Design research

MOJOfront
cover.
Plug - The ‘FREE CD!’ plug is quite useful in
appealing to the audience. Since the audience
reads naturally from left to right, this may be
the first thing that the audience will read. Often,
older people may value their money more than
younger people and have less disposable
income. The CD included will attract more
people to buy the magazine and introduce a
secondary audience of people who want the CD
of The Velvet Underground, but not necessarily
the content of the magazine. This is a unique
selling point that is not often used by other
magazines. It will most likely also be the first
thing the audience sees as the positioning of
this magazine on a shop shelf means that only
the strapline will be visible.
Masthead - The black masthead with a white 3D
effect behind it forces it to stand out against the
plain white background, the binary opposite of
colours creates a classic look, and still quite
minimalistic. The juxtaposition of the masthead
to the rest of the page also makes it look far
superior in comparison to the rest of the page.
Also, as the model is covering the masthead it
suggests the magazine has already established a
firm following, and expects the audience to
recognize this. Since the rest of the magazine
follows a specific house style and it’s synergetic,
it makes it very easily recognizable. The
masthead also looks quite old, it’s not shiny and
brand new, its matted showing the audience
Characters - This cover appeals to the audience
as the cover features an older man, who the
target audience may relate to, the outfit he is
wearing is dressed down, not forcing a sense of
formality upon the audience. The blue tones in
the outfit are quite neutral, creating a calm
colour scheme, unlike magazines for younger
audiences such as ‘Top of the pops’ which uses
bright colours to catch younger audiences’
attention. This may suggest that the audience
know what they like and are fairly predictable
when it comes to buying this magazine. He’s
stood with one leg bent backwards, this seems
like quite a ‘trendy’ pose, he’s relaxed in what
he’s doing and it comes naturally. It’s the sort of
pose the audience would expect to see if he was
playing a certain cord where he’s really ‘rocking
out’.
Sub image / assumptions - The magazine
assumes you know who ‘ELO’ are, the electric
light orchestra may not be well known so this
may become fairly context bound making this
magazine represent itself as a fairly exclusive
or elite group that only certain people will
know about.
Camera work- The image is shot in a long shot,
with a level camera. This allows the audience to
see the whole outfit, and letting the audience
see the body language of Costello.
The target audience for ‘Mojo’ is 24-55, 73% of
whom are males.
that this is perhaps for either older people or
people who enjoy older music and a certain style.

■ Colour scheme - The red aspects within this cover attract
the eye as well, as a full page looking at it, the red is the first
thing that the audience will be attracted to. The words
‘Elvis’ and the guitar are linked together through this colour
so the audience can see that they are both attached to each
other. If they weren’t linked through this it may not offer as
much clarity to audiences who are unaware of Elvis
Costello. Red is often connoted with passion and love, and
it’s a classic colour, when you think of the 70’s, red is a
prominent colour. It continues the classic theme happening
on the cover. The whole cover only contains around 5
different colours, which all compliment each other, it keeps
the magazine to the simple and ‘retro’ style they were
attempting to create. It’s not a ‘loud’ magazine, whilst the
colours do still manage to stand out as light colours are
paired with darker colours to emphasise the words such as
the feature headline saying ‘A date with Elvis’ The opposite
colours creates a striking overall cover.
■ Font – Throughout the cover, the font is all the same,
however there are some slight changes to the typography.
For example, there are changes in thickness and colouring
to highlight certain areas of the text. The word ‘Plus’ in the
left column at the bottom is coloured red with a yellow
border, the text underneath however is a very light shade of
grey, which may be hard to see without looking closely. This
is done because it forces the audience to look closer and
take notice of the wording.
■ Puff – ‘The music magazine’ sounds very important and
helps to attract the audience creating a unique selling point
for the magazine.The word ‘The’ forces the idea of
importance onto the audience, it seems as if there is only one
magazine you should be reading.
■ Feature photo - The man who creates the feature photo on
the cover may not be widely known by the public, after
some research I found out that he began his career as part
of London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later
became associated with the first wave of the British punk
and new wave movement that emerged in the mid-to-late
1970s; this infers that the audience would be older as 70s
music isn’t as popular now and punk music has also moved
on. The feature headline ‘A date with Elvis’ further
emphasises the magazines expectations of the reader.
Naturally, the majority would associate this name with Elvis
Presley, rather than Elvis Costello, who as mentioned, is not
as widely known. The man creates a form of direct address
as he looks directly into the camera, making the readers feel
as if there’s some emotional connection between them and
Costello and including them in the article.
■ Language - A lot of the text is fairly formal, with no
personal/direct address to the audience, this disconnects
the audience however it still uses pull quotes to attract the
audience. Phrases such as ‘A date with Elvis’ allows the
reader to feel as if they’re involved in the ‘date’. The word
‘date’ is often associated with a romantic connection
between two people; since they act like they’re inviting you
into a private moment, the audience will feel like they are
being included on an extremely personal level.

