2. Rolling Stone
Looking at the Rolling Stone magazine covers, it can be suggested that the typical shot
type used is a mid shot. This shot is usually taken from the waist up and you can see
what the artist is wearing. They use this because the audience can see what the artist is
wearing and from that be able to recognize them and the feature story that goes with
the image can be shown through costume. Particularly in the top right corner, the Zac
Efron cover. A mid shot is used along with the cover line “American Teen Heart throb”
through the use of his shirt almost coming off it leaves the expectation of more and
supports the “teen heart throb” line.
It is typical of Rolling Stone to use a serif but very clear font on the front cover for their
cover lines, however on this cover a san serif and italic font is used for the cover
story, and a simple san serif font is used for the rest of the cover lines.
The house style for Rolling Stone is displayed in the masthead that is used on every issue
– usually in red but sometimes in white (depending on the image). The colour of the
cover lines is used to contrast against the background so that it stands out and is easily
readable. For example, on this cover, the white colour of the cover lines are used to
contrast against the black. Typically, the artist is in front of the masthead – showing only
the beginning and end of it. The Rolling Stone front covers are very conventional
because of this and are also conventional because they use the same house style on
every cover, making it recognizable. This is perhaps because Rolling Stone is so
recognizable. Typically for a Rolling Stones cover they use high key lighting along with a
fairly bright background – however this can change depending on the artist and the
feel of the cover story that they are trying to convey. Rolling Stone use a clear and
ordered layout – this is perhaps because their target audience is much older compared
to say that of Top of the Pops.
Rolling Stone also features stories about liberal politics and this is reflected in the
language, for example the story about global warming, the cover line uses shock tactics
and striking words to grab attention. They use semi-formal language and concise cover
lines in order to get the message across quickly and get the audience to read on. The
select words “Hot, Ready, Legal” for the Cover story grab attention and explain what
the story will be about – Justin Bieber becoming eighteen – but also gets the reader
wondering. It uses well-known band names and artists as cover lines so appeals to the
people that know these artists.
3. Rolling Stone seems to follow the This Rolling Stone contents page uses
house style of serif fonts in the fairly dramatic language, such as
contents page. It also uses stand “Eminem’s road back from hell”, this is
firsts after its headlines. This is perhaps because it’s a magazine this
most likely so that the reader can would be conventional. However it also
gather a small taster of what the speaks to it’s audience in a semi-formal
story is about from the headline tone. This is perhaps because it’s target
and stand first before reading the audience starts off much older at 18 and
whole story. It is a fairly clear this means they are much more mature
layout for the contents and intellectual so in order to make the
page, using bolder and bigger magazine appealing they need to use
typography to break up the the language that their target audience
groups of text, they also use lines use. They also appeal to their target
to separate the parts of their audience by featuring both politics and
magazine; politics and music. music.
It uses a block of colour at the It is conventional to use page references
top to catch the attention of the in magazines, so Rolling Stone is
reader. It follows the house style conventional in this way.
colours of red, white and The images are fairly simple but give the
black, this helps the magazine to desired effect of attracting the reader’s
be consistent and easily attention, so then they read the
recognizable. It uses capital headlines and want to read the articles.
letters for it’s group titles – this The first image is a long shot showing an
makes them clearer. artist with a microphone on stage – it
It uses images that correspond to would appeal to people interested in
the opposite text. This helps the music. The next one has a black and
reader to stay interested and white effect making it different, it is also
keep the magazine appealing. It of a artist but there is a piano too. These
also helps to show what the images link to the idea that this is a music
stories are about. magazine. The final image, a close up of
Unconventionally, the images Barack Obama so links to the idea that
are aligned to the dominant side this magazine also includes politics. The
of the page – but this could be pages that have the stories that go with
so as to establish the attention of these images are also on the images –
the reader. making it easy to find the story.
