Music Magazines

Front Covers
Analysis
BY SIMONE

Front Cover Choice No.1

Masthead

The masthead is placed right at the top

of the front cover to ensure that it is
the first thing the audience notices and
sees, making it utterly easy to
recognize the magazine straight away.
The masthead is placed behind the
model's head and this is performed
deliberately to highlight a main feature
of the magazine, which in this case is
the talented and easily recognized
artist, Bruno Mars. This way the image
will, in fact, get more attention from the
reader rather than the masthead, which
is more likely to appeal to them, seeing
that the image relates to the genre of
the magazine fully and is therefore able
to attract majority of the target
audience. Additionally, the masthead is
displayed in a different colour to the
rest of the colors used on the front
cover, making it stand out and fairly
noticeable.

Iconic Figure

The aim of placing an central image on the front

cover is to catch the reader's eyes before the text.
The iconic figure is firmly related to the feature
article and is very relevant to the magazine's
purpose and audience, in this case music fans.The
model's laid back and gangster pose as well as his
large gold jewelry match the cover line 'The
Gangster Who Changed The Pot Game.' This
conforms to the stereotypical gangster. Also, the
cigarette in his mouth would match the 'Boss
weed' cover line. The rather provocative picture of
Bruno in his shirt half undone together with his
seductive and somewhat intimidatingpose, will
attract majority of the female audience, as 37.4%
of the audience for this magazine are women.
Bruno's top consists of black, yellow/gold and
white colours, which are the main colours of this
issue/theme and are therefore used throughout
fonts, background and props. The adjective
'Golden' suits the colors perfectly, since it
matches the main article, the model's shirt as well
as his jewelry. The model's image is completely
adapted to the genre of this music magazine and
the whole idea of rock, attracting the reader and
wanting to buy and read this magazine. The model
gives the audience a direct mode of address by
looking right at the camera, making the audience
feel special.

Use of Color

The color scheme for this magazine issue is kept

quite basic and consists of black, gold(yellow)
and white. These colors have been chosen
carefully to coordinate with the central image,
creating a professional and appealing effect. The
gold color has been picked deliberately to match
the model's shirt, his fancy 'gangster-like' jewelry
and most importantly the word 'GOLDEN'. The
colors black and white are also colors on the
model's shirt. The contrast created between the
white background and the mostly black headings
looks very simple but professional. This fairly
professional effect appeals to the audience and
communicates to them. Especially, the color gold
is a color of importance and artist, therefore
choosing a gold color for a front cover is a way of
attracting the specifically targeted audience, in
this case the music lovers. Unusually, the
masthead is however a completely different color
to the rest of the colors used, making it look more
eye appealing and making it stand out, which is
the aim.The colors used are gender neutral and
therefore approach to both sex. The puff of air
has a black background which juxtaposes the
clear white background and fonts use within it
and creates a nice contrast, showing significance
and individuality.

Headings

Rolling Stone uses quite a few headings. Each

one is different, creating an attempt to lure
different readers to different things and stories.
The chance of selling the magazine therefore
increases, as there will be a higher demand.
The language in the heading has to be very
effective in order to persuade the reader to
appeal to the target audience. Using
persuasive words like 'Best, Golden, Biggest
and Ever' will make the articles appeal rather
fascinating to the reader. Additionally, using
words such as 'Rock' and 'Pop' will sure charm
the music audience of this magazine as it
somewhat fulfils their expectations. Including a
few artist and band names, followed by 'And
More' is will leave the reader wanting to see
the rest, therefore this is quite persuasive and
effective, in a way. The feature heading is the
biggest of them all and is the only heading in
gold/yellow, showing importance and
individuality. The puff of air is square-shaped,
drawing the reader's attention to it quite easily.
It also shows difference and significance,
especially with the use of words 'Biggest' and
'Ever'.

