Introduction

Unfortunately I have had a lot of problems with both my blog page and Google docs whilst setting up my blog.

For my coursework I am going to create a Rock magazine aimed at 17-19yr olds both boys and girls. To do this I will research other magazines for things like colour and lighting, look/image and dress codes, camera angles and framing, objects and background, use of copy, font style and layout. I will also have to research representations and conventions in other magazines.

During my research of other magazines I will be looking for denotation and connotation to see how other magazines use them and their effect on the reader. I will also look out for indications on how the magazine is put together and if there are any codes or symbols that are used to represent or convey certain meanings which are understood by a particular medium.

I will have to plan and prepare by creating a questionnaire which will be handed out to the general public. My results will help me to understand what will appeal to my target audience and what will make it successful. I will also have to develop drafts of my layout and design and explain any decisions I make and note any change in my ideas. Lastly I will make my designed magazine and write an evaluation for it.

Research

KERRANG!

*Launched - 6th June 1981

*Cost - £2.20

*Published - weekly

*Publishers - Bauer

*Type of reader - Individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty

*How successful - ‘The worlds biggest selling weekly rock magazine’ selling on average 76,165 copies a week.

ROCK SOUND

*Launched - March 1999

*Cost - £3.80

*Published - Monthly

*Publishers - Rock Sound Ltd

*Type of reader - Younger slightly male slanted.

*How successful - Widely known, although not as popular as the weekly released magazines KERRANG! Or NME. Sells on average 23,027 copies a month.

NME

*Launched - March 1952.

*Cost - £2.10

*Published - Weekly

*Publishers - IPC media

*Type of reader - Edges towards younger audiences Indie audiences.

*How successful - Hugely successful, selling on average 76,792 copies a week

· The name of the magazine ‘KERRANG!’ is short and catchy. The name refers to the sound made when smashing and electric guitar. This has great relevance to the purpose and content of the magazine because most if not all of the bands featured in the magazine use the instrument.

· The publisher of KERRANG! ‘Bauer Media Group.’ The large German publishing company was founded in 1875 and currently operates in 15 countries worldwide. The company comprises 282 magazines as well as TV and radio stations.

· The target audience for the magazine is ‘Individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.’ It would seem that Bauer have tried to keep the audience as open as possible by focusing on the genre rather than things like age and sex. It is clearly, unisex and has no obvious age target.

· The cover of the magazine uses very dark colours especially in the background. The contrast of the white text on dark background however is very eye catching, as is the used of red and yellow. Also the red shirt and red writing look conforming and don't clash which appeals to the eye more. Furthermore by using smaller pictures and captions the reader can see what's inside the magazine which might encourage them to buy it. Also by overlaying the band on the Masterhead the readers attention is drawn to them and because the band are looking at the camera the reader will feel as if they are looking at them which makes the cover feel more personal and inviting.

· KERRANG! Is essentially a rock magazine.

· The style of the magazine is clearly in the style of the rock genre. The presentation is bold and dark and in parts a little rough. This conforms with the idea of the rock genre because originally rock was considered rebellious and non-conformity.

Zine

We made a practise magazine cover and contents page to help us learn our way around Photoshop and also give us an idea of what making our final product will involve.

Cover

Contents

Zine Evaluation

My Zine magazine is targeted at college students ages 16-18, the magazine would have articles about the college; what’s happening what will be happening in and around college, events in and outside the college and other articles that might interest or be of relevance to college students. I think that my magazine would appeal to college students because it will inform them of what’s happening in their college and let them know about upcoming events.

This was my first time using Photoshop and I found it a struggle to say the least, the concept of layers within the program did take me quite a while to grasp. After the first lesson I was able to do simple things like making new layers and select and deselect objects, and slowly I learnt more tools and techniques. I did eventually finish my front cover fore Zine; however I think I still have a lot to learn with the program as my front cover shows, I used minimal Photoshop skills to create the cover as I am not confident enough to use the program to its full potential as of yet. This is something I am going to work on and develop in order to make my final magazine as good as possible.

My Zine cover looks quite bare, with minimal text and images. The images also do not look as if they have much relevance to the magazine, especially as there are not captions or coverlines to explain them. They are also not presented on the page in a very imaginative or interesting way which makes them even less interesting to look at. The minimal text on the cover also makes the magazine look like there is perhaps not much content inside and again allows the page to look bare. I also think that the use of a black and white main image was a bad choice as it makes the page look colourless and not as eye catching as it could be had the image been left in colour. I do however like the title and I think the size is suitable and will catch people’s attention. When I come to create my music magazine cover I will make it a lot busier with more relevant image used in a more creative way and more relevant information to grab reader’s attention. I will also ensure that my main image is not black and white as this has proven not to be effective.

I also think my contents page was lacking in content and looked quite bare, however the background pattern did help make the page look slightly fuller in comparison to the white background of the front cover. I did feel that although the images weren’t as effective as I would have liked them to have been, buy using them on the contents page as well as the cover, there showed continuity between the two pages. When I come to create the contents page for my music magazine I will look to make it busy and interesting, with more informative information and use more interesting images in a more effective and creative way.

My planning also could have been better as my draft of the cover was not annotated which would have helped hugely in the production of the piece and also colour would have been helpful as well, this way I might have foreseen the black and white effect of the main image not working well on the page. I will plan more carefully and in more detail when I start planning for my final music magazine.

Thoughts: I need to know my way around Photoshop by experimenting and exploring with the program and learning from trial and error. I also need to use my time more wisely.

Cover Analysis

Metal Hammer

The magazine is called ‘Metal Hammer’ because the magazine is a from the metal music genre. Both words are significant to the title of the magazine, the word ‘Metal’ tells the audience the genre of the magazine but also connotes to strength and anger which connotes to the genre of music. Also the imagery of a ‘Hammer’ further connotes strength and brutality which reflects the sound of the music from the genre and possibly the ‘dance’ often associated with the genre (moshing).

The British magazine is published by ‘Future Publishing.’ The publishing giant also publishes many other magazines such as: Total guitar, Classic Rock, Total Film, NGamer, Offical Nintendo Magazine, Cycling Plus, Knitting Today!, and Classics Monthly to name but a few. The company also publishes websites mainly to accompany the many magazines in the online world.