4. This is a double page spread featured in Rolling Stone magazine, it is conventional to use a large image on double page
spreads in Rolling Stone, but this is unconventional because the whole background is the image. This makes the image
appear more important than the text. The image is a mid shot of the artist and people – presumably fans – behind him. It
is taken with high key lighting and a long shot is also used within this mid shot to show what the artist is wearing – it links to
the headline of the feature “the curious case of Benjamin Lee”, because he looks fairly quirky. The image is of him playing
the guitar – showing that he is a musician.
A kicker is used at the beginning of the body text, this bold letter starts off the feature and draws the
reader in. As it’s much bigger and bolder it attracts a lot of attention.
The body text is much smaller than any of the other features on the double page spread – this is
most likely because they want a large image of the artist and to explain a lot through the image.
Also, it is conventional to use more than a double page for these features so it is quite possible that
this article continues on the next page with more body text.
The headline “the curious case of
Benjamin Lee” is in a serif font, it’s
also much larger than the rest of
the body text, this is so that it stands
out and catches the attention of
the reader. It is on top of the image
in a white with black outline – this is
so that you can see the image
behind it.
Also a stand first is used after the
headline – this is so that the reader
can understand what the feature is
basically about before reading the
entire body text. It is much smaller
than the headline, this is so that the
headline pops out to the reader.
Under the stand first is the
byline, this is where the writer’s
name is, then the reader knows
who wrote it and often can be
persuaded to read it if it’s a well
known journalist.
5. Billboard
The front covers of Billboard magazine usually use a mid shot of the cover story artist, this is so
that you can see the artist and recognize them. Also, this is so that you can see the costume
which helps you identify their genre of music that they come from. They use a fairly cluttered but
ordered layout. This is because they have a lot of cover lines placed around the main image
however, they also make sure that each cover line is clear so therefore it is fairly ordered.
They keep a consistent house style on each of their front covers with the mast head “Billboard.
They typically have the artist in front of the masthead so that you only see the beginning and
end of the masthead – this is done because Billboard is a recognizable logo, therefore if the
magazine was on a shelf you might only see the the left side, so they generally align most of the
cover lines to the left third, this way it grabs the attention of the audience even if it’s covered by
another magazine. A san serif font is used for the masthead, this makes it clear and easily
recognizable. For the cover lines, Billboard generally uses a serif font, this is conventional of this
genre of music magazines.
Billboard uses the route of the eye on the front cover so that the reader sees the masthead, the
image and then the cover lines. Typically they use high-key lighting images, this is most likely as
it’s aimed at a target audience who are interested in pop music rather than rock or punk so
lighter images are more appropriate.
The images on the front covers are of pop artists, so this links in with the magazines target
audience and appeals to them. The images used reflect the artist, for example Taylor Swift is
“woman of the year” so with this title for their cover story they have decided to have her
dressed up looking as if she’s set for this award. This helps to convey the cover story and helps
the audience to know almost immediately (through mise-en-scene features such as costume
and setting) what the cover story is about and how it relates to the audience and then if they
want to read it, this way the topic of the cover article is established and it appeals to the
audience because of this.
Looking at a lot of the Billboard front covers it appears conventional to use white for the cover
line typography – it also seems conventional to make the text stand out and contrast against
the background. Obviously, it is conventional to have the artists behind the cover lines so that
they can be read however, for the Justin Bieber issue they have had it behind the artist. This is
perhaps because the image is taken from a low angle so it appears he’s popping out of the
cover, and in order to complete this effect they pushed the text to the back. Although you may
not be able to read all of the letters perfectly because you see most of the letter (e.g. “N” of
“Justin”) you can read what it says, also it’s laid out so that the text is to the side of the artist so it
can still be clearly read.
6. This contents page for Billboard The layout is fairly ordered; a
magazine follows their house line is used to separate the top
style, this is because they have 100 from the actual contents
the Billboard Hot 100 in every page. This makes it much
issue. This consistent style helps clearer and easier to read.
them to be easily identified Columns are used to order the
and creates a brand image. It contents page, this means
lists the top tracks for that week that the audience can clearly
and helps appeal to the target locate the different features.
audience – people interested in Also, by using images of artists
music. For this left aligned chart relating to their features it
list they use a san serif font, this appeals to the target
makes it clear and also audience and helps it to be
separates each track or album clearer overall. The images
from the next whereas a serif pop out of the page so this
font would help them flow catches the readers’ attention
together but as they are and continues to hold their
individual, this works best. attention so that they read on.
