is successful as it has many issues and has a music star to present it. This is a technique to persuade people to buy the issue of the magazine.

Tag lines to show what else is featured in the magazine. Tag lines are in the same font but in three different sizes, this is done so readers notice the celebrity names first. The tag lines are also in two different colours- black and red which fits in the house style.

Barcode located in bottom left corner and shows it is available to buy in shops/newsagents.

Name of music star in a large font to make an impact showing the star is important and very famous. A tag line in the same font is featured underneath to show it is related to the features article.

Quote by music star, possibly took from features article. By adding ‘…’ at the end of the quote may entice readers to buy the magazine to read on. This is located above the name of music star to make it noticeable and is it the same colour and font to let readers understand they are part of the same feature.

A small footer located at the bottom left of the magazine cover.

Masthead in large red font, makes an impact as it is very noticeable. Located in top left corner of the cover, this links to the house style as it never changes position.

Special feature located at top of cover, making it noticeable so it will persuade readers to buy this magazine. It is in the same font and colour as other tag lines and fits within the house style.

Price and issue located above Masthead. Its in a small font as it is not the first thing readers will look for.

Interesting quote from features article which will make readers want to buy this to carry on reading it. Quote in a different colour and font to the name of the music star and the features article however it is still related as it is located directly above the name. it still fits in with the house style too.

Name of music star in a large red font, which compliments the house style with the masthead. The font is large to show that the front cover and features article is focusing on a music star.

Barcode shows it is available to buy in shops/newsagents.

Tag lines to show what else is featured in the rest of the magazine. This font is used before with the quote that accompanies the features article. The colour of the tag lines are related to the title which is located above in the same colour. The word ‘by’ is in a different colour and font however this technique is popular on different magazine covers.

Large image of music star which takes up most of magazine cover. Music star is smoking a cigarette which shows her being quite provocative and neither her or the magazine are concerned about bad impressions on a younger audience.

Barcode to show that it is available to buy.

Tag lines show what else is featured in the magazine. Tag lines are featured in two different colours which match the colour scheme and house style.

Main image of music star takes up most of the magazine cover, the colours in the image match the house style of the magazine.

More features that are included in the magazine with small images that accompany them. This is to include more colour on the cover and to persuade readers to buy the magazine.

Header above masthead which says it is the biggest and most popular music magazine. This is a way of advertising and persuading readers to buy it.

Masthead located at the top of the magazine cover, some of it is covered by the image however it is still readable and it does not make any less of an impact as it is a famous music magazine.

Name of music artist which is featured within the magazine. This is featured in a large font and in two different colours which makes an impact and matches the colour scheme of that particular issue.

Quote from features article which will want to make readers buy the magazine and read on. In same font of name of music artist but smaller and in one colour. It is located below the name of the music star to show they are related.

Free CD/ download, this is a way to advertise an artist/ band as well as getting people to buy the magazine as it is free.

Masthead which is covered by image, however it still makes an impact as it is a recognisable famous music magazine. Masthead in famous large font which makes it recognisable and in a bright red colour.

Price and issue located in top right corner. This is in a small font and is located in the top right corner, this is because it is not the first thing readers will notice but is located in a convenient place.

Feature in magazine presented in a different way, like a sticker or a flasher rather than a tag line. This makes this feature seem bigger and more important. The colours that are included do fit in with the house style.

Image takes up most of front cover. Music star is smoking a cigarette which may be a bad impression on younger audiences. Music star also wears clothing which compliments the yellow tag line.

Tag line which is located separately to other tag lines and is in a larger font, meaning it may be a bigger feature than others, yet it still has the same font and colour- meaning it still fits in with the house style.

Tag line which is in a larger font meaning it may be a more interesting and bigger feature than others. The colour of the tag lines as well as the font fits within the house style.

Tag lines which shows what is featured throughout the magazine. This is in the same font and colour.

Name of Music star in a large font and in a different colour which contrasts from the house style. By doing this, it makes the music star unique and stands out.

Tagline which tells the reader a bit about the main article/ music star. The tag line is the same colour and font as the other regular tag line.

Barcode which shows it is available to buy.

Contents Page ExamplesStating that this page is the contents page with the logo/ masthead next to it. Underneath, the sentence ‘discover great music’ is the slogan for the magazine.

Image of a music star which shows what article may be about. The image is large which suggests that it is a main article.

Page number is large to show that it is an important features within the magazine, it may be the main features article. The page number relates to the ‘Q’ masthead as it is in the same style- white font with a bright red square background.

More images and larger page numbers which suggest big features within the magazine. These fit in with the layout of the contents page.

Small features which are included within the magazine. These are presented in a smaller black font.

Feature which is in a bigger font and in a different colour to show that this feature is bigger. The font is red which also fits in the house style.

Image which links to downloading music online, this is a good way of persuading customers to but the magazine, also it includes an image of a computer mouse which signifies that it is online.

Telling reader which issue it is. The issue is set in an unusual way however it will appeal to readers. The colour of the shape it bright red which fits within the house style.

An index on the side which shows different music artists and bands, this makes it easy for readers.

Masthead at top which fits in with the house style. The colours that are included in the header are conventional to the magazine.

