Music Magazine

The title of this magazine ‘Kerrang!’ it is displayed in black and bold writing with the effect of lines running through it which gives the effect of it being shattered, or broken glass. This could imply that the magazine involves loud, rock, or heavy music which would be typically thought of as violent. The title still stands out and is noticeable even though the central image covers most of it, which suggests that it was intended for the audience to be attracted by the band on the cover rather than the name of the magazine.

The masthead is placed right at the top of the magazine where it can easily be seen and it includes 2 features. One feature includes ‘Asking Alexandria’ which will attract audiences who like that band and want to hear about them. The other feature claims ‘15 STUDIO REPORTS!’ followed by names of bands which will help to entice the audience into wanting to read the magazine.

The main central image is the band ‘All Time Low’ and it is the main focus of the magazine. It fits in with the rock genre of the magazine as 2 of the band members are raising stereotypical rock hand signs. The way the central image is set out, the lead singer(Alex Gaskarth) is placed in the middle, in front of the other band members. This tells the audience that he is the lead singer of the band and therefore will make them more recognizable.

The coverlines on the front cover mention a lot of popular groups and artists such as ‘Metallica’, ‘Led Zeppelin’ and ‘Guns N’ Roses’ who belong to the same rock genre. This will capture audiences as they can clearly see which bands are featured inside and they might want to read about them.

The anchorage text includes a line that says “Puke! Nudity! Total Mayhem!” This could suggest that the type of music that All Time Low make isn’t going to be relaxed or laid-back, it’s more of an extreme type of music and this would help to attract kerrang audiences who would enjoy this kind of music.

This has the biggest section in the contents page which suggests that ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ could be the main band featuring in the magazine and the text and image are bigger than the feature about ‘Alice In Chains’ and ‘August Burns Red’ which shows that Bring Me The Horizon will have the biggest article.

The colour scheme of this contents page is simple and doesn’t have too many colours, it uses black, white, red and the extra colour yellow to highlight the titles of the contents, this the traditional rock colour scheme.

The contents are listed very clearly so the audience can read it easily and see if there is a feature that appeals to them which would make them want to buy it.

The headline reads ‘Contents’ in big yellow writing to make it stand out and making it obvious what the page will be about. This tells audiences clearly what is featured in the magazine so if they are just browsing they can find out if they are interested in buying it. It draws attention to the articles that include the biggest and most popular bands and artists, trying to target people that would be interested in reading about them.

The layout of the Contents page is easy to read, as it has the headline “Kerrang! This week!” which clearly tells you where to look when you want to find out the contents of the magazine, where they are listed in small columns underneath. They also include images of album covers and band members to attract the reader. The other half of the page has a big image of ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ which tells the reader the biggest article will be about that band, which is used to draw in readers.

The colour scheme of the double page spread consists of 3 colours –black, red and white. This follows the conventional rock genre magazine colours. It is kept simple but everything still stands out. The main image is of

the lead singer of ‘My Chemical Romance’ and it takes up half of the page, which suggests that he's the main one the audience want to see. There are several other pictures of the rest of the band, and there is much more space taken up by pictures than text, suggesting that the images of the band are more important for the audience to see than the text.

The pull quote reads “We’re being the best MCR we can be!’ it highlights the part about them being the best as it is in white font, making it stand out the clearest against the black background. This suggests that they aren’t going to be the same band they used to be, they’re going to be new and improved, which might appeal to new audiences and invites them to read about it.

There is a small section at the side which gives the reader a sneak peak of some of their new songs and a description of them. The background is white with red and black writing which contrasts with the rest of the page, and this catches the eye of the reader.

There are close up images of the band showing them working together, showing that they are passionate about what they do, and showing the audience that there will be new music coming.

The black and white photos used work well in contrast with the black background and the red and white font used.

The title of ‘SPIN’ magazine is in bold white letters with a bright red background which is eye catching and makes it easy to identify the magazine. It is the only bit of red used on the cover, making it stand out against the neutral colour scheme.

The cover image is of Billie Joe Armstrong and he is posed with his arms out and his mouth open making a shocked impression. There is an image of the Replacement’s album placed over the top which immediately draws your eye to it.

The cover line says ‘Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong meets Paul Westerberg’ who is the lead singer in the Replacements, which relates to the image of the album on the front cover. This could be used to attract audiences who might be a fan of that band and want to read the article that they are featured in.

