Analysing 3 magazine covers

1. Analysing 3 magazine covers Megan Stafford

2. The header advertises which bands will be featured within the magazine, this is done to attract readers who like that band. Also to reinforce what genre the magazine represents. The masthead ‘KERRANG!’ is placed at the top of the page, usually a person is placed on the cover like Dave Grohl is here for example, then their face would be placed directly over the masthead, (using a midshot). Drawing attention to the masthead and the name of the magazine. Also the font used in the masthead makes it look like broken glass again reinforcing the tough image associated with the genre of this magazine. The exclamation mark makes it seem as if it is being screamed and makes it more in your face than one without an exclamation mark. The main image grabs the attention of the audience by having him staring directly out to them. Having a bold, noticeable font lying across him establishes who he and is any why he’s important enough to be the main image, “UK TOUR EXCLUSIVE”. He is wearing a red shirt which makes him jump out from the black, yellow and white colour scheme. The background is unclear and unimportant so we are drawn straight to Dave Grohl. Our attention is immediately focussed on him and is not meant to be elsewhere. His stance suggests he is serious, and makes it seem as though he is addressing you directly. The main sell line establishes who the main image is and what’s going to be in the magazine. The font is big and bold and uses a drop shadow to make it really pop out from the page and make it seem as though it’s really in your face. “BACK TO BLOW YOUR MIND” sort of challenges you to read and see if it really can “blow your mind”. It makes you very interested in reading the magazine. There are only a couple of other sell lines across the page using a similar font, sans serif. Barcode, date/issue and price on the bottom right hand corner to even out the balance of the cover, as it would be to cluttered in another place. It is needed to sell the magazine. “ 8 PAGE SPECIAL” this is to advertise the other material in the magazine and to draw in those who are not impressed by the main image/ main sell line. Overall the cover is cluttered and this makes it appear as if it is shouted in your face. Reinforces the genres loud image.

3. The main image is unusually large for a front cover this is to emphasis the power and importance of Bono. It is a close up of just his face, showing that the rest of his body is not needed to show his power. His expression is intense and serious. This is again to show his power and importance. He is faced slightly off to the left. The light bouncing off his glasses draws attention to his eyes. His eyes are intense and stare directly out to you. He is covering the masthead partly this shows how important he is and the magazine the is as well. The colours of the main image are quite dull in comparison to the masthead and red/white colours used on the cover. If it was all bright colours then it would have a less sophisticated edge. The header “The Essential Music Guide” suggests certainty, there’s nothing more you need to know. No questions, this IS the essential music guide. It suggests that no other music magazine is needed. There is nothing else said here as that would take away the effect, making it less worthy. The contrasting colours used in the colour scheme really scream out to the audience and is really noticeable. This magazine always uses this colour scheme so it is expected of them to use it. The masthead is partly covered with the main with the main image. This shows how important the magazine is and you immediately recognize it’s ‘Q’ magazine even though it is partly covered. The bright colour of the masthead lights up the front cover. This pull quote draws the reader in and wants the magazine to explain why he has said “I’d be a cool Pope.’ and what other exclusive information could be in the interview. The sell line “MAN OF THE YEAR BONO THE Q INTERVIEW” this draws the attention of the reader as it’s the only sell line on the cover. It dismisses other sell lines as if they’re worthless and less important than Bono. The footer advertises “All the months albums, gigs, films & DVDs reviewed and rated” This appeals to its target audience who and are young and have busy lives. So they don’t have time to sit through things they won’t enjoy.

4. The header advertises what’s going to be in the magazine and the prizes that can be won if you buy it. The prizes are appropriate for the target audience and attracts them to buy it. The colour scheme of pink and yellow and white appeals to it’s target audience, pre-teen and teenage girls. These colours are often associate with young girls so are used here to attract them. These colours are bright and friendly and create a positive image for the magazine. The colours are associated with light poppy music. The footer is broken up by the barcode this is to avoid over crowding of the cover. ’23’ is shown in larger to attract the reader. They used the cover black is used and breaks up the colour scheme slightly so it is more noticed. The sell line “The truth behind those girlfriend rumours” entices the young readers. Especially with ‘those’ written in italics it makes you wonder ‘which rumours?’ This is very effective in drawing in the reader. The main image grabs the attention of the reader as his clothing is dark in contrast to the colour scheme. His hat is tilted in a playful manner which is appropriate for the target audience of this magazine. The masthead is written in pink font, dark and light to break it up, which appeals to the target audience. It’s sweet and looks like bubble gum which reinforces who they are aiming it at. Bubble gum blown in a playful and young girls are quite playful so it fits perfectly. ‘ McFLY’S BIG DAY OUT’ this draws the reader into the other articles in the magazine and draws in those who are interested in Mcfly. The use of pictures here breaks up all the wordiness of the article and adds some life.