Fonts

In fact, the font style of the masthead differs to the

remaining font of the front cover. It appears to be
fancier and adorned in order to be distinct and catch
the reader's eyes quite easily. It has been chosen
carefully to sell and indicate about the content and
the audience the magazine is aimed at. On the other
hand, the font styles of the cover lines resemble
somewhat basic, but eye-catching. The magazine
focuses mainly on using capital letters, showing the
importance of the content. Exceptionally, the only
two places where lower case is actually used are the
masthead and the preposition 'of'. Again, this makes
the masthead different and therefore it stand out
before everything else, which fulfills the aim of the
masthead. Also, the preposition 'of' is displayed in
lower case to draw the audience's attention to this
particularly story. This works very well with the use
of a different color for this word. Unlike other
magazines, Rolling Stone only uses a few font
choices but always ensures to infer meaning to the
text displayed fully. The feature heading is the
biggest heading and also the only heading displayed
in gold/yellow, drawing the reader's attention to it
and it is also a sign of significance. The puff also
catches the reader's eyes. Since it includes quite a
few persuasive words such as 'Biggest' or 'Ever'
together with the noun 'Scandal', it will leave the
reader wanting to read the whole article

Front Cover Choice No.2

Masthead

Since the masthead is the focus of the front cover,

it requires to have the biggest font to enable it to
stand out in order to be noticed. It is also place
right at the top of the front cover, making it easy
for the reader to identify the magazine. Since
Billboard is already a highly recognized magazine
that is well established within its audience, there
is no need for the magazine to show the full
masthead in order for the audience to recognize
it. Therefore the model's head covering the letter
'o' in Billboard will not stop the audience from
categorizing the magazine straight away. The
name of the magazine itself says that this
magazine is a way of advertisement and media.
The use of the feminine color, red, and the
masculine color blue together with the use of a
gender neutral color yellow inside of the
masthead indicates the approach to both genders.
The mast head is nothing too fancy, it is kept
simple but professional in order to appeal to the
audience. These three colors in the masthead
therefore add the extra component, making it
stand out. The strapline right above the masthead
attracts the reader, since the answer is unknown
until they read the article inside of the magazine.
This functions adequately to entice readers to buy
the magazine.

Iconic Figure

For this particularly issue of Billboard, the

magazine uses an upper body shot of a
successful and socially established, known
especially within the audience the magazine is
aimed at, as a feature issue. This attracts the
reader, since it fulfils their expectations and
interests. The image is accurately connected
with the magazine's genre(music), since the
model appeals to be singing. This also reminds
the reader about the talented artists this
magazine tends to focus on, possibly enlarging
the audience size. The model's concentrated
and straight posture as well as the blazer he is
wearing apply to his character in the series
'Glee', suggesting an attempt to attract the
viewer's of the show and therefore a bigger
audience. Darren's confident facial expressions
and posture show Darren' honor and happiness
about being the feature issue of Billboard.
There is a clear focus on the model's face with
a sign of a bright light, suggesting importance
and clarity. It may suggest that that the artist
has revealed some secrets in the feature
article, leaving the audience somewhat curios.
Darren's hand are however not fully revealed,
implying that he is hiding something.

Use of Color

The use of the feminine color, red, and the

masculine color blue together with the use of a
gender neutral color yellow indicates the approach
to both genders. The color scheme for this
magazines includes the three main colors: pink,
white and dark blue. These colors are used
specifically to coordinate with the central image,
more specifically the model's tie and blazer. The
cover line alternate colors, making the front cover
look more eye appealing. Again, the color pink is a
feminine color while the color dark blue approaches
more to men. The masthead is the only feature
displayed in black on this front cover. This
juxtaposes the clearly white background and
creates an eye appealing contrast for the reader.
Majority of the colors used are very cheerful and
happy, leaving the reader feeling somewhat calm
and happy and therefore wanting to buy this
magazine.The main cover line is also showed in a
different color to the rest of the cover lines,
showing importance and catching the reader's eyes
easily. The puff of air above the masthead consists
of a yellow background, catching the reader's eyes
since it's a different color to the rest of the colors
used. This way the audience will not miss out on
the special feature that is being advertised within
this puff.

