3. Rolling Stone: price
From looking at existing cover pages of Rolling Stone magazines, I can
see that the price of the magazine is quite high, £4.10, in comparison to
other magazines like NME and Kerrang which only cost around £2.25.
Also this price stated on the page in the the top right hand corner, in a
very small, discreet font.This implies that the magazine brand doesn’t
want their target audience to be put off immediately when they see the
higher price.
I could make my magazine better than this by not having as high a price
and making the price appear more eye-catching on the page to make it
appear like it’s a good deal.This is because if my target audience is
young and they will not have a disposable income, so they are likely to
not be willing to pay as much for a magazine and therefor be more
attracted to my magazine than the Rolling Stone magazine.
4. Rolling Stone: appearance
and layout
Dominant image and backgrounds:
The layout of the Rolling Stone magazine appears rather simplistic.This is due
to the lack of background behind the dominant image of the artist, which are
usually plain white that fills a large space of the page. Although this means that
no attention is drawn away from the foreground of subtitles, mastheads and
artists.This is a downfall as the cover seems almost basic and has the tendency
to look repetitive.
To combat this I will put more thought into my backgrounds to ensure they
appear more interesting during my photoshoot organisation. However, I will
have to make sure that the backgrounds don’t take away from the artist in the
image and the sub fonts are clear. Even by using another colour instead of white
could make my cover page look more enticing to my target audience.
Instead I could look at magazines like Kerrang as their cover pages are a lot
busier and bolder, as well as the fact that are targeting a similar audience to me.
5. Rolling Stone: appearance
and layout
Masthead and sub fonts:
I do like that the masthead is red, which really stands out when the audience
first look at the page, and red is a sticking colour often used for the rock genre.
However, I believe the font I could improve whilst making my magazine.This is
because the font looks rather vintage and old-fashioned, which may draw my
target audience away because they are younger. Instead I would chose a font
that has connotations of the genre, i.e. fonts that look decayed, messed with or
have a smashed effect etc.This I believe would draw in a younger audience.
I also like the way that the artist in the image had the top of their head on top of
the masthead, creating a more abstract appearance which can visually draw the
audience in.This looks modern and unique, so I believe this would attract my
target audience if I were to use this on my magazine cover, as it will mean that
no part of the artist would be covered.
Also looking back at my questionnaire results I could see that it was popular for
people to want their favourite artist on the cover, and by layering the image
partly on top of the masthead, the artist would stand out even more and be the
main focus when the page is first seen.
6. Rolling Stone: contents and
advertisements
By looking at the Rolling Stone cover pages, its apparent that they do not exhibit
gifts or competitions that will be featured inside the magazine. Instead they only
mention articles and news featured inside.This wouldn't be ideal for my rock
magazine because this element is what a younger target audience will be attracted
to, as they will have a chance to feel more connected to the magazine. If my cover
page has an interactive element to it, I believe that this will attract more target
audience members compared to the Rolling Stone magazine cover.
This also links back to my questionnaire results, as more people wanted free gifts
and competitions than those who did not. I could also make that page more
interesting when trying to promote competitions or gifts by using puffs to draw the
audiences eye to the different shapes.
For the advertisements I will also make sure that they are for cheaper products as
this will apply closely to my younger target audience, as well as ensuring that they
would fit the lifestyle of a student preferably or somebody who is new to work. For
example, career website ads, deals at local supermarkets or shops, advertisements
for clubs, events or experiences, upcoming artists and music, free music or revision
apps etc.
