As the front cover analysis comes to a close, it looks like we will be taking a look at articles - possibly the most important element of a convincing magazine.
My cover analyses are shown below:
NME
New Musical Express (NME) is called that due to the fact that it is bring us new music and it wants to make that clear. The fact that it is presenting their target audience with new music appeals to their demographic in that their audience of 15-20 year old males want to hear about the latest bands. The word ‘Express’ holds connotations that the NME is unstoppable as in a train and everyone should join this ‘express’.NME targets a demographic of predominantly male, 15-20 year old rock, indie and possibly ‘emo’ fans.
The main image of the magazine is that of the band ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. Alex Turner and Miles Kane are both dressed similarly and have a similar wide-eyed expression to entice the audience. There is a direct mode of address to further allure the viewer as they are instantaneously involved in the magazine. They are dressed similarly to signify the fact that they are in the same band which interests the reader from the offset. They are also wearing black which contrasts with the simple white background thus making them stand out more.
The band ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’ is an indie band which instantly connotes the type of audience they are trying to appeal to. Furthermore, they are both male which further denotes which demographic they are trying to appeal to (that of the male). Moreover, they are trying to appeal to a relatively young audience and this is reinforced by the fact that Turner and Kane are both 22.
Cover lines are also prominent features of the front cover as the reader is informed and thus, enticed by what is in the magazine. One of the cover lines in particular appeals to their demographic: “SXSW Special – 12 brilliant new bands we’ve found for you.” As the target audience is desperate to be the first in the know about new bands, this tag line fulfils this demographics’ needs and therefore, there is another reason they will purchase the magazine.
The masthead, NME, is obscured by Alex Turner’s head. This is because the name is so established they no longer feel the need to inform the reader’s of the magazine’s name. This decision is not only aesthetically pleasing but also establishes their prominent reputation. Primarily, the colours used on the front cover are red and white. This means that the image of the band dressed in black is juxtaposed and thus, stands out more therefore forcing the reader to take notice of the stars.
Furthermore, the colour scheme is simple; this means that their demographic is not confused by the clutter and the cover lines, masthead and main image stand out. Moreover, to further convey this simple yet effective image, there is a simple font style which helps the reader focus on the stories and the image.
Kerrang!
The name, ‘Kerrang!’, is an onomatopoeic sound. It represents the thrashing of a guitar thus illustrating the genre that ‘Kerrang!’ attempts to appeal to. The exclamation mark also makes the magazine stand out which would entice more potential readers.
The target audience that Kerrang! is appealing to is that of the heavy metal/screamo/emo fan. This genre of music is guitar based hence the guitar influenced title. The primary target audience is from 15-30 years old but it appeals to ‘metal’ fans of any age.
The main image of the magazine is that of the band ‘Avenged Sevenfold’. They represent the genre that ‘Kerrang!’ are attempting to appeal to in that they are a heavy metal band with a generally teenage-based following despite their ‘hardcore’ image. This band’s image thus epitomises the magazine’s ethos. Their facial expressions are menacing thus playing up to their ‘dangerous’ representation (this is reinforced by the cover line “The world’s most dangerous band”). This dangerous image helps them sell as their fans enjoy their stereotypical heavy metal image. This means that their fans will buy the magazine as well as fans of the genre. They are wearing black which connotes that they are evil which further aids their ‘bad-boy’ image. Moreover, they are holding weapons which make it patently obvious that they are destructive. The band’s mode of address is direct which influences the reader in that they feel that they are involved in the magazine.
The cover lines help the magazine to appeal further to their ‘hardcore’ heavy metal audience as bands such as ‘Lost Prophets’ and features such as “25 metal anthems you must own” are included. Many bands (as with the three other magazines I have analysed) are featured in the cover line to influence fans of the genre and fans of the band to purchase the magazine. Furthermore the signature ‘Kerrang!’ tagline ‘Life is Loud’ infers further that their music is loud and that will attract fans of loud noise. Moreover, the ‘Life is Loud’ tagline is obscured by the band which infers that the magazine is so renowned that it does not even need to let people know it’s tagline every issue. The masthead of ‘Kerrang!’ is also concealed which further reinforces this message.
The colour scheme is dark which accentuates the dark, metal undertone of the magazine. Whereas the lighter, more mainstream magazines such as Rolling Stone and Q. avoid clutter in their cover, ‘Kerrang!’ seem to welcome it. This may be due to the fact that it is attempting to appeal to a particular genre and is more niche hence not needing to conform to the neat and tidy stereotypes of magazine covers. Moreover, the font is not as simple and bland as in the other magazines, illustrating a broader selection of fonts thus making the cover seem more abstract and further appeal to their target audience.
Rolling Stone
The magazine is called ‘Rolling Stone’ due to the fact that the Rolling Stones were a classic rock band and this connotes that the magazine focuses on classic rock. Moreover, the title infers that they are ‘rolling’ forward with the times and remaining modern despite their classic rock roots. Furthermore, “stone” implies that the magazine is immovable and, to paraphrase ‘Ashford & Simpson’, solid as a rock.The magazine is targeting a reasonably old audience as signified through the aforementioned choice of title and the utilisation of adult-orientated rock bands in the cover lines (i.e. The Police and Velvet Revolver). However, the use of Amy Winehouse as the main image means that their audience becomes more widespread as the magazine instantly appears more modern. Moreover, the utilisation of a political cover line (“Giulani: Worse than Bush”) reinforces their target audience of middle (predominantly men). However, due to their inclusion of Amy Winehouse as the main image, they are also appealing to younger people as their secondary audience.
Amy Winehouse is the main image and she is directly addressing the audience thus making the audience feel more involved. She directly addresses the audience by looking into the camera. She boasts a serious yet slightly expectant expression which further aids the perception that she will reveal all in this interview. Her tattoos are shown using a mid shot to accentuate the fact that she is a ‘tearaway’. Whilst this would make the magazine more accessible to a younger audience, it still attracts 30-50 year olds as her music is a throwback to a bygone era of girl groups and soul.
The text is simple as the audience are older and do not need to be attracted with fancy graphics and extravagant text. The colour scheme is also simple to further reinforce this notion. The white background directly juxtaposes her black outfit and black hair hence representing her as an evil character. Furthermore, she is wearing a low cut top thus conveying her in a provocative manner and attracting male (and possibly female) audiences.
I found the cover analyses reasonably easy; the conventions were easy to pick up and, once you knew the target audience of the magazine, it was easy to deduce why te creators chose to make the magazine look like it does.
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