Individual and Artistic Covers

Kerrang! Magazine Analysis - Double Page Spread

Q Magazine Analysis - Double Page Spread

NME Magazine Analysis - Double Page Spread

Kerrang! Magazine Analysis - Contents Page

Q Magazine Analysis - Contents Page

NME Magazine Analysis - Contents Page

Kerrang! Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

Colour Palette
There are four colours featured on the cover as opposed to the usual rule of three; black, white, yellow and red. The cover is overall very dark, which suggests a darker genre of music, thus allowing us to infer that the genre is rock. White is the predominant colour of writing and it stands out because of the dark nature of the background. Red is used to draw attention to features in the magazine and yellow is used to highlight relevant news, such as the readers’ poll results at the top.

Q Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

• This full body shot of Florence Welch is reflective of the cover lines about how she is one of the few front woman, in competition with a lot of front men; she is shown in a powerful light to reflect her success in a predominantly male role. The hands on hips are ambiguous; they can represent a strong attitude, again being powerful or alternatively they can appeal to her male audience by drawing attention to where men could focus their eyes. Focusing on her face, she best fits Trevor Millum’s seductive pose. Her expression is cool and level as well as self confident; her eyes are directed straight at the camera. This again reflects power as well as being aesthetically pleasing, particularly for men. We see this representation again with what she is wearing. Firstly, she isn’t actually wearing a lot which in itself suggests the look is meant to be sexy and aimed at a male audience. It is very low cut, to again be sexy yet the panelling creates a structure and in essence makes the outfit more masculine, which again shows her power. The outfit reflects her ability to compete with the front men, yet it shows the femininity she brings to her music. Positioning Florence to be towering over famous landmarks that obviously tower humans is again showing her power, but using landmarks from around the world, we could infer that Q magazine is suggesting Florence and the machine to be a worldwide success. 
• The banner at the top has been positioned there to attract attention as this would be seen on a news stand easily, and the offer of 'Free music' would appeal to a reader. The black and white contrast, not only each other but the rest of the cover. This again could be to draw attention to it. 

NME Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

• The main cover line about Mark Ronson tells us that he is reinventing himself; this could explain why he is wearing a blue jacket that differs from the colour scheme; it is a symbolic code to show his change through his style. It also reflects what the magazine represents, bringing the latest news in contemporary music, which is exactly what they are doing with Mark Ronson. Those who are fans of Mark Ronson will find this appealing because they are fans, yet it will also appeal to those who didn't like his previous work because it tells  us he is changing, so it appeals to NME's target audience of 15 -25year olds who, if they are buying this magazine must have a interest in the current music. The cover line is an enigma code as the reader is intrigued as to what the reinvention consists of. 
• The banner at the top of the page widens NME's audience to older people as well as those interested in older music, as well as or instead of contemporary. The clash were an 80's rock band that featured in NME throughout the 80's when they were together, so readers of the magazine since then would appreciate this as well as those interested in 80's music. The fact it is a 'collectors issue' makes it seem more desirable and because they are advertising the 'Free' part in the largest font on the banner, it shows they are trying to show the reader that they are getting two magazines for the price of one.
• The '+' feature across the bottom of the page is a common plug used on magazine covers to show the reader how much content the magazine consists of. Simply giving us the artist's name and no information as to why they are in the magazine is an enigma code that would encourage the reader to buy the edition if they are interested in any of these artists. NME is a trusted magazine and so when they feature artists, a semi literate audience and respected fans of the magazine would trust that there is relevant feature of interest to them about this artist.