music magazine front covers analysed

1. The masthead on some magazine front covers such as
‘Kerrang’ can be onomatopoeia which is used to
represent the genre off the magazine and to also leave
an effect. If the title off the magazine is only short and
doesn’t stretch across the top such as ‘Q’ it will always
be on the left hand side. The masthead is always in the
biggest and boldest font as it helps to catch peoples
attention . The masthead will also be in a unique font
and different font to the cover lines. This is for the exact
same reason to gain attention and to stand out and be
the first thing people looking will see.
The barcode will always be on the bottom off the
front cover in either the left or right hand side corner.
On some magazines the barcode will be on the back
off the magazine but this isn't that likely. The price,
issue date is usually positioned underneath the
barcode or the masthead in small font which is not
easily seen. The reason behind this is because the
price can put people off buying magazines so if the
cover lines are bigger and more noticeable they will
read them first and by doing this if they are interested
the price wont matter.

2. The main image on a front cover is usually a mid close up
or a mid shot. Some magazines do break this code and
convention especially if the image is of a band. The cover
lines should always frame the face off the subject and
they should never overlap on to the subjects face. The
subjects face should also convey attitude which relates to
the band/artist and the genre of music. The
photographer will do this by the positioning off the body
and the facial expressions used. This is because if the
subject looks blank with no expression it wouldn’t attract
people as they most likely will be bored by the lack off
enthusiasm and look at different magazines. Its important
that the subject is always looking at the camera as it
creates a personal relationship with the audience.

3. The main cover line will always be linked to the main
image. It will be in bigger and bolder font than the other
cover lines so it catches peoples attention and stands
out among everything else. The reason for this is for
those who don’t know who the artist on the main image
is. The other cover lines will also be about the more
interesting stuff the magazine features as it will help lure
people into buying the magazine. The colour scheme will
only feature 3-4 colours as if there was any more it
would be to much and wont look as visually interesting.
The background off the magazine is usually a simple
plain colour so the cover lines are easy and clear to read
for everyone. In some cases the background wont be a
block off colour but if this is the case the cover lines will
be a colour which stands out so that they are still clear.