The document analyzes the front covers of several music magazines, comparing their design elements and how they target different audiences. For Top of the Pops magazine, which targets teenage girls, the analysis notes the use of bright colors, celebrities, and slang to appeal to readers. Billboard magazine, aimed at ages 16-28 of both genders, features Katy Perry and uses pink and blue to attract multiple demographics. Kerrang magazine, focused on rock music, has a bold title and short headlines featuring exclamation points to grab attention. Across magazines, common design elements include the masthead, barcodes, and consistent color schemes, while language, images and styles are tailored to each publication's unique genre and readership.

1. Chart Music Magazines
Front Cover Analysis

2. The company publishing the
magazine have their main logo in
the same place and same colours
on all magazines to make it
recognisable.
Top of the Pops front cover analysis
The masthead in this issue of the
top of the pops magazine has
the background of orange and
font of white which contrast well
together to stand out so
customers would be able to see
what magazine it was.
There are also three subhead
lines based on three different
artists or celebrities which
attract customers from the
variety of people on the front
cover. They also use the
consistent colours throughout
the heading and a simple black
font for a basic line of
information on the article in
the magazine which contrasts
well with the orange and
white.
They have placed another
article heading in opposite
corners to another one which
stands with the yellow bright
background. They also use a
photograph to make customers
interested and use the main
colours of orange and black on
it some how.
Other articles within the magazine are displayed with orange black and white and
with pictures so younger people of the target audience can just see what its about
without having to read a lot about it before they purchase the magazine.
For another article heading within the
magazine they don't use the main consistent
colours however they use a similar colour
which stands out bold for readers to
automatically draw to read. The fact there is
main word of ‘win’ in different colour and
background to the rest of the magazine
makes it appeal to people easily draw to it
and stand out as they can be involved in
something the magazine is offering.
The main photo of the magazine stands out
central of the magazine. It is also a well
recognised celebrity who is popular with the
target audience of teenage girls so it
influences them to purchase the magazine.
The fact he is only wearing a vest makes him
look more appealing to people.
The background colour for the front cover of
this magazine is white which makes it look
simple yet all the pictures and article
headline stand out. It also makes the main
image look more important without
unnecessary things in the background to
distract the readers
The main headline on this magazine issue
also uses the contrasting colours that are
used in the masthead. These colours are the
consistent colours used throughout the cover
of the magazine to attract the readers. The
use of a quote from the celebrity used as the
main headline will also attract the readers as
they will want to read more about it with
such a surprising headline.
The main colours have also been used on the barcode, magazine
details and information to keep it consistent and appealing throughout
even on the minor things on the magazine.

3. Top of the Pops target audience is based at young teenager girls who are
interested in chart music and the latest celebrity interests and gossip. They
attract the audience through the use of bright bold colours which stand out.
They have used an attract male as the centre picture of this issue so girls would
be more interested in purchasing it. They offer people posters and pictures
which appeal to the young girls who would want these to place around their
bedrooms. They also use celebrity advice as an article on the front cover, this
would appeal to the target audience as it is what the celebrities do and their
idols in which they look up to and they want to be like them so they would take a
keen interest into reading into the article. The use of slang words is used on the
front cover for example ‘buff’ which connects the reader through this formal
way as the target audience of teenage girls may use words such as these and
they would know what they mean in comparison to older people who may not
know what these words mean so it wouldn't appeal to them.

4. The title for this magazine is
barely visible on this issue of the
magazine due to the prominent
picture which is taking control
to stand out. However due to
this magazine being a well
known international magazine it
is easily recognisable to people.
It keeps the same colours for
the title throughout each
magazine.
The background for this
magazine cover is a very pale
pink this is a good colour to use
as it is very simple and basic and
contrasts well with the black
and bright blue font on the rest
of the cover. It also contrasts
well with the main image of
Katy Perry with her dark hair
and bright lipstick and eye
shadow.
The main image on this magazine
cover is Katy Perry who is well
known popular person in the
music industry which appeals to
the audience and customers
purchasing the magazine. She is
very central on the page with her
skin and body looking very
simple but perfect. You can
barely see any clothes on her so
it attracts you more to her face.
The use of bright blue/green eye
shadow and bright pink lipstick
makes her face stand out a lot
showing how attractive she is
and that the main article will be
focused on her.
Billboard magazine front cover analysis
The information of this issue of
magazine is very tiny in
comparison to the rest of the
magazine showing its a minor
thing and doesn't need to be
standing out much. There isn't
even a bar code located at the
front of the magazine like many
magazines normally have, showing
how little it means in perspective
to the rest of the magazine and it
will be probably be found
elsewhere on a not so important
page of the magazine like the back.
The main headline of this
magazine isn't even relatively large
as a normal main headline would
be. It only has basic words and
shows who the main person is and
why she is so important for this
magazine putting everything else
down to not meaning much
throughout the magazine.
The subheadings for other articles
in the magazine are very limited to
there only being 2 other articles
which stand out showing in
comparison they aren't and may
not necessarily be important. They
also have limited information
based on the article showing that
if you want to know more you
have to read into it and not giving
much away of what the magazine
is offering.

