Analysis of magazine front

covers

Analysis of magazine front covers

Cover 1.NME Sept 2009

Dizzee Rascal Edition

Masthead:The NME’s masthead takes up the

most part of the upper left corner of

the magazine. It is big and bold and

sets the colour scheme with its

black, white and red design. The

colours are generic and do not

represent a certain genre of

music, this connoting that the

magazine covers a range of genres

and has something for everyone.

Main Image: *The main image is a long shot of Dizzee

Rascal, the angle at which he and the

background is positioned makes up for the

white space left at the top, which is then

occupied with cover lines. Dizzee’s clothing

matches the colour scheme and is typical of

a stereotypical urban artist, helping to show

the singers personality and style of which he

works in. The main image is the most

prominent thing on the front cover, it steals

your attention from the cover lines due to

the fact that its lively, vibrant and open to

the audience.

Main Cover Line/ Use of pull quote:The main cover line ‘Dizzee Rascal’ is just

as big and bold and in your face as the

main image, clearly showing they are

linked and are the main feature of this

issue. ‘Dizzee’ is not written in a straight

line but to an angle instead* It is informal

and makes a large statement just like the

artist himself, giving the audience a slight

feel of what the article will be about/like.

The use of a pull quote helps to enforce

this further, its direct and informal manor

helps represent Dizzee as a person which

then goes on to reflect the type of music he

produces.

Header

Cover lines:

The coverlines

The use of

a flash

Footer: The footer is made up of a white banner which has the

name of bands and artists written on it, this is to show the audience a

snippet of what is in this issue of the magazine.

Barcode: The barcode is

visible on the bottom right hand

corner.

Analysis of magazine front covers

Cover 2. Kerrang.

Masthead: Kerrang’s masthead is

Iconic and very representative of

its content. It takes up the top of

the page with its lettering in

cracked capitals and the addition

of an exclamation at the end it

connotes mayhem and glass

shattering sounds which all lead

back to the Rock’N’Roll genre

that Kerrang covers.

Use of

Flash

Main Coverline: The main

coverline takes up the width

of the page with its white

lettering in capitals and a

very messy font making it

look as though it has been

part handwritten connoting a

more personal affect. The

‘Black Veil Brides’ is in

white with black splattered

across the top, which links

in with the bands

image, showing that the

coverline is linked with the

main image.

Main Image: This is a long shot of the

American band, Black Veil Brides.

They are all dressed in black with

makeup and body (war) paint evident

over their face and body, with their hair

teased and styled. Their clothing is

ripped and accessorised with chains

and belts. Their image is very

representative of the stereotypical glam

rock image, their ripped clothing

matches the cracked

masthead, connoting back to the

heaviness of the music that Kerrang

cover.

Header/Banner: The banner has

a sub heading informing the

audience of the chance to win

tickets to the music festival,

Download.

Coverlines: The coverlines are

all music based with mention of

other bands written in yellow

with the additional information

in white and black, contrasting

to the red background they have.

Footer: the footer is full of bands

that are featuring in the

magazine.

Features/ Other pictures: The other pictures that are situated at the bottom of the

page are a little snapshot of what is inside of the magazine. They are used to

catch the eye of the audience and make them more liable to buy the issue.

Barcode and the price

of the magazine.

Masthead: The masthead

is situated at the top left hand

corner of the page. It is a bold

block of red with a white ‘Q’.

The red connotes importance

and sophistication which then

goes on to represent this

magazine as a whole.

Underneath the ‘Q’ there is

‘Discover Great Music’ written

in white also, from research I

have seen that this is not

generic and sometimes isn’t

used.

Main Coverline: The

main coverline takes up the rest

of the space left by the

masthead, it uses a range of

fonts and a pull quote. It is

written in white and is very

bold, reflecting the type of

woman that people may think

Florence to be.

Use of

Flash

Coverlines: The

coverlines are very informal

and direct towards the

audience. They are all in white

with little blue dividers that

show each coverline is

separate, there is also use of

blue bullet points to indicate

headings of articles within the

magazine. The colour theme is

stuck to by the use of these

blue dividers.

Main Image: The main

image is a close up of Florence

and the Machine’s lead singer,

Florence Welch. The image takes

up the whole of the page leaving

no white space, the singer is

looking directly at the camera

with very dramatic eye make up

consisting of blue and white

which then goes on to set the

colour scheme theme of the front

cover. The contrast of her pale

skin and red hair matches to the

magazines masthead.

Barcode

Analysis of magazine Contents Page’s

Analysis of magazine Contents Page’s

1.NME Sept 2009

Dizzee Rascal Edition

Band Index: The Bands

are all written in red which

links with the masthead

and the fact that it’s a

music magazine.