■ Dateline, price and barcode - The price is displayed in a quite small
font compared to the rest of the fonts within the cover. This is to
disguise the price as it is quite expensive. At £5.50 for the magazine,
it may deter younger audiences from buying this as they tend to
have less money to spend on one single product. This may also deter
older audiences but the pricing does reflect the audiences socio-
economic status, the audience are working/middle class (C1). The
dateline and barcode are common conventions of a magazine to
identify an issue and if at the point of sale, scan and sell the
magazine.The audience expect to see this on a magazine.
■ Lighting – The photo is very well lit, it is fairly high key lighting with
minimal shadowing except a small shadow of Costello’s body. This
was shot with three point lighting, a key light, fill light and back
light. This minimises the shadowing, creating a pure image of the
model. It’s naturalistic, creating the idea of being just a regular
image. This relates the image to the audience a bit since it creates
the effect that Elvis Costello is just a regular guy like the audience. It
also makes the image seem happier, showing this magazines
purpose is to entertain.
■ Buzz word – The word ‘Exclusive’ makes the audience feel included
and feel as if they’re getting something that no one else is although
this does challenge the conventions that we would expect of this
type of magazine as it is not a ‘gossip’ magazine. This would be
typical of ‘Top of the pops’ as it is targeted at younger girls who
stereotypically would be attracted to the gossip.
■ Who is the text aimed at? The target audience is males
predominantly, aged 25-55. This is shown through the character in
the feature photo, he is male which is a stereotypical element for
magazines aimed at males. It’s representative of the audience, on
typical ‘gossip’ magazines a woman would be placed or a man who was
deemed as ‘eye candy’ for the female gaze.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? The text
assumes the audience have prior knowledge about the artists
featured on the cover. As mentioned, it assumes the audience know
who ‘ELO’ are, it’s the same as saying ‘ToP’ and assuming older
generations will understand who they are. The groups are both from
different eras and genres, so different social groups will or wont
understand the acronym. It creates a sense of exclusivity since it
excludes people who don’t understand the acronym.
■ Where and when are the audience likely to receive the text? This
seems like it would be paper based only as the target audience is not
necessarily ‘tech savvy’ so may not appreciate a digital copy.
■ How does this influence the form and structure of the text? This
influences the text as it will be less likely to offer internet or
technological challenges, the CD plug is a fairly old convention as
everything has now become digital downloads because of
programmes such as apple music and Spotify. Since a lot of the
magazines are sold through shops in person, they will be positioned
in such a way that people will see the strapline and be attracted by
this. This means that they will have to compose this the way they
did, to catch the eye of the audience from just an inch of the page.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? This may be seen as
relatable because the feature photo has a man dressed in clothing
that doesn’t look ridiculously expensive and he’s not photoshopped
to look unrealistic like many magazines such as ‘vogue’. He has a
double chin and he’s not heavily manipulated to fit an ideal.
MOJOfront
cover.

MOJOcontents. Masthead – The ‘contents’
header uses the same font and
style as the cover masthead, this
creates synergy throughout, it
makes the text feel connected
together and professional rather
than disjointed and
unprofessional.
Colour – The black and white
colour scheme in this further
emphasises the retro aspect of
the magazine and gives a
vintage feel to the overall
magazine. Black and white is a
classic colour scheme, offering
simplicity to the magazine and
otherwise busy contents page.
However, on the page to the
left, it is in washed out
colouring, usually associated
with the 70s and the ‘hippie’
era. It’s calm colours,
representing the other side of
the era than represented in
the right side. None of the sub
images are brightly coloured
though, this makes the red
bars across the columns stand
out even more.
Typography – Throughout the contents
page, there is a consistent font style,
although it varies in size and thickness,
there is a certain house style that creates
continuity throughout the magazine.
Sub-images - The abundance of
pictures on this page creates a busy
page which contrasts the page to the
right and the front cover. Whilst the
rest of the magazine is classic
because it’s empty with a lot of blank
space, this page is still classic, but
without a lot of blank space. This is
done by using filters over the images,
and creating a ‘memory lane’ style
page.
Sub-headings – The headings
‘Regulars’, ‘What goes on!’ etc.
are examples of a typical
convention in contents pages.
This helps the audience
narrow down their search and
reach an answer far quicker
than if they weren’t
segregated.
Layout – The contents masthead is
in the same position as on the front
cover, this is a typical convention of
many magazines.
Date – This is another common
convention that helps the audience
know when this magazine is from.
Numbers – This is useful as it helps
people to easily see what page they
are being directed to, they can
easily see and find specific articles.
This is another common convention
throughout every style of
magazine, regardless of genre.
Cover line – This gives the
reader a clear outline of what
each article is about, giving an
insight into the genre of the
magazine.
Banner – This banner is quite
confusing as there is no context to
the words ‘London Memphis The
second Fret’ This is context bound
and is discourse specific to this
magazine which may confuse
certain audiences who don’t have
prior knowledge.