The word ‘special’ in the cover line at the top is written in white placed in a black background to make it stand out and to let audiences know that its not a normal issue, its a special edition that can’t be missed.

The cover lines are displayed in a column on the right hand side and written in white making it easy and clear to read. The cover lines tell you who the magazine will feature, to target audiences who may be interested to read about any one who is featured in the issue.

The main cover line is written in black instead of white unlike most of the text on the cover, and this can be used to make sure audiences are drawn to it straight away. It also stands out against the grey background.

The SPIN logo is placed in the left hand corner and it immediately draws your eye to it with the recognizable bright red colour, and making the audience familiar with the brand of the magazine.

The image is the most noticeable part of the page, the people are mainly dressed in black which contrasts well with the light coloured background and the white text next to it. The image is also the main attraction of the page so the audience may be able to easily recognize who is featured in the magazine. The lack of colours used make the page seem simple, tidy and organized, with minimal information on the page and it allows the audience to clearly read the features of the magazine without too much clutter around.

The headline ‘Features’ is underlined and clearly stands out so the audience knows where to find out who is featured in the issue. The contents are listed in a column on the left hand side and it is clear and easy to follow. The white text against the neutral coloured background makes it easy to read. Next to each feature that is listed is a page number which allows people to easily find the article if they see something that interests them.

A pull quote is used to fill a space in the top right hand corner, quoting Zooey Deschanel who is also in the main image. This suggests that she has the main article in the magazine and this can be used to attract people who this article might appeal to.

The main image takes up 3/4 of the double page suggesting that the image of Florence And The Machine is more important to see than the text.

The title is bold and stands out against the white background which draws your eye to it straight away, as it introduces who the article will be about.

There is no colour used in this article, just black and white, but this creates a nice contrast which makes it look simple and clean, but also adds a dramatic element to it.

The main image is a close up of Florence and The Machine and her hair looks as if it is being blown by wind. This image paired with the black and white theme creates a vintage feel, and it adds a dramatic effect which determines the personality to the style of the interview.

The recognizable NME logo is placed in the top left corner where it can easily be noticed and audiences can easily distinguish what magazine brand it is. It immediately catches your eye with the familiar bright red colour.

The main image is of the whole band of Arctic Monkeys, but the lead singer Alex Turner is placed in front slightly closer to the camera. It is common for the main band member to be placed at the front as the band may be more recognizable and therefore easier to attract audiences.

Most of the time front cover images look like they have been photographed in a studio and normally have plain colour for the background. However on this cover, the background appears to be a sunny location with palm trees. This links to the cover line ‘From the LA Boulevards to their London rehearsal room’ - this suggests that their article will be about the success of their touring and travelling and 'The final chapter’ of their journey.

The mood of the magazine seems relaxed, and “chilled” as the palm trees in the background connote calmness, and the pose of the band on the cover looks quite relaxed.

The colour scheme includes mainly neutral colours, with a bit of red used to make things stand out.

The cover line ‘The NME Verdict’ has been placed in a yellow circle with black writing to make it stand out and to catch the eye of the reader.

The title is in write writing with the exception of ‘NME’ which is written in the usual red colour. It is placed in a black background so the audiences eye is drawn to it, and it is easy to tell that this is the page that shows you what is featured in the magazine.

The band index is placed on the left hand side in a long column in a white box where it is separated from the rest of the page so it is easy to read. The red writing makes it stand out.

The main images are placed in the middle where they are seen clearly. The images can attract the audience because it shows what the main article is about, and this might appeal to certain people which will persuade them to buy the magazine

On the right hand side, there are different headlines which tell you where to find things like news, reviews and features. This allows readers to easily find something they would be interested to read about, and there are page numbers for quick access.

There is an advertisement to subscribe to the magazine, it is placed in a black box with bright yellow writing which would quickly draw the readers eye to it.

This page follows the typical conventions of a double page spread. The headline is big and underlined, the colour scheme is bold and the main image takes up most of the space.

The headline is a pull quote from the interview with the band which attracts the reader to read the rest of the article to find out what its about.

The main colours used are black and white, but with a bit of purple added which makes it feel sophisticated. There are 2 small columns of text which are small but readable.

The image is of the band White Lies, and the dark theme with 2 bright lights makes it very effective. It brings an Indie Rock vibe to the article which shows the type of genre the magazine is about.