DECONSTRUCTION OF MUSIC MAGAZINESthree front covers, three contents pages and three double page spreads

FRONT COVERS

Q - FRONT COVERThe picture of Cheryl Cole isn’t her usual glamorous and made up style picture, suggesting perhaps this isn’t just another one of her interviews and your going to see another side to her. The image is powerful, it’s looking right at you, influencing and enticing you to pick it up. It’s a close up shot which enables you to see her emotion, changing her image to rockstar rather than popstar. It’s the only image on the cover which suggests she is the most interesting feature in the magazine and it’s all about her.

There is a rocky feel to the magazine not only in its overall style but in this image. Cheryl is dressed in black, seemingly pale, red lipstick and tongue, metal studded ring, all these factors are easily related to rock and tie in with the colour scheme. She is also wet creating a sexual innuendo

The title Q is written in white against a square red background to stand out. It’s monolithic highlighting it’s importance. The general layout is striking, sophisticated and bold

Tagline, although smaller than the title, it’s placed above it, therefore it’s the first piece of text you re ad. The way it’s positioned highlights the fact it’s the ‘UK’s biggest music magazine’ it’s something to be proud of and to show off to new and existing customers

The main article is about Cheryl Cole. It’s written in a larger text than the other articles reflecting it being the main feature of this issue. The text says ‘3 words’ followed by ‘Cheryl Cole Rocks’. It’s been cleverly constructed here and uses the readers knowledge as ‘3 words’ is also the name of Cheryl ‘s album and one of her singles. Her fans can therefore relate to this an be encouraged to buy.

Side features lets audience know what else it has to offer. Use of layering is very effective

The target audience for Q magazine is usually an older market at 25+. However, Cheryl invites a younger audience as not only is she contemporary but an idol for younger audiences. She offers sex appeal, attracting both male and female audiences

What’s more is the article on Cheryl says ‘Cheryl Cole Rocks’ which further suggests this idea of rock

The house colours include red creating sex appeal and love perhaps because Cheryl is a loved celebrity, the use of black creating a sense of power and mystery and white creating the theme of innocence.

Q is a pop music magazine offering the best and most popular music. This is proven by the main image being a mega star in the pop world at the moment

VIBE - FRONT COVER

The main image is of Eminem who is a major hip hop artist at the moment. This reflects the magazine as it’s an R&B and hip hop music magazine. The fact a major artist is associated with the magazine proves its a popular one and also the main selling point. As he is covering a large chunk of the cover is shows dominance and that perhaps the magazine is more visual than written

The title Vibe has a gradual gradient change from black to red which stand out making it very effective

The colour scheme & house style consists of black, red and grey against a white background which stands out and makes the image pop out further.

The title ‘VIBE’ is the largest written text illustrating it’s importance . As part of it is hidden by the central image it suggests that VIBE is well established and confident that their style and magazine will be recognised without the whole word being shown.The word ‘VIIBE’ gives a distinctive atmosphere and aura of the magazine. Connotations to music

Cover lines are different fonts, sizes and positions to stand out and give the reader a clear benefit of what’s to come inside. Rhetorical questions are asked directly addressing the audience making them feel involved. Highlighting the names of other mega hip hop and R&B artist’s gives the reader more insight and excitement

The cover appears less chaotic than the average music magazine cover as the image is straightforward, the text is neatly positioned yet effective in its style and the layout as a whole is organised

Eminem is looking directly at the camera proving confidence. His facial expressions are really serious suggesting he takes his work and music seriously. The way he’s dressed – wearing a cross necklace and a sleeveless vest showing off the tattoos on his arms and muscles further demonstrates confidence and power.

The article on Eminem continues to show authority as it refers to Eminem as almost dying. It’s written in red which connotes death. It gives the audience insight in what his article is about making them curious and want to find out the truth

The language used through buzzwords like ‘hottest’ appeal to a younger audience

By using big numbers like ‘50’ is an effective way to entice readers and make it appear like there getting more for their money

The website on the bottom left offers readers exclusive news if they access their site

KERRANG – FRONT COVER

Kerrang is the worlds biggest selling rock magazine, the entirety of the front cover highlights the theme of rock through the use of images, colour and text.

The title ‘KERRANG!’ is partly hidden by the main image which suggests the magazine is well established and confident that their style will be recognised to their audience. It could even suggest that the fact it’s hidden is because they sell the story more than their trademark. The title has a broken and shattered effect which connotes the genre of rock and rebellion also creating an idea of ‘breaking news’ inside.