The magazine itself costs £3.99 and is published monthly. The average circulation of the magazine is 50,269 according to the guardian website. The magazine does currently have its own website: http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/. The website covers similar content as the magazine does and very much accompanies the magazine.

Although there is no clear conformation as to what the target audience is for the magazine, it would appear that a younger niche audience is being targeted. I would also make the assumption that the magazine is targeted more towards boys rather than girls because of the masculine use of dark colours in the magazine however on this specific cover an image of a famous artist topless could be considered not only an idol for male audiences but also ‘eye-candy’ for female audiences. This makes the intended audience harder to identify.

The reader can interact with the magazine through feedback pages as they are directly contributing to the content of the magazine. Also audiences of the magazine can further interact with the magazine through the website. Readers are able to comment on article and contribute to various forums on the website which fully demonstrates the use of web 2.0.

The main image on the cover of the magazine is of a well known singer from a hugely successful band which will be known to most if not all audiences of the genre. This will attract the attention of the band/singers fans or even fans of bands from similar genres as it is an indication to the reader that the magazine is on the metal genre of music. This image in particular shows arrows through the singer’s body which not only reflects the brutality of the genre but also connotes that perhaps the artist is not liked? This is further suggested by the sub-heading ‘These trad metal kids should stop crying’ which tells us maybe there is some controversy with the artist featured which will also attract readers attention and attracts non-fans of the singer/band as well fans. The body language of the main image is very open allowing the reader to fully approach the image. Also the artist in the main image is looking up and over, as if looking into the distance which will cause the reader curiosity as to what he is looking at which might make them want to read on. The tattoo’s on the artist’s body are also a very conventional metal image and are likely to appeal to metal audiences.

Assuming that the audience are fans of the band this tells us that the audience for the magazine might idolise the male figure or consider him ‘eye candy’ which suggests younger audiences, not only male but female also. Making the further assumption that the audience is not meant to like the artist this would reflect a very judgemental niche audience as they brutally show the artists with arrows stabbing his body in various places. This image however does reflect well the nature and general sound of metal music

Also on the cover there are various text bubbles with offers to win prizes and lists of bands and artists featured within the magazine. Text bubble draw attention to the text and can create a selling point to a reader if they see a feature the particularly like. There are also various cover lines and sub-headings, further promoting the content of the magazine to a potential buyer.

Most of the text on the cover is in capital letters which is more eye-catching than lower case letters and connotes that the text is loud and in your face which directly references the genre of music. The font used in for the name of the magazine particularly connotes loudness and boldness as it is in all capitals and is very bold and thick which again is attention grabbing. The colour scheme of the cover (yellow, red and black) intensifies the impact of the cover as it all the text and the image look linked and the use of these bold colours further connote loudness as they are bright and contrasting. The different font used on the band name ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ contrasts the rest of the cover as it is not only big on the page but also looks more stylistically complex in comparison to the bold capitals used throughout the rest of the cover, this further contrasts the text to the rest of the page as it may be a selling point for the magazine and therefore the audiences attention needs to be drawn to it. A subtle feature on the cover which has a less noticeable effect is the white light coming from behind the artists, although it is not noticeable at first the effect in fact gives the image depth and makes it more visually interesting for the reader to look at. The overall colour scheme used on this cover is very suited to the metal genre as all the colours used are either really dark or dull to make them look darker, this gives the cover a dark sinister feel which reflects the sound of the music. It contrasts rock magazine covers such a NME and KERRANG as they often use contrasting dark colours with bright vibrant colours rather than dull ones.

This cover does look similar to covers of rock magazines as the use of space is similar as text boxes and fonts are often places in the same way however I think that the use of colours is quite different as they have been used to create a dark feeling whereas current rock magazines on the market use the contrast of bright and dark to create impact. I think also this cover is very much geared more towards male audiences as the artist on the front is male and looking at other ‘Metal Hammer’ covers most of the featuring artists are male as the genre if music is very much male dominated. I think that the rock covers such as Kerrang! and NME have more freedom to experiment with the use of artists on the front as in the covers I have looked at they have both used female artists as the main point of focus in their main images.

The presentation of the magazine’s cover is slightly chaotic and very busy with little space left on the page; this makes the cover look as if there is lots of content inside the magazine which might encourage potential buyers to buy it. The text ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ and the main image of the artists are the centre of attention on the page and although the other text and images work around the picture the image also brings the whole page together as it all fits into place and is visually interesting for the audience.

The magazine is published monthly and judging by the cover includes a great deal of content so I would expect the magazine to be well priced. Also the high quality finish if the magazine and the professional images present on the cover would also lead me to expect the magazine to be reasonably expensive.

I think that this magazine is similar to Kerrang! in that it uses the similar technique of bold writing to grab attention and connote loud music. This is a feature that is seen in many rock magazines. I feel also that the magazine is similar with Rocksound because it covers a more alternative side of the genre as well as the mainstream. Rocksound is considered the ‘underground’ rock magazine and I think likewise ‘Metal Hammer’ could be considered the ‘underground’ metal magazine. The colour schemes of the two different genres of magazine differs in that ‘Metal Hammer’ creates a more subtle dark feeling where as the rock covers are simply bold and contrasting to look loud and grab attention.

I feel the overall effect is impacting as it is sinister and dark, it entices curiosity and excitement. The reader is not directly addressed by the artist in the main image which should encourage the reader to want to read on to find out more. The ‘Win’ text bubble however does directly address the reader as it is asking them to interact with the magazine which keeps the sense of personal address on the cover. Aswell as address from the magazine readers can also address the magazine through the magazine website and the various forums on offer. This furthers the interaction possibilities for the audience, making them feel more involved with the magazine.

The content covered in the magazine is very similar to that of a rock magazine, such as Gig, album, song and band reviews, news gig and tour listings and competitions are featured articles throughout and subjects such as albums, singles, bands, tours & gigs etc... are covered areas of interest.

KERRANG!

