1. Analysis of existing rock
Magazine front covers

2. KERRANG
Colour scheme: the background of the cover is a
blue/gray which is a similar shade to the clothing ‘Billy
Joe’ is wearing. ‘Billy Joe’ still stands out however as
they have used a from centre shading style. The three
main colours used are white green and yellow, which
stand out against the blues/gray tones in the
background.
Images: There are 3 photos used on this front cover all
differing on size depending on their importance. the
main image is the largest of the three and is slightly to
the left of the centre. The image is of ‘Billy Joe’ the lead
singer from ‘Green Day’ a successful American rock
band. The image is not posed so looks a lot more
natural. It was probably taken as he performed as he is
sweaty and his posture suggests he is tired and just
finished playing. The photo of ‘Slipknot’ is the second
most important because of its size. The colours of the
photo are similar to the ones on the picture of ‘Billy Joe’.
Text: there are 5 different fonts of varying sizes. The majority of the fonts are sans serif so are easy to read and understand. Also
the tag line uses a distressed font to add edge and personality to the cover. Tag lines like WTF ‘Harry Potter joins the Gallows’
grab the readers attention as well as other words like ‘plus’ and ‘win’.

3. Q
Colour scheme: the red black white and gray used on
this issue is typical of a conventional rock music magazine.
The background is varying shades of gray. This gives a
professional look as it adds depth and looks better than just
one block colour.
Images: There are only two images on the cover giving the
cover more space and clarity which is unusual on a rock
magazine. However this does give the cover a more high end
professional look. This could make the magazine standout from
other more generic and cluttered rock magazines as being a
more professional rock magazine which features more well
known artists and has ‘better’ (just released news, more reliable,
world exclusives, first look ect) content.
Text and font: The masthead is a main focus with the main
image actually drawing our attention to it by giving the illusion that ‘Matt
Bellamy’ (the artist shown by the main image) has smashed it with his
guitar. This is quite unusual as conventionally the main image goes in
front of the masthead sometimes even partially covering it. However on
this magazine the masthead is a main focus for the audience possibly
suggesting that either they are trying to establish the brand more or
that the brand itself is a selling point and is acknowledged in its own
right by the audience. This is also supported by the fact that Matt
Bellamy himself is acknowledging the brand by ‘him smashing’ the
masthead. This will encourage fans of Matt Bellamy to buy the
magazine as if it has his attention then they will be compelled to give it
their attention too. Secondly the fact that the mast head has a
smashed effect supposedly inflicted through violence gives the
magazine more of a rebellious rock feel and therefore more likely to
sell to a rock target market. The other fonts used are bold and simple
making them easy to read more eye catching and bold, so that they fit
into rock style. The language used is informal appealing to a younger
market. Words such as nutjobs give a more laid back feel which
appeals to a wider target market. Along with lines like ‘sex, drugs&…
yeh right’ which is reference to a popular rock saying makes the
magazine appeal directly their target market of ‘rockers’.

4. NME
Images: Three images are used on this front cover one
main image intended to capture the audiences attention,
and two smaller images to show other articles that might
inspire the audience to buy it. The main image showing
Johnny Marr (left on main image) intrigues the audience
due to his secretive body language. Furthermore as his is
looking directly at the camera the audience feels involved
and directly addressed by him so is more likely to feel the
need to find out what happened and thus buy the magazine.
Colour scheme: black white red and a yellow/gold
is the colour scheme used on this magazine. The
colours are fairly typical of a rock magazine. Red being
a frequently used for its connotations of danger and
passion which is part of the main rock ideals/image.
Text/font : All 3/4 fonts are very similar which makes the
cover bland but simple and united.the fonts are sans serif
so are easy to read. The language used is more formal
than most rock magazines with few puffs. However it does
feature two quotes which will interest the reader in the
articals.