In-depth analysis of example covers taken from Q magazine, mixmag and KERRANG!

1. House Style
In every copy of the ma ga zi ne ‘Q’, the general s tructure
remains the same. In thi s way, in every copy we expect to
see the same masthead, typefaces, contents page layout and
colour scheme. In the ca se of ‘Q’, the re is a clear House Style
of red and white with various fonts used. These are generally
seri f typefaces in black or white framing the image. It i s
usually along both the l eft and right columns but can be jus t
one depending on how the rule of thirds is followed. The use
of red, black and white creates a rather sophi s ticated look
whi ch appeals to a large percentage of the readership of ‘Q’,
i t al so reflects the sophisticated nature of the music ins ide.
Key signifier/Star marketing
Us ing the principal of thirds, a large medium shot of David Bowie ta kes up
the front cove r of this e dition of ‘Q’ ma gazine. This is star marke ti ng; the
key s ignifier of such a famous face will s ell the magazine, so the producers
don’t ne ed to worry a s much about making other cove r l i ne s s ta nd out.
Thi s also links to Dyer’s Star Theory; iconic characters like David Bowie are
used by media institutions for financial gain. Sta rs are manufactured by
the music industry to make money, each artist usual ly having thei r own
unique selling point (USP). In the case of Bowie, hi s USP i s the l ighting
s trike down one side of hi s face and hi s eccentric hai rs tyle which, in
recent times, he has become quite well known for. Part of the reputation
of ‘Q’ ma ga zine is built upon the excel lent camera qual i ty and effects
often used which are di spl ayed in the large image of David Bowie.
Masthead
The ma sthead of ‘Q’ ma gazine is the l e tte r ‘Q’ i n a l a rge re d s qua re , taking up the
primary optical area of the magazine. The white s erif Q looks very dominant on the red
background which makes it particularly s triking to someone who would see it. There i s
a large element of formality here which suits the ta rgeted demographic. Al so within
thi s dominant graphic are the phrases ‘Music magazine of the ye a r’ a nd, i n whi te on
bl a ck, ‘The world’s greatest music magazine’. In the primary optical area, the masthead
can confidently be covered as it i s already familiar with i ts audience. Original ly, the
ma ga zine wa s goi ng to be ca l l e d ‘Cue ’ a s i n the a ct of re a dyi ng a re cord to pl a y,
however the name was changed so that, when i t was fi rs t released, i t would not be
mi s taken for a snooker magazine. Another re ason for the large ‘Q’, ci ted by Q i tsel f, i s
that the s ingle letter ti tle looks more prominent on news s tands .
The Guttenberg Design Principle
The Guttenberg Design Principle splits a magazine cover into different
sections which employs the knowledge of a human’s subconscious line
of focus to decide where the most important features of the front
cover should be placed. ‘Q’ magazine uses this. For instance, the
masthead of the magazine is placed in the primary optical area (top
left corner). This is because it’s important and helps to reinforce the
brand. By human nature, we read diagonally across the page. As such,
‘Q’ magazine has placed the key signifier of David Bowie in this region.
The cover lines and sell points are positioned as flashes and badges
along the left and right columns of the magazine so that we notice
them all as our eyes follow the axis of orientation.
Furthermore, along the bottom line of the magazine, the model credit
takes up both the weak fallow area and the terminal point. Merging
these two areas provides support to the weak fallow area which is
often ignored or else not noticed by readers. This way, none of the
valuable space on the cover is wasted.
Model Credit and main cover line
The ma in cove r line on this e dition of ‘Q’ i s ‘Bowie Li ves!’ This is arguably
a reference to Christian theology in which the word was spread that Jesus
was alive after he died. Thi s reference i s supported by the fact that
Bowi e, in the main image, looks as though he is naked; the body parts of
him that we can see are denoted as bare. Furthermore, the cover l ine
underneath i t speaks of Da vi d Bowi e ’s i mpa ct on the worl d. Thi s
reference would appeal to teenagers and young adults who can see the
reference. Musical artists often reference this to various responses , as
s imilar to the attack of the press against The Beatles in 1966 when John
Le nnon famously quoted “We ’re more popul a r tha n Je s us now.” The
attempt at a historical allusion i s underscored by the exclamation mark
a fter ‘Li ves’. This kind of punctua ti on i s s e l dom us e d i n pri nt-based
media.