The title of the magazine ‘KERRANG!’ is used because is it the sound made when smashing a guitar or as other interpretations suggest the sound of a power chord played on guitar. This links with the genre of the magazine (rock) as one of the main instruments used in rock music is electric guitars. The use of onomatopoeia in the title of the magazine further signifies the action of smashing or power chords and creates an initial image of the rock genre allowing the audience to understand early on in observation what genre the magazine belongs to and what music/articles they can expect to find inside. Also the symbolism of playing guitar and the anger associated with smashing instruments can be closely associated with ‘Rock Stars’ which are a stereotypical feature within rock music and more generally the rock genre.

KERRANG! Is published by German media giants Bauer Consumer Media. The media giant is also known to publish magazines such as ‘heat, GRAZIA, Closer, FHM, Q and many more… Aswell as print media Bauer also broadcasts on T.V and radio with channels such as; Q TV, Kiss TV, The Box, Kerrang! TV, 4music, Kerrang! Radio, Magic, Kiss and many more… In Kerrang!’s case, this further widens their audiences as it is accessible on more than one media platform and therefore more likely to appeal to more audiences and also make it more accessible to target markets has they have a choice as to where the can access the music and information.

The magazine itself costs £2.20 and is published weekly. The circulation for the magazine currently stands at 76,937 with the readerships reaching 457000. The magazine also has a website - http://www.kerrang.com/ which is yet another multi-platform on which the magazine brand can be accessed and where information can be found.

The target audience for the magazine is described as by Bauer as ‘Individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.’ although it is popular belief that the magazine is aimed more towards male audiences however is known to still appeal widely to female audiences also. The Publishers website states this: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/

The reader can ‘interact’ with the magazine by using things such as feedback pages or gig information. The reader therefore feels an interaction with the magazine if they can either relate to having been to or intending to go to the listed gigs in the magazine. Also the competition will make the reader feel that they can interact with the magazine because they can send in their input and possibly get a return/ response. The more the audience feels they are interacting with a media text, the more likely it will be that they will part with money to access it.

The image on the cover is of a well-known band which instantly appeals to their fans and maybe fans of similar genres. Also the facial expression of the lead singer (middle front) is a slight pouted smirk; this, along with the detective uniform suggest that there are secrets or that she/ they know something the reader doesn't and that it will be revealed inside the magazine. Also because the band is looking directly at the camera this directly addresses the reader and makes it feel personal to them. What's more, the reader’s attention is drawn to the lead singer by use of contrast with the rest of the band. This is done by use of clothing because the band it wearing all black which contrasts the light brown/cream of the singers coat. Also her hair is a huge contrast to the band: dark almost black hair contrasts to her bright vibrant coloured hair. The use of extremely contrasting colours is another convention found in rock magazines as they are bold and look visually more aggressive. The use of the image of the band on the front tells us that the audience is likely to be a fan of the band if not their genre of music. The emphasis on the lead singer also suggests that maybe the magazine is aimed towards men slightly because she is contrasted to the rest of the band and people may find her visually attractive. This however can be attractive to girls as well in an idyllic way in which case she becomes also a role model. There are also lots of subheadings, text bubbles and smaller pictures on the front. This gives the reader an idea of what's inside the magazine.

The typeface of the sub headings are generally the same style. This makes it less confusing for the reader to look at and more appealing to the eye. Also the subtle used of the pink text and the lead singers pink lipstick sub-consciously show the reader that the band are a part of the magazine and that they can be related/ associated with the magazine. It also shows the femininity of the singer which is a rare image to find within the rock genre, this subtle use of it however may encourage and attract female audiences. Furthermore the use of contrasting colours are very eye catching and the key words highlighted in yellow draw the readers attention to them and are visible from a distance. These act as hooks of interest and are intended to attract attention.

The cover does look similar to other magazine covers in that the information is structured and arranged on the page in the same way, however I think that because the word ‘KERRANG!’ is an original font and logo used only by the magazine it is like a motif and distinguishable from other magazines. The presentation of the magazine is a somewhat ‘organised chaos’ in that text and images are sometimes placed a little randomly but they still are and look organised and concise. The presentation looks very clean and crisp and to the point.

The magazine looks well established and professionally made so I would say that the magazine looks reasonably expensive. I think this magazine can be compared with Rock Sound and NME in that they are both from similar genres. They are also well established magazine and they all use similar if not the same music artists to feature in and on the cover of their magazines.

The overall effective is that the magazine is very loud (music); the bight colours, forward position of the lead singer and capital letters suggest loudness. This is a good image/theme to use for the rock genre because rock music is often very loud and ‘in your face.’ The main facial expressions used in the main image are secretive which attracts the reader’s attentions and will make them curious as to what's inside the magazine. People will therefore buy it to see what the secret is.

Readers can address the magazine through things such as competitions. The competitions allow the reader to feel they are interacting with the magazine because they are giving input to the magazine. Also the magazines website can build relationships with the reader and the magazine. Articles likely to be found within the magazine will be about up-coming bands, recent shows or events relevant to the audience. Things such as interviews, gig and album reviews, new appearances, gig and tour listings will be found in the magazine however they will be specific to the genre (rock).

ROCKSOUND

The magazine is called ‘ROCKSOUND’ because the music genre of the magazine is Rock. Both words are of equal significance here, the use of the word ‘sound’ is almost a replacement for the word ‘music’ as music is merely sounds. The use of the two words together tells the audience that the magazine is about music from the rock genre.

‘ROCK SOUND’ is self published magazine covering what is often considered the more ‘underground’ rock artists as well as the mainstream ones. The magazine as of yet does not publish any other magazines, but does however have an online website often referred to as ROCKSOUND.TV (http://www.rocksound.tv/). The magazine is closely related with the website and covers similar content.

The magazine costs £3.80 and is published monthly with an average of 23,027 copies sold a month. The magazine website and Wikipedia state that the target audience for the magazine is 15-24 year old girls and boys. This shows that the magazine targets quite a wide audience, especially as is target both boys and girls.

The reader can interact with the magazine through things such as feedback pages and gig/ tour listings. Feedback pages voice what the reader has or wants to say, the reader will feel they have interacted with the magazine as they have directly contributed. Also show/gig information tells the reader how and where to experience the music featured in the magazine first hand furthering their experience of the magazine and the music the magazine has presented to them.

