Mood Board

• NME - the most prominent indie/rock magazine for my target audience
• Lana Del Rey/Marina and the Diamonds - indie/pop musicians
• DMs/Vans - attire that indie fans often wear
• Guitar - musical element of indie music

2000s Decade Research Presentation

WWW: I think the research myself and my group conducted for this presentation on the 2000s was relevant and displayed in a relatively attractive manner. The content that was included spoke about the main events that occurred in the early 2000s, and also the popular features that are often associated with the 2000s. I'd say the audience responded well to the presentation, recognizing many of the artists and features that were included due to growing up in the decade that was presented.

EBI: As the research that was being done for this presentation was supposed to be focused on how each category related to music, I feel as though myself and my group could've emphasized this more in each slide as there were a few slides which carried little relevance to how they contributed/influenced music in the 2000s.

Double Page Spread Analysis/Comparison - Kerrang! and Top of the Pops

Comparison of Two Double Page Spreads

Contents Page Analysis - NME, Q, Kerrang!

Music Magazine Cover Analysis - Kerrang!

Masthead: The presentation of the title ‘Kerrang!’ is highly appealing to the target audience. It is capitalized, and shares the ‘screaming’ effect that is shared with the music/artists they commonly promote. Kerrang! itself is a very iconic magazine among most teenagers who have interest in music from the rock genre, due to this the masthead has been pushed to the back of the cover, behind the image of 30 Seconds To Mars. The sharp, cutting lines through the title emphasize reflect the edgy, alternative genre of the music they promote. Capitalization further promotes the ‘screaming’ nature of the music that is promoted, but also the fact that they want the masthead to stand out among the other music magazines.

Image: The portrayal of 30 Seconds To Mars on this cover is very common among all music magazines, band formations normally have one ‘stand out’ member who is usually the singer and often takes center stage in the photo. The attire of the middle member differs from that of the other two quite considerably. His jacket has more accessories on it, which are left relatively uncovered by the cover lines. The two outsiders are also wearing shades, preventing us from being able to establish contact with them, however the middle member is able to because he is the ‘main feature’ of the band. It can be said that this inclusion is important for all music magazines, or even magazines in general. The image itself is a midshot of each member, the less important half of their body in terms of what we look from a front cover is removed. It can be said that the hair colour of the middle person attracts them more than any other part of the image, instead of using attire as the stand out feature, Kerrang! has chosen to focus on other elements that can be used to stand out and challenge the conventions that other music magazines follow. The image overall is very bleak, the three band members all appear to be expressionless and don’t captivate the emotions we would expect a music magazine to have. This said, to stereotype the audience Kerrang! targets, it reflects the attire and attitude that they have.

Font: The font used is very appropriate, predominantly using the same one throughout. The masthead font is the only one that is used just once in the entirety of the magazine cover, this is perhaps to establish an identity apart from the cover stories and such. It could also be that because is targeting a very specific market, they feel it important to have it separate from the other fonts on the page. The ACDC cover line incorporates the lightning bolt they have in their logo to further emphasize their knowledge of such things and inform that the reader that they are a resourceful magazine who are aware of such things.  

Colour: The use of colour on this front cover is very important; four main colours are used consistently to stand out whilst keeping in line with the conventions of the genre that they market. Yellow is used limitedly, perhaps as it is too bright and would be drowning if used too much on this cover. Red is an obvious choice, used commonly on most music magazines of all genres. Black are white are used much more on this cover than the other magazine covers I’ve looked at, again this is most probably due to the colours that are associated most commonly with rock music.

Cover lines: Minimal information is given about each story, importance of having a mix of upcoming/well known artists is very important on this magazine. Language such as “sex” and “drugs” is very provocative and expected from the type of magazine that this is, the two topics appealing to the teenage demographic. The reader’s inquisitive nature is satisfied through the inclusion of the magazine claiming to “answer your questions” as an attempt to get them to read on.

Cover price and publish date: Small and beneath barcode, where they are commonly placed on Kerrang! magazines. The price further indicates who the target audience are, costing just £2.30 is very affordable for teenagers.

Music Magazine Cover Analysis - NME

Masthead: NME is an abbreviation of ‘New Musical Experience’, it can be said that this slick portrayal speaks greatly for the magazines target audience. NME is usually known for its bold, red title. In the case of this cover, a replacement of an equally vibrant colour is used to stand out and draw in the reader. The magazine itself relies little on the colour of the masthead, more on the placement and the consistency of this. The masthead is more often than not placed over the image, and therefore conforms to the magazines conventions. Due to its size, it very much stands out on the cover but is not the most prominent feature.

Image: The positioning of Rihanna in this shot is a fairly typical for a magazine front cover. In most fashion magazines, models on the front cover are often seen to pose in a similar position to that of what Rihanna is, though instead of standing completely upright she’s leaning at an angle that challenges the conventions of this shot. Her attire is relevant to the message NME is trying to portray about her character – she is edgy and likes to be a part from the crowd. Though the actual image is provocative, it seems to appear very much as a backdrop to the text in front of it. The bird she has on her shoulder fills the blank space in the right hand corner, and also adds small amounts of contrasting colours to that of the magazine. Her make up and nails match her attire and also the colour of the font that has been predominantly used. By using elements of what Rihanna’s wearing, NME obeys the set conventions. This in particular is something many music magazines and other types of magazines of a similar nature often take into consideration when producing the front page. She is making eye contact with the reader, establishing a connection and need to read around the image to be enticed into purchasing the magazine.

Font: The three boldest, most important pieces of text share the same font, the designer of the magazine must know these short pieces of texts will be the most relevant and should stand out more than that of the others. The bright colours speak greatly for the age demographic; it is perhaps targeted to more mature teenagers and young adults than anyone else. Whilst it looks very professional and sleek, it also uses two contrasting fonts. The extra details that are given below the cover lines are presented in a more mature font. By having two very different fonts attempt to integrate with each other, it reflects the age demographic this magazine is trying to target – being between the stages of a teenager and young adult.

Colour: Colour is a very important part of this magazine; it ignores the usual conventions in terms of possessing a red title, replacing it with a bright pink instead. The fact that ever colour used on this cover matches in more than one place is very clever and establishes the consistency we would expect.

Cover lines: Each cover line is written in capital letters, which further draws in the audience. The image and the boldly stated ‘RIHANNA’ cover line gives the audience a clear idea of what they will expect to find inside the magazine. Like most music magazines, a list of artists that will be included in the magazine is also presented to us. This entices a reader who might not be interested specifically in Rihanna to buy the magazine as it may include opinions of someone they’re a fan of.

Cover price and publish date: Both are of little importance, hidden at the top of the magazine. The price indicates that it would be aimed at the target audience that I assumed it would be, young adults and older teenagers.

Music Magazine Cover Analysis - Rolling Stone

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.