Kerrang Double Page Analysis

This double page spread is from Kerrang Magazine. The purpose of this article is to inform the reader about the recording process that My Chemical Romance go through when they record new tracks and for Kerrang to get an in depth view of their recording studio. my Chemical Romance is an American Rock Band from New Jersey which was formed in 2001. The purpose of this double page spread is to inform the reader about the recording process that My Chemical Romance go through and what they do when they are in the Recording Studio. This double page spread is there to give the reader an insight into what recording is like for this rock group and how they go about recording and the atmosphere that is created when they perform and record their tracks. This double page spread conforms to the house style of the magazine because they have done a feature on a rock group and shown what life is like to be a part of My Chemical Romance. Kerrang has has privileged access to watch this band in their recording process and they have to relay this information back to the reader so they see it like they are actually there and are actually watching the band in the recording studio.

The title of this article is 'Were being the best MCR we can be' referring to My Chemical Romance and this is one of the main things that stands out on this double page because for a start it is bold and uses two different colours (red and white) and also because it goes across both pages instead of just the one. The reader can tell that this is a double page because the title overlaps onto both pages and because the images all relate to each other. The effect that the title has on the audience is that it allows them to find out more about why the band is at its best and for them to be informed about how a group goes about recording their songs that go on sale to the public.

The conventions that are used on this double page spread are that there are a mixture between capital and lowercase letters, and that there are some quotes in the main bulk of writing about the band and how they feel about the music that they produce. The lead Vocalist, Gerard Way says "Oh, It's filthy", "That's what i love about it" referring to the music. Showing that he feels passionate about the music that they produce. The title is all in Capital letters which grabs the readers attention and there is also a sense of excitement for this article because it is a 'World Exclusive' making this issue seem special and unique to the reader. You can see that the article is a world exclusive because there is a box in the top left hand corner with a red background and white writing with stars all around it showing that something is special about this and that it is exclusive. There is also the emphasis that Kerrang has been invited to go into the recording studio with My Chemical Romance.

There are more images than text on this article because the first page has been taken over by the main image of the lead singer and by another small image of the bass guitarist. On the second page there are more smaller images going across the bottom of the page and these include a picture again of the lead singer and three members of the band talking to one another at the mixing desk. These images all have a sense of enjoyment but at the same time have a dark visual impact. This is all to do with the way that the image have been taken because the main image on the left hand side has been taken as a medium close up but from underneath the person looking up at his face so he is isolated and the one of the group talking has a sense of excitement even though the image is in black and white because you can see one of the members smiling.

The tone of this magazine is quite friendly but at the same time professional because it is talking about a well know rock band and what life is like for them in music studios and how they feel about making new songs. The language used in this article is often specialist vocabulary within the music industry, relating to view of the young audience that may take an interest in the magazine. It also contains a personal element due to the use of long quotations, from the interview with the band. There is also the use of colour that makes this article stand out because the writing is white on a black background, so it stands out more and the most important parts of the text are in Red so this automatically grabs the readers attention. Down the right hand side of the spread you can see that there is a section that has been created for 'My Chemical Romance' that is introducing some of the new songs that they are going to release and although it only gives the name of four songs it is allowing the reader to have a little piece of information about each song. This is promoting the band to the reader and it even has some of the stand out lyrics that could be the message of the song or where the band want the reader to think about what is being said.

The magazine double page that i create will be similar to this because mine is referring to a local music studio so some of the language will be the same referring to specialist vocabulary for terminology and because i will hopefully be doing another article on the studio's band. I will take quite a lot of influence from this article because i like the way that the double page spread is laid out and how images are used to tell a story but there is still some information.

Rock Sound Contents Page Analysis

This Contents page is from the Rock Sound magazine. The contents page has been laid out in such a way that the writing and the images have been left to separate areas of the page. Thus the contents of the magazine being is played on the right hand side and some images on the left. The images on the left give the reader a little insight into what will appear on those pages but also they may be the main features of the certain magazine issue.Also having the images allows there not to be as much writing on the page because each picture is representing a page of the magazine and they have just added a picture to show what the readers can expect.

The layout of this cover is quite complicated because there is lots of information on the left hand side followed by some images on the right. But the way that these have both been separated has enabled there to be the right balance with nothing being overcrowded by another thing. The top image is the biggest, hinting that this would be the main feature of the magazine and although there are small images these may be some of the other points that will be featured. The images have been layered on top of each other with the corners overlapping with a right to left sensation.The images have been placed on a red background to make them stand out and also to grab the readers attention even more than the images on the front cover.