The image on the front cover is of a well known and hugely successful band which should instantly attraction the attention of their fans or people that might know of them. The low camera angle makes the band look ‘powerful’ and successful which reflects their real situation. Also three of the four band members are looking directly at the camera which makes it more personal to the reader as if the artists are looking directly at them. The member on the far right however is looking out which could suggest looking out over a crowd or even looking into the magazine which could cause curiosity to the reader as to what is inside the magazine. Also they are all dressed in space suits, which matches the sub-heading ‘out of this world’ suggesting that the band are so good they are from another world. The body language is quite open which is obviously more inviting to the reader than closed body language and allows the reader to relate with the image more. The two main colours used are blue and white, these colours are often associated with the sky and space and bright lights such as UFO’s and un-earthly things and happenings which further links the sub- heading. This also draws attention to the band members faces because of the contrast of the dark colours of their faces against the light blues and whites draw attention to their faces and make them stand out hugely.

The use of this band on the cover of the magazine tells us that the audience is likely to be a fan of the band and/or their genre and style of music which means even if they are not fans of this particular band there is a good chance they will be fans of other bands from the genre likely to be featured in the magazine. The main picture suggests the band are ‘out of this world’ which means that the audience are attracted to new and big bands which is how the band here have been presented. There are also smaller pictures of other artists, sub-headings and text bubbles and boxes on the front cover; clues to the reader as to what’s inside the magazine with the intention of drawing the reader in and encouraging them to buy the magazine.

All of the text on the cover is in capital letters which are bolder and eye catching than lower case fonts. There is shadow used on some of the text/lettering which gives the cover more depth and makes the cover more visually interesting for the reader. The text all keeps within the same colour scheme which is also the same colours as the background image: blue, white, grey and black. Exceptions to the single words ‘MUSE’ and ‘150+’ which are in yellow to highlight them and catch the readers attention more as it may be a point of interest to the reader. This is also done with the ‘FREE CD’ in red. Also the masthead and cover lines are in different fonts maybe to put emphasis on them and make the reader more likely to read them first (they are also a lot bigger than the other texts and lettering on the cover.) In addition to this the alternation of black and grey lettering used on the lists moves the reader’s eyes down the list and organises the lists into the separate names. The organisation of the lists adds to the theme of space in that space ships are very organised and conforming. Lastly the yellow lettering and handwritten like font used for ‘I'm not trying to be the tough guy,’ makes the line look as if the person has just said it and that’s it was something personal to them.

This particular cover looks different to other Rock Magazine covers because the colours are all very similar and soft which does not conform to the harsh clashing dark colours seen on the conventional rock magazine. There are no clashing colours or bold colours used on this cover, they are not particularly bright and the text and pictures on the page look well organised rather than the conventional, bright, bold, information packed chaos seen in rock magazines.

The presentation of the magazine is clearly organised on the page and even uses columns in the two bottom corners. The lists are piled on-top of one another to form what look like groups. This is another reason for the overall image of organisation. The magazine looks finished to a high standard so I would expect it to be well priced. Also because it is published monthly rather than weekly I would expect there to be more content and therefore more expensive in comparison to rock magazines published weekly such as KERRANG! and NME.

I think this magazine can be compared with ‘KERRANG’ and ‘NME’ in that they are all rock magazines; often featuring similar if not the same artists and bands. This particular cover however contrasts with the boldness and loudness often found on the covers of ‘KERRANG’ and ‘NME’ in that the overall effect is slightly more reserved and this could have been a selling point for this particular issue of the magazine as audiences often like new and innovative medias.

The overall effect is themed out of space. The sub-heading: ‘out of this world’ suggest places like space and far away planets, hence the band are dressed in space suits with and un-earthly white glow behind them. The idea and concept of ‘outer space’ is something huge and in some sense ‘epic’ which is suggesting that the band featured and ‘huge’ and ‘epic.’

The reader is directly addressed by the image of the band because they are all looking directly at the camera. This makes the mode of address personal to the reader and encourages them to buy the magazine. Also the free CD is addressing the reader because they are receiving something physical that they can interact with. Also readers are allowed to address the magazine through the feedback pages and the forums on the ROCKSOUND website.

The magazine itself contains articles on gig, album, song and band reviews, music news, gig and tour listings and competitions. Subjects covered in the magazine are things such as albums, singles, bands, tours & gigs etc... These are very conventional content found in music magazines. The articles on live gigs however are more specific to rock magazines as live music is a huge part of rock culture.

NME

The title of the magazine is ‘NME’ which stands for New Musical Express, this suggests to us the magazine is fast and up to date, the abbreviation of the three words to ‘NME’ is also short catchy for the reader to remember. ‘New’ also tells the reader that there is ‘new’ things to read about and ‘Musical’ fully establishes that the magazine is a music magazine. When read aloud, the sound ‘NME’ could connote to the word ‘Enemy’ as they sound very similar and could indicate that perhaps other magazines envy their success and popularity.

The magazine is published by IPC media who are also known to publish magazines such as, Now Magazine, Look and Marie Claire to name but a fews. The media giant has also further reached its assets to the radio and internet, widening audiences by using multi-media-platforms.

The magazine costs itself £2.10 and is published weekly. The circulation for the magazine is 40,948 and the readership is 369,000. As well as the printed magazine, there is also an ‘NME’ website: http://www.nme.com/. This furthers accessibility for audiences and shows how the magazine has developed with the online age to suit meet audience’s needs.

The typical demographic audience aims at A, B and C1 which entitles people with jobs like lawyers, doctors going right through to jobs like (office workers) junior managers, nurses, bank clerks, etc. This loosely narrows down the age group to around 24 year olds also slants towards male audiences. I learnt this from various links from the publishers website; http://www.ipcadvertising.com/resource/fd4e20nlh1xefkowjxdha4xu.pdf Here I found information on the circulation, readership and target audience.

The reader can ‘interact’ with the magazine through things such as show listings, album and single advertisements and even feedback pages where letters and pictures from readers are printed and responded to by the magazine. This makes the experience to reading the magazine more personal and allows the reader to feel more involved with the magazine and more likely to encourage them to buy it.