■ Who is the text aimed at? This is aimed at a slightly older audience
so it needs to be easy to understand, this is done by
compartmentalising each article heading separately and in a
separate coloured box that stands out. Whilst a lot of the page is
busy, the text boxes are quite simple and calm.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? A lot of the text
depends on prior knowledge of the magazine and the artists. As
seen in the text adjacent, the subtext doesn’t really make sense if
you don’t have prior knowledge. This means that they assume the
reader knows some things about the industry and specific bands
already, they don’t have to worry about setting up articles to
introduce the bands and artists, they can quickly get personal with
minimal introductory paragraphs.
■ Where and when are the audience likely to receive the text? This
seems like it would be paper based only as the target audience is not
necessarily ‘tech savvy’ so may not appreciate a digital copy.
■ How does this influence the form and structure of the text? The
contents page may be the deciding page for weather or not
someone will buy the magazine. This helps the reader gain clarity on
what the magazine entails. For this reason, the text should be
structured clearly for ease of reading.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? The contrast between the
two styles, one black and white, one in washed out colour means
that the readers eye will also be automatically attracted to the
centre of the page, however, the masthead does attract the eyes
quickly as it is binary opposite colours, between a black main font
and a white shadowing.
MOJOcontents. ■ Character - The clothing of this character is old fashioned, the afro
is a style that is no longer in mainstream fashion; suggesting that
the demographic for this magazine is older. As he is looking away
from the camera, this doesn’t attract the audience, instead it looks
as if he is disinterested. This shot looks fairly amateur, like the
audience have caught the image when he didn’t expect it; creating
the idea that they are being let into an exclusive time and situation.
■ Pull quote – “They showed their colours. I left them to their LP of
hits I’d made” gives the reader an insight into what will happen later
in the magazine. Again, it is fairly context bound as it is discourse of
a certain music genre. ‘Velvet underground’ are not widely known
now emphasising the exclusivity of the genre.
■ Language – ‘All back to my place’ is very informal, this creates a
sense of openness to the magazine. It is informal speech which
invites the audience to be involved in the event, this adheres to the
uses and gratifications model, following Identity, Social interaction
and entertainment (Escapism). People want to feel included in a
community or group that they feel is bigger than themselves. This
makes the reader more inclined to feel part of the magazines world
and are more likely to become regular readers and members of the
magazines community.

MOJOdoublepage.
Pull quote – The quote lets us see an
insight into the article itself, this
helps summarise the whole article to
readers.
Character – The main
character, presumably ‘James
Booker’ is dressed in 70’s
clothing, that is typical of this
era. He has a large collar on
the picture to the right, and a
waistcoat, and also he has a
fairly large collar on the left,
which looks more recent than
the black and white. This
introduces the audience to a
character before and now,
allowing them to take the
journey with him through the
ages. We can tell these are
different times because of the
colouring but also the
hairstyles. On the left, he is
fairly trimmed however on the
right, he has an afro which has
become very dated. This man
is someone the audience will
presumably recognise and
have recollection from their
childhoods or adult life of
things associated with him for
them personally.
Typography – The font of the main
body of text is fairly small, this
creates a professional effect to the
magazine. This creates the idea of
importance in the article.
Sub-images – The images contain
memorabilia that the audience may
associate with their youth or
remember them, this creates a
similar interest between the
magazine and its reader.
Iconography – The eyepatch is context bound to the character ‘James
Booker’. Eyepatches are usually associated with pirates, who steal, fight
etc... which juxtaposes the idea of a singer and other images on this page.
The eyepatch is synonymous with this character so therefore it assumes
that the reader will make this connection and understand it. .
Language – ‘Didn’t matter what…’ is
an example of informal language,
the elliptical language is friendly as
it’s not stressing too much on proper
English. This shows that it’s not a
formal article, it feels more personal
and less touched up by editors and
more raw. This emphasises ideas of
exclusivity for the audience, they
may feel as If they’re gaining a
‘private tour’ of one aspect of this
persons life.
Numbers – This is a common
convention within magazines as to
help audiences find pages they want
to read as referenced by the
Drop Cap– ‘One of the greatest…’ The O is a drop cap which captures the
audiences attention since they read left to right naturally and it’s the boldest
thing on the page. It also looks like a record, keeping up with the retro style.

■ Who is the text aimed at? This text is aimed at older audiences so it
needs to be clear yet still have youthful aspects within the layout.
The neutral colours ensure that the page will not be too lively,
creating a professional layout for the target audience.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? The writers
assume that the readers will make the link between the eye patch
and James Booker, and have previous knowledge of the artist. The
opening paragraphs in which the reader expects an introduction to
the artist, is just full of quotes which are context bound to the
character. It offers no explanation about who the artist is, or what he
does. If the reader doesn’t know details, the images are there to
support the artist and suggest basic information on the artist.
■ Where and when are the audience likely to receive the text? The
audience are likely to pick this up at a shop, in person rather than
online. This double page of text however, would perhaps not be seen
until it’s at someone's’ home and past the point of sale.
■ How does this influence the form and structure of the text? This
means it may have to follow the set house style, as to create
continuity throughout the magazine.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? This text may be
interpreted as fairly serious as there is not really a lot of life on the
page.This may reflect the audience as being boring.
MOJOdoublepage. ■ Layout – There are drop caps throughout the text which focus the
audiences attention onto specific areas of the text. The text forms
around some of the sub-images, this dispels the idea of a formality
as it does not follow a stated structure the whole way through. The
paragraphs themselves are divided into columns as to make it easier
for the audience to read.
■ Colour – Black and white creates the idea of ‘memory lane’ and it
becomes nostalgic for the reader. The red colours of the page
connote passion and also attract the audience’s attention straight to
the red. It’s the boldest colour on the page, so the eyes are naturally
drawn to this. The black of the font is not fully jet black, as you
would expect in a magazine. It looks dusted and fairly washed out,
continuing the retro theme of the magazine. It looks matte, looking
aged.
■ Reference – In the corner of the image on the left, there is a small
reference. This tells the audience who is pictured, where and when
and occasionally who took the photo. This gives the audience
context and gives them an insight into his life and experiences. This
is a typical convention in magazines.
■ Title – There is no title on this page, they expect the reader to
identify the text and see what it’s about. This in a way helps the
enigma code work, since the audience may become intrigued to find
out what this article is about so forces them to read on regardless of
their personal preferences.