Headings

Billboard uses various points on the front cover,

telling readers about the contents it features.
Using words such as 'Ultimate preview, New
No.1, Finally, New and First' will give the
audience a feeling of exclusivity and therefore
will be tented to buy the magazine. The strapline
above the masthead is composed of a question
related Billboard's genre, which the reader will
find the answer to inside of the magazine,
leaving them curious and desperate for the
answer. The text in the puff of air tells the reader
about the 'Finalist List' and uses the word 'inside'
to lead the audience on while putting the list
inside, making the target audience want to buy
the magazine. The headings '50+ Festivals,
Billboard Music Awards, Beyonce's New Project
and The New Money in Lyrics' are strongly
related to music, the genre and focus of the
magazine, fulfilling the target audience's
expectations and interest to the maximum.
Although all of the cover lines are related to
music, the magazine uses more of them with
different contents in order to lure different
readers to different things. Billboard seems to
focus on international music issues too, for
instance mentioning Latin and Germany may
appeal to international readers or readers that
are interested in other nation's music.

Fonts

Billboard's masthead uses a bold style,

classic and slightly basic font style,
nothing too fancy since it is designed
professionally to appeal to the target
audience. The cover line '50+ Festivals'
is the only one on this front cover that is
displayed in a bold font style and is
enlarged at the same time, showing
significance and drawing the reader's
attention to this heading. The magazine
uses capital letter throughout the whole
front cover and mainly focuses on about
3 main font styles, it then applies to the
heading. Keeping the font styles(Font
Scheme) simple and basic will not
distract the audience or will, perhaps,
not make them feel uncomfortable. The
feature cover line is the only one in
comparison with the rest of the cover
lines, that are displayed in a slightly
fancier font style, making it visibly
different, appealing to the target
audience.

Front Cover Choice No.3

Masthead

Unlike other magazines, the masthead

of this magazine looks fairly simple and
basic. The bright red colour juxtaposes
the black and white background,
creating an eye appealing contrast for
the reader. The masthead has the
biggest and boldest font style in
comparison with the rest of the fonts,
making it simple for the reader to
recognize the magazine as the
masthead will be the first thing to be
noticed by the audience. It is designed
effectively to appear eye-catchy due to
the use of capital letters and a bright
red color. NME uses acronyms for the
masthead, making it more attractive
and easy for the readers to memorize
it.

Iconic Figure

The central image used for this particular

issue of NME is slightly different to what the
audience is used to, especially because it
appears less professional than usual due to
the props such as the glass filled with a drink.
This gives the impression of equality, and
therefore sparks an interest. The iconic figure
holding a glass full of a drink exposes the fun
and interesting side of the model and will
leave the reader wanting to learn more about
him. The iconic figure chosen for this front
cover connects with the magazine's genre as
he is know as a rock/indie artist as well as the
feature article. This will attract tons of Jake's
fans and increase the audience size. A lot can
be denoted and connoted from the central
image and the penetrating look Jake gives to
the reader shows a direct mode of address,
making a connection with the audience and
intriguing them enough to buy the magazine.
Assuming that the drink contains of alcohol, it
links quite well with the cover line '0%
ALCOHOL, 100% FOR REAL' and the quote
was happiest when I was drunk', giving the
audience a clearer sight and more
connections.

Use of Color

The color scheme is kept plain, but

professional. It consists of the colors
red, yellow, black and white. The
important contents and
features(masthead, puff of air, name
of iconic figure feature in the main
story and a special feature at the top
of the magazine) are shown in red,
since red is known to represent alert
and importance. All of these colors
have been chosen carefully to stand
out against each other and appeal to
the reader as much as possible. The
iconic figure's name matches the
masthead, showing significance. The
colors picked are simple and have
been manipulated to accentuate
certain features. The color black
coordinates with the central image,
more specifically the model's jacket,
creating a link.