The image on the cover is of a well known British artist. The picture has clearly been taken outside because behind her bushes and sky can be seen. Also the lighting is bright and directly over her (shadow shows this) which suggests the sun. This is done because the issue is a ‘Festival Guide’ and festivals are huge outside events in the summer. Also her casual and laid back clothing (loose top sunglasses) and facial expression suggests she is at a festival because they are often laid back atmospheres. This shows that the audiences are likely to be older maybe 16 and older because younger audiences would be too young to go to festivals and the subject would be irrelevant to them.

There are also lots of sub-headings and text boxes, smaller pictures of other artists and lists of other bands that give ‘survival tips’ inside the magazine. This crams in lots of information on one page for the reader to get an idea of what’s inside the magazine and convince them to buy it. It also makes the page look busy so which suggests there is lots of content in the magazine which might also encourage the audience to buy the magazine.

Most of the text and lettering on the front cover is in capital letters which is potentially more eye catching then lower case letters as it is bolder than lower case letters and suggest that more of a statement is being made. Also the use of white lettering on red and on the background image is hugely contrasting and makes the text stand out making it very eye catching for the audience or someone briefly looking at the magazine. The black text one the yellow/ orange box on the left hand side of the cover is still bold and easy to read however does not draw attention away from the main picture. In addition to this the vast use of red, orange and yellow suggest heat, the sun and summer because they are hot colours (perfect festival weather). The Cover does look similar to some other magazines in that lots of magazines use the contrasts of red and white on their covers.

The presentation of the magazine is made to look chaotic; this is done through the un-levelled text and the bright and often used colours. This works well because the issue is on festivals. Festivals are often known to be busy, chaotic places, this shows that the presentation of the magazine reflects the content of the magazine which may further encourage a potential buyer to buy the magazine.

The magazine looks successful as it has well known artists on the cover which would lead to the expectation that it would be priced reasonably high. Also the magazine is finished to a high standard which shows the success of the magazine because the production cost will be high to produce a well finished magazine which shows that they make a lot of money to cover the production costs.

I think this magazine can be compared with other rock magazines such as Rocksound and KERRANG as they are both generally from the same genre and feature similar articles and similar if not the same bands and artists. I feel also that some of the colour schemes used such as dark greys and blacks are common within the magazines and the use of bold capital font is also common across the magazines. The three magazines are all finished to high a standard which again suggests they are all reasonably successful.

The overall effective of this cover gives the impression of a loud busy outside event. This is done by background of sky and green plants that can bee seen behind the artist in the main image and the loud colours, bold lettering and cramming of information on the page, convey loudness much like a busy cramped festival. The artwork of the daises in the top corners suggests good weather and summer which again reinforces the theme of festivals on the cover.

The reader is addressed directly when by the magazine cover, especially when the cover reads ‘10 best bands YOU must see.’ This directly talks to the reader making it personal for the reader to read. Also the image of the main artist has her sunglasses directed centrally as if she was looking at the reader which again makes the image personal to the reader as if they are being personally addressed.

As well as being addressed, readers can address the magazine through the feedback pages within the magazine or optionally the website. On the cover there is also a competition which suggests the reader would be interacting with the magazine in order to win something.

The magazine itself contains articles and features on things such as Singles chart, Articles on bands, recent shows, single and album reviews, up-coming events etc... This is shown on the cover by the artist and bands names in the black text and on the right bottom corner there is a red box with white writing which also indicates what is inside the magazine. Subjects such as interviews, gig and album reviews, new appearances and gig and tour listings are covered within the magazine which is very typical or rock magazines.

Contents Page Analysis

Metal Hammer Contents page

Found at the front of the magazine the contents page is often the first place a reader will look for concise information on the content of the magazine. This ‘Metal Hammer’ contents page is full of information on the content of the magazine. The title of the page ‘Contents’ is in the left corner of the page which is naturally where the readers eyes will go to read from as we read from left to right, top to bottom, this establishes to the reader the page they are on. The contents list in the two columns on the left hand side of the page is organised by page number and in chronological order so as to make it easier for the reader to identify whereabouts the information they are looking for will be in the magazine. The content of the magazine is split into ‘features’ and ‘regulars’ which helps narrow down specifically what the reader is looking for and saves them from reading through two lists.

The images on the page are not only relevant to further content in the magazine but some also correspond to page numbers such as pages 28, 60 and 54. These images matching the article title are likely to interest the reader more as they have something visual to help them understand the content of the specific article. By using lots of images on the page it adds colour to the page and makes it a lot more visually interesting for the reader to look at.

Most of the photos of on this page are reasonably dark in colour and give a dark tone to the page which suits the rest of the magazine and reflects the genre of music. Also, the images used are not particularly glamorous which again reflects the attitude of the genre and the artists producing the music as they are more interested in the music rather than the image they portray as an artist. The image of the pretty woman in the bottom right hand corner suggests again that this magazine is geared more towards men as she is what can be considered ‘eye candy’ which would appeal to male audiences rather than women.

The contrast of the blacks and reds on the white background makes the text in the lists easier to read; also the bold writing used for the titles of the articles makes them more prominent against the smaller text describing the articles. The dark blocks of red and black around the bottom and right edge almost frame the contents list in the top left corner as well as displaying information. The long black text box down the right hand side of the page is the editor’s note which is written in such a way that directly addresses the reader ‘As we hurtle into and explosive new year that marks…’ the use of the word ‘we’ involves the reader and makes it personal to them. Also the location of this box is right on the edge of the right hand side of the page, so when the reader is flicking through the magazine it is most likely to be the first bit of the page they see and therefore will read it and feel the magazine is addressing them.

The organisation of the page is well organised into text, images and text boxes. Although the information on the page is well organised it is presented on the page in such a way that looks messy and chaotic. This chaotic and busy look reflects the genre of music and attitude many of the artists producing this genre of music have. Because the information is separated into separate spaces I feel this makes the information easier for the reader to read and also makes it easier for them to identify what they might be looking for.

KERRANG! Contents page

The contents page is located at the front of the magazine so the reader can look at what's inside the magazine with ease. Also the contents list is printed on the right hand side of the page which makes it easier for to find when flicking through the magazine. The content is organised by page number in chronological order which helps the reader identify whereabouts the article they are looking for will be in the magazine. The page number is then followed by the name of the band or the subject of the article. The listed page numbers are then grouped into: feedback, news, live reviews, features, ‘K! icons’, album reviews, gigs and famous last words. In addition to this for some page numbers such as: 08, 10, 37 etc… They have relevant pictures on the page, again with the page number and band or article subject to help the reader visually see what the article is about.