Kerrang!Frontcover. Masthead – The masthead is covered by the
main feature image, this suggests that the
audience are more influenced by the featured
guests than the brand itself, it also believes
that people understand the brand already. The
nature of the typography of the masthead
helps the magazine seem more ‘rock n’ roll.
This is because it looks as if it has broken and
chipped, suggesting it’s not all about the
appearance and it’s careless, reflecting
perceptions about the genre.
Colour scheme - Yellow often connotes
happiness and joy however this brings
hazardous substance and police tape to mind.
This is done because the magazine is of the
rock genre, so they want to seem edgy and
messy. The yellow on the cover makes it stand
out against the red as they’re opposite looking
on this page. The white also helps with a stark
contrast on the page. The white is used to
stand out from the black feature image,
catching the audiences attention. This is a fairly
‘loud’ style, attracting the younger audiences
as it doesn’t seem as boring as more classically
designed covers.
Feature photo – The image is a two shot,
displaying presumably two members of Asking
Alexandra. The characters may not be widely
known by the general population. Asking
Alexandra is a fairly new band, so this may be
bound to a very specific audience. This
excludes older audiences and some younger as
well. All the characters on the cover are
making eye contact with the audience as to
create an idea of a physical and emotional
connection.
Characters - The two people in the feature
photo are fairly dressed down, reflecting the
messy conventions within the genre. The one
blocked forwards has his top unbuttoned
slightly, showing he’s not going for a
professional look, he doesn’t need to be and
he’s just a chilled out guy. The one in the back
has long hair which is against common
stereotypes of men, his hair is matted and
messy not groomed as society expects people
to be. They’re a bit rough around the edges,
linking back to the masthead.
Typography – All the characters are
capitalized, this creates the idea of shouting
and significance in the wording. The fonts are
all the same except the masthead so to create
continuity but help the masthead become
iconic and non-generic. The fonts are mostly
different colours too, to create division.
Camerawork – All the images on the cover are
eyelevel as to create a sense of equality
between the audience and the artists featured.
They are medium close up shots as to force the
audience to connect with the
The target audience is teenagers to young adults, 15-
23, males are 10% more likely to read Kerrang!
artists on a deeper level as they become closer to
them.

■ Dateline, price and barcode - The price is displayed in a quite small
font compared to the rest of the fonts within the cover. The dateline
and barcode are common conventions of a magazine to identify an
issue and if at the point of sale, scan and sell the magazine. The
audience expect to see this on a magazine. The price is only £2.50 so
reflects the economic status of the readers. This shows that they
perhaps don’t have a lot of money to spend as students are not
known for not having great amounts of money.
■ Lighting – The photo is very well lit, it is fairly high key lighting with
minimal shadowing. This was shot with three point lighting, a key
light, fill light and back light. It’s naturalistic, creating the idea of
being just a regular image. This relates the image to the audience a
bit since it creates the effect that the characters are just a regular
people like the audience. It also makes the image seem happier,
showing this magazines purpose is to entertain.
■ Buzz word – The words ‘World Exclusive!’ creates the idea that this
magazine is the first with the new information, no one else has it
which is a key idea in the marketing. It creates the idea that this
magazine has a priority for the reader, rather than profits.
■ Language - A lot of the text is fairly formal, with limited
personal/direct address to the audience, this disconnects the
audience however it still uses pull quotes to attract the audience.
Phrases such as ‘The truth’ suggests that the magazine is inviting
the audience into a secret, something that is exclusive and no one
else is allowed access to. Only friends are allowed to know this
secret/truth. This involves the audience on a secondary level,
minimising audience participation but maximising audience
involvement.
■ Plug – ‘6 Amazing posters!’ appeals to the audience as it offers
something free, making them feel as if they’re getting more for their
money. The posters may become a way for teens – young adults to
express themselves. The freebie appeals to them also because teens
and young adults may perhaps not have a lot of money, so they
want the most value for one product. . This is a unique selling point
that is not often used by other magazines. It will most likely also be
the first thing the audience sees as the positioning of this magazine
on a shop shelf means that only the strapline will be visible.
■ Pull quote – “I only agreed to because I was drunk!” helps the
enigma code as it leaves several questions such as ‘agreed to do
what?’ and ‘what happened?’ this may make the reader so intrigued
that they decide to purchase the magazine and perhaps eventually
become a repeat customer.
■ Sub-image – There are many sub-images throughout the page, such
as on the top right. There is preview pictures of the ‘6 AMAZING
POSTERS’, this not only helps the reader identify amazing posters
but also reflects the genre. All the images are rather gothic, a day of
the dead poster, a dark witchy one and a vampire inspired one too.
Those choices are conventionally connected to the rock genre, as
stereotypically, rock is aggressive and spooky. The posters also help
us see the audience is predominantly males, since the women are all
dressed with their cleavage on show. This is a typical example of
gaining the male gaze. The rest of the page is also fairly masculine as
well. The other sub-images are all men. This creates the sense again
that this magazine is meant for men who love being masculine.
Kerrang!frontcover.

