Analysis of existing rock Magazine front covers

KERRANGColour scheme: the background of the cover is a blue/gray which is a similar shade to the clothing ‘Billy Joe’ is wearing. ‘Billy Joe’ still stands out however as they have used a from centre shading style. The three main colours used are white green and yellow, which stand out against the blues/gray tones in the

background.

Images: There are 3 photos used on this front cover all differing on size depending on their importance. the main image is the largest of the three and is slightly to the left of the centre. The image is of ‘Billy Joe’ the lead singer from ‘Green Day’ a successful American rock band. The image is not posed so looks a lot more natural. It was probably taken as he performed as he is sweaty and his posture suggests he is tired and just finished playing. The photo of ‘Slipknot’ is the second most important because of its size. The colours of the photo are similar to the ones on the picture of ‘Billy Joe’.

Text: there are 5 different fonts of varying sizes. The majority of the fonts are sans serif so are easy to read and understand. Also the tag line uses a distressed font to add edge and personality to the cover. Tag lines like WTF ‘Harry Potter joins the Gallows’ grab the readers attention as well as other words like ‘plus’ and ‘win’.

Q

Colour scheme: the red black white and gray used on this issue is typical of a conventional rock music magazine. The background is varying shades of gray. This gives a professional look as it adds depth and looks better than just one block colour.

Images: There are only two images on the cover giving the cover more space and clarity which is unusual on a rock magazine. However this does give the cover a more high end professional look. This could make the magazine standout from other more generic and cluttered rock magazines as being a more professional rock magazine which features more well known artists and has ‘better’ (just released news, more reliable, world exclusives, first look ect) content.

Text and font: The masthead is a main focus with the main image actually drawing our attention to it by giving the illusion that ‘Matt Bellamy’ (the artist shown by the main image) has smashed it with his guitar. This is quite unusual as conventionally the main image goes in front of the masthead sometimes even partially covering it. However on this magazine the masthead is a main focus for the audience possibly suggesting that either they are trying to establish the brand more or that the brand itself is a selling point and is acknowledged in its own right by the audience. This is also supported by the fact that Matt Bellamy himself is acknowledging the brand by ‘him smashing’ the masthead. This will encourage fans of Matt Bellamy to buy the magazine as if it has his attention then they will be compelled to give it their attention too. Secondly the fact that the mast head has a smashed effect supposedly inflicted through violence gives the magazine more of a rebellious rock feel and therefore more likely to sell to a rock target market. The other fonts used are bold and simple making them easy to read more eye catching and bold, so that they fit into rock style. The language used is informal appealing to a younger market. Words such as nutjobs give a more laid back feel which appeals to a wider target market. Along with lines like ‘sex, drugs&… yeh right’ which is reference to a popular rock saying makes the magazine appeal directly their target market of ‘rockers’.

NMEImages: Three images are used on this front cover one main image intended to capture the audiences attention, and two smaller images to show other articles that might inspire the audience to buy it. The main image showing Johnny Marr (left on main image) intrigues the audience due to his secretive body language. Furthermore as his is looking directly at the camera the audience feels involved and directly addressed by him so is more likely to feel the need to find out what happened and thus buy the magazine.

Colour scheme: black white red and a yellow/gold is the colour scheme used on this magazine. The colours are fairly typical of a rock magazine. Red being a frequently used for its connotations of danger and passion which is part of the main rock ideals/image.

Text/font : All 3/4 fonts are very similar which makes the cover bland but simple and united.the fonts are sans serif so are easy to read. The language used is more formal than most rock magazines with few puffs. However it does feature two quotes which will interest the reader in the articals.