The images used on the page are not only relevant to the article that it represents but also add colour and interest to the page. The pictures give an insight to what the article is about and what's in the magazine and they are also appealing to the eye because of the way they are fitted on the page, as there is no empty space which makes the page look full which suggests that the magazine has lots inside. Most of the photos used on the page are live photos which means they are un-posed, dark and less glamorous than photos that might feature in perhaps a pop magazine. It also shows involvement with the bands because the pictures were taken at their gigs, this reflects the genre as live music is a major part of rock culture. As rock music is often played live and the photos show a realistic representation of the artists which is more important to rock audiences because they care more about the music, than the image of the band/ artist.

The ’Contents’ heading has its own box and is in a fairly large brightly coloured yellow font as to draw attention to the heading. The use of yellow on black resembles lights in a dark room or a venue which fits with the genre of the magazine because rock music is often played live. Also the fonts and colours are consistent however the boldness, size and colour are changed depending on how much attention is needed from the reader, for example the content headers are bolder than the article names and yellow to draw more attention to them, however they are not as big or as bold as the page heading which needs the most attention from the reader.

The magazine addresses the reader directly in the editor’s note. The tone is chatty and ‘friend’ like as if the editor himself was talking to the reader personally. The editors note is also not in capital letters like the rest of the text on the page which makes it more personal because it makes it more like conversation that and exclamation. Lastly the editor signs the note himself with his actual signature rather than typed, this personalises the note even more so because it is his personal signature which makes the note more sincere.

I like how the contents page is organised because the articles are not only listed but listed in groups which gives the reader a more detailed idea of what the article is about and then who it is about. I also like how the photos on the page are almost listed, in a similar way to the text list. However I do not like how the photos are not exactly chronological because it’s slightly harder to find the articles names in order.

NME Contents page

The content on the page is organised with the most important text at the right hand side, such as the contents list and groups of content such as ‘News, Radar, Reviews, Live!, and Features.’ This is done so that if the reader was to simply flick through the magazine they would see the most important content first because it’s located nearer the open edge of the page. The ‘Band index’ however is printed on the left hand side of the page nearer the middle of the magazine which suggests maybe it is the more dedicated music fans who will take the time to read the lists to find bands and artists they like. Also the main and most important story is mentioned on this page by use of a coverline ‘…Oasis kicked off their world tour’ and pictures in the middle of the page to give a visual insight to the article. By placing these in the middle of the page the reader is most likely to read it because it is bordered/ framed by information making it the central point of the page.

The images in the middle of the page accompany the article mentioned below them and are taken at a live music event and are un-posed, this reflects the rock genre and live music is a huge part of rock culture not only for the artists but the fans too. The heading below it suggests they have caused big news during the week and so the central pictures help advertise the story to the reader. By putting the images in the middle it makes them centre of attention and more likely that the reader will be interested by them and want to read on. The general layout of the page shows the separation of information, which makes it easier for the reader to distinguish between information and for them to search what they could be looking for within the magazine.

The advertisement at the bottom of the page also uses images of various NME magazine covers to sell their subscription by presenting the product to the potential buyer. This is effectively showing the reader what they would be buying if they were to sign up and part with their money. The separate text box helps makes this eye catching but also shows it is a separate section of information. The bold capital font of the ‘SUBSCRIBE TODAY’ is eye catching on the page to the reader and the use of yellow font is not only bright to attract attention but also contrasts the rest of the text and images as it is the only yellow present on the whole page.

The heading reads ‘This Week’ which is clearly the title of the page which is establishing that the information in the magazine is up to date and relevant to the events happening in music currently. This is made bold and eye catching by using capital letters and a large font size. Also the use of capital letters on the contents headings and the advert shows exclamation and makes them bolder and eye catching, also easier to read. The text on the page not in capitals however shows perhaps the laid back approach to the way the magazine reports music, as often rock magazines use bold capital fonts to ‘exclaim’ and look loud to connote the music genre.

The colour scheme used here is very simple; red, white and black. The black contrasts on the white to increase visibility whereas the red not only contrasts the white but is also bright and eye catching so as to gain and retain the audience’s attention. These simple colours are often found in news paper which suggests that NME could be considered a ‘music newspaper’ it also connotes that the information is up to date for that week and factual like news journalism is.

Q Contents page

The content on the page is organised with the contents list on the left hand side and a picture on the right. This is unusual because the contents list is often on the right hand side of the page so it is easier for the reader to flick thought and find it quickly. The layout that ‘Q’ has chosen though may work well because the reader might see the picture of the band on the right hand side of the page while flicking through and then be drawn to them and their story in the magazine. Also the contents list is divided into three groups: ‘features, every month and review.’ this makes it easier for the reader to identify what type of article they could be looking for. Also ‘reviews’ are in their own text box in the bottom right corner which might suggest they are popular articles in the magazine and therefore are made easier for the reader to identify.

The images on the page are of famous bands and it is perhaps them that are meant to interest the reader rather than the content because they have been placed where you would normally find the contents list. It is clear that this magazine covers pop music because the picture has clearly been posed for and the artists ‘image’ in the pop genre is very important as it is often a selling point, so by posing for the photo the artists will look as good as possible. This is huge contrast to rock magazines such as Kerrang! and Rock sound where its more likely that the magazines would have used live shots from the bands gigs. The smaller picture below of the artists leaning on the pillar has also been not only posed for but the shot has also been set up, which again, points towards pop genres.

The title ‘Contents’ is in a larger font that the other texts on the page which draws more attention to it so the reader knows what the page is about straight away. All of the headers and article names in the contents list are typed in capital letters which is more eye catching and attention grabbing so the reader knows what to read first to make sense of the other text on the page. The smaller text explaining the articles is not as big and does not draw attention to its self at all as the reader may only be interested in certain articles and may not want to read about all the other articles. The page numbers along the left side of the text is in read which not only makes them easier to identify but also keeps with the colour scheme of the contents page.