■ Who is the text aimed at? The target audience is males
predominantly, 15-23, males are 10% more likely to read Kerrang!
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? The text
assumes the audience have prior knowledge about the artists
featured on the cover, they seem to assume that the audience don’t
know that ‘Danny’ had ever left Asking Alexandra, and assume they
will enjoy finding out that he is back. They also assume that the
freebies will attract the audience, they will appreciate the posters
and perhaps that the audience is expressive due to this ability to
share their favourite artists and other musical references with the
posters.
audience may receive this text both on the internet and a paper
based copy. This is because the audience are younger, so they are
more likely to use electronics as it’s stereotypical that younger
audiences are obsessed with their phones and technology.
Although, some people may get magazines as something they’re
given by a parent or enjoy to have a paper copy.
■ How does this influence the form and structure of the text? There
will have to be some more ‘youth appropriate’ language. The overall
composition will be more messy, this is because conventions
suggest younger audiences like louder covers. The classic style of
magazines such as MOJO is too clean for the target audience. It
creates the impression of a boring magazine.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? The audience may read this
as fun, as there’s many fluorescent colours and ‘edgy’ typography. It
could also be seen as exclusive as it says on the cover. This is because
of the eye contact and the invitational language.
Kerrang!frontcover.

Kerrang!contents. Title – The masthead of this page is unlike
the cover masthead, which seems unusual,
this is not a typical convention of these
magazines. It is capitalised and is
contrasting strongly to the black border and
blocking of the shadowing 3D effect.
Colour scheme – The black and white
scheme creates a harsh contrast, forcing the
audience to see the page. Additionally, the
yellow reinforces this as it very heavily
contrasts with the darkness within the rest
of the cover. It creates a bolder image than if
it were just black and white, which may also
be perceived as a classic and perhaps boring
colour scheme. The use of the yellow helps
rejuvenate the overall page and give the
effect of a radical page. This helps reflect the
genre as rock is often perceived as ‘dirty’
and ‘dangerous’. This is further emphasised
by the yellow and black stripes in the right,
which looks like warning tape, usually found
at unsafe areas.
Pull quote – ‘Despite having no legs, the
Deathbat loved to ride the lightening’ This
quote is extremely context bound to the
band in question. ‘Deathbat’ seems like a
nickname for a specific member of the band.
However, after research, it turns out the
word ‘deathbat’ is a nickname for their logo,
as also pictured on the contents page.
Sub-image – There is a picture of the deputy
editor of the magazine featuring Marilyn
Manson, which is not mentioned in the
subtext. This is a selfie style picture, which
creates an informal feel to the image,
bridging the gap between reader and writer,
creating the idea of friendship and a
community in the magazine.
Sub-headings – The headings ‘NEWS’,
‘FEATURES’ etc. are examples of a typical
convention in contents pages. This helps the
audience narrow down their search and reach
an answer far quicker than if they weren’t
segregated. These subheadings do seem to
be highlighted by the yellow background,
suggesting to the audience these are
specifically important in the page.
Date – The date is a typical convention in
contents pages to establish when the issue
was released, along with this, there is often
an issue number to display how many
issues there has been throughout time.
Page numbers – Whilst there is no page
number on the page, there are pages
referenced throughout as to guide the
readers through the magazine.
This creates exclusivity in the magazine as it restricts understanding for a section
of the audience.

Kerrang!Contents. ■ Language – The page uses extremely informal language as to create
an idea of friendship between the reader and the authors. ‘Lets cut
straight to the point, shall we?’ This is fairly friendly as he’s not
wanting to beat around the bush, he wants to tell you something
directly. He doesn’t seem to be talking to you as a business, rather
like a friend or colleague. ‘Enjoy the issue!’ creates synthetic
personalisation that makes the readers feel like they’re being
directly addressed.
■ Iconography – The use of the logos of bands mentioned on the
covers helps attract audiences as it’s more noticeable than the plain
text, the audience will hopefully recognise the logos and read on.
The placement of these mean that they will be the first thing that
readers will see on the page so that it can attract them very quickly.
■ Sub-image – There are many sub-images throughout the page, such
as on the bottom right. There is preview pictures of the ‘SIX KILLER
POSTERS’, this not only helps the reader identify the killer posters
but also reflects the genre. All the images are rather gothic, a day of
the dead poster, a dark witch/vampire hybrid and a twenty one
pilots image.
■ Those choices are conventionally connected to the rock genre, as
stereotypically, rock is aggressive and spooky. The posters also help
us see the audience is predominantly males, since the women are all
dressed with their cleavage on show. This is a typical example of
gaining the male gaze.
■ These images were also shown on the front cover and are repeated
here to emphasise the freebies in the magazine.The language has
changed from ‘Amazing’ to ‘Killer’. These words are almost complete
binary opposites as one essentially is good and the other not so much.
This is to continue the style on the specific page, the front cover seems
slightly more tame than what has been put on the contents. This may
attract audiences because it seems friendly but appears to have a certain
edge to it as well.
■ Who is the text aimed at? This text is aimed at younger audiences
so it needs to be energised yet still have adults aspects within the
layout. This is because it still needs to have a level of professionalism
as it’s not targeted at really young audiences so It cant be too loud
although its not targeted at old audiences either so it still needs
some life.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? It is assumed
that the audience will make the connection between the logos and
the bands mentioned, and they will understand some of the
sociolect mentioned in the main text/pull quotes.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? This page may help further
intrigue the audience about specific pull quotes in the magazines
front cover. This may be read as friendly since everything is fairly
informal, it’s a messy cover with little order, chaotic perhaps,
reflecting the genre and helping the audience read this as energetic.