The typeface is smart and sophisticated which would appeal to viewers
who are older. It is superimposed over the torso of David Bowie which
l inks the model credit with the key s ignifier. We can also tell that they link
a s ‘Bowie Li ve s !’ i s the l a rge s t pi e ce of text on the cove r a s we l l a s
because of the link between the picture of David Bowie and the use of his
na me . Bowie’s s tar a ppeal i n large letters will attract a greater number of
readers than the use of a les s popular arti s t as the model credi t.
Badge/Flashes
A wide variety of badges are used to display the contents of the magazine so that
readers are aware of what they will find inside. In this case, the flashes and badges
a ppeal to fans of ‘Suede ’ a nd ‘Pa l ma Vi ol e ts ’. Ins i de the ci rcul a r re d gra phi c
feature, it a dve rtises that this copy will feature ‘124 a lbum re vi ews ’. It s ugge s ts
that the magazine has a lot of contents which will persuade someone to buy the
magazine
Barcode/date/convergent media
The barcode and date are necessary features of a magazine at the point of sale and as
general information. In this area we also find a link to the magazine’s website. This is
convergent media. Convergent media is especially important on recent magazines as print-based
media is going out of date. Providing a website means that ‘Q’ magazine can extend
their viewership. A website is important to readers as it provides a source of more
information that can be quickly updated. These days, people are less incline d to buy
magazines as they are expensive and all of the information inside them can be found quickly
and easily online. There is also a limit to how much information they can provide and how
often. With a website, usually alongside links to social media, ‘Q’ can extend the magazine
company beyond its monthly released paperback prison. Convergent media also appeals to a
younger and a more modern demographic.
Target audience and genre
The target audience of ‘Q’ is more affluent than the readership of other
popular magazines. According to a recent questionnaire, 68.3% of ‘Q’’s
readers are male and 35.5% are between ages 15-24. Despite this, a large
proportion of readers are also between the ages 25-34. To cater to this wide
demographic, the magazine retains a large degree of formality by using
smart typefaces and cover lines aimed at various age groups. Similarly, the
house style regularly uses a colour scheme of red, white and blue which,
whilst being striking and noticeable which a young readership would
appreciate, retains a very sophisticated aesthetic look. Unlike magazines
such as ‘KERRANG!’, ‘Q’ magazine does not ever use amateur photography
but sells itself by advertising its use of professional photographers. The
model credit references the large image of David Bowie, an English singer
who was popular in the 1970s. As well as this, the artist is also quite popular
among young people, especially those of whom are likely to purchase a copy
of ‘Q’ magazine. The magazine genre is an amalgam of alternative and classic
rock, thus appealing to people with interes ts in music from this genre.

2. House Style
In Mixmag, the House Style remai ns the
same in every i ssue. The masthead remains
the same and the model credi t i s in the
same pos i tion with the same typeface.
However, in some editions the colour of the
mas thead i s di fferent, depending on the
colour in the mise en scene. The people on
the cover are never the main focus and are
often anonymous , reflecting the genre of
the magazine as being dance. Similarly, the
majority of the badges and flashes are a
white font with a black background. In
general, effects are usually added, l ike the
blur a nd the ‘re fl e cti on’ or l i ke the bri ght
colours and the graphic pen l ines in these
other editions of Mixmag. There are often a
large amount of cover lines on Mixmag. This
hous e style is recognisable by people who
regularly buy the magazine. The typography
used is quite futuris tic, connecting dance,
pop, electro and club mus ic.
