Analysis of existing music magazine covers: Kerrang!

This image is a cover of Kerrang magazine which was published in November 2007.

The main image on the cover is of a man playing a guitar, to people who are familiar with this genre of music will be able to identify him as Matt Bellamy, lead singer/guitarist for Muse. This will attract people who are a fan of his music, and because he is in one of the biggest bands in the world and has many fans in the UK, people may be more inclined to buy this issue of the magazine. The fact that the picture is obviously from a live concert and not shot in a studio gives readers an immediate insight into what the main feature is. And the fact that the number 100 is quite large will entice potential readers to buy the magazine because there's such a big amount of gigs that are displayed.

Matt Bellamy's head is placed in front of the name of the magazine, which is Kerrang!. The mgazine is one of the biggest rock magazines in the UK, so by putting his head in front of the name, it trusts that readers know what the magazine is already and aren't using that to gain readers. Placed on top of the magazine's name is the phrase 'Life is Loud', this reflects the type of music it is promoting, rock music is known as a genre which is often very loud and will appeal to people who enjoy this type of music.
The colour of Matt Bellamy's clothes is red, this corresponds with the tagline of 'Life is Loud' and the other feature on the bottom right. The name of the magazine is black and also has a shattered effect, this again corresponds with the genre of music which is supports.

The second main colour is yellow, this is used on the strip of pictures on the left-hand side, the skyline at the top, and the line underneath the main cover line. This shows continuity throughout the cover and also goes very well with red.

On the left-hand side of the page, there is a strip of pictures featuring other bands. This is used so that, if people aren't very interested in the main features, there are other things that they could read, it offers an alternative, as does flash shown in the bottom right-hand corner. 

Existing magazine cover analysis: Rock Sound

Rock Sound cover August 2009

The main colour on this cover is blue. This is shown in the colour of the main model's t-shirt, the mast head and the background colour of the minor features. The use of the same colour throughout the front cover shows a theme of continuity and gives the cover a sense of togetherness. There are two accent colours, yellow and red. The yellow is used as it is bright nd will draw people's attention to it. For example, the phrases 'the only interview' and 'world exclusive' are in yellow. These things stand out to make people realise that this is the only place they can read the interviews, making people feel the need to buy it and read it so they are in the know and know wha'ts going on with these two bands. And the second accent colour, red is also carried throughout the cover. It is shown in the female on the bottom right corner's shirt and then more at the topf of the cover. By using this colour at the top and at the bottom, it balances out the colours, making sure there sin't too much of one and not enough of the other.

The models on the front cover are Pete Wentz, left, and Mark Hoppus, right. The bands that they are in both have large followings. This means that by having two people from two famous bands that both of their fans would be likely to buy the magazine. Also, Blink 182 were most famous in the late 90s early 2000s, whereas Fall Out Boy were more mid-late 2000s, meaning that it isn't the norm that they're together. It will make people curios and want to know why they're on there togeteher.

Mark Hoppus, right, is positioned slightly closer to the camera because of his band. At the time that this issue of the magazine was published, his band was making a comeback which was highly anticipated.The focus has been placed on him, so more people will be attracted to the magazine. Andm, the fact that Pete Wentz, right, is there, offers an alternative to those who do not know/like the other person on the cover.

Existing magazine cover analysis: Big Cheese

Big Cheese cover November 2009

The picture of the band is placed towards the top of the cover with their heads covering the actual name of the magazine, showing that the band are more important, and are going to help with sales more than the name of their magazine will. Red, black and white are the main colours on the cover, they are the only colours used on the text. It offers some simplicity so too many colours don’t overwhelm the readers. The colours are all also used in the masthead. This again, shows a theme of continuity through the cover. 

The lead singer of the band, who is in the middle of the picture, is wearing bright colours such as blue and yellow and she has orange hair (which is a trademark of her's, and this is how many people recognize her), whereas the rest of the people in the band are wearing duller colours such as grey and navy blue. This makes her stand out more, so the different colours will catch people's eye as they walk past and make them more likely to pick up the magazine and buy it. 

Her hand is held out as though she has just blown someone a kiss, this interlinks with the line 'get the kiss of life' underneath the name of the band. Also, the words leave a space so the hand that she is holding out goes in between the words. She, and the rest of the band, are looking into the camera, which makes it seem as though they are all looking directly at whoever is reading the magazine. 

Instead of using pictures, it just uses the names of the band to entice potential readers. This makes people come closer to the magazine to actually read what it says. By doing this, and making them come closer to read the magazine, they are more likely to stop and look at it properly.