Date of issue included in top right corner. It is in a small font as it is not the most important thing, the font and colour however fit in with the house style.

Features that are included within this issue of the magazine.

Labels which split the different features of the magazine into categories. The colours of the labels fit in with the colour scheme of the magazine.

Bright red arrow which suggests that there is a feature in the magazine which may be interesting to readers as it stands out.

A coloured box advertises subscribing to the magazine, this is a way the magazine creates business by selling magazines with a type of promotion.

Small article in the middle of the contents page which is something quick for the readers to read.

Labelling the contents page for readers. The font is quite different compared to the other fonts, however there are only three different fonts used in the contents page.

Date and issue of magazine. This is in a smaller font as it is not the most important thing on the contents page.

Page number for main features article. The font is quite large which suggests to the reader that this features article may be quite important and the main part to the magazine. The font matches the contents title.

Main image on contents page which suggests an image for the main features article, this image may suggest what the main features article may be about. The image is located quite central in the contents page. The colours in the image make an impact to the contents page.

More images which will be linked to different features which are included within the magazine.

A list of different features that are included within the magazine with page numbers.

Labels which split the different features into categories. The feature name is in a big and bold font, a description

Name of magazine/ masthead located in the top corner, but smaller.

A column which features all the different hit music and albums from all genres throughout the magazine, page numbers are included. They have different coloured boxes around them so they are categorised.

Features that are included in the magazine with titles and page numbers and a small description which will brief the reader what the specific article is about. The title is a bold blue colour and fits within the house style .

A separate section on the contents page for the reader to look at which features different events to do with the magazine and music. It also includes information about content online- this will be more features. This is a good way of marketing.

Image of a music star. Image is linked to an article within the magazine. The image has been cut out and the contents and features have been placed to fit around her.

Smaller images positioned side by side at the top of the page. These images are separate yet they relate to features within the magazine. A page number is included to make it easy for the reader.

Labelling the contents page. Font and colour matches and fi9ts within the house style.

Feature Article ExamplesLarge title for features article. It is in a very large font and in black, this makes a large impact as it takes up half a page, this may also give the impression that is an important article and possibly an exclusive article.

Date and issue located in a small black box in top right hand corner. This is information needed however it is not the first thing a reader searches for when reading a features article however it is there for information to the reader.

A collection of different photographs of music stars that are linked to the article. The photographs/ images are set out in a very casual way like a diary page.

Page number and logo located at the bottom of the page, this is so readers can see which page to turn to quickly so they can find the article they are looking for.

Article is set out in columns, this is a typical convention of a magazine article.

A quote which has been taken from the article and put in a bigger font, this signifies that this quote may be important to fans of the band.

Another image located in the bottom left hand corner, this image may be separate to the other images. A description is located underneath the photo.

The ‘VS’ in the title for the article is like a flasher. This adds a pop of colour and looks as if it is important to the article as it signifies to the reader that they are comparing the bands.

Title of article is a quote from the band and is presented in two different large fonts and in two different colours- bright red and white.

Tagline/flasher in a white font with a red background. It is quite noticeable and this is done because they are wanting the readers to notice it as it is a ‘World Exclusive’, this is a way of marketing and sales as this interview is with a very popular band.

Next to the ‘World Exclusive’ flasher there is another saying ‘News’ in a large red font with a description with it in a smaller white font. This tells readers that this article is important and which section of the magazine it belongs in.

Large black and white image which takes up a page, this suggests that

Tagline in a white font located underneath the title of the article.

Bar on right hand side which is in the colours black red and white, which contemplate with the house style. These colour usually relate to the rock genre.

More images at a reasonable size which are located at the bottom of the page.

Reasonable amount of text which is spaced in the center of the page. This is in a small white font. The first letter is in a larger red font for design.

Another image located at the bottom right corner of the first page.

A quote from the artist located in the top right corner, the font has a green background to make it more visible for the artist to read it more clearly. It also has the name of the person/ artist who said the quote in a different colour.

Name of artist in a large font which spreads across the page. This is in two different fonts and colours for design.

Text is spread in three separate columns and fills the space. This is on top of the background/image and has a translucent background to it so the reader can see the text more clear. The first letter is in a larger font for design.

Background to this page is an image of the artist and is positioned so you can still see the main part of the image without text covering it.

Tagline in a small white font located between the text and the title of the article. This is a description/ summary of the article.

Title/ name of article is the name of the artist/band and takes up the top third of the right page. This in two different sizes of the same font and is in two different colours.

Tagline located between text and title of article, this provides information/a summary of the article.

Text set out into columns and in a small font so there is room for a lot of text. The first letter of each paragraph is in a larger blue font, this is done for design.

There is a fact file located in the middle of the columns, this is in blue, black and white which fits in with the house style.

Copy of logo/masthead which is very small in the top left corner. This is just to verify that this article belongs to that magazine.

Large image of artist takes up a whole page meaning that this artist is very important. The image is in black and white which fits in with the house style.

This is a flasher/tagline bar which is located underneath the quote which tells the reader the name of the person who said it.

Quote from the artist/band which may be considered important to fans. It is in a large white font which matched the font in the title of the article.