Analysing magazine front covers

Analyzing Rocksound

On first impressions Rocksound comes across as a typical rock magazine, this can be seen by some of the conventions followed in the magazine, titles, band along top or bottom of the page, straplines and barcodes all being some of the conventions often seen through most magazines.

Colour schemes

The colours on the magazine, all dark neutral colours are typical of those found on a variety of rock music magazines. The colours connote the rock vibe as all darker colours are associated with it with a more authentic music sound. Bright colours are then added on in test of parts of the magazine that they really want to advertise. Yellow is used for this because its a bright eye catching colour which draws the audiences attention well. White is used for the title and subheading of the magazine clear against the dark background contrasting calm and anger of the dark and light colours.

Design

The title along the top of the magazine is in a convention style to that magazine, this allows readers to recognise the magazine even when images are covering some of the title the audience can still recognise the magazine. The strapline has a glass break effect, this broken up effect follows the subheading caption of 'We predict a riot' this again follows the rock conventions as it is a band along the top of the magazine. The fonts are mainly dark and white colours following the dark colour scheme. The font is neat clear easy to read font, doing this allows the readers to clearly access the information available, all the colours and font style tie in very well with the general design of the magazine.

Image

The image on the cover is of a rock band, the image is corresponding with the 'we predict a riot' with band members brandishing chains baseball bats and bricks. Its a medium / log shot of the whole band dominating most of the page. The image connotes a feeling of chaos and destruction within the magazine which appeal to a rock genre as this is what we come to expect from rock stars. The musicians in the picture are also wearing back colours fitting in well with the rock style and fashioning skinny jeans the popular trend f people who enjoy this music genre, this allows the audience to relate to the members of the band on the front page and allows them to believe they can be like them. one member of the band s wearing red and black checks breaking he conventions of the page and making him stand out while another member has white hair, this suggest these two are trying to make a impact against the others, perhaps they are the main singers of the band?

We can also 3 small images along the top bar of the magazine, these although small appeal to be following the dark colours of the magazine.

Pose, Style, Hair and makeup.

The pose of the main image is following the riot theme of the subheading with members of the band brandishing various objects. The hair styles of the band are typical 'emo hair styles' allowing many readers to associate it with it, the hair styles and clothing are easily accessible by the audience giving them a chance to feel like they can follow their style and lifestyle. their features are simply outlined, using little make up in picture giving them a genuine look allowing everyone to associate with them attracting the target audience.

How are words used on the cover.

The title and strapline are both white, making them stand out on the dark background. The strapline broken glass effect suggests a mad packed contents within the magazine. There is a large variety of bands names listed on the front cover this combined with the strapline attract the audience as there is a variety of bands which all appeal to the interest of the audience, and it gives a clear description of some of the bands you are going to find in the magazine. The strapline and title is big enough to read from a distance catching the audiences attention while the listing of bands within the magazine is of a clear easy to read font. This along with the few splurges of colour allow the audiences attention to be grabbed when viewing on a shelf.

Language

The language is very simple, mostly simply stating names of bands this works well because it gives the audience enough detail about what they are interested in.

Overall Impression

Overall this is a very effective magazine cover, its busy and exciting yet maintains a feeling of similarity showing typical magazine conventions and styles. The layout and images used are all appealing to the audience and allow them to engage well between the audience and magazine. It gives a clear detail of whats inside and connotes what to expect through imagery. It is designed to appeal to a rock / emo genre, it clearly represents the target audience and the bands listed and imagery used suggest it to be aimed at a teen and young adult audience. This will not appeal to a audience like R'n'B, rap or pop as none of the music artists listed are of this genre, the colours and style are not appealing to this type of audience it appeals to the total opposite, in fact this type of look is w=one which will repel a certain audience. It is a smaller target audience definatly not a mass audience target.