Three front cover pages from Alternative rock magazines. One front cover page from Hip-Hop magazine.

1. COVER PAGE
ANALYSIS
ALTERNATIVE PRESS – PAGE ONE
Q – PAGE TWO
KERRANG! – PAGE THREE
XXL - PAGE FOUR
NIKITA JADE GROUVEL

2. The masthead/ AP Logo is always present in the same place,
ad typeface for every issue of the magazine. Although it
changed colour depending on the main image and the theme
of the issue. The font is bold and memorable, which
represents the magazine as timeless and long lasting.
Furthermore the muted red colour fits in with the rest of the
cover due to some cover lines and inviting words being placed
in this colour. The red font contrasts massively with the
background of the image as the foreground and background
image, with the cover lines are all light colours or white. Such
contrast indicates how whilst the magazine aims to presents a
passionate platform for artists and bands in the music
industry, it is only a platform and will change with each issue
yet the content and passion will stay consistent for the love of
music.The background of the cover is a plain off white/grey
backdrop. This is commonly used for DVD cases and movie
posters, and is usually made in reference to comedy. The use
of a white background on AP, suggest the content within may
be written in a comedic manor. Although usually Alternative
magazines will have dark backgrounds or brightly coloured
backgrounds, and not white. This way the white background
also draws attention to the foreground image and the cover
stories. Furthermore the white theme throughout the cover
keeps your attention on all of the content as it doesn’t make
one part more aesthetic than another, which also prevents a
visual distraction.
Outside of the colouring, the rest of the design of the cover is
quite conventional of AP. The different fonts are used in
almost every issue to show the difference between the inside
content. This gives the magazine a certain degree of
familiarity and makes it recognisable to its audience once they
look past the image and colours. Not only this, it is also very
common the AP to have the artist or band covering the
masthead, as it is so easily recognisable it suggests that the
AP audience will know it is AP even if it is covered. This is
effective as it still encourages people to pick up the magazine
even if they are not familiar with the artists on the cover. As
Pierce the Veil are not loved by everyone, keeping the same
underlying house style would attract readers who are turned
off by the main feature and thus guarantee minimal loss of
interest for this particular issue.
There is only one subject on the cover and that is the AP
Music Awards, which is a part of the AP brand. This
promotes their brand, as well as include other bands which
will connect to a wider audience. This shows they know
how to use cross media convergence to promote other
The main image of Vic Fuentes and Tony Perry is the most eye
catching of the whole magazine. The way Tony is looking towards
the camera suggests he wants to connect with the audience more.
Whereas Vic is looking into the distance. Vic’s pose is not
uncommon for an alternative magazine, much like Tony’s is also
not uncommon. The glance away from the camera gives a
mystery to the audience so they want to read the issue to find out
more. Not only this, the use of a mid-two shot for this image
echoes the importance of both the collective and the individual in
the band. In the image Vic is positioned in front of Tony, with
Tony’s arm rested on Vic’s shoulder, this shows the closeness of
the relationship between the front man and the lead guitarist of the
band, which adds to the comedic value of the issue.
The colour scheme used on this cover of AP employs contrasting
colours (grey scale, red and yellow) to give a more classic,
traditional feel. Furthermore, the red used for one of the cover
lines and the mast head are slightly different shades of red. The
cover line shade is less muted but darker than the masthead
which can be seen as more aggressive and negative rather than
approachable, but the fonts used make it look less aggressive.
Meanwhile the colours black and white link directly to the main
image. This draws the entire content of the cover together,
creating a specific house style. Additionally, the pale yellow used
in the cover lines breaks up the page so the aforementioned
house style does not become repetitive. Furthermore the yellow
separates the headline content from the other features. Therefore,
upon recognition of Vic and Tony, they are drawn to the text
written in yellow rather than white, so it allows them to access
their desired content faster and locate other content later.