The colour scheme used on the page is very limited, though quite effective despite its simplicity. The contrast of the black on white and the colour on white is east for the reader to read. The colours used on the page are white, black red, grey and two words written in olive to show they are separate from the rest of the articles. The use of simple colours and organisation of information into columns makes the information concise and to the point much like a newspaper, which suggests the magazine is the equivalent of a ‘music newspaper.’ The red is used very simply to highlight key points such as the name of the magazine, group names and page numbers, likewise the black is used for article titles and lesser important text.

The audience are directly addressed by the larger picture on the right as they are looking directly at the camera. This invited the reader into read the magazine as they feel it is a more personal experience. Also the almost chatty tone in which the page is written causes the reader to again feel directly addressed. Despite the simplicity of this contents page the impact is that it is factual and full of information.

The images in the middle of the page accompany the article mentioned below them and are taken at a live music event and are un-posed, this reflects the rock genre and live music is a huge part of rock culture not only for the artists but the fans too. The heading below it suggests they have caused big news during the week and so the central pictures help advertise the story to the reader. By putting the images in the middle it makes them centre of attention and more likely that the reader will be interested by them and want to read on. The general layout of the page shows the separation of information, which makes it easier for the reader to distinguish between information and for them to search what they could be looking for within the magazine.

The advertisement at the bottom of the page also uses images of various NME magazine covers to sell their subscription by presenting the product to the potential buyer. This is effectively showing the reader what they would be buying if they were to sign up and part with their money. The separate text box helps makes this eye catching but also shows it is a separate section of information. The bold capital font of the ‘SUBSCRIBE TODAY’ is eye catching on the page to the reader and the use of yellow font is not only bright to attract attention but also contrasts the rest of the text and images as it is the only yellow present on the whole page.

The heading reads ‘This Week’ which is clearly the title of the page which is establishing that the information in the magazine is up to date and relevant to the events happening in music currently. This is made bold and eye catching by using capital letters and a large font size. Also the use of capital letters on the contents headings and the advert shows exclamation and makes them bolder and eye catching, also easier to read. The text on the page not in capitals however shows perhaps the laid back approach to the way the magazine reports music, as often rock magazines use bold capital fonts to ‘exclaim’ and look loud to connote the music genre.

The colour scheme used here is very simple; red, white and black. The black contrasts on the white to increase visibility whereas the red not only contrasts the white but is also bright and eye catching so as to gain and retain the audience’s attention. These simple colours are often found in news paper which suggests that NME could be considered a ‘music newspaper’ it also connotes that the information is up to date for that week and factual like news journalism is.

Article Analysis

Metal Hammer Article

The structure and presentation of the page are made to look chaotic and busy to reflect the atmosphere of the gig and the genre. The main image, spread across two pages is un-posed and shows a live set with the artists and their crowd of fans. There are lots of people visible in the image which again shows that it is busy and that the band is popular. The layout is carefully structured so that there is no empty space on the two page spread, in the main image where the black space above the crowd is and the space below the faces of people where their legs are, there are more live and posed photos arranged over the top to keep make the page look even more full and vibrant. The photos are placed at slanted positions to again make the page look chaotic and reflect the care free attitude of the artist.

The images on the page are quite dark with lots of black and deep greens and purples which are typical dark colours found in rock/metal magazines as they reflect the dark connotations and atmospheres created within the music. The mise-en-scene of the images also shows lots of movement which shows the energy and the excitement at the gig which draws the reader to read about it. The painted faces of the audience also show the involvement with the artist and the crowd but also reinforces genre. The white text of the title ‘CRAZY NIGHTS’ and ‘AAA’ (Access All Areas), hugely contrast the background of the main image as the white contrasts the dark colours and draws attention to the titles, telling the reader what the article is about. The white of the text also subtly links with the white of the crowds painted faces and make the text and the main image look well matched rather than awkwardly placed.

Another feature of the article that I think works well is the use of fonts not only for the titles but the coverlines also. The font of the article itself is small and simple which makes it easy to read. There are different fonts used for the beginning letter of each paragraph and the beginning of the article. There fonts are extremely bold and big so as to draw the eyes attention to them so the reader knows where to read from. Also the red colouring of these letters further makes them eye catching. Also the font of the ‘AAA’ and ‘CRAZY NIGHTS’ is edited to look like spray painted and eroded which gives the page a messy rustic feel which again reflects the genre but is also stylistically pleasing to the eye. The red text box in the bottom right hand corner of the article also uses this effect.

The language use within the article itself is quite informal and almost chatty, this directly address the audience more than if it were written in a formal tone as the reader will be able to relate to the language more. Also the laid back approach to the writing in this article reflects the laid back attitude of artists from this genre and also the fans, this is shown well in that swear words which are often considered taboo in many media texts are left in conversation and not censored out as they would be in perhaps a pop magazine such as Top of the Pops. I think this also shows that the magazine is intended for slightly older more mature audiences rather than a younger audience that might be targeted by Top of the Pops magazine.

KERRANG Article

The structure of this magazine article looks as though the pictures have been stuck to paper, because you have the main picture (which is biggest) in the middle and smaller pictures coming from along the bottom and right hand side. This shows that lots of things happened at the event the article talks about and reflects the chaos and busyness of the atmosphere. Also because the pictures are un-posed for it is clear that they are live photos which connotes genre as live music is a huge part of rock culture but further reflects genre as rock artists are less concerned with their image and more concerned with their music.

The reader’s interest will be grabbed first and foremost by the images of the band. The band featured is widely known and successful and this grabs the attention of their fans or fans of bands from similar genres as this triggers curiosity as to whether their review will be good or not. Also the pictures may make the reader want to read the article because they show lots of action and movement which suggest the gig was vibrant and energetic (exciting). Another feature is the question asked to the band member in the bottom left hand corner, by asking the band member a question the reader will feel they personally know the band member as they will feel as if they asked the question. This is a form of personal address towards the reader and makes the article personal for them to read.

