Conventions of rock magazines

1. Conventions of rock magazines

2. NME • Front cover: -The colours and text are simple but very bold and bright, the masthead is always in the top corner of the magazine as this is the first thing that the readers will see when the magazines are stocked on the shelf.Red is a very powerful colour that can sometimes mean anger, Again, a feature frequently used by which could therefore reflect the music that this magazine is NME on their front covers are based on.   -The main image on the front unique selling point as they cover takes up the whole of interview artist and bands that the page with all of the text other music magazines haven't brought to the front, this been able to. 

3. Kerrang! • Front cover: -The masthead is always at the top of the page -The title font for Kerrang! magazine is cracked and has a distinct rock feel to the font. This is so that the audience can easily identify the gene of the magazine. This shows the violent edge of the genre and shows the hard edge of rock.  -Kerrang! represents rock magazines efficiently. -The main subjects look menacing towards the camera to better portray the violent, passionate emotions of the band members which would appeal to the audience. The image is quite high-key to connote intensity and it is also high contrast which makes the image stand out and give the clothing a dark appearance as fans of the magazine would often wear black to form their own identity. -Kerrang! Cover puff is used to show free give aways or prizes that can be one, in this case  -The magazine cover sticks to the 3 colour rule, with Yellow, Red and White being the predominant colours. This keeps it simple, but still eye catching. 

4. Classic Rock Magazine Front Cover:-Usually black and white images when the model is an older musician  -Simple colours for text, white or black or a colour that fits the common colour scheme of the issue -Inconsistent colour scheme, the colours are usually specific to each issue. Example in an issue featuring Jimi Hendrix the colour scheme was black and green. An issue featuring Jimmy Page had a black and red colour scheme throughout. Both these colour scheme changes involved text and text blocks. -As the viewers reads the front cover (like a book, left to right, top to bottom) the bar code is situated in the bottom right corner and is therefore one of the last things seen on the magazine by the reader -The free gift is placed in the top right corner and noticed by the reader quickly -The masthead is placed centrally on the front cover and usually behind the main image 

5. Codes And Conventions Of Music Magazine Front Covers  - Most music magazines have a colour theme of 3/4 main colours, these colours are usually from a limited range as this makes the magazine stand out more to its audience. - The masthead is at the top of the page and it's main job is to draw in the audiences attention as it suggests the genre and target audience, for example a children's pop magazine like "Smash Hits" has bubbly font which appeals to children. - Buzz words are used in order to attract attention for example "plus" and "free", these words both get the reader to want to buy that magazine. - Around 5 cover lines are used which also link/relate to the genre of music. There is always a main image used which is of the main band or artist, when it is a band it's usually a long shot however when it is a solo artist it is usually a mid shot unless it is a solo artist who is looking at the camera in order to connect to the audience where their body language reflects this audience and the genre of music. - Subsidiary images are used which may also get you to look at the magazine, especially when well known images are used. These images may be used as a back up if some of the others do not appeal to the audience. - There is an organised layout which suggests a more mature audience as it is formal, this is then appropriate to the genre and the target audience an example of this is Q magazine as it looks more serious. - A tag line is used which also is there to attract attention and give the magazine an edge for it's audience. - There is also normally a plain background used as this makes the other features of the front cover stand out more and make it look more formal. - Basic information is also featured on the front cover; which is needed for most magazines in general like a bar code, price and issue date. If the magazine is more expensive then this price tends to be smaller so that it isn't the first thing the audience see and get put off by. On the other hand if the magazine is cheap then the price is usually bigger and bolder in order to quickly draw in the audiences attention.