Main Image: The main image has a

much more laid back approach in

contrast to the one we saw on the

front cover, it is not as bold yet it is

still very dominant over the page.

The tour bus has connotations of

festivals which then links the picture

with the respected text underneath it.

The image is edited so it looks as

though it is a photograph, this giving

it a personal feel, making the

audience feel as though the magazine

is personal to them.

Masthead and Banner: The masthead, alongside CONTENTS

is in its own banner, it has been pushed slightly to the right by

the band index which connotes that the magazine isn't as

important as what's inside of it. The masthead is generic to the

one on the front cover and once again, sets the colour scheme.

Here they are promoting

themselves and taking up the

remaining white space with

previous/future editions of

NME. It shows the details of

their website and phone number

with yellow text just before, this

contrasting with the original

colour scheme and catching the

audience’s attention.

date

Sub Headings: Sub headings are

blocked out into black sub

sections. The are brief headings

and summaries of the content

with the page number in red, a

slight contrast/difference to the

band index, where the writing

was in red and the page number

in black.

Editors introduction.

Analysis of magazine Contents

Page’s 2. Kerrang

Main Image: The main image

is a medium long shot of the same

band that was present on the front

cover, this time they are standing in

front of a deep red background

which contrast with their black

clothes and pale faces. The red

connotes danger, something that

some people may associate with

this band based on their

appearance. The band members are

all facing the camera surrounding

the lead singer.

Editors Note: The editors note is situated at the bottom of the page

taking up two columns, with a picture to go with it. There is a signature

that looks as if it is hand written, making it more personal.

Header/banner: The magazines

masthead is accompanied by the

title, contents, which is written in the same

manor. It is all in capitals with the a toned

down cracked effect, it is in bright yellow

that contrasts strongly with the black

background.

Date and Issue Number: The date and issue number are

written in the same yellow as

the title, both written in capitals

and situated in the same banner

as the masthead and title.

Index/Sub Sections: The index

takes up one column on the right

hand side of the page. It is devised

into subsections that help divide up

the magazine into relevant articles.

The sub headings are in the same

style as the banner, with yellow

writing in capitals on a black

background. The page numbers are

written in red with the article names

and brief overview in black. The

article names are all written in

capitals making them bold and stand

out.

Advertisement: Next to the

contest details concerning Black

Veil Brides the store in which the

merchandise (the top) is from is

advertised using their logo.

Here they are using the bottom right

corner to promote their subscription

deal and details. It shows previous

issues of the magazine next to the

information. The text matches the

colour theme that has been present

throughout.

Analysis of magazine Contents

Page’s 3. Q.

Main Image: The image is a low angle

long shot showing a male band on a hill

top, the sky is grey and the scenery is dull and

moody with only a splash of dark greens to

line up the shot. Being a low angle shot

connotes the importance of the males in the

shot and the low key lighting connotes the

style of the band.

Header/Banner: The

banner runs across the top of the

page in a black strip. The

masthead is at the very start

followed by the title ‘Contents’

in striking white capitals that

stand out against the black

behind them. The date and

website are also found here at

the right.

Index/Sub Sections: The

index is on the left hand column

with the page numbers in red and

the writing in black . This changes

with the ‘Oasis Special’ where the

page numbers are in gold, this

connoting that the articles

mentioned are important and are

of higher status than the rest. The

index is split into subsections that

help divide up the magazine into

relevant articles. The subsections

are headed with a red banner and

white writing, showing a clear

divide.

Banner: Here there is another banner almost

identical to the one on the top of the page, however

this one is used as a subheading for a subsection in

the index. This indicates that this is the main

generic feature that is in every issue. The

information is accompanied with a picture and a

different colour background to the other part of the

index, this making it isolated from the rest of the

index, making it a little index of its own.

Pull Quote: The pull quote is situated on the

main image, showing it is related to it. The title

and page number is larger than the other s

connoting that it is of importance .

Date: The date and issue number is

situated in the same banner as the

masthead and title. It is around the same

size font as the article titles that are in the

index, with a black background the white

font stands out. It is clean and concise,

with the magazines website underneath.

Other pictures: The only other picture that is on the contents page is a long shot of a well dressed male with high key

lighting and a pale surroundings, making him appear to be very striking yet angelic. On the bottom left hand corner of the image

is a page number and the males name, this being singled out shows that he is the reviewer.

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES- DOUBLE PAGE

SPREAD

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES- DOUBLE PAGE

SPREAD 1 NME

Main image: The

medium close up

image of Dizzee

Rascal takes up the

whole of the left page.