The language used in this article is very colourful and descriptive. Words and language such as ‘crushing,’ ‘crunching metalcore riffage’ ‘rousing,’ and ‘passionately’ suits the target audience for KERRANG magazine (late teens early twenties) because the language is more mature and interesting for the reader and so the reader will not get bored of simple bland language but also is not bombarded with long and complex words and sentences that they will not be able to understand. Also the mode of address is quite personal and informative to the reader because the writer writes as if they were talking to the reader as a friend; this is shown in the chatty tones used by the writer. In addition to this, the audience for this article and the magazine becomes further apparent in the un-censored approach to the article; swear words and ‘taboo’ words are left in rather than taken out which shows that this is not targeted at younger audiences.

The main use of colours in the article is through the images of the band However there is a clear colour scheme of red, black, grey and white used in the text on the left hand side of the article. Because the images are live shots, the colours are quite dark because the venues are often kept dark to create atmospheres; because of this most of the colours in the images are from clothing or lights in the picture. The dark use of lighting and colour in the images however does reflect the genre and is a convention of rock magazines and colour schemes. As well as this the dark texts used in the article matches the dark colours of the images, keeping with the atmosphere of the article; white text on black is used to caption the pictures, which resembles lights in the dark similar to the venue but also contrasts the blacks and dark colours of the article. Also the grey texts used under the band’s name match the grey-tones in the pictures making the article look unified. By matching colours of the texts with the colours in the pictures the text becomes a part of the action taking place in the pictures bringing the article together.

NME Article

The article is organized with the whole of the left hand page taken by an image of the artist on which the article is about. The image of the artist establishes the content of the article and is also visually interesting to the reader as the contrast of the artists red jacket against the neutral greys and greens of the background take longer to observe; also the increase of contrast used also adds interest for the reader as it slightly obscures the image. The article itself is printed in columns which sections the text and makes it easier and more fluid for the reader to read, this layout is similar to a newspaper. The background of the image on the left hand side page is continued on to the background of the right hand page to show that the pages are all one article and keep continuity. The title of the article ‘FROM TAGS TO RICHES’ takes up a whole half page to emphasize the keywords in the title ‘tags’ and ‘riches’. Also the pictures at the bottom of the right hand page relate to the artist featuring in the image on the left hand page again re-establishing his identity and keeping continuity of subject matter within the article.

The reader’s interest is maintained on the second two pages of the article through large bold quotes from within the text and the continuous colour schemes and images. This maintains the reader’s attention by highlighting the most interesting facts before they have read the article making them want to read more and by visually moving the eye on the next section of the article and also keeping it visually interesting for them. Also the pictures show different stages/events in the artist’s life such as his first NME photo shoot to the release of his video recent video Bonkers; this will interest the reader because the reader is as it is not only talking about current events but also about past events.

The language in the article is fairly mature which suits the target audience for NME (twenty four year olds) the article is informing the reader of the artists life and career, however uses quotes from questions that the artist has answered which shows elements of an interview and makes the reader feel as if they know the artist personally. The style of language is informal informative which addressed an older more mature audience rather than some of the slang that can be found on Kerrang! and Rocksound as they are targeted as slightly younger audiences. This address not only informs the reader but makes the article sound like the reader is being personally addressed by the writer of the article. The sentences are reasonably complex which shows the targeted audience is an older age group (late teens early twenties) as if the language and sentences were to short and simple the audience/reader would become bored and may find it patronising.

The colours of the article show a clear colour scheme (light purples blues greens and black). The light blues greens and purples are used in the background of the images and behind the text and give the article a subtle vibrant feel. This creates a neutral background for the text without drawing attention away from the black lettering of the article. The mise-en-scene of the background image with text connotes to the lifestyle of the artist as in the image the beer bottles, scattered plastic cups and the boom box connote that he spends a lot of time having a good time and partying but the boom box also reflects that he is a musician and that he takes his music seriously, the image in a way the image contrasts work and play.

Top of the Pops Article

The text is organized on the right hand side of the page with the picture on the left; this has been done because naturally we read from left to right to the reader is more likely to look at the picture first then know who the article is about. Also the text is printed in columns to not only to organise and section the text but also to make it easier for the reader to read. The secondary images at the bottom right hand side of the page are presented like a comic strip to simplify the overall message of the article and present it in a more humorous tone making the subject of ‘love’ in the article less heavy for the younger audiences. Lastly, the large font size of the title of the article draws attention so that the reader’s eyes start at the top of the page so they can then read from the top: the beginning of the article.

The reader’s interest is first grabbed by the word ‘love’ and the pun of ‘Lou’ which is meant to sound like the word ‘you.’ The reader’s interest is maintained by the use of the personal questions asked to the celebrity, which makes the interview sound exclusive and makes the reader feel they know the artist personally as they get an insight into their life and thoughts. In addition to this, the quote bubbles highlight key points said by the celebrity in the interview, when the reader reads these it is likely that they would want to read on to find out more, therefore, the reader’s interest is further sustained.

The language in the article is chatty and gossipy which shows the tone is laidback and informal. Gossipy language suggests younger audiences as it makes the situations less serious and more interesting to read. The simple use of langue and short questions and answers again shows this is targeted at younger age groups as this make the article easier for them to read and does not bore them with long words and sentences they would struggle to understand. Also the questions asked to the celebrity are made to sound as if they have come from the audience themselves; this then makes the celebrity’s responses feel more personal to the reader because it is like the celebrity is answering them. Because this article is from Top of the Pops magazine it is aimed at younger audiences and it is likely that the readers of the article/magazine consider Leona Lewis a role model hence the personal addressing of the reader would be important.

In this article there are lots of pinks used which relates to the article in that it is written based on the celebrity’s love life: pink being one of the most stereotypical colours of love. The pink used is also a very bright and vibrant colour to reflect the genre of the magazine as pop music is often associated with bright, vibrant and often clashing colours. The pink is also a very stereotypical girly colour, which suits the artist as they have tried to portray her as very girly and innocent, the dress she is wearing in the main image on the right and the background of the carousel horse furthers this idea of being young and girly and innocent. They may have taken this approach in the image of the artist as the reader and the target audiences maybe are able to relate with her more. The alternation of pinks used to highlight the questions in the interview engage the reader and keep their attention because the colours show a change in conversation and also move the reader’s eyes down the page. In addition to this colour is also used to highlight key points in the conversation which keeps the reader interested.