Billboard uses light colours on its The language used is fairly
contents page, this is concise and simple, but not
conventional because as a patronising. It tells you what
pop music magazine it the story is about and what
wouldn’t use dark colours. page, so the readers can find
They use light blue and black it directly.
for their typography, this follows
the house style set out by the
masthead, Billboard, on the
front cover. It uses serif fonts for
the titles of the sections of the
contents. It uses a fairly
“blocky” style to separate parts
of the page.
7. This double page spread
featured in Billboard
magazine shows Beyonce
and her new title of “woman
of the year” it uses a fairly
masculine font for the
headline. This links in with the
language and the idea that
she is fierce, such as her
stage name Sasha Fierce
suggests. Her costume is also
linked to this, along with her
make up, creating the idea
that this is why she is women
of the year. The dark purple
colour connotes royalty –
linking to the prestigious title –
but it also connotes desire
and strength.
In this feature a kicker is A very short stand first is used to explain Beyonce’s feelings about being Woman of the
used at the beginning of year. This quickly sums up what the story is about without revealing all of it. A by-line is
the body text, this is so used in this feature so that the readers know who the journalist writing is. This can often
that the readers attention help to attract attention because if it’s a well-known writer, readers often want to read
is drawn to the beginning. their newest articles.
The headline is in a much It’s a fairly ordered layout with the text conventionally aligned to the dominant side of
bigger font than the the page. The image is a close up of the featured artist, it links to the headline “fiercely
body text, this is so that it creative” as she poses as a fierce woman. The close up shows her face so that readers
stands out massively. The recognize her, and reveals enough of her costume to understand the headline.
typography is in a san Beyonce, being a well-known artist – does not need to have a longer shot so you can
serif typography and is see her costume because most people reading the magazine are interested in music so
white so that it stands out will know who she is and her genre of music.
against the dark
background.
8. Q magazine
The front cover of Q magazine always has the masthead “Q”, this helps them to be
recognizable and identifiable because it is part of their brand identity as it is their logo. The
masthead is aligned to the left third of the page, this is so that the logo is recognized easily
on a magazine shelf. The bright red used for the logo helps attract attention as it’s both eye-
catching and bold. The use of the red on the front covers connotes passion in some cases –
such as on the Cheryl Cole cover, the idea that she “rocks” is written in red so as to connote
that passion she has for music.
The logo take sup a significant amount of the page – this helps create the brand “Q
magazine” and helps it to be recognizable.
Q magazine uses white, black and red for the house style on the front cover, these colours
attract attention and can be easily put together – making it easier to create a consistent
house style.
Q magazine aligns its cover lines to the left third – the dominant side of the page – most of
the cover lines are aligned this way so that (as with the masthead) they can attract
attention in a shop. Typically the image is a close up of a solo artist on the front cover but
sometimes this convention is broken and several artists are on the front cover.
Q magazine appears to have a fairly cluttered layout – this is perhaps unconventional for it’s
target audience. This is because the use of the “busy” layout often attracts younger
audiences because they are likely to want to read shorter features rather than longer and in
depth features such as you might read in Rolling Stone for example. However, the target
audience of Q is 18 – 35 year olds so this cluttered layout is very unconventional. However, it
still attracts the target audience because of the content advertised on the front cover. Also,
the use of the black band across the top of the front cover “The UK’s biggest music
magazine” makes the magazine appeal to the older target audience because even with
the cluttered layout the black attracts more mature and serious people, as black connotes
formality. It also connotes neutrality which links in with the brand image of Q magazine. It is a
fairly neutral magazine which follows popular music as well as other types of music. This
neutrality helps it to be a successful magazine as it appeals to a mass audience.