Masthead
The masthead for Mixmag consists of the magazine ti tle and slogan, whi ch i s ‘The worl d’s bi gge s t da nce
mus ic a nd clubbing magazine’. Here i n the s l oga n, the ma s the a d ca pture s the ge nre of mus i c tha t the
magazine covers so as to immediately catch the attention of people who are interested in dance mus ic and
clubbing. The masthead i s, conventionally, the same on every i ssue, thus creating a symbolic l ink between
the Mixmag covers and the Mixmag brand. Likewise, the masthead i s partially covered by the head of the
person in the main image which tells us that the magazine has a ve ry well established brand. The word ‘mi x’
i s insistent upon the image of DJs and turntables, thus connoting the dance genre. Mixmag uses a curved
sans-serif typeface with all lower-case l etters. This creates a simple yet sophisticated look which will appeal
to people who are in their mid-20’s. Similarly, the l ower-case letters ca pture the ma ga zi ne ’s i nforma l i ty.
Model Credit
The model cre dit on this edition of Mixmag i s ‘Sub Focus ’, the na me of
the artist featured in the key s ignifier. We can tell that they l ink becayse
thi s feature uses the second bigges t text on the cover (after the
mas thead) and covers an unimportant part of the main image. The
typeface is quite futuristic and creates a pixelated look representing the
electronic and dance genre. Thi s i s further accentuated by the black
graphic feature behind i t. There is a certain informality to the position of
the model credit which, once again, reflects the genre of the magazine.
Target audience and genre
The ta rget audience of Mixmag is a demographic of people aged 20-35
which is reflected by the information given about the contents in the
cover l ines and the photography di splayed. There i s an element of
formality to the cover such as the typefaces used and the position of the
cover l ines , yet there i s a noticeable degree of informal i ty which
suggests that i t is ta rgeted towards young adul ts . Not only that, the
informality tells us that it i s a dance and clubbing magazine. It i s mus ic
that builds up i ts popularity based on the sound, not on the lyrics . We
can see thi s genre mi rrored in the photography, mas thead and
typefaces .
The general information section of the magazine is in very small text at
the bottom right hand corner, giving the reader the website link for the
we bsite, e specially useful to Mi xmag’s young re adership.
The Guttenberg
Design Principle
The masthead of
Mixmag is
conventionally placed
to take up the
primary optical and
strong fallow area of
the magazine cover,
making it one of the
first things we notice
when we look at the
cover, reinforcing the
brand. The sell-lines
are in columns along
the left and right side
of the cover in
columns which we
read following the
axis of orientation.
Often, the House
Style of Mixmag will
involve placing a
large graphic feature
into the weak fallow
area (bottom left
corner). On this
cover, however, that
often ignored corner
presents the caption
and photograph
rights for the main
image. These details
are important to
consider when using
somebody else’s
photography but are
not significant to the
success of the
magazine, so they are
placed in that corner.
In the terminal area,
there is a flash which
contains a short list
of information
entitled ‘PLUS’ which
refers to the fact that
it is the last one you
will read. The
barcode and price are
also in this corner for
use during the
purchase and selling
transaction of the
magazine.
Key Signifier/Main image
The photograph on thi s cover i s of Sub Focus , an
electro-house musician. The photograph is very much
edited, with a blurred and sepia effect. The photo i s
s e emingly cut i n half along the mi ddl e by Sub Pop’s
model credit. This main cover line appears to cut the
image in two and creates almost a reflection/l ine of
symmetry effect as the image is flipped on the bottom
of the magazine. These Photoshop effects seem to
di s tort reality and, in this way, represent the unreal
cl ub s cene. Li ttle attention is placed upon the a rti s t’s
face or cos tume which implies that the focus is not on
who i s in the image but how it makes the reader feel .
Sub Focus is not a very famous mus ician outs ide of
s trong club fans and it seems unlikely that he is being
used to sel l the magazine. As i t i s captioned and
referenced in the weak fallow area, we can as sume
that the photograph i s appreciated and used for the
excel lent photography skills that i t displays. It captures
the genre of the magazine and appeal s wel l to an
audience of young people in thei r 20s .
