Front covers

The mast head is in big, bold, block letters. This retro design of the text wit the ‘E’ the wrong way round makes the logo text individual and unique .

The effect of the breaking glass makes it seem like the band are breaking through to the reader or are ‘breaking news’. Also gives the magazine I different material than just paper.

The main photo takes up most of the cover except the header and footer. The characters are in front of the masthead waking them look as if they are coming out of the photo, also the breaking glass effect emphasises this.

The puff is used here to give us the bands identity and why they are on the cover- ’smash up 2012!’

Flash used here like a splash of paint and the text has two layers of colour to add a 3d effect.

Other graphic features on the front cover are displayed like they have just been dropped onto the cover. This also is part of a pull-out posters advertising idea.

In the central image the main figure is in front of the masthead conveying he is the main person most probably the vocalist of the band, while the others in the background are behind the masthead but still part of the picture.

The slogan (life is loud) represents the music (rock and metal) but also links to a bigger idea that everyone is familiar with.

The coverage and puff of the main band is presented here in inverted colours to the masthead text. But also there's an anchorage between the .

The mast head and text logo is strong and bold with the black and white which also represents the music along with the textural lines that are all over the text and the rough edges of the letters. Also this anchors the picture to the text with the black and white suit that the main character is wearing.

This one also contains free posters which suggests that’s what the audience want and most of these types of magazines may contain them.

This magazine shows other artists names that will be in this issue on the footer and header. these also fit with the image ( with the red cross at the bottom and to white with black outline text) and the masthead/logo so the whole cover ties in with whites, blacks, and reds.

This small picture and the buzz word underneath also with a callout makes it different from that other magazines as you can ‘know his story’.

The main photograph shows the band members who look determined and are looking straight at the audience, which shows ……. And draws the viewer in. There is a big contrast between the logo text on the masthead and the other text on the cover to the picture. This is different from the other but I believe is quite effective.

Again, on this cover also there are the other artists in the magazine in the header and footer linking more of the content to the front so you know if its going to be an issue you will enjoy as you may know the bands.

The main logo is in a contrasting red and is quite simple but bold. The slogan on the left depicts that this is the magazine that has the newest music before other magazines, which is what a slogan is for. The way that the head of the main person and the character to the right’s heads are in front of the main logo text makes it seem more important which makes it more interesting and bold.

More music posters that are available like the previous magazines.

The cover line and the callout (above it) works well to tell you that this is an article by Rock Sound by the linking of colours to the logo text.

The flash looks like a sticker and uses ‘win!’ a buzz word that makes you think you have a chance at getting something for free.

This magazine Is very different from my other chosen ones as it is a special edition. The metal hammer logo text in the corner links with the bands name which implies that ‘metal hammer brought you the foo's’.

Again free posters and stickers are with the magazine.

The flash here is like a sticker and is in very bright and noticeable colours with something to be won.

This puff is talking about the main artist and refers to them as the ‘foos’ shortening it from foo fighters. This makes them seem modern and trendy.

Callout from another artist and from real artist. Makes them seem popular and confinement; ‘We do whatever the f**k we want!’ and the use of the swear word makes the quote seem true.

Other stories about the band in the magazine, with callouts and buzz words like ‘Exclusive’ which have the colours in the pictures like the brownie oranges of their faces. Also the yellow is used like stickers on the cover and are in very alerting colours, often used on ‘danger’ signs, making them eye-catching to the audience.

Picture is highly saturated to give a warm and quite old effect, with lots of browns and oranges.it also has quite a neutral colour scheme.

Unlike others that I have looked at this one has the other artists even before the main artist name; this makes it harder to know which name goes with the band in the centre image. It also has some artists on the footer in yellow, which is not anywhere else on the cover making a poor link to the magazine especially the masthead.

Again more posters available.

‘Up magazine’ is short but effective. I don’t think it represents a music magazine very well. The outline and colours make it stand out on the page but it does not link or anchor with anything on the page.

I find that the picture looks more blurred than the others, it doesn't show facial features very well so you do not link their faces to the band (enter shikari) and the colours of there clothes don’t link at all with the text in the magazine. The pictures of the artists at the bottom are better as they are more interesting and you can see who they are easier.

Contents pages

The text colour is the same throughout the page using yellow and black which suggest alert like danger signs. That colours make it eye catching and stop the page becoming grey and boring.

Instead of putting ‘page 18’ they have laid it out with the numbers at the start so if you want to read a specific article you can locate it faster. Also they have divide it up with categories of the magazine like ‘news’ and ‘features’ and under those it has the artist in these parts. I really like this layout as it gives you the artists you know in the sections that you want to read.

The main big image is clear and focused with a page tag at the top and a small description of what this picture is. Also the background of the image is nearly the same as the actual page background making it fit very well on the page.

The other pictures are smaller and frame half of the main picture which I think looks really good. Also they are not too small so you cannot see detail and they also have page links and small descriptions.

A small article is actually on the contents page maybe about the magazine itself.

The text is in a very ‘metal’ font and is bold and big on the page.