Kerrang!Doublepage. Title – ‘Opportunity Knox’ is a
play on words phrase for
‘opportunity knocks’ , mixing
with Mallory Knox, a band
featured. This creates a
humorous tone within the page
from the beginning.
Pull quote – “This album will be
a slap in the face!” is a quote
from within the text that has
been chosen to stand alone
within the page. The language is
extremely informal as it
insinuates a shock for the
audience whilst using words that
may be considered ‘improper’ as
they suggest violence,
something not usually
associated with an album. It
suggests that the album will
shock and surprise the audience,
maybe wake people up and feel
slightly vulnerable.
Sub-image – The only sub-image
on the page is fairly unnoticeable,
which is strange since they’re trying
to plug the album. At first it was
hard to distinguish what the image
was, but it is the new ‘wired’ album
they are promoting. This is done to
give the audience an image of what
it looks like so they can go out and
buy it themselves, they may
remember seeing an image of the
magazine and remember it
sounding ok and choose to
purchase it.
Buzz word – ‘The big story’ suggests that the article is extremely important
and will reveal something that is very exciting. It suggests to the audience
something will be revealed, aiding the enigma code, encouraging people to
read on due to unanswered questions and curiosity.
Sub-headings – The whole article is
a question and answer, so there are
multiple sub-headings as the
question is being asked.
Page numbers – This is a
common convention in
magazines, this is to help guide
readers through a magazine.
However, this page number is
incredibly small, perhaps
indicating that the readers often
specific band, they read throughout.
It may also infer that the company
wants to force readers to read the
whole way through rather than skip
to the one they want, perhaps as a
method of attempting to gain
returning customers.
Layout – The left side of the double
page is barren of text for the
majority whereas the right is
heavily dominated by the text. This
gives the page an overall more
relaxed feeling as there is not too
much content to process. Readers
naturally read left to right, this
means that the creators made the
layout this way as readers can see
the band and decide if they want to
continue reading the article.
Comment – ‘Mikey's Movember
wasn’t going as well as everyone
else's’ This is a quote from the
magazine as to create a funny tone,
it pokes fun at the band, helping
bridge the gap between magazine
and reader.

Kerrang!Doublepage. ■ Colour scheme – Again, following the house style, there is an
abundance of yellow on the page, suggesting danger. This is further
reinforced by the darkness of the overall page. This is a popular
theme throughout the magazine, binary oppositional colours such
as black and white create an ‘edgy’ overall page, helping the genre
be reinforced throughout. The yellow again is often being used to
highlight key aspects in the page, such as the buzz words, band
name and album release date.
■ Characters- All the characters on the page are presumably from the
band, and are expected to be recognised as such by the audience. All
the ‘characters’ sit expressionless, as to create the idea of
seriousness within the article. This contrasts to the idea of
informality as expressed within the language in the main text. The
expressionless figures make the page slightly unwelcoming as they
appear superior to the audience. However, the clothing is very
informal as it is just mainly t-shirts and a basic jacket, this creates
the idea of equality between the reader and the characters.
■ Language – ‘People are closer than ever before because of our
online connectivity’ is an example of a formal utterance, the whole
magazine is based on informal speech and an ‘edgy’ view, however
this contrasts with the idea of this as it is incredibly business-like, as
if they’re selling their brand rather than themselves. This creates
social barriers between the audience and the magazine.
■ Who is the text aimed at? This magazine is targeted at young
adults, this means that the text will attempt to be sophisticated yet
still have youthful elements to it.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? It’s assumed
that the audience recognise the artists and understand the play on
words of ‘opportunity Knox’. If the audience didn’t understand this is
using the band ‘Mallory Knox's name, this may just look like an error.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? The audience will read this
as personal, as the artists are answering questions genuinely about
their new album. This reduces the barrier between the band and the
readers.