Badges/Flashes
Mixmag uses a large amount of badges and flashes in almost every edition as part of i ts house s tyle. Some
e xa mples from this one include ‘Ibiza Ma dness’, ‘Inside The Swe de s ’ fi na l UK gi g’, ‘DJ Hi s tory’, ‘20% OFF
Be a tport downloads’, ‘DJ l ookal i ke s ’, a s we l l a s a ‘PLUS’ he a di ng wi th mul ti pl e more . Evi de ntl y, the
magazine is aimed at people with a background understanding and knowledge about di fferent DJs and
da nce groups. Flashes such as ‘Ibiza Madness’ a nd ‘20% OFF Be atport download’ tell us that the magazine is
aimed at people in their mid-to-late 20s. Ibiza has become famous for its association with nightlife and the
electronic music that originated on the small island. As i t is unlikely that teenagers or middle-aged people
would be interested in the nightlife in Ibiza, we can see the intended readership. In the same way, the
Beatport downloads inside would interest young adults more than other potential readers. The purpose of
tel ling people that there is ‘20% OFF’ inside provi de s a furthe r i nce nti ve for s ome one to purcha s e the
magazine. There is a great abundance of cover lines on Mixmag, however there is also a section that begins
wi th the word ‘PLUS’. This a cts as a buzz word, i t suggests that, aside from what has been mentioned, there
wi l l be a great deal more inside the magazine. It i s a marketing technique which encourages more people to
purchase a copy of the magazine under the bel ief that there i s a lot of content.

3. Masthead
The ma sthead of ‘Ke rrang!’ magazine constitutes of just the magazine’s ti tle. Its name, ‘Ke rrang!’ is a n onomatopoeic term deriven from the sound an electric gui ta r makes when the power chord i s s trummed. Thi s
connotes the genre of the music ‘Ke rrang!’ features: rock and metal. Similarly, there are lines through the letters that are supposed to symbolise broken glass. This effect may be interpreted as the smashing of glas s ,
mos t l ikely hinted to be a result of the symbolic e lectric guitar that ca used the ‘kerrang’ s ound. Without the e ffect, the typography used is the s tereotypical look of simple graffiti letters. The letters are a vibrant, s triking
red colour which, interwoven with all of the aforementioned elements, connote the rebelliousness and aggression behind rock and metal music. The masthead has been partial ly covered because of the s trength of
‘Ke rra ng!’’s ba nd i de nti ty, the y ca n cove r pa rt of the na me wi thout worryi ng tha t pe opl e wi l l not re cogni s e i t. As s uch, we c a n s e e tha t, de s pi te ‘Ke rra ng!’’s ni che a udi e nce , i t i s s ti l l ve ry pop ular.
House Style
‘Ke rra ng!’ tends to use a colour palette of re d, whi te a nd bl a ck. De s pi te
us i ng the same colours a s ‘Q’ ma ga zi ne , i t doe s not gi ve off a n a ura of
sophistication but manipulates them to connote rock mus ic, pas s ion and
da nger. ‘Ke rrang!’ is a ve ry busy magazine as ve ry often the key s ignifier will
feature bands and music groups rather than individuals . The mas thead of
‘Ke rra ng!’ is the same in every i ssue. There tends to be a s trip cover l ine
along the top and the bottom of the magazine. Likewise, the arti s ts on the
cover are often photoshoot images which include a direct mode of addres s
from al l on the cover.
The magazine i s not very formal as the ta rget demographic i s mos tly
teenagers and some young adults. It i s often very busy with lots of cover
l ines and graphic features. Most editions of ‘Ke rra ng!’ offe r a noti ce a bl e
incentive to buy the magazine, general ly in the form of free pos ters or
exclus ive, rare pictures .
General information
The barcode and webs ite are given in the weak
fal low area of the magazine. Thi s i s neces sary
information. The website also appeal s wel l to the
young reade rs of ‘Ke rra ng!’
