Analysis of Existing Music Magazines.

Kerrang Music Magazine

This is a front cover of a Kerrang music magazine. This follows the iconography of most music magazines with this genre, which I will base my own magazine on. The magazine follows the genre or rock/indie, which is what I will be doing for my own. As explained in my analysis, I have chosen this genre as it is the most enjoyable and accessible for me. I think the overall composition of this magazine is more interesting than most genres, Therefore I am basing my own on this.

The headline in this magazine cover is mainly covered up by the band image, However Kerrang is so well known, that the whole title name is not necessary, not only is this the reason why the headline is not fully publicized, But also due to the fact that it looks more composed with overlapping of the images.

The imagery used is stereotypical band photo's, with all the band members grouped together, Therefore I will do the same in mine, however I want my band members to look more natural, rather than positioned and looking directly at the camera.
Looking at the camera using a medium close-up makes it looks more personal, as the band members from 'Bring Me The Horizon' are looking directly at the camera, therefore this makes it look welcoming and inviting, and will make the reader feel engaged and important. This is a good use of denotation as it is clear why the photographer has done this.

However, in my own magazine I think i will use a long shot to create more of a natural appearance.
The use of subheadings over the main image works well here, as it doesn't make it look too cluttered, however gives an insight to what is inside the magazine.

On the front of this cover is the band 'Bring Me The Horizon', These are featured on the front as they are known to be a successful band, particuraly with a male audience, this works well research shows more males are likely to read Music Magazines, therefore it suits the audience.


Not only are the band successful, but follow the sterotypical 'Rock Band' image, e.g Long hair and Tatoo's. However, the photographer has portrayed them as opposite, as thier usual clothing would be skinny jeans and t-shirts, Whereas here they are shown wearing suits, This could suggest that even though they follow a specific music genre, wearing the suits they are showing a more respected, well-groomed side which could appeal to the female population.

NME Music Magazine.


This is a front cover of a NME music magazine, in which I will also be basing my own magazine on. This magazine uses a lot of codes and conventions. It also uses a lot of imagery, for example overlapping images, excessive use of texts and headings, however as an overall composition works well as the overlapping makes it like there is a lot going on, however, for my magazine 

I think this looks too busy, therefore I will go for a more simple look. However the use of overlapping with the images over the text is a good quality and makes the magazine look whole.

The idea of a 'sticker' in the corner is effective as it reflects the genre, e.g Indie, as they are stereotyped using stickers with band names on, also the idea of the rip down the middle showing a heading makes it appeal to a younger audience, this is effective and therefore i may incorporate this into my own design.

NME is an extremely popular music magazine, and people have have quoted:
"I can trust it"
"It's full of facts that we should all know but don't, BUT now we do thanks to NME"
"Honest no-holds barred reviews".
Readers become dependant on the magazine to provide fresh information, images and facts, therefore a consistency of this is what makes it so popular. Therefore I have to refer to this in my own.

The knowledge that is provided in the magazine keeps people up to date, and therefore makes them popular in their peer groups, hence the audience being teenagers.

Here Florence And The machine has been portrayed using a long shot/medium close up. The photo hasn't been taking so close that it feels too personal and invasive, however it captures her from the waist upwards, this works well as it reveals the tattoo on her arm which wouldn't be available from a close-up, and would not be easily visible from an extreme long shot. Even though there is lots of other band images on the cover, Florence is the main image portrayed, along with her name in the most visible writing in comparison to the rest of the band names, Therefore when I compose my own magazine cover, I will incorporate this idea of 'Favouritism' into my own work.

This is a front cover of 'Q' magazine. It contains all the same elements and qualities of the two previous Music Magazines in which I have just analysed, however, the colour scheme and layout for this magazine is lot more simple.

Once again, the convention of the main image overlapping the text and other background images has been used. Therefore after analysing three music magazines of the same genre, it is clearly successful to portray the images this way, so I will definitely follow this idea.

This Iconography used here is clever, as the artist is leaning against a wall, not only is this unique in comparison to most music magazines, but also works well as a separation between the images and the text.

The simple Red and White used in the logo is a good contrast with the dull, gray background. This works well as it stands out more, as well as it's positioning. I have noticed that the magazine headlines are either in the top left corner, or right across the top. This is so that it is easily seen, but also so that it works well in contrast with the main image and the text.

As well as the main image on this magazine, it also introduces more bands such as 'BLUR', also a few more are featured at the bottom in small print. The reason for this is so that if the main image doesn't interest specific readers, it gives an insight of what else is in the magazine, without them having to open the magazine to browse the contents page.

The layout of this Music Magazine is more sophisticated compared to the other two magazines i have analysed, as it is more structured, and the type face and colours are more standard, therefore i would suggest that this magazine is aimed at an older target audience of teens, starting from higher than 13.

This magazine cover not only advertise the music and contents within it, but also suggest festivals. Therefore this will aim at a wider target audience in comparison to NME readers who are dependant on music and the magazine, this magazine is more for readers in general who enjoy music but are also interested in other related events, e.g Glastonbury festival.