Masthead: This magazine has a very iconic title, and has been consistently used in the same style since the magazine has begun. Largest font of the magazine, bold red colour juxtaposes with that of the dark, black and white image/theme. Most prominent, stand out feature of the magazine – this is very much due to the font and colour choices.
Image: The image used here has been very airbrushed, the ‘impurities’ have been removed and the use of Photoshop is evident. The mid length shot goes against the image conventions we would expect from the front cover of a magazine, medium closeups being the most common. Perhaps because Rolling Stone is such a well known and highly regarded magazine, it can challenge the conventions of a medium close up needing to be appear to be successful and effective. Removing the colour from the image also adds effect, the cover lines become more noticeable and entice the reader to read the magazine because of what they read on the cover more than what they saw. It helps the red text – the text the editor of the magazine would most want them to read/remember – stand out due to the bleakness of the image. The top of Lana Del Rey’s head also overlaps the bottom of the masthead, again due to the magazine being easily recognized just by the layout. It’s as though Rolling Stone has created its own ‘music magazine’ conventions, ones that differ from the typical conventions that other music magazines follow. In terms of the mis en scene, Lana Del Rey is dressed relatively typically for the front cover of a fashion magazine, but perhaps not a music magazine. Her attire is provocative and eye catching as there is a lot of skin on show, not particularly relating to her as a musician. Inclusive eye contact is also made, drawing you in and making you feel a part of the events that are being displayed on the cover.
Font: The font style is completely consistent throughout the cover, mirroring that of Cambria or New Times Roman. The choice of font adds an element of sophistication to the magazine cover in attempt of identifying with the target audience in a subtler way. Magazines that target audiences of a younger demographic tend to use fonts with smooth curves and bright, vibrant colours whereas this cover is of a completely different nature and looks at focusing on minimalistic effects to draw the audience in.
Colour: Colour in general on this front cover is effectively used and utilized to entice the reader to pick up the magazine and read on. A minimal amount of red is used as a way of identifying important features of the magazine. The choice of colours is highly relevant, whilst a black and white image can be bleak and drowning, this picture works well in terms of standing out from the conventional, music magazine covers which are practically always vibrant, cluttered and coloured.
Cover lines: The main cover line focuses predominantly on the name of the artist that is being promoted, with less focus/attention on the message. The normal cover lines do relate to what readers would typically be interested in reading about, and therefore perform their purpose successfully. Whilst they are not inclusive, they drop names of artists that the reader would be interested in hearing about and hope to identify similarities between themselves and the artist’s stories that are being told.
Cover price and publish date: The cover price and publish date are of little importance/relevance to the message the magazine is trying to convey. Price does give an indication of the age group that is being targeted, a magazine that costs £4.50 wouldn’t be something a young child could typically purchase with their pocket money. This magazine also includes the mention of a website, indicating that the magazine company is in tune with the modern aspects of the music scene and there is availability for constant updates.
No comments:
Post a Comment