Front Cover Analysis

Q Magazine Front Cover

In the top of the left third of this cover we have the iconic 'Q' masthead and identifier, it's bold red is infused throughout the magazine. It features a large, serif "Q" in a highly contrasting white. This classic serif font hints to the heritage of the magazine, of it's age, tradition and quality. Along the bottom of this red box is a band of black over which in a bold sans serif font are the words 'THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSIC MAGAZINE' Whilst being quite a bold statement, the appearance of this text contrasts the old and new, as does the magazine.
The lead line on this cover is bold and in capitals, drawing the eye, yet the colour is quite subtle, a metallic grey. This colour is connotative of metal, and could reflect the electronic feel to their music. Above and below there is white text. Below is the line "BRANDON FLOWERS REBORN." in a bold sans serif font. This modern font could link to his "rebirth". Above, is a quotation "I am more rock and roll than anyone you'll ever meet." This quotation is in a serif font.
The main image of this front cover is a solo shot of Brandon Flowers, front man of The Killers. He is wearing a simple t shirt and a leather jacket. These clothes are something that ,realistically, the reader could wear themselves. He is representative of the readership. His head is tilted backwards, however he still gives the reader direct address by keeping eye contact. He looks sophisticated and mature. Although his body is covered by the lead line his head rises up through the middle third, this works well, integrating the photo with the text. His body super imposes the text as do the images in the sidebar. In the lower right third of this cover the image has been cropped to look like it can be lifted up to reveal more, this shows the reader that the inside will be good.
This front cover has a clear red, black and white colour scheme, the use of mostly white background and red accents is carried throughout the magazine.

The masthead of Kerrang! is very distinctive, because of the cracks running through it. These cracks are connotative of the kind of music Kerrang! promotes as they look as the though they have been smashed or beaten, or perhaps blasted by loud music. It's black, a colour widely connotative of rock and metal music. Although the banner of blood along the top of this cover is featured, because this issue is a Halloween special, it reflects the tone and style of the magazine.

The main image overlaps the masthead, however due to it's distinctive font and style it is clear which magazine it is. The main image is far more extreme than that of the other magazines I have analysed, although it is also a solo shot, of Matt Tuck, front man of Bullet For My Valentine. He is representative of the readership of Kerrang!, his long hair and rough, dark clothes are typical of the average Kerrang! reader. He is also represented as very violent, due to the axe in his hand and the menacing expression on his face.

One thing that's very evident in this front cover is humour, puns like "fear-turing" and "spooktacular." are good examples of this, they show that this magazine doesn't take itself too seriously.

The font used in this front cover is all sans serif and bold, this implies the modernness of the magazine.

The colour scheme of this issue is clearly red, this may be because it is a Halloween issue (hence the blood.), however Kerrang! are known for using many different colours, usually bright ones. The kickers at the bottom  of the page also emphasis the Halloween theme, as they are accented by skulls. The line under them is in a handwritten font, it appears to have been written on post production, the swearing in this line adds to the casual handwritten feel.

There are few cover lines on this magazine, one advertising the posters inside, this is key for Kerrang! as their readership is generally proud of there music taste and posters are a big part of this. The other is a cover image of My Chemical Romance, their appearances represent a different sub genre of rock, one clearly not as popular as Bullet For My Valentine as their image is far smaller. Their clothing is much brighter, as is their hair.

The images on this cover are overlapping in several places, they look like they've been collaged on. This is connotative of the disorganised nature of rock music.

The front cover of this magazine is very simplistic, featuring only one image and minimal text, with a extensive use of white space. This shows the magazine's focus on people and lack of commercialism. Apart from the date and website, all the text on this cover is in a serif, times new roman, classical font. This expresses the heritage and classic feel of the magazine. The whole design has no frills, the lead line is only defined by a slight increase in size. 

This front cover features a distinctive amount of names, in the sidebar etc. Again, this shows the magazine’s focus on the artist

The main image is faded and dull in colour, giving it a vintage effect. This is in keeping with the main figure, Taylor Swift’s clothing. i.e. the letterman’s jacket she is wearing and her hair style. These jackets are widely accessible and popular; meaning many of her fans may also have a jacket like this. These style choices also make her look very young, representative of her fans, although they may be younger than the average reader. She brings in a younger audience.

There is a clear red, white and black colour scheme on this front cover, and throughout the magazine, as in Q magazine.