The skyline relates to the content of the magazine, and the cover
lines at the bottom of the page. The colour and typeface of the
skyline fits in with the colour scheme, main image, and the cover
lines at the bottom of the page as well. It is the one of the only two
bits of text on the whole cover that is completely black. This grabs
the attention of the reader, whilst splitting up the colours on the
page to make it look less repetitive. The use of a hashtag suggest
that AP also has a twitter account, which can be used to connect
to the audience, this is also another way to suggest the use of
cross media convergence. As the different elements do not merge
together, it makes each piece of text draw the reader in itself and
therefore the full spread of content can be observed individually
The number 30 above the masthead but below the skyline is not
uncommon for AP to have. Usually AP will have a shape or text
there to give an insight to what is inside the issue. The number
’30’ commemorates 30 years of Alternative Press and coincides
with the colour scheme, and the skyline, giving an overall clean
and professional look.

3. The masthead/Q Logo is present in the same place
and color for every issue of the magazine. It is in a
more elegant serif font represents the magazine as
timeless, long lasting and somewhat traditional.
Furthermore, the red backing for the logo stands out
and contrasts massively to the white background of
the page and the white masthead(even though it is
one letter), which follows through to the rest of the
cover. Such a contrast indicates how whilst the
magazine aims to provide a respectful and
passionate platform for the music industry and bands
in the music industry, is is only a platform and will
remain the same and true to itself and viewers
regardless of what/who is on the cover. Whereas
such a claim cannot be said for the music industry as
it is ever changing, therefore the magazine gives a
secure platform for those who want it.The background of the cover is white. This sort of
aesthetic is commonly used in association with
comedy (more likely to be seen for movie posters).
The use of white for is common for Q which suggests
there is a comedic element to the content of the
magazine, or in the manner of how the content is
written. On the other hand a plain white background
means that the foreground stands out more, and in
this case the main image. As the band in the main
image (U2) are all dressed in dark clothing, the white
background is a big contrast. As there is a lot of dark
features on the page, the white background gives a
clean slate for it all to be placed making it look
organized and professional, as well as it connecting
the different aspects of darkness together.
Additionally having a neutral background means there
is less of a visual distraction from the actual content
on the page, which also somewhat hides the barcode
in the right third at the bottom of the page, making it
Other than the colors on the page, the rest of the page
design is conventional of Q. The stretched and narrowed
sans serif typeface is found on every cover of Q. This
gives the magazine its own certain degree of familiarity,
therefore making it more recognizable to its audience
once you look past the images and colors. This is an
effective choice as it still encourages people to pick up
the magazine even if they aren’t interested in the band
on the front cover. As Coldplay don’t commonly divide
opinion, there are some people who are not interested,
so keeping the same underlying house style would attract
readers who are turned off by the main image, which
guarantees minimal loss of leadership from this issue.
The layout has been chosen to emphasize the presence
of Coldplay. As there is only one piece of text that has not
been made to fit around the main image of them, as that
piece of text is about them. Any non Coldplay related
content is smaller and in either black or red, which does
not stand out as much as the yellow font used for
‘COLDPLAY’. Suggesting that the band has a large
influence on modern music. The headline is placed
largely over the main image of Coldplay, which suggests
that not many people will recognize the band by the
image, but will recognize the name.
The main image of Coldplay is most likely to be unseen,
original content, although it is typical for Coldplay to
position themselves like this for many photos. This
makes them seem more familiar to the audience if they
know Coldplay which will make Coldplay fans want to
pick up the magazine even if they are not interested in
other content within the magazine.There are very few cover lines on this issue of Q.
This is again, to emphasize the presence of
Coldplay. Although hardly any cover lines, the editors
have used images in the left side third and far right
third to grab some attention towards those articles,
without taking much away from the main image.
The skyline and footer correspond to one another, in the
fact they both resemble banners, with a red background
and white text. The text font is the same (besides capitals
and non-capitals), which ties everything in between the
two look to be a part as one, it seems to frame the page
to make it look proffessional and well put together.