The use of using an exclamation mark in their logo highlights the idea of shouting which signifies rock

‘massive download ticket give away’ is placed above the title illustrating its importance. It offers a benefit to the reader making it a selling point. The word ‘massive’ excites the reader

The main story is on Biffy Clyro which is made obvious from the image of them covering the large top section of the cover and their name presented across the middle which is written slightly smaller than the title of the magazine promoting it’s an important selling point. The image is a mid shot, it’s very bold and eye-catching. It uses a direct mode of address , looking straight at the reader drawing them in. It’s the first place your eye is drawn too. The way in which the centre man is dressed with his hood up creates a rebellious tone which is a connotation of rock. Their appearance appears that of ‘rock’ too with the long hair and beards whereby they look tough and ‘rocky’. The centre man stands out more than his band mates by wearing white and positioned in the middle suggesting he is the lead singer. He also look very serious suggesting he takes his music seriously. There is a sense of mystery to him which makes you want to read further.

The house colours are black, white and red which are associated with the rock scene. Black connotes power, evil, death and mystery which relates to the genre and can let the audience familiarise with the magazine through the colours. As the cover is very busy, the use of colour creates a sense of simplicity.

‘Free poster special’ a selling point and benefit for the reader. The word ‘free’ is a great incentive to buy the magazine as it adds value for money and advertising bands by giving away free posters is good for the bands to distribute themselves, It’s written in white text against a red background which appears parallel to all of the other selling points on the cover whereby they are also written in white text with a red background demonstrating the connection. The ‘plus’ placed at the bottom of

the page informs and entices the reader of other exciting features that will appear inside of the magazine

The barcode is conventionally positioned and makes the magazine identifiable

The image of the girl from ‘Paramore’ close to the bottom of the page balances out the gender

The main article ‘unfold the puzzle of life’ is an intriguing title to suggest Biffy Clyro have worked out the puzzle of life which is a big question to readers and will make them curious to read on

CONTENTS PAGES

Q - CONTENTS

Double page spread is unusual for a contents page.

It’s quite busy - a mixture of images and text make it more attractive and less boring

The images shown suggest they are the main articles and perhaps the magazine’s selling points. The bold numbers highlight this idea further and stand out giving you easy access to go straight to that page

The images vary from head shots to medium shots to full body shots. The use of mixing different shots makes it more interesting

The image of the front cover reminds you of anything that stood out to you when you picked it up and brought it

The colour scheme flows and has symmetry with the rest of the magazine with the same colours being used. The use of white blank spaces slows down the busyness. The house colours demonstrate a rocky edge that’s been occurring throughout

Page numbers and descriptions gives a clear benefit to the reader so they know where to go depending on what interests them

One half of the page is further halved with the image of Cheryl Cole highlighting the fact this issue is all about her and she’s the selling point.

The image of Cheryl has a lot of sex appeal in the way she is dressed – ripped tights short dress and even her pose – legs apart arms in the air. This would attract male attention and even women who aspire to be like her. The rock theme has carried on from the front cover

The thick red boarder at the top of the page with ‘Q’ ‘Contents’ and the issue number resembles that of the front cover. This logo lets audiences familiarise with the magazine they are reading. The issue number is something to be proud of here, this is proven by not only its positioning but the fact its written quite large. The 3 digit number highlights how popular the magazine is

The use of overlapping is effective

The overall presentation and layout is interesting and eye catching

VIBE – CONTENTS

The house colours are black grey and white. although they aren’t very bright or eye-catching colours they still stand out. Your eye is automatically drawn to the image, the title ‘CONTENTS’ and the ‘V’ covering the background, perhaps this is the idea that they wanted you to be drawn too. There is little colour of red from the heart which is effective as it creates warmth and suggests that because it is the only bit of colour it’s highlighting that the main topic will be on a relationship and love

The image of Kanye West dominates the page suggesting this issue is all about him. The shot uses a direct mode of address to the audience. His facial expression shows no emotion which creates a sense of mystery about him and doesn't give anything away to the reader, perhaps this is so the reader will want to read further. There appears to be a female arm holding him with a heart parallel to his heart, suggesting maybe his interview will contain information about his love life. His confident and smart appearance whereby he is wearing a suit contrasts with the way his hands are placed in his pockets which creates a laid back and scruffy look. Negativity is also apparent by the way his hands are hidden which is a body language giveaway when your lying

The title ‘contents’ is the largest piece of text highlighting the fact it’s the title. The layout whereby it's broken up in to three parts is unusual for a magazine contents page yet strikingly effective. It presents the theme of individuality that separates it from other magazine contents pages and perhaps connoting the individuality of the genre of music ‘Vibe’ covers.