The language used attracts the audience because it talks to them, for example “the 10
best…” which draws the audience in so they want to read the magazine. It has the names of
artists featured in the magazine on the front cover, this way potential readers will be more
likely to buy the magazine if the name of an artist they like is on the front.
9. The house style is consistent on the In the top right hand corner Q
contents page as well; the logo is in magazine put the issue
the top left corner so it it the first number and the date – as the
thing the reader sees reminding magazine is issued monthly
them it’s Q magazine. The they only put the month. They
red, black and white colour scheme use a long shot of a band
is again used. This helps the featured in this issue. This takes
magazine to be both identifiable up a significant amount of the
and recognizable helping to create page – this large image is used
a brand identity. so that the contents page is
The black bar at the top is similar to not just text, the use of an
that on the front cover – making it image makes it much more
consistent. This gives the page a title interesting. The use of images
and it’s clear that it’s the contents helps the readers to recognize
page. perhaps less well-known
This black spread is followed by two artists, and this in turn helps to
red stripes to separate and order the sell the magazine because
contents page. This helps to make people are more likely to read
the page clear and the reader finds the magazine if they know the
it easier to find the page they want. artists featured. Q magazine
Q magazine puts the page also puts the page references
reference before the title of the on the bottom of the
feature – this is conventional as then images, this is conventional
the contents is ordered. They use and helps readers to know
small stand firsts after the titles so where those stories are.
that the reader knows a brief Q magazine include a lot of
summary of what the story is about. reviews – this is displayed with
However it doesn’t reveal a lot a small section of contents
about the story but enough to page. This clearly shows all
engage the audience. their reviews and uses the
Another long shot image is used in
same header used for the
the review section, so it seems
whole contents page, keeping
conventional in Q magazine to use
with the style and showing
long shots on the contents page.
that reviews are an important
Overall, the contents page is fairly
part of Q magazine.
ordered, and is consistent with the
house style of Q magazine.
10. This is a double page spread featured in Q magazine uses many conventional features of double page spreads in music
magazines. It uses a close up which takes up one of the pages, this massive focus on the image is very typical of music
magazines – particularly pop genre magazines that focus on solo artists. It uses a black and white image – this is perhaps
to make the focus on the artists face and the prop of the chains around her neck more prominent rather than the colour
of her flesh. The black and white image also helps in making the “L” across the body text much bolder and more eye
catching. This is a convention of Q magazine, for their features they use the first letter of the artists name across the body
text in red. This helps them have a particular style that other magazines of the same genre won’t have so it makes them
individual. It also helps appeal to a wider audience – older people are more likely to like the simplicity of black and white
photography and people interested in editing or photography are also going to find this appealing.
This feature is fairly different to other styles seen in Billboard and Rolling Stone, this makes Q magazine have a very
particular style which readers recognize. This feature uses a simple whit background and black serif text, this appeals to a
more mature audience. The body text is written in three columns – this helps the article to be cleaner as this way it’s
much cleaner to read.
The layout of this double page spread is very ordered, the use of the columns helps to keep it ordered. It is ordered so
that the readers can simply read the body text without their attention being drawn away to other things. This magazine is
aimed at people who are interested in music – they want the information and that is all, so the magazine tries to appeal
to them by using clear and ordered page layouts. However, in order to make sure the article isn’t boring a large letter in
a bold red is used. Red connotes passion, this shows the passion the artist has for their music but also helps to keep the
reader interested. Also, the colour scheme white, black and red continues to keep the consistent house style of Q
magazine.
The name of the artist is in the top left corner, it is also in a
simple black and is serif, this type of font helps the body
text to flow together much better.
Two kickers are used to start off new parts of the
feature, this helps to keep the reader interested and it
helps to guide them through the article. This is often
needed because with such a massive amount of body
text it needs more than just columns to separate it
because otherwise the reader looks at the whole article
tediously.
The reader needs to be kept interested and through the
layout, use of kickers and very little colour this is
achieved. Also, the huge whole-page image also helps
to balance the ratio of text to image, so the reader can
read the feature without feeling overwhelmed with text.