4. As the background is full-coloured, the background stands out
and is a prominent feature of the cover. This suggest how the
target audience are teenagers and young adults who are
money conscious.
The main image is a close up of Panic! At the Disco’s only
member, Brendon Urie. This use of a close up like this is quite
unusual for music magazines of this type. Such an alternative
choice reflects the contents and genre of the magazine, as
well as echoing the mission statement of KERRANG!, which is
to report on the most extreme end of the alternative music
genre. The dark and bold image choice makes the magazine
stand out as much as possible, the size of the image will
attract the target audience as Panic! At the Disco are very
popular with the target audience. As it dominates the page, it
leaves very little space for other content. Therefore people are
more likely to pick up the magazine because they recognise
Urie, and not for the content inside. This immediately filters out
any readers that are unlikely to be interested in the main
content and thus making it clear who the target demographic
are.The cover used many different typefaces, the majority are
capitalised and sans serif which represents the bold and brutal
nature of the alternative rock genre and the content
KERRANG! Provides. Other than the generic typefaces, a
handwritten-style font and Guns N’ Roses own elongated serif
font are used. This not only breaks up the page to not look
repetitive, but also attracts specific fans of not only Urie but
also fans of Guns N’ Roses, who will recognise the typeface
immediately and thus be encouraged to pick up the magazine
despite the fact they are not the main feature.
The handwritten aspect to the anchorage text makes the cover
feel more personalised which will attract Panic! At the Disco’s
audience more, as they will feel as if it is more personal to the
front man Brendon Urie. As well as this the typeface used for
the main cover line is classic sans-serif style, but it has been
personalised with the red font colour and the paint splatter
effect. This paint splatter effect is situated over the whole
cover, as a background for the cover lines on the first left side
third and the last right side third. This ties the cover together,
and separates the foreground from the background by using
contrasting colours. The red colour to the paint splatter is
made to look like blood, which connotes the violent
stereotypes of the alternative rock genre, which could also
foreshadow the content inside. This will also attract those who
are more attracted to the heavier side of alternative rock, and
those who lean more towards the metal core genre , as the
The colour yellow is used as an accent for the content on the
cover of the magazine. It is used to grab attention to certain
cover lines such as ‘2016 POSTER SPECIAL’ and ‘PLUS’
which may attract a different target kind of audience. For
example the posters will attract the audience at the younger
end of the target audience, whereas other cover lines such as
‘THE NIGHT LEMMY DIED’ and ‘BIFFY CLYRO’ will attract
more of the older end of the target audience. This way they
target more than one age demographic, and cater to a verity of
different age groups at the same time, by using simple
content.
The masthead is covered by the image of Urie suggesting that
it is more important that he is recognized rather than the name
of the magazine. As KERRANG! Is very popular and well
known through the alternative community, it is likely the house
style of KERRANG! Will make consumers identify it over
others, and therefore meaning the masthead can be covered
and it will not affect the revenue of the magazine.
The colour scheme used for this issue of KERRANG! Consists of
mainly, black, white, red and yellow. White and black are used in
to emphasise the darkness of the main image of Urie, which also
connotes the darkness of the feature content, as well as the
darkness of his music. This has been done to suggest the dark
connotations behind Urie and his music without suggesting that
he is actually ‘evil’. Furthermore the two colours are classically
used within the alternative rock genre as they are bold which
connotes the music and content within as bold and loud. Not only
this, the white and black stand out against the red and yellow on
the page. Furthermore suggesting the editors of KERRANG! Use
colour in order to make the magazine as easy to read as
possible.
In comparison, the red and yellow are employed to make the
magazine stand out on the shelf against other magazines, whilst
echoing the violence of the alternative rock music genre and
KERRANG!’s content. The shade of red that has been chosen is
very bold and dark, and is often associated with negative
connotations due to blood and violence etc. An association of
this sort is used in advantage of Panic! At the Disco as their
history is thought to be quite traumatic ( Urie is the last member
present). Whereas the colour yellow commonly has happy
connotations, but can also connote decaying. Suggesting Panic!
