Analysing Music Magazine Front Covers

I have chosen to analyse this particular issue of Kerrang magazine because I think that although it carries the same house style that Kerrang usually follows it is unique because it used a variety of different colours that are not usually used in the issues. The pink and yellow colours draw in your attention and make the cover look more eye catching. I also like the sub section pictures down the side of the cover. This makes the cover more interesting as it differs from just having one central image and then just text around the image.  One disadvantage this magazine has is that because the main colour is pink this automatically changes the target audience of the cover to women instead of a mixed gender. I also think that there is a little too much going on in the cover and this is distracting from the central image resulting in the central image not having as much of an impact as what most other issues of Kerrang have.

This is a unique and interesting issue of Q magazine so this is why I chose it to analyse it. It doesn’t follow the original style that Q has, but it still includes the key conventions of any magazine, for example the logo, barcode and date, I think the edgy look the cover conveys works well when attracting a audience. There is limited text on the cover but the text that is included is in a large and statement font making it fill the whole page. The main image is then on top of the main text. The position of the model in the image and the fact the image is overlapping the text, means you eye goes straight to the image. The model is dressed in a sort of ‘school boy’ outfit; this is quirky and original making the magazine seem interesting. I like the font used at the top of the cover because it contrasts with the rest of the style of the cover. It is in a bolder and fuller font and also the white colour stands out on the darker background.

Out of the covers I have analysed this is my favourite. I like the quirky look that this cover has. This magazine is representing the style of indie music and although I am focusing more on pop/punk rock music, I like the style of this cover so I thought it would be useful to analyse it.  The central image is very effective and makes the whole cover work. The photography of the image is very quirky, the model looks like she positioned awkwardly but this works well and makes the image look effective. The dark make-up on the models eyes and lips engage the audience drawing your attention to the image. The dark make-up, black hair piece and black clothing contrasts with the light blonde hair of the model. 

The cover is very bare which usually is a down side to a magazine but I think in this case it is a good thing. It means all the attention can be focused on the image. The text on the cover is in a subtle pale yellow colour and is positioned slightly slanted in the bottom right hand corner of the cover, and I think this is effective because the colour contrasts with the rest of the image. The Colour Scheme is minimalistic, mainly including whites, greys and hints of other very light colours for example yellow. This makes the quirky photography, which is the main feature of the magazines content, stand out and create more of an impact.