Deconstructions of rock magazines

1. Deconstructions of Rock Magazines
front covers, contents page and
double page spreads
Done by Eman Shah

2. The masthead of this magazine
front cover is large and is placed at
the top of the page. The name of
the magazine is ‘Rock Sound’,
which indicates that it is a rock
magazine. The dominant image is
covering partly the magazine
which suggests that it has a
particular fan base which means
that they can recognise it.
The font on the front cove is bold
which makes the masthead stand
out. The font relates to the genre
of the magazine because as it
could represent the boldness of
the music.
The main headline is large and is
positioned on the left hand side of
the cover. The headline says ‘We are
the in crowd’. This will draw the
audience in and also encourage
them into reading the main article.
The word ‘incredible’ persuades the
audience to read the article and
catch their interest. The black and
red colour of the text links in with
the dominant image as the woman
is dresses in black.
The woman in the main image is
called Tay Jardine a member of We
are in the crowd’. Tay is looking
directly at the focal point of the
camera. Her facial expression is
inviting as she has a smile on her face
which makes her look friendly. A
medium close up has been used so
the subject body language is easy to
read. The shot also allows the clothing to be visible. This is
important as her clothing relates to the genre of her
music. She is wearing dark clothing consisting of a leather
jacket which is the stereotypical style of a person in a
rock band. She is presented as feminine through her hair
and makeup, but however her pose could be seen as
masculine which could suggest that she is a tom boy.
A red, black, white and grey colour scheme
has been used. The red and black colour
scheme has been used which stands out on
the white background. Red is an eye catching
colour and therefore is effective in attracting
the audience. These colours also link in with
the genre of the magazine which is rock

3. The masthead is the rock sound
logo. It is small and is place on the
left hand side of the page. It is red
and links in with the repeated
colour scheme of the magazine. It
also stands out over of the dark
picture. The important
information is embedded into the
logo and includes the issue
number of the magazine and its
release date. This is small as it will
most likely not interest the
audience but however on the
other hand it is necessary to
include this.
The text used is to give
information to the reader
about the articles inside
and also give the reader
an insight into what the
articles are about. In the
top right hand side of the
page it says ‘we have
those dark secrets too’. I
think this is done to act as
a teaser. The quote is over
a picture of Alex Gaskarth.
This quote will build
interest in the reader to
make them curious
knowing what those
‘secrets are’. The form of
the address in the editors
letter is direct as language
such as ‘your and ‘you’ is
used. This will make the
audience feel involved and
interesting in reading the
magazine.
The font is simple and easy to
read. It is black so it stands out
over the white background. The
subheadings have a large, bold
font so that the text stands out.
The images are crowded together
to create a cluttered look which
links into the genre of the music,
as rock music sound very
‘cluttered’.
Several images have been included on the
contents page. Most of the images are of
the band members. Page numbers have
been placed over the images to allow the
audience to know what article is on
which page.

4. Language- ‘They feel so
alive again’, are
Sleeping With Sirens
lyrics therefore the
headline ‘They feel so
alive again’ is a play on
words linking to the
bands lyrics. Fans of
the band will recognise
this when reading the
article. The text is quite
small on the page this
is done so lots of
information is able to
fit on the page. The
font looks easy to read.
Black and red colours
for the text so it is
easily readable over
the white background.
The language is formal
which suggest that the
music is serious
Columns are used
to organise the
text in an easy
readable format.
The dominant
image acts as a
background to
the page making
the article more
appealing for the
readers. A
quotation has
been picked out
from the text to
present larger.
This is done to
make the article
look and sound
more interesting
for the audience
to read. The main image shows the lead singer of the band
singing in a studio. The photo links with the article as
it is based on the band recording album. The two
smaller images show band members working in the
studio which also links in with the context of the
article.

5. We can see that there is a large and
bold “Q” in a white colour. This is the
most importance on the cover. This is
the masthead. We can tell that this is
the masthead because they have
made it very big so the audience will
notice it very quickly and easily. Also
red and white are contrasted so it is
eye catching, sharp and can attract
peoples attention.
The main image gives out
the feeling of danger and
passion, because we can see
her ring is very sharp and she
still puts her tongue on it
which means she likes
adventure and tasting
dangerous. On top of that,
she is in the rain, so she is
wet. But she doesn’t care, is
like she just does what she
wants. The style of the image
totally reflects the mood of
the magazine. We know their
topic is ROCK, the model’s
make-up, action and colour
matches with the tone.
On the magazine cover, they only
used white, red, black. These
three main colour join together
which are match with the feeling
of rock music. Overall, the visual
style is quite dark, hard and dirty,
because of the background, her
make-up and costume are
inclined to dark tone which is the
match with rock’s element.
The main text on the cover is large and is
‘ROCKS’. It shows to audience that this
magazine is focus on rock. It links with the
main image, because it is in red and the
tones are the same. It is the first selling point,
so this can attract people who like rock music
to buy this magazine.

6. The name of the magazine
is NME which we can also
se is on the contents page.
NME is in red with a white
outline. This contrasts with
the black banner across the
top which makes it stand
out.
The main image is a mid shot
of a member of the band The
Big Pink who is pointing at a
tour bus which relates to the
article below about them
starting more gigs in the UK.
The image is quite inviting
and friendly as the woman is
looking at the camera with a
happy expression which
makes the reader feel
welcome.
The date is an important
feature as it identifies how
current the magazine is and
when it was published for
example it would mean that
regular buyers can see on
whether they have missed
out on buying the previous
issue.
The column on the left side
of the page is a list of bands
and page numbers which
will shows the reader who
is featured in the magazine.
It also shows that there is a
wide range of bands which
will be appealing for the
target audience. The bands
are in the colour red which
makes them stand out on
the white background and
it differs from the page
numbers as they are in
black and are slightly less
important.
The black banner at the top is like a
background for the masthead which contrasts
with the bold red and white masthead and this
makes it stand out and clearly signifies to the
reader what the page is about.

7. This is the double page
spread of the Kerrang
magazine. Within
Kerrang the majority of
the band members
that are presented
seem to be male
suggesting a ‘male
superiority’ view of the
writers opinion,
particularly within this
double page spread,
where the main picture
is a low angle shot of
the male, lead singer
giving him dominance.
Each of the pictures
have been
manipulated, to
create a black and
white effect, which
matches the dark
emotional rock
style. This
complemented by
the bright red
colour of certain
texts on the double
page which also
relates to the band
style, with
connotations of
anger, blood and
excitement.
The font use for the title is very clear, using a ‘worn out’ effect
again relating to the rock/punk style of the band. The title has
then been set out at an angle, and ‘best mcr’ has been
highlighted by using a larger font than the rest of the words in
the title. This gives the page a subtle hint of informality giving it
a more entertaining feel as the mode of address.
The article is in two columns and is very small
compared to the rest of the text. On the far right it
has another article related to the band.
Kerrang is also emphasised that
the band has ‘invited’ the
magazine especially to their
recording studios that the
readers can get an insight into
the life of a famous band and
their lifestyle.