As a cover line screams ‘STAR WARS’ this shows the editors efforts
to attract a wider audience through film. This suggests that whilst the
magazine has a loyal, niche audience, it can still be expanded by
popular culture.

5. The masthead is similar to other alternative magazines that I
have analyzed, as it has a stand out red block background,
with white text overlapping. As well as this like the other one,
it also is situated in the top left-side third, which seems to be
very popular, as it can be seen on a shop shelf peeking from
behind other magazines. The typeface used it very bold, the
white font colour is a different shade of white to any other
white on the cover, which stands out and makes the reader’s
eye focus on it more.
The layout used has been chosen as it emphasizes Jay Z,
as his face covers most of the page. Not only this, the
positioning of the artist covers the right two thirds of the
page, and part of the masthead. This suggests that it is
more important that the audience see Jay Z first, than the
name of the magazine. This could be to attract Jay Z’s
audience as a primary target, and then those who know
XXL will pick up the issue whether they are fans of Jay Z or
not. As the masthead is covered, it suggests that loyal
readers of XXL, do not need to see the whole masthead to
know what magazine it is, due to its particular house style.
As the masthead is situated in the same place, and same
colours for every issue, it makes it recognizable and familiar
to a loyal consumer.
The headline is the only other piece of red text, other than
the masthead, on the cover. After seeing the picture of Jay Z
and the masthead, this will be the content reader’s eyes will
divert to. The optimum positioning in the bottom left third of
the page is chosen to make sure that readers will see it, as
the text is much larger than other cover lines on the cover.
The anchorage text consists of only one word ‘untouchable’
which is uncommon for anchorage text, which also makes
the audience more intrigued to find out the story behind it.
The headline and most of the cover lines are the
same font, although the cover lines are just
slightly smaller. This connects the headline to the
cover lines to give a polished look. Not only this,
both the cover lines and the headlines are all
names of artists. This is common for magazines of
this genre as they usually show case artists on the
cover, rather than articles like other magazines.
This suggests that the audience is more interested
in who is featured in the issue, than what is in the
issue. This suggests that the fans of the artists
featured are loyal, and will want to know as much
as they can about them, no matter what it is.
The main cover line ‘the BIG BU$INE$$ issue’
attracts an audience through the use of dollar
signs. This connotes wealth and suggests that the
rap/hip-hop industry has a lot of money building it
up, and those in the industry are admired for their
wealth and status. It also suggests that the issue
is worth the money they will pay for it, and that
there will be a lot of content, which will attract
viewers that want to get as much as they can for
their money.
The bold black type font does not take any
attention away from, Jay Z, the masthead, or
headline, but does get attention as it is the boldest
black text on the page.
The design and layout used for XXL is very similar
and shares similar features, as alternative
magazines, despite obvious differences in the genre
of music. The significant differences range from
font, text size, imagery, and cover content. On
alternative covers like KERRANG! There is usually a
lot of cover content, whereas XXL has a lot less.
The fonts differ due to alternative magazines usually
have custom fonts for each issue, whereas the bold
san serif font used for XXL is easily replicable. Not
only this the font size is a lot bigger and in your face
on XXL, which links with the thought of money and
the idea of ‘Go big or go home’.
Jay Z supports the idea of wealth and money, due to the mise en
scene used. The diamond earrings, and silver chain around his
neck suggests he is of a wealthy background, which is common
for those in this industry, and links with the dollar signs used in a
cover line. Not only this the grey hooded top, links with the idea of
intimidation and gangster, as it makes him look to be rougher and
less wealthy than he is, which contrasts the accessories he is
The image of Jay Z is a close up, which breaks the fourth wall
between him and the audience. As he is looking directly into the lens
of the camera, it shows him as being intimidating. This is common for
the rap genre, as most of them are seen to be ‘gangster’ and from a