The background is in white with a large ‘V’ letter overlapping. This cleverly incorporating the magazine’s logo and working to promote the brand identity

The features are placed on the right side of the image. The layout of the text is separated in to two categories, this gives a clear benefit to the reader so they know where to go for their interests and it’s easy to read and follow. The font appears quite formal. The main purpose for a contents page is to inform the reader which ‘VIBE’ achieve

The presentation is simple yet effective, It creates a sophisticated, contemporary and professional tone through it’s image, layout, colours and text. It’s lack of complication would also appeal to the audience

Although there is only one image the contents page is quite visual which would appeal to the audience. The presentation is balanced but orientated towards the main image, with the other features placed in accordance to this picture. This further suggests the idea that Kanye is the magazine’s selling point or perhaps all VIBE artists in general

Their website appears at the bottom which identifies with ‘VIBE’S’ target audience as contemporary media uses (Internet)

KERRANG – CONTENTS

The extremely busy page makes you not know where to look first. Although there is a balance of visual and textual

Along the left hand side is a comment from the editor of the magazine followed by an image of her looking friendly as a warm welcoming to readers and presents a more personal tone to the magazine. The editor appears to be a woman and she doesn’t look very ‘rocky’ considering it’s a rock magazine

Clearly informs the reader of being the contents page by the title ‘CONTENTS’ conventionally positioned at the top in a bright yellow font whereby you cannot miss . The issue number hits a massive 1339 it’s placement below the title proves it’s a proud factor for KERRANG! Whereby they want to show it off

‘KERRANG! THIS WEEK’ positioned right in the centre of the page. ‘this week’ is parallel to the title ‘contents’ as both are written in the same font and size. The logo being in the centre lets the audience familiarise with the magazine they are reading.The page is separated in to two

halves, the top is the main selling point for the magazine proven by the large image of Alter Bridge whom were featured as the main image on the front cover. The second half is everything else that will be featured inside

The use of colours presents a rocky ambience to the page (KERRANG! Is a rock magazine). Bright yellow, black and white are all indications of the genre and create a rebellious tone.

Sub headings are written in a yellow font against a black background to distinguish the features. Cover stories are also highlighted in a red symbol with a star. It’s well organised making it easily accessible to readers

The main image of Alter Bridge draws attention to the reader, the use of black and white fits in with the mood of the page. The main man is holding a guitar which is an instrument related to rock, his facial expression looks aggressive which further connotes rock. He looks very serious and in the moment which suggests he takes his music seriously which is an appealing factor for readers

The magazine has a young audience which can be seen through the use of images whereby young people are visually driven

Red box near the bottom highlights the fact you can buy the magazine at a discount each month which offers a benefit to the magazine’s young target audience who are most probably not in high earning

It appears very male-orientated besides the editor

The style of the magazine through the use of text and layout give an informal tone

DOUBLE PAGE SPREADS

Q - DOUBLE PAGEHalf the double page spread is an image of Cheryl against a simple white background. This makes it extremely striking. The image follows the rock theme that's been going on throughout the cover and contents page in the colours used, the way she is dressed and her pose. She is giving a lot of attitude and holds a sense of dominance and power with a whole page just of her. Perhaps this refers to her persona of being a strong person. This is a typical convention of a music magazine providing a whole page with an image of the artist.There isn’t a balance of images and text. It’s more visual than written. This suggests it’s more about what she looks like than what she’s actually saying.

A quote taken from Cheryl herself is also written in the colour red proving it’s importance and highlighting an interesting piece of information she has spoken about that perhaps would entice readers to read on to find out more about the subject she’s touching.