5. The target audience for the Billboard magazine is a variety from teenagers aged
16 to people aged 28 of both genders. This is because it includes a variety of
genres of music in it. They attract the audience by the use of simple colours to
make the main image stand out. They use an attractive woman, Katy Perry as the
main image to get the attention of the readers. This image is suitable for both
genders as males would find her attractive to look at and woman see her as a
role model of someone to be like; especially as the headline is Woman of the
Year so therefore more of reason to look up to her. The use of only pink and
blue generally is known as a boy and girl colour so the use of those colours
shows that the magazine is both aimed at girls and boys. It is a very formal and
basic magazine with no use of slang so it is suitable for the correct audience.
There is no over-crowding on the front cover and its kept very mature.
Throughout the magazine they have advice from the celebrities which would
want people who idolise them to read into.

6. Other Genres - Front Cover
Analysis

7. Through the writing at the header of the magazine cover you can also tell that the magazine
is only suitable for certain ages of the older age. This is because words such as ‘cocaine’
‘heroin’ ‘prison’ and ‘HIV’ are inappropriate for younger ages and set a bad example.
The title of this magazine is very
basic and bold with a large font
so it is easy to notice, like the
previous analyzed front covers
they too have simple titles for
their magazines so it is easily
recognized.
Through the main headline of
the magazine you can
immediately tell that it is aimed
at a more of an adult age
through the word ‘virgin’ as
younger people would not be
able to tell what this meant in
that context. The word virgin
also stands out in a bright red
colour to attract the reader.
Like many magazines this
magazine has got a simple
barcode and magazine
information laid out near the
bottle of the page, the use of
black and white colour scheme
for this makes it fit in for the
rest of the magazine.
The main image on the background is
Chris Brown, he is a suitable person for
this type of magazine as he fits the genre
well of hip-hop and RnB. The way he is
standing and posing and his hand
positions show this as stereotypical that’s
what people who like RnB music look like
and idolise to.
The rest of the headlines for the
magazine are laid out in a very simple
basic colour scheme of green and
white which contrast well against the
basic patterned background in which
the headlines and main image is
placed upon.
One other article in which this
magazine ha, has been presented out
in a different way to the others with
the bright red and yellow been used,
this will attract the readers of the
magazine as it stands out in
comparison to the rest of the writing
on the magazine, similar to the affect
that the ‘virgin’ word has in the bright
red colour.

8. This magazine vibe has a lot of comparison for this genre of magazine and who
the target audience is focused on compared to the pop/chart magazines in
which I have also analysed. The layout however is very similar with the variety of
main a headline and subheadings for other articles, with other ones standing out
in comparison to other ones on the front cover. However when it comes to the
language used there is a different, in the more RnB/ Hip-hop magazines there is
more stereotypical chav like words including ‘swizz beatz’ this is very informal
but addressed in a suitable way for the people the magazine is aimed at,
however in the first analysis of the magazine I done there was also slang like
words suitable for the more younger audience. In similarity to the other chart
magazine they use a more sophisticated way of writing with no slang or
abbreviation words. The way the images or person in the picture is displayed is
also different in the way they are presented as with the RnB one is styled in a
typical way suitable for the target audience in a poser like way, however they
have used an attractive person to appeal for the target audience. However the
chart style magazine are more pretty/attractive and smiling rather than posing in
the stereotypical way.

9. Other than the main image of the
front cover there are also a lot of
other smaller pictures to endear
the customers to the magazine
so they can decide if they want
the magazine with some relative
pictures to the genre of the
magazine to influence them to
purchase them.
The title for this magazine is
bold and red which stands out
in block like font which is quite
a rock like style which is the
genre for this magazine.
The main image for this magazine
is of a man of suitable relevance to
the genre of the magazine which
would probably appeal to the the
target audience. He is very central
of the cover with the hand gesture
he is doing relating to the ‘rock’
theme.
The rest of the headlines used
throughout the magazine front cover
are very short and snappy and a lot
of them being one word titles to
attract the reader to be intrigued
with the use of exclamation marks to
emphasis them.
The background of the
magazine is a very simple
and quite plain with the
only colours used being
white and yellow which link
into the colour scheme and
the contrasting colours used
throughout this magazine
front cover. It is very simple
and basic to contrast well
with the picture/image t
make them stand out more.
As predicted they have the basic
information and barcode for the
magazine located at the bottle of
the page in a simple black and
white colour.
Other headlines are placed round the bottom of the front cover to
put as many things to draw the readers. These headings like the
others are very basic with little writing or none at all to explain
extra information on the article.

10. Kerrang magazine has a lot of comparisons to the chart magazines that are out
there. This is mainly because the genre of the music and what is presented on
the magazine is difference. The headline is very different on the two as the
kerrang one is more blocky and bold to suit the genre of music. They both
however are similar in the fact they have a main headline, subheadings and
images for other articles. The language is very different on both the magazines
as the chart magazine has more information for each of the articles and the
words are more slang and abbreviated. Whereas on the rock magazine the
words are very short and snappy and seem to be made up ‘Dillinger!’. However
each of the language used on both of the articles is suitable and fits well for
the genre and audience of the magazine. The pictures on the front cover are
also related to the genre/target audience of rock music with like the
smashing/fist clenched picture of the person which is more suitable for the
target audience which is different for the chart magazines which they have
more suitable for their target audience of a more of a plain and simple style.