Kerrang Magazine
We can tell instantly from the cover page that Kerrang magazine promotes the genre of rock music. The Band on the cover of the first magazine example have a 'typical look' of a rock band; Long messy hair, tattoes visible, and the certain stance that makes them appear cocky or confident, all features that are generally recognised with the rock genre. The three images below are also of well known rock music artists, straight away telling the reader the type of artists they will be reading about. As Rock music is no longer one of the most popular genres of music, Kerrang magazine have a specific audience that they appeal to.
Q Magazine A
nalysis
The first feature noticeable about this issue of Q magazine is the colour theme used. Black, Red, and white are the only colours used on the cover page and are effectively used to make it stand out and eye catching. The colours are used for the presentation of ; the masthead, the sell line, and the several cover lines. They are also used on the main image, as the hair colour is black and the lips have been particularly decorated with bold red lipstick to continue the colour theme. These three colours create a bold and stand out image for the cover and highlight the lips and eyes on the image, which will appeal to the specific target audience. I think the colour scheme successfully works and would make it one of the most eye-catching magazines on a shop shelf, which would therefore sell well.
The cover page follows the general conventions used on magazines. This is because; All the cover lines are aligned to the left side of the page, with some also on the right hand side of the page. There is also a barcode visible, which is needed, along with the instantly recognisable logo. In addition to this, the main image takes up the full size of the page, with the main cover line in bold at the centre & bottom of the page. The only small difference to general conventions is the use of only one image, unlike many magazines that often display several small images that advertise other features in the magazine. However, I think the cover is more appealing with only the one main image, as the audience will be more intrigued to find out the features of the cover lines that are inside the magazine.
The contents page uses the same colour scheme front the cover page, adding an effect to the magazine through continuity. Along with the colours being repeated, the logo is also displayed on both pages of the contents. Although music magazines usually layout the contents page over just one page, this issue of Q magazine has used two pages. This is an effective format in my opinion as it enables the readers to see the features that will be inside the magazine and decide with will most appeal to them to read.
Using the traditional conventions of a magazine contents page, the layout includes 8 small images and the one main large image for the main feature. The sub headings are in bold black writing, and underlined with a thick red line, making each title stand out clearly, another positive feature of the magazine’s contents page. Each feature is labelled with a page number, intriguing sub-title and information on what the specific feature is about. By setting the contents out this way, the readers will be able to find specific sections quickly and easily, which is a positive factor for both the audience and institutions. The audience because they enjoy reading the magazine and this will benefit the institution of the magazine as the audience will recommend the magazine and could lead to high sales.
The double page spread i am analysing is the interview with 50 Cent. The headline is used to grab the attention of the readers, which it does so, successfully.
‘Who the hell does 50 Cent think he is’. This Title instantly makes the reader ask the question themselves and then they will be intrigued to find out what 50 Cent is really like. The sub heading below ‘the artists also known as Fiddy’ will also intrigue the reader and make them want to read on to see why he has that particular nickname. The feature has been cleverly edited so that there are several questions readers want answering from the interview before they have read the article.
One the second page of the double page spread, they have used a full- page sized image of the artist. The image is taken as an extreme close up, with the focus point immediately drawn to his bold eyes. This makes the reader feel ‘closer’ to the artist and conotates that the article will reveal a lot about 50 Cent. Referring back to the connotations generally used in magazine interviews, there is one quote chosen from the interview which tends to make a bold statement or interesting point of view from the artist. The quote is used to further add to gaining the attention of the reader to the article. In my opinion, the layout of this double page spread is well presented. The headline, using a rhetorical question, is a good idea as it leaves the reader intrigued in the feature on the artist and makes them interested enough to read on. However, the text used for the interview is in extreme small print, which may be an issue for some readers and put them off reading it. Although this part of the double page spread looks fairly boring, i think the image on the opposite page is the strongest convention used and is an effective feature. The close-up angle of the image makes 50 Cent look 'Iconic'.