The writing along the left hand side has all been kept to the same font size  and has all been kept within four sub headings; Regulars, Features, Exposure and Review. In doing this they are enabling the reader to find what they are looking for quickly and for them to find it much more easily.Also they have made the heading stand out bu putting the writing in white and putting it on a red background. This shows that thought has been put into this contents page to make it easier for the reader and that they want to put across to the reader that they are an organised magazine and not one that has just been thrown together. Putting the writing down the left hand side has enabled there to be more space on the right hence putting the images there but the page has also been separated with colours. The writing being black on a white background and the images being on a red background.

The Mise-en-scene of this contents page is keeping within the music genre of Rock because there are images of rock groups on the right hand side and the clothes that they are wearing resemble the outfits that Rock groups/singers would wear. Also the images that have been used are White dark and the main colours that are used in them are black, grey and even white to make certain parts stand out. The features of this contents page that will help to sell it are that it is all laid out in a way that it is easy to understand and nothing has been made complicated. There is a clear separation between the images and the writing but this makes the page stand out more. As far as contents and how it is laid out, it is easy to see which part of the magazine is where and this is helped by the addition of headings to separate the magazine and also the font has been kept the same so it is not to complicated. The captions that have been used to anchor the images  are simple because it has the image followed by the name of the group underneath it and the page that you will find the article in at the bottom right hand corner of the image. The page number stands out as it is written in Red and is bold so it grabs the readers attention.

There is no humour to this contents page as it is informative to the reader but lots of issues are discussed in the magazine and this can be seen by the amount of pages and by the amount of things that are featured in the magazine. In the regulars section they have a part where they are giving a gig guide which is on page 126 and in the features section the have a big part about bands in vans which covers pages 26-40, 44-47 and 68-75, showing that this is one of the main features of the magazine. Also in the last section (Reviews) it not only talks about rock music but other genres such as Hip-Hop, Indie and Punk showing that although they are a rock magazine they also look at other genres of music. The features of this contents page make the articles in the magazine much easier to locate as there are clear instructions to what page has what on it and it is also friendly to the reader by making the contents page clear but at the same time informative.

Classic Rock Magazine Analysis

This magazine is called 'Classic Rock' and has been put together for the rock music fans. This magazine focuses on rock music and is currently celebrating the 150 greatest debut rock albums. The target audience for this magazine is anyone who likes rock music but more importantly someone who wants to know the 150 greatest debut Rock albums. The target audience would be both young and old people because rock music is for everyone to enjoy whatever the age and lots of rock groups range in age and depending on the age of the group would depend upon the target audience they would like to attract, however, some older groups will have younger audiences as well because they are some of the best groups in the world and they will have listened to them on either the radio, internet or even bought CD's of the band. You can tell that the target audience for this magazine is people who are interested in rock music because the magazine is titled 'Classic Rock' and there are the names of some Rock bands on the front cover. 

The main image on this cover is of a placard with the words 'The 150 Greatest Debut Albums'. This image takes up most of the space on the cover. There is also a small image of a skull at the bottom centre of the page and this also adds to the feel of a rock magazine. The main image doesn't really relate to rock music because it is only explaining the greatest debut albums but the skull relates to rock music because the music is often quite dark and heavy. The skull is the only thing on this main page that you would associate with rock music apart from the title and as for the main cove image it is just there for advertisement purposes to get people to buy the magazine because they feel that the 150 greatest debut albums i important, but this would entirely depend upon what type of genre of music you listen to and in this case it would be rock.  

The way that this image has been framed is that is has been placed in the centre of the page to grab the readers attention, but at the same tome the title is bold enough to let the reader know that the genre is rock. The image of the skull has been placed at the bottom of the page in the centre and the straplines have been placed wither side of it on the bottom right and bottom left. I feel that the main image does not really relate to rock music but in putting the picture of the skull at the bottom it will appeal to rock music fans. There isn't a Mise-en-scene for this cover because there are no people, no props and no clothes. The colours that have been used on this cover are mainly black, white and gold with the addition of red, green and blue for the picture of the skull. The main colours work well together because non of them are overpowering the others and they are all evenly used. I think that the colors used for the skull are slightly to bright for the cover because they stand out which is not a bad thing but the colours don't really go together. The colours on the cover make the mood quite dark but with the addition of the colour on the skull it brightens the cover up.    

This magazine is called 'Classic Rock' and it reflects the content that will be in the magazine because it will be to do with rock music and rock bands. The Language used reflects the target audience because it feature rock groups and rock singers including Ozzy Osbourne, Guns n' Roses, Jimi Hendrix and The Manics who are all rock groups. The writing on the front of this cover has been left to a minimum but what little writing is there it is effective. The straplines on the cover are very short but informative to the reader so that they can concentrate on the main image and for the magazine to celebrate it's 150th issue. The cover also includes a puff which is located at the top right hand corner offering the reader a free 15 track CD if they buy the magazine. The type face that has been used is quite simple because they have only used 3 different fonts and have alternated between uppercase and lowercase lettering to make certain parts stand out.  