QFrontcover. Masthead –The masthead is covered by the
main feature image, this suggests that the
audience are more influenced by the featured
guests than the brand itself, it also believes
that people understand the brand already. The
bright red colour and white Q force it to stand
out on the page, this helps it become iconic
and easily recognisable to the audience.
Colour scheme - The page is filled with a lot
of green tones, this is to help the red stand
out as green is a complimentary colour of red.
This helps the overall page have a seemingly
more professional look, and as if the
magazine is higher end.
The red within the page is used as
red attracts the eye most, suggesting the
artists are less important than the brand
itself, helping create the iconic imagery in the
logo. The name of 'green day' is also in red,
helping the idea of brands over people as it
doesn't force the image of the band forwards,
rather just the name and forces the reader to
associate with the band.
The green filter on the image creates a
'grungy' feel as it looks old and perhaps dirty
or septic. This is accompanied by messy
characters, reinforcing the idea of
industrialization and carelessness.
Pull quote - 'my life in the smiths and above'
is a quote by Johnny Marr. This is done to help
give the readers a small insight into the
article, a summary of what they could read.
However, it is unconventional that they do
not place a pull quote from the interview
Feature photo – The feature photo is of the
band 'green day' to promote the exclusive
content. The green lighting over the set
creates a dirty image, connoting a grungy
band, as pictured. The lighting itself helps
represent the band in the genre they wish to
be involved in. The director/photographer has
blocked this in a way to suggest that they're
positioned in terms of power and influence in
this same way. The front runner, is the singer
and the ones behind are instrument players.
Sub-image – The sub-image is Johnny Marr,
of the smiths. This image is in close up, with
chiaroscuro lighting which is an unusual
choice. This could represent the 'life beyond
the smiths' quote to its left, from the
pictured. This is to show that there's
something the audience may not be seeing,
which would indicate to by private life. Marr
is looking slightly up at the camera,
suggesting a slight high angle. Marr is making
a serious facial expression, suggesting that
the article is too serious.
Camerawork- This image is a medium long shot, which
is level. This creates a sense of equality between the
readers and the artists.
The target audience is 30-40 year olds who are
interested in alternative music.
from 'green day' suggesting that they expect
their readers to already know what to expect
from the band.

Qfrontcover. ■ Plug – ‘Your ticket in!’ This offers the readers an opportunity,
appealing to the uses and gratifications model and the
entertainment and social interaction uses. This offers the readers an
opportunity to be involved in something bigger than themselves.
■ Banner – The use of the banner is important, it shows the audience
who features in the magazine without overcrowding the page with
sub-images of each group. The centralization and red colouring
attracts the audience straight to the banner. The big names also
require big font sizing, this again forces the audience’s attention on
to the banner.
■ Language – ‘And a few more people who should know better’ This is
a joke to engage the audience, some may be attracted by the
enigma code, questioning what bad happened to spark this
comment.
■ Buzz word – ’14 page exclusive’ suggests to the audience that they
are receiving something no one else has access to. This adds a layer
of personalisation for the audience, they may feel as if the magazine
is being their friend through this method.
■ Puff – ‘The worlds best music magazine’. This is a self-acclaimed
title, it is not necessarily the views of the actual music magazine
genre however it does attract the audience. This is a key selling point
as it offers a unique selling point. It’s the best in the market so why
buy anything else?
still have youthful aspects such as brighter colours and messier
layouts.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? It is assumed
that the audience will recognise bands and the artists pictured on
the cover. There are many bands mentioned on the covers,
assuming that the audience will know who these people are. It also
assumes that the audience will want to read about Jonny Marr’s life
and other antics.
audience are most likely to pick this up in a local shop as it comes
out. They may not be awaiting the publication of the issue so eagerly
that they wait at the store door to get the magazine but they may
be reminded of the new issue and go to buy it when already
shopping.
■ How does this influence the form and structure of the text? As it
will be viewed in a stack of other magazines, the top banner is
usually very visually important. Without this, readers may not be as
quickly attracted to the magazine.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? A fair amount on this page
is based on the hope the readers will be intrigued by what they’re
seeing, which is how audiences do ‘read’ this text.

QContents. Masthead – The logo of
the magazine is still
present, this shows that
the brand is always
important to the reader
and the company.
Sub-image- This is blocked in a way that suggests the man in the front is
the lead singer, and the rest his band members. There is also a grey
background showing that they’re a heavy band. This band turns out to be
Metallica, who are a rock group. The grey background and black clothing
create an edgy atmosphere which is perhaps dirty, reflecting the band.
Feature photo – The photo on
the page is of Jonny Marr, he is
also mentioned on the front
cover. This creates continuity
throughout the
magazine. This may also help
the audience re-enforce the
image of Marr.
Sub-image- There are many
sub-images throughout this
magazine, these are
presumably other featured
artists within the magazines.
There are small caption boxes
to tell the audience who each
of the images are and where
to find their articles.
Camerawork- The
camerawork on the feature
photo is employing a low
angle shot, this creates the
idea that he has more
power over the audience
than they do him, this is
because he is/was a
member of the smiths.
This means that he is far
more famous than the rest
of the audience probably,
so it suggests that the
audience look up to him as
an icon, and perhaps
Issue date- This is a common convention of contents
pages, it shows the audience when the magazine was
published as to keep the reader informed.
Language- All the articles are
introduced with the band
name rather than a cleverly
thought out headline as seen
in many other magazines. This
gives the impression that this
magazine is serious about
music and doesn’t want to
‘beat around the bush’ with
their articles. They want to get
directly to the point quickly to
keep the audience entertained
and let them know things
quickly.
Sub-image- The
remainder of the sub-
images seem to create a
friendly atmosphere,
they’re all smiling or acting
casually rather than rigid
or more entitled than the
audience.
he looks
down on the
people.
Page references- There are
numbers to each article, showing
the readers where to go.