We see the Singer

contributing to the

wall of street art

(graffiti) that is behind

him. The graffiti

connotes all things

urban and links back

to the type of style

Dizzee works in.

Page number: The

page number, NME

title and date is on

the bottom left hand

side of the page. Other Images: The other images of the radio and empty larger

bottles all seem to be part of the background, connoting the lifestyle

in which urban music suits.

Sub Heading: The sub

heading is situated

underneath the main

heading and above the

article. It is in a slightly

larger font that the article

and highlights Dizzee’s

name in bold.

Main heading/headline: The main heading takes up half of the right

page, using different sized font that are all in caps. It is slightly off balance

and looks as though it has been handwritten, this linking back to the

background of the main image and the word ‘ TAGS’, all representing Dizzee

as an artist and the music genre his music falls onto.

Caption: The

caption saying

Dizzee is on the top

right corner of the

right page.

Byline: The by-line is

crediting the author

and photographer next

to the main heading..

Copy: The copy (text)

is laid out into 4

columns with text

wrapping around the

image of the radio.

The columns are of all

relatively the same

size, situated

underneath the sub

heading.

Drop caps: The drop cap is

six lines deep, in the same font

as the rest of the text.

Analysis of articles – Double

Page Spread 2 . Kerrang

Main Heading/Pull-quote : The title is a quote from one of the band members from My

Chemical Romance, it ,takes up a good part of the left page, spilling out onto the right. It is

all in capital letters in a bold red and white font. It is not in a straight line that goes against

the conventions of a normal magazine, connoting a certain rebellion which reflects the type

of music being conveyed.

Main Image: The main

image takes up the whole

of the left page, it is a

black and white medium

shot of the lead singer in

the middle of a

performance. Out of

focus, behind the lead

singer is the drummer in

the middle of playing and

the stage equipment.

Situated on the bottom

right hand corner is a

separate picture of

another member of the

band, which is also in

black and white.Other Pictures: The other pictures are all situated

at the bottom of the page directly next to one

another. They too, are in black and white and show

the band at the recording studios.

Drop Cap: The drop cap is a bold red

capital ‘M’ that takes up 5 lines. It is in the

same font as all the other text that has been

used throughout.

Copy: The copy (text) is laid

out into two columns that are

relatively small due to the

dominant images on the page.

It is all one font and in white

to make sure it stands out

against the black

background, the colour theme

matching the pictures and

linking them nicely.

Column: On the right hand

side is a column that stands

out from the rest due to its

white background, black text

and use of red, which

indicates that this is different

from what the two other

columns are about but still has

relevance because of the

colours used.

Caption: The caption

is at the top left of the

page, it is in capitals

with red lettering.

There is an extension

to the right side of it

saying ‘world

exclusive’ in white

lettering on a red

background. Sub Heading: Just like

the title, the sub heading is

slightly wonky and not in a

straight line. The bands

name is in bold which

shows importance and

exclamation of the

sentence.

Analysis of articles – Double

Page Spread 3. Q

Main Image: The

main image takes up

the whole of the left

page, spilling over into

the right. Apart from

the title, the image is

the most dominating

feature on this double

page spread, with a

long shot of Florence

posing in a seated

position on top of what

we can only assume as

a table covering in an

American flag. The

bright colours of the

flag and her hair

contrast strongly with

her black outfit and

matching black heels.

Her sitting on the edge

of the flag, grabbing

onto the edge connotes

that although she is on

top of America, she is

also holding on tightly

to make sure she

doesn’t let it get out of

her grasp.

Caption: The caption

is on the top right hand

corner of the right page.

Copy: The copy (text) is in three

columns, all larger than the one

previous to it. It is all on the right

page with one font that runs

throughout.

Page number: The page number is

at the bottom of the

page in red. Drop Cap: The drop cap is seven lines deep, in the

same font as the last part of the coverline, it is

elegant yet bold at the same time, reflecting the type

of woman Florence bay be presented as.

Sub Heading: The sub

heading is situated

underneath the coverline

and above the text, it is in

a larger font that the copy

and has used blue to

highlight the singers

name. It ends with a

rhetorical question

making it direct and

slightly informal,

grabbing the audiences

attention.

By line: The by line is

situated underneath the

main coverline/title.

Main heading/Title: The main coverline takes up both pages, it is two different

fonts that break it up as though it is two separate titles. The ‘USA’ is in grey, and

almost fades into the background, allowing the ‘got the love’ to stand out , this

being important because it links back to one of her song titles that she covered.