By using the large letter C reflects the magazine title and logo as it’s a single letter ‘Q’, but also the same font and colour has been used. It has symmetry with the article which is effective. The C also refers to the first letter in the first sentence and the name of the pop star

The overall presentation of the pages are simple an minimal yet still effective and sophisticated. It’s easy to follow and read

The colour scheme is white red and black which carries on the theme of rock but also connotes a sense of lust and adds a sensual tone to the article. It attracts both women as Cheryl is seen as a role model and is a loved pop star but also attracting men through her appearance

The article is split up in to three sections which is a typical convention for a music magazine

The article is a description of events that have happened to Cheryl which offers the audience a more personal relationship with her as they have been able to read it from her point of view

Cheryl isn't directly looking at the audience in either of the images creating a sense of mystery for the reader

The language used within the pull quote is an example of colloquialism “Do you know what I mean?” is commonly associated with the North and this is where Cheryl’s from. This will relate to a northern audience

Cheryl’s name is written at the very top. Her first name in lower case italics and her surname in capitals inferring her surname is more established and important than her first name and audiences familiarise her by ‘COLE'

VIBE – DOUBLE PAGE

It appears equally visual and textual, with each half of the page having an image and a large amount of text. The fact there is a great in depth amount of text demonstrates the idea that people are more interested in what he has to say and getting to know more about him as a person and an artist rather than seeing him through his appearance.

The pull quote is taken from the article itself and placed at the very top, in a red font to show significance especially as it’s the only bright colour on the page. This is a typical convention for magazine’s with the idea of taking something interesting he’s said and highlight it to engage and excite readers making them want to read and learn more about him

Drake is a massive R&B artist at the moment and so his appearance in VIBE reflects the genre of the magazine. He is a huge selling point for the magazine as everyone wants to know about him but also VIBE is promoting him by letting him appear in their magazine

The image of drake on the top right appears to be in a recording studio which lets readers on to a more personal level with him and suggests his main interest and focus is on his music. He looks as though he takes his music very seriously. The use of black and white has a timely effectThe image on the left is a full length shot of Drake. The fact he is looking down and hiding his face gives the idea of him being shy and mysterious which makes readers want to read further and find out more about him. The fact he is smiling shows a cheeky and happy side to him. He looks natural and in his comfort zone. He is dressed smart and looks quite laid back by the fact his hands are placed inside his pockets. This overall image reflects his personality. His presence seems realistic as it’s not posed which enables readers to relate to him more.

The overall presentation appears formal, bland, neat and professional through the use of images text and layout. It’s easily followed and understood

The large ‘T’ at the beginning of the article is a typical convention which makes the article more professional and gives it a definite beginning

The target audience may attract more female attention as Drake is extremely popular with the ladies and they will be desperate to know everything there is to know about him, however men aspire to be like him and so may attract a male audience too

KERRANG – DOUBLE PAGE

The use of colours black white and red dominate the page. They’re very bold, in your face and flow with the rock theme The pages appear more visual than textual appealing to a younger audience. There only seems to be two short paragraphs which presents the idea that it’s all about the band’s image more than what they have to say

The title of the article is a quote enlarged from the text to signify an important comment made from the band ‘Chemical Romance’ it gives them a voice suggesting they will be the main speakers throughout the article it will also draw the audience in to wanting to read more and find out what it’s all about, especially by the use of a hook ‘MCR’ urging readers to find out what this means by reading

The separate bar down the right side of the page is appealing to readers through the way it contrasts with the rest of the black background. The use of white and the fact it’s in a separate box insinuates a different but related topic is being discussed. It’s very informative and the fact it offers extra information may increase future sales and further promotes the band

‘world exclusive’ is placed at the top to show its importance also through it being highlighted in red. These simple but effective words will have an impact and excite the reader as they will be reading an exclusive article first before it’s been seen anywhere else. It suggests readers should be privileged to read. The way in which the graphics of ‘world exclusive’ mirror the image of a ticket ties in with music

The website placed at the top promotes KERRANG!’s brand identity

The large ‘M’ at the start of the article is a typical convention giving it a definite beginning and making it look more professionalThe image presented from the band is that of a rock feel with the long hair, the dark clothes, denim jacket etc it all has a rebellious toneThe main image covers half of the page, it presents a medium shot of the lead singer of the band performing at a gig, the fact he isn’t looking in to the camera creates a mysterious feel. The other images present a more personal level with the band as it shows them at work in the recording studio and their facial expressions demonstrate their passion which relates with the title of them ‘being their best’

The black and white images against the black background work well in contrast to the red font

The pages appears quite edgy and busy which perhaps reflects the band busy life