Analysing music magazines

Colours: This music magazine uses the colours black and red to corospond with the artists make up. The image creates a provocative feel to the cover and the colour red emphazises this. The artists new album is located at the bottom of the magazine which is called'Three words'. We associate this with love and again the colour red makes this more apprant, it also draws attention to the words and advertises the artists new album.

Design: The Masthead of the magazine is located in the left side third which helps to sell their magazines in traditional retail stores. The coverlines surround the image in the centre immediately draws the audiences attention to the artist. The title is very bold and takes up 1/3 of the width of the cover. The title has a sophisticated font style signifying that the magazine is upper class. The large red writting saying 'ROCKS' shows that they are exciting about this artist and telling the reader how great she is and other good way of marketing.

Images: Cheryl Cole is the artist on the cover and is normal associated with the pop band, Girls Aloud. This cover shows she is launching her solo carrer and tells the audience this with her new song and album name located underneath the image. The focus is on the dark eyes and red lipstick which draws the audience in to the provocative image and magazine, which corresponds with the text colour. The image also shows who the target audience is as well as the coverlines, the target audience is older teens and early twentys who listen to current music in the charts.

Pose, Style, Hair and Make-up: The wet hair and red lipstick fits well with the colour theme on the cover, the rain falling on the artist gives the magazine a great style as it is unusual and different from other magazines like it on the shelves.

How are the words used on the cover?: The strapline runs across the top of the magazine telling us it is the biggest music magazine intriguing the reader to see why it is the best. By running these words across the top of the magazine it is clearly visable to the audience and starts the front cover off. The coverlines are stituated around the artist in bold writting keeping in with the colour theme and tell the reader what they can find in side that might intrest them. The coverlines include exciting artists that are well known and the target audience can realte to them. By putting the bold coverlines around the image the contents on the magazine can be identified immediately and are clearly visable. There is a puff used on the right hand side of the magazine drawing attention to an exclusive about John Lennon. This will stand out to the audience as no other magazine will have this story and by using a puff will signify the importance of the story.

Language: They use the artists song title below the image of her 'Three Words' but cleverly change it to describe the artist "Cheryl Cole ROCKS". This shows the reader the appreciation of the singer and that they should read it to find out why she rocks.

Overall impression - How effective is the front cover?: The magazine is well designed and gives plenty of information about what you can find inside the cover. The audience of the magazine is aimed at through the image ' a pop singer' and the artists talked about on the coverlines. The magazine is designed to appeal to older teenagers and young adults who listen to current artist's in the charts. Readers that are not intrested in pop music are unlikely to buy the magazine.