The colour scheme of red and black works well with the numbers in red and the words in black. It has the articles name and a some description underneath. I see a trend of black white and red used a lot in these extracts so it may be something to consider for my production.

The photos are placed in a column composition. Some of the photos are cut out to the persons shape like the top and bottom ones and then the normal shaped ones in the middle. They still have tags to the pages. It is almost like a collage of images which may be what the magazine has found out their audience does.

The stickers with buzz words like ‘Free‘ are on most of the magazine front covers and contents pages I have looked at. But these ones are rough and worn, which may be what the magazine is trying to convey.

The bold title goes with the actual text ‘kingsize’.

Again in the this contents page as well the red, black, and white is used as they work very well together and are easy to read. Also the some of the pages mentioned here have descriptions, meaning they are the most important and biggest articles, and others don’t implying that they are just small stories.

There is gaps between the photos unlike the previous design, which makes them their own articles. I think this method is less busy and easy to understand but is not as interesting at all. Also there is more whitespace on this contents pages making it not as busy and confusing.

The photos depict most of the people looking at you drawing you in. also they have links to the pages. Also they are not too contrasted and are quite neutral. All the colours on the page are quite dull with the most bright and vibrant colour being a pale yellow. This contents contrasts greatly with the previous one.

Tags to articles helps the reader identify the bands that are in the magazine and the news they bring.

This one only has one main picture so is different from the other magazine contents pages. The image is very strong though and works really well at drawing in the reader. The blacks and blues of the photo and what he is wearing is anchored to the text and the boxes around it.

This callout works well on the near white background and is emphasised with the whitespace around it.

Keeps the brand going onto the next page telling the reader they are still reading their magazine.

The font is basic and easy to read on the black background, also there is a description like the other contents pages underneath the titles of the articles is you wish to read further.

The colours on the page all tie in together with the reds, whites, and black which are all present in the pictures as well. The header gives us a bold outline that it is the contents page and would be easy to see when flicking through the magazine. The ‘drummer’ text works well on the background but has no reference to where it came from, maybe its for the main image on the page but I still find it quite unclear.

The mainimage is clear and well presented. It anchors with the title ‘Drummer’ maybe implying that that is the article that for the photo.

This layout gives the page number the biggest, then the article name, and then the description. This works well as you do not need to read the description but you do nee to know the page number and what its about-, thus putting them in a bigger font is better.

Smaller images on the header and footers which has number tags to the articles.

Double page spreads

All characters of the band are presented here looking into the camera. The images are not as divided due to the fades the black on the edges and corners.

This flash and callout helps the reader understand more and interpret the article with the bands point of view.

The body copy of text is In one place and is not split up. This makes it easier to read as its all in one place and your not constantly trying to find out which bit of the article goes next.

The main image bleeds onto the next page. It’s a very gritty realistic photo and by the way he is not wearing his jumper/jacket suggest the idea of uncovered- maybe linking it to the article.

This box makes the article more interesting and the strip of colour makes it more appealing.

The colour scheme on this page are blacks, whites, greys, and purples. The text box to the right and the flash on the left is anchored by the main persons t-shirt with the purple text on it.

The main title is a callout with the colour scheme that I have seen in previous magazines. The way that ‘the best mcr’ (my chemical romance) is in white text makes it the first thing you read which promotes the band as ‘the best’.

The images are in sepia tone which makes them look older suggesting time has past as they have created music in the studio. It makes it seem more like a memory or special occasion instead of just studio work.

This is quite a strong central image and fits the page well.

The ‘M’ drops cap creates a link to the body copy text about it making it look part of the article.

The whole double page spread is designed like a notebook/collage that goes well with the theme and subject of the article: Dave Grohl. Its like a diary of his photos and quotes.

This and the orange box are designed to look like little notepads. This also is designed to show that its supposed to be personal and private content.

The body copy of text is in columns with Drops caps on each paragraph.

The overlay of the image makes it look like collage which are normal personal things.

Tells you about what the article is about in the greatest detail without it just being the article.

The very big drops cap introduces the copy body of the article, and its with a quotation from the band; which makes it very different to the normal articles which only have a few flash quotes on the article.

The text of this article is mostly white on black, which works very well and is easy to read. The bands name however is in a blue and bigger than any of the text, making it the focus of the page when you first look, which is what they intended.

I think this is a very strong image as the picture fade nicely into black which works for the text and its the only one on the page stopping it from being too busy. The image is clear and sharp and the facial expressions makes them seem fun and happy.

The copy body of text goes across both pages of the spread and is segmented. I think this is good because it feel smaller and less hard to read then getting huge columns of small text.

It has a small title which I believe makes the article weak.

The background has a texture that looks like broken and cracked stone. This makes the article more interesting and I think it makes it look older and works well with the reflective article.

The text goes around the images making the pictures look more outlined and effective. The column of picture is almost like the article is saying ‘have a break from reading, and look at these pictures'. The pictures are also annotated which help you figure out what part of the article they are to do with.

This box is a side story to do with the band, hence why its in the box.