5. The header uses a rough font which is often associated with rock. It’s loud and in your face which is how rock comes off. It’s how people see it. The images used here are from within the magazine, they are little snippets of what is to come. It entices the audience to carry on reading, as it might have their favourite band/artist or a person they might want to know more about. The person in each of these shots has a serious expression to reinforce the tough image the magazine has. The main image here is to the left hand corner. It is large and takes up most of the readers attention, as it’s the most noticeable image on the page. It is the main colour of the background. Other parts of the contents page have been placed over it. This is so it flows evenly and easily. The letter from the editor is placed in the top left hand corner, it has the editors picture and a small amount of writing. It’s kept small because it’s a minor part of the magazine and if it was too long then it would attract less attention and clutter the page. The picture is used so the reader knows who the editor is and you get a little incite to who is running the magazine. The page list at the right side is long and takes up quite a lot of room. It is in list form and gives information easily to the reader. It’s faster for the reader to find. It has red subheadings in slightly larger font so the reader can easily pick out what they want to find. It also works as a way to break up the listing into mini subsections. They colour red stands out against the black and adds some life to the listing. The red, black and white colour scheme is quite similar to the colour scheme that Kerrang! typically has on it’s front cover. These colours aren’t gentle so they give off the type of image that the magazine is trying to achieve: rough and loud.

6. The images here are taken from inside the magazine. This is done to give the reader a sneak preview into what’s in the magazine and what they should expect. They pictures are linked with each other, they all have some sort of archway in them. This tells the reader that these images are a good combination. They are arranged in a certain order, 2-by-2 down the page. This gives the magazine a neat and tidy image. It gives it sophistication which is what is often associated with classic music. The footer advertises free merchandise if the you carry on reading. The big red arrow immediately makes the reader want to turn over the page and read on. The colour red is chosen as it’s part of the colour scheme. ‘FREE CDS’ is bolder and coloured yellow, this is to accentuate that the importance of them. The colour scheme here is white and red. The red used on the white background really helps it to stand out and be noticed. This is effective as it makes the writing stand out and can be easily read. The page listing to the right of the images is written in straight forward way. For instance they are listed very professionally and formally, which suits the target audience of this magazine. It is spaced evenly and is very neat and tidy. The font used is very classy and formal. This reinforces the classy and formal image of the magazine, what type of people it is aimed at and what genre they prefer.

7. The main image here is quite large and is very appropriate for the target audience, pre teen and teenage girls. They men appearing in it are dressed smartly, but are wearing pinkish shirts which gives them a feminine edge. They are looking directly at the reader and have friendly non-intimidating expressions. The language placed across the top of the picture, ‘Everybody’s talking about… The Xmas No1’ has informal language which is appropriate for the target audience and reinforces the genre of music that this magazine is associated with. As the band featured on the front is of the genre this magazine is aimed at. The font colour used here is pink this is to again reinforce who their target audience is and to attract them (pre teen and teenage girls). It is a colour usually associated with girls. They have used different shades of pink to emphasis certain points, for instance bands/artists of significant importance. As their target audience is quite young they’ve used images to balance out the use of lots of text. The red sticker used here is different from the colour scheme and stands out. This is to emphasis its importance and to attract the attention of the reader. The Smash Hits logo reminds the reader what magazine they are reading.

8. They used a full page image of Pete Doherty to show his significance, to show that he is the centre of this article. He is in a playful pose which is typical of his personality, they’ve tried to reflect this in this image. His clothing actually matches the colour scheme of this page spread so that the writing is highlighted. This draws a lot of attention to both Pete and the writing. A playful font is used here to reflect the playfulness of Pete and to show that the article isn’t going to really deep and text heavy but light-hearted and fun to read. It’s sort of slanted to show how he doesn’t conform and the text doesn’t either. The text is in all different sizes to show the randomness of Pete. The black background shows his dark side and that that he is ‘tough’ or ‘bad’. The font is a white colour to contrast against the darkness of the background. Maybe to signify ‘good against bad’ and that Pete is the ‘bad’.

9. The colour scheme is yellow and black. These colours are usually associated with warning signs, e.g. you should be warned about them. Watch out for them. These small piece of text taken out and highlighted emphasises it’s importance or rather their ‘victory’. It attracts the reader as they want to find out the backing information from where it came from. The picture of them at the top of the page tells the reader who the article is about. It emphasises their importance. They are staring directly at the reader, which sort of wills the reader into reading. They are dressed smartly which gives the article a more professional feel. This part is written in red so it can be easily spotted by the reader. It makes it more significant as it doesn’t fit in with the colour scheme. Information on the band is written at the side and is helpful if the reader wants to know more.

10. This double page spread is really picture heavy. This is to attract their target audience, as their target audience are pre teen and teenage girls they might be put off if there is too much text. So using lots of images maintains the interest of the reader. Also they can spread out the article, if they only had a little to write about then they could just use lots of images and get the same reception. The colour scheme here is pink and black. Black to show to the use of race cars and to make it a little less girly and juvenile. But also pink to have some girly elements. The colour scheme fits perfectly with their target audience, pre teen and teenage girls. The images used are of them having fun and being adventurous. It emphasises the masculinity of the boys as girls are not usually interesting in these sorts of activities. The Smash Hits logo is repeated to remind the reader of what magazine they’re reading.