Headings

NME doesn't necessarily use huge amounts of

headings, but when it does, they're important. For
instance, the heading right at the very top of the
magazine is above the masthead, which is quite
unusual for a front cover. This may imply the very
significance of the heading and the story it covers. The
use of the adjective ''Exclusive' makes the reader feel
unique. The magazine uses anchorage of images to
this headline as a fascinating preview for the reader,
intriguing them. The use of a quote gives a further
insight into the story, giving the reader a feeling of
exclusivity and importance and also appealing to them.
The text in the puff of air 'Win tickets to their first
stadium show' leaves the target audience feeling
excited and competitive. Including a page number is a
direct way of persuading the audience to buy the
magazine and enter the competition on Page 6. This
text also corresponds with the magazine's
genre(music). The cover lines 'Interpol's Paul Banks
comes clean and 'Big BJORK Interview Inside' are all
highlighted in black. not only does it create an eye
appealing contrast but it suggests importance and
something that can not be missed out. The content
applies to the magazine's focus adequately,
considering that music artists and shows are
mentioned on the front cover. This helps to fulfil to
target audience's expectations of this magazine. The
use of words such as 'Unseen' force the reader to
purchase the magazine, as it sparks an interest and
makes them feel exclusive.

Fonts

NME only uses capital letters to

manifest attention and denotation. This
feature is mainly used in the
masthead, special feature, main cover
line and sub stories, drawing the
reader's attention to the most
important contents of the front cover.
The font styles remain basic, making
the front cover look somewhat cleaner
and organised. The only place where
bold font style is used is the masthead,
the special feature and the iconic
figure's name but at lower intensity,
creating an effect of uniqueness,
individuality and denotation. In fact,
the magazine doesn't use fancy font
styles since 'fancy' isn't a purpose of
this magazine. The simplicity is used in
order for the audience to be clear and
not confused or distracted by various
different fonts. This will get more
people to purchase the magazine.

Contents Pages Analysis

Contents Page Choice No.1

The biggest font displayed on this contents page

is the title 'Contents' by the side of the logo of the
magazine, reminding the reader what magazine
they're reading. The central image consists of the
iconic figures relevant with the magazine's
purpose and the feature article. The page number
and the name of the article with a quote included
right on the image shows the connection and also
is used to catch reader's eyes and give them
guidance. The contents are separated into four
sections. The 'Features' section contains the main
articles, also most likely shown on the front cover.
Being the first section to be read, it shows its
significance in order to catch the reader's
attention even further. The third section 'Every
Month' is separated in order to show the audience
monthly commitment and content of the
magazine. Both of these sections use the colors
black and red, intriguing the reader, creating a
contrast with the white background as well as
being the main colors of the magazine, showing
importance. The 'Oasis Special' contents section
uses the color gold for the page number and the
title to show pride and exclusivity. The use of the
word special and the exclamation mark help to
intrigue the audience enough to read the articles
due to the feeling of uniqueness and importance.
The last section, called 'Review' consists of the
largest number of article and also the font and
style match the title 'Contents' at the top of the
contents page, suggesting a somewhat
connection. It almost seems as a section taken
from another issue of Q.

Contents Page Choice No.2

The biggest font on this particular

contents page of Rolling Stone is the
issue number, making it clear for the
audience what edition the magazine is.
The tagline underneath the title and
issue number is used in every issue,
reminding the reader what the
magazine is about. The main image is
black and white, relating to the genre of
Rolling Stone, intriguing the reader
enough to read the main article. There
is a quote and pager number on the
main image, giving the reader a clear
guidance to this article. The second
biggest font is used right below the
main image, showing a clear
connection. The magazine uses a short
anecdote or quoting to give the reader
a further insight into the main story,
convincing them to read the whole
article inside, inserting a clear page
number for guidance. Rolling Stone also
uses a secondary image as a promotion
of other features in the magazine. The
color scheme for this contents page is
very simple and only consists of a few
colors (black, white, purple), relating to
the genre of the magazine.

Contents Page Choice No.3

In this specific contents page of Kerrang,

the color scheme is quite simple but
looks professional. The use of colors
such as yellow and black appeal to the
target audience as these colors are
vibrant and create an eye appealing
contrast. The main image of a rock star
covers more than 1/3 of the contents
page, drawing the reader's attention
even before the text as it is a main
feature of the magazine. The contents
are divided into various sections, giving
the reader a clearer guidance and
making it easier for them to find what
they're searching. Unlike other
magazines, Kerrang uses more
secondary images in order to give the
reader a further insight into the articles
as well as promote other important
features of the magazine. The use of
language such as 'Win', 'Guide', or 'Live'
leave the reader feeling rather special
and exclusive as well as challenged,
convincing them to read the articles.