The document analyzes the use of signs in the covers and contents of two rock music magazines, Kerrang! and NME. It discusses how the magazines use iconic, indexical, and symbolic signs through their colors, typography, images, and layouts to appeal to their target audiences. Specifically, it notes how the magazines use green, black, and white colors that reference bands' logos and the rock genre. Images of popular bands are also used iconically. Typography and language aim to connect with readers through informal styles and references to rock culture. Overall layouts and large central images are designed to catch readers' eyes.

1. Main Cover image’s

3. Colour
The colours used on the ‘Rock Sound’ magazine are mostly
‘Greens, black and white’s. The green colour was used as an
‘Iconic sign’ as the green is the same the colour that the bands
logo is. (The cover photo band) This will be iconic as the fans of
the band will recognise the colour scheme so they will buy the
magazine as they think it will be about the band and it will also
be eye-catching for them. The green colour could also be an
indexical sign because the dark green represents money and
wealth so by using the colour it could show that band is wealthy
and earns a lot of money as well as the magazine being a
wealthy magazine. This will mean that people will buy the
magazine and read it as they will think that they could learn to
become rich and earn a lot of money like the band.

4. Typography
The typography which is used is symbolic. This is because for their main
headline they have used the bands logo which means that fans of the
band will easily recognise the logo and associated it with their love for
the band meaning that they are more likely to buy it because it features
their favourite band. The front cover also uses words such as ‘kill switch’
‘death’ and ‘unbetroth’ which is stereotypically known for being linked to
the audience of the ‘rock genre’ The preferred reading interpretation of
this could be that they are trying to appeal to the stereotypical audience
and what they are most likely to see but the oppositional reading for this
suggests that it is to ‘gruesome’ for a magazine cover and that it’s not
needed and they are trying to overplay the stereotypical audience and
not many people will find magazine appealing as they will say it is to
stereotypical.

5. Images
The camera shot for the ‘rock Sound’ magazine cover image is a
‘Medium Close Up’ of the band uses a low angle it gives the
impression that the artists are looking down and by them pulling a
serious facial expression also adds to the impression of this. This
could be considered an indexical sign as well as symbolic. It could
be symbolic as it could show that the band are serious about their
music and the fans know that they are a serious band but the
indexical is that it links to the image of the band and the theme of
‘Rock Music’ as rock artists are sterotypically meant to look
aggressive and with them wearing ‘All Black’ adds to this effect as
many people who wear all black can be see as aggressive.

6. The main image is also of a popular band ‘My Chemical
Romance’ This is iconic as the picture of the band is
representing not only the band and their music but the
genre of the band as they are ‘rock Groups’ This also links
to being a symbolic sign as the fans of the band will
instantly recognise their faces on the front and as they like
the music of that band they will buy the magazine not only
to look at their band but to also look at the other music
inside as they will recognise that they like the genre of the
music.

8. The colours used in the Kerrang! Magazine are again
black and white’s but they also have used brighter red’s
and yellows. They could have done this to represent the
band’s music as the bright colours could be considered
happy colours and the band’s music is usually about
happier topics. The indexical sign is that the colours
‘red’ and yellow represent energy which the band has
as they are an energetic group and red also represents
power which a lot of power in the music industry.
Both magazines have black and white colours on
them this could be linked to the genre of music as
black usually represent Power, evil, mystery and
white represents the opposite of light, goodness
and purity. Which reflects the rock genre as it can
be evil and quite dark but it can also represent
light subjects such as love and happiness.

9. Typography
This magazine uses iconic signs within their typography as
the magazine says exactly what each thing is for the reader
for example they use a lot of pugs and the pugs tell the
reader exactly what is included in the magazine by saying it
is a ‘poster special’. This means that if the reader see’s it
they will see straight away if they will want it be seeing what
is included.

10. Images
 The central image for this magazine is of the band ‘Paramore’ this
could be an iconic and an symbolic sign because the reader will
straight away see who it is but also it will be symbolic for the fans
of the band because they will be able to connect with the picture of
the band meaning that they are likely to buy the magazine.
 The Kerrang magazine makes the artists wear all black as again it
gives the ‘stereotypical’ look which is associated
with the genre (aggressive) they also use lower angles and a
‘Wide shot’ which shows all of the person in the image. This shows
dominance with in the picture and shows that the artists have
power and as many people look up to them you would expect
them to have power. It may make them also look ‘scary’ and with
their straight facial expressions people may argue that this links in
to the camera shot which links back into the theme of them looking
‘aggressive which links back into the theme.

11. Contents

12.  The language used in the Kerrang magazine contents page
is a mix of formal and informal and uses language which
many young people wouldn’t understand. This suggests that
it is more for the older teenage audience which could be
considered an arbitary sign as it has been learnt through
culture that teenagers have a good vocabulary so that’s why
they used more formal language. This is also the same for
NME magazine, they have also used more informal
language especially language which teenagers such as
‘Mosh’ are more likely to understand compared to younger
and really older people, they also both use explanation
marks which again shows more of an informal language as
in a magazine for older people they wouldn’t use them as
they want to seem more formal.

13. Both contents pages use images of artists either
performing or posing in a picture. These could be
considered symbolic signs because the fact they are
showing performers it symbolises what it is like to
performer and also the limelight you get when you are a
performer. They also symbolise the magazine and what it
is about, as the magazine focuses on artists and music
the images are clearly showing that which also helps the
reader to understand what that magazine is about
especially as the picture’s are relevant to the articles in
the magazine.

14. Double Page Spreads

15. For the double page spreads the both use a big image in the
centre of the pages which take up most of the space so it is
more eye-catching and more recognisable for the audience. This
is an iconic sign because of the fact that the images are of
known and popular bands, this means that the audience will
recognise the band straight away especially if they are big fans
which means that they will read the articles as they will think it is
about that band.

16.  The typography on both of the pages is most informal serif
but there is also some sans-serif which are used on the
title’s of the page and the words which stand out. These
could be considered symbolic signs because the audience
will a connection with the typography which is used. For
example the typography used for ‘A day to remember’ could
resemble school type writing especially which you see in
films and on posters at the end of the year which means it
also could be an iconic sign. Also for the ‘Dirty Little Secrets’
the ‘Dirty Little’ is in sans-serif writing and in pink which
gives the idea to the audience that it is more girly especially
as TV shows about secrets and society stereotypically link
girls to secrets and as pink is a girly colour it defiantly
resembles this to the audience.

17.  The preferred reading for the typography which the
magazine uses is that they want it to relate to the
audience because they want them to be able to
connect with the article but the oppositional reading
could be that they are trying to stereotype their
audience with the use of their typography for example
by using ‘dirty little’ in feminine writing it is
stereotyping girls saying that they all and only have
dirty little secrets and men don’t which alsp could be
considered as sexist.