Analysis of music magazine front covers

Bauer media group publishes this magazine and it has been around since June 6, 1981 it is usually read by an audience between the ages of 16 and 25. It is filled with information concerning heavy rock and metal bands such as gig dates, prices and merchandise. Reviews of different bands are the main focus of this magazine though. This magazine uses a house style that is easily recognizable to reader of the magazine. The masthead and coverlines are almost always in the same layout as is the cover model. This makes the magazine seem more official and less random. The colours used on this cover are usually very dark and primarily consists of black and white. The masthead is also in black and very bold but by using a bright background it helps to give the title much more of the audiences attention and would help the target audience remember the name of the magazine as it stands out so much. The puffs on this cover are in bold and run along the bottom of the page in a separate bar displaying all of the free prizes and the names of bands to inform the target audience of what to expect inside the magazine.




  The magazine NME was published by the IPC media company and is primarily read by a younger audience as it contains news on recent music and gig information. The masthead and the coverlines of this magazine cover follow a house style that helps the audience to tell immediately what they are looking at, as the overall style of the magazine remains the same from each issue.  The central image is of a famous and well-known musician and this would help to sell copies, as the audience will assume that there is more information on this person inside. The colours used on this cover are very bold and bright and ensure that your attention is drawn to the masthead and the puffs by making the writing white on a bright background. This means that people are more likely to at least read the front cover and see what may be shown inside. The brand identity also helps the audience to identify the magazine with ease and fits in with the house style of the magazine as the font and colour of the masthead and the coverlines are always the same. This shows that the magazine follows a particular style in how it looks.

 The masthead for this magazine stands out well on the magazine cover and the letters of the masthead are scratched and the edges appear to have been torn slightly. This gives the impression that the magazine is perhaps rebellious and this would suite the genre of the magazine as well as the people who would be reading the magazine as the audience are most likely to be in their teenage years on early twenties. The most obvious and clear puff on this cover would be the writing across the centre of the magazine that says “slipknot” this is the clearest and it has been designed to be as it is trying to tell the audience which band will be inside and therefore attract the audience’s attention. In the background of the puff the creator has put a red banner, as the puff has been done in white and the background in red it causes a very clear contrast which in itself draws the reader attention to it. On this cover there are also many free prizes and competitions displayed across the image, while the readers eye is not immediately drawn to these they are in areas of the page that are not taken up by the cover model. This means that they are clearer and easier to see as well as filling in blank areas such as in the bottom left corner of the magazine and along the top where it I written that there are free posters inside.