Qcontents. ■ Colour scheme- The page is all fairly dull, with minimal bright
colours, any colours that are becoming bright are muted, this
creates a grungy look to the overall text. Red is tied in in a number of
places to help the audience create a link between this colour and the
brand. White and black are also used a fair amount of time to create
a classic feel. Blue is also employed as it is a complimentary colour,
making it pleasing to the eye.
■ Typography- The text looks like the font ‘PLAYBILL’ in some places
such as the text ‘How to survive rock n’ roll’ This creates a cowboy,
gangster feel to the text. This supports the genre as it emphasises
freedom and rebellion, which is a common characteristic for both
gangsters/cowboys and the alternative music genre. The majority of
the rest of the text is just in a clear font so the readers can see what
they’re reading clearly without having to enlarge the font so much it
becomes tacky.
■ Layout- There’s a collage theme throughout this page, all the
images are pieced together as if random and the text just fits where
it can in blocks. However, the text does still seem fairly structured as
there is still a formal layout.
layouts.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? There are not
many assumptions in this magazine, the common assumptions that
the readers will recognise the artist are minimal as there are caption
boxes to help the reader if they’re unsure.
audience will have probably bought this magazine by this point so
they may be reading this at home or where they usually read.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? The audience should read
this text as friendly and informative as it is purely there to direct the
reader to the next stage of their reading.

Qdoublepage. Title– ‘In full bloom’ is a
strange phrase to open an
article with, this however
does link to the bands
name, ‘Blossoms’. Without
contextual knowledge, the
audience may be slightly
confused by the title. It’s
also printed with the spray
paint effect, inferring
rebellion and rock n’ roll.
Graffitiing is illegal for the
most part, using this effect
creates the idea that the
band are rulebreakers and
don’t take any regard of
authority. This is another
common characterisation
of Rock n’ Roll that has
become personified
throughout many years.
Feature photo – This photo
is similar to all the other
images in the sense that it’s
not particularly bright,
which is a similar attribute
throughout this magazine.
They chose to take this
picture in an industrialised
area that is grungy, and a
little bit dirty. This creates
the impression that the
artists don’t care about
materialistic settings and
being manipulated to an
extent, they’d prefer to be
in a setting that people can
recognise from their
everyday lives. It also
suggests that their music is
somewhat ‘dirty’ and
‘unclean’ which again links
back to common views and
attributes of the genre of
music.
Camerawork- This image
is a medium long shot,
creating space between
the audience and the band.
This is done so the
audience can see the
whole picture, they can see
how the artists carry
Colour scheme- The red links back to the house
style/main colourings, the magazine continually
links back to the red to create an iconic and
associated colour. The grey and white creates a
dull atmosphere but the red revitalises it.
Page number- There are no page numbers on this page which is strange as the referred
pages on the contents page suggest they assume readers will direct themselves by the
numbers. As there is no numbers, it could infer that the readers will be attracted to the
image and appeal to the enigma code where they are intrigued by the images.
themselves and dress etc. This helps
the audience feel less distant in a
way to the artists as it doesn’t
create a heavily manipulated image,
it looks somewhat genuine.
Credits- There is a box at
the top of the left page
giving credits for the
image. This is a
professional image, whilst
it looks a variation of
candid.

Qdoublepage. ■ Typography- The main body of text is very clear, it is not in a funny
font like the title, this is done for ease of reading for the audience.
This is also the same font that is seen on the contents page, this
creates continuity in the magazine making it seem like one whole
issue rather than many disjointed articles. The font of the
subheading is capitalised, this creates the idea that what we are
reading is fairly important.
■ Layout- There is one full page dedicated to the image, this suggests
the importance of inclusion of faces, they need to be shown to
create a relationship between the reader and the artists. There is
only half a page dedicated to text on this spread however, the text
does extend past this. The use of the small amount of text is like an
introduction in a manner of speaking. It gives the general gist of the
text and if readers want to continue, they can, if they don’t want to,
they don’t have to. This saves the time of the reader and is a very
good way to attract audiences.
■ Character- All but one of the characters are dressed in leather
jackets. Leather jackets are usually associated with rebels, as
popularised in the later 20th century mainly popularised through the
greaser subculture (Greasers are a working-class youth subculture
that was popularized in the late 1940s and 1950s by middle and
lower class teenagers in the United States. Rock and roll music, and
rockabilly, were major parts of the culture). All but one character
have long hair too, signifying rebellion against typical conventions of
men and women. The one man without all these is a less-cool
version of all of them and is perhaps the front runner, which is why
he is not dressed in the same fashion all the other men are.
■ Language-The text is extremely informal ‘Me mums screaming’ is
an example of non-standard dialectal English. This interview is not a
standard one, that has to be posh or even correct/standard English.
It then seems like a chilled out interview, there’s no rules it seems.
The whole article is also told like a story, filling the audience in with
all that has gone on making the audience feel as if they’re becoming
friends with the writer and they’re recounting a story that may be
fairly personal.
layouts.
■ What assumptions are made about the audience? There is one
main assumption, that the audience will understand the title ‘in full
bloom’, making a joke out of the name ‘Blossoms’. This may not be
understood by those who don’t know the band. However, usually in
many magazines it leaves the audience to figure out who each band
member is, however it does tell the audience who each member is.
Which limits the contextual knowledge needed.
■ How will the audience ‘read’ this text? The audience will hopefully
read this and become engaged, this is meant to be read as intriguing
and interesting.

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