Target audience and genre
The ta rget a udience of ‘Ke rrang!’ magazine i s teenagers and young a dul ts .
It i s published cheaply on a weekly basis so i t can be regularly purchased by
readers without a regular income. There is a great element of informal i ty
and amateur publ i shing to thi s magazine which sui t the intended
demographic. In the same way, this reflects the rock/meta l genre of the
magazine which is often denoted as informal . Rock and punk arti s ts are
often viewed as those that do not conform to social s tandards .The colour
s cheme in the magazine’s house style is re d, black, white and ye llow. These
are used to represent the danger and passion often associated with Rock
mus ic. It is a very busy magazine with a lot of content. Often, thi s content
includes features from smal l or upcoming bands and groups and
competi tions that appeal to younger readers of the magazine.
Key Signifier/Star marketing
The key s ignifier on this cove r of ‘Ke rrang!’ i s an i mage of the mus i ca l group
Paramore taken from a photoshoot. Al l members have a di rect mode of
a ddress and are n’t smiling. The girl i n the middle, Hayley Wi lliams, i s gri tti ng
her teeth. These facial expressions suggest that Paramore are quite rebellious
and noncomformist. These represent general bands that are rock, punk or
meta l. Li kewise, their costumes a l l fol l ow the col our pa l e tte of ‘Ke rra ng!’
magazine.
The full bodies of the members of Paramore are depicted in the main image.
The photoshoot has used this technique to incorporate the model credi t and
s ignature cover l ine of the magazine into the image i tsel f. The band hold a
s ign with this wri tten in ink, highlighting once more the informal i ty of the
magazine and the ta rget demographic.
The Guttenberg Design Principle
The masthead of the magazine takes up the primary optical and strong fallow
a re a of the magazine. This positioning re i nforce s the ‘Ke rra ng !’ bra nd a nd
makes i t very noticeable for readers. The cover lines are usually accompanied
by pictures and are placed in columns down the left s ide of the magazine.
Sometimes there are some on the right hand side but usually not as many. By
nature, most people l ook at s omething as if they’re reading a page of words ;
by pos i tioning them along the left side, i t is assured that everything wi l l be
seen and read (they partially follow the axis of orientation). The weak fal low
area, in this edition, contains a cover line and the general information such as
the date of the issue release, the barcode and the price. Furthermore, the
terminal point of the magazine contains a yellow graphic feature shaped l ike
an arrow encouraging the reader to open the magazine.
Badges/Flashes
Badges are used in a column down the left hand s ide of thi s i s sue of
‘Ke rra ng!’ to me rge pictures with cover l ines. This appe a l s to the younge r
demographic of the magazine brand.
Thes e badges use star marketing to inform readers as to whom they can
find inside the magazine and to persuade people to buy them. Al so, i f a
reader l ikes the look of an artis t ins ide that they may not have heard of
before, seeing what they look l ike can encourage them to explore new
content.
Another badge on the cover tells the reader that the magazine comes with a
pul l-out poster inside. This provides an incentive to buy the magazine as i t
makes i t seem l ike you get more for your money.
Model credit
The model credit on this front cover has cleverly been incorporated into the
image itself. The members of Paramore are holding up a sign with their band
na me on it a nd information a bout the contents of thi s i s s ue of ‘Ke rra ng!’
relating to them. It is made to imitate a handwritten sign but we can tell that
i t i s printed. The typeface is designed to imitate handwriting which, alongside
the words expressed in the model credit, captures the informal nature of the
magazine brand.
The model credit here is the second largest text on the front cover, after that
in the mas thead, and i s pos i tioned in the image. Main cover l ines are
generally superimposed over the key signifier so we can tell that thi s i s i t. It
a l so uses the ba nd na me ‘Pa ra more ’ wi th the ba nd fe a ture d be hind i t.
Paramore are a very popular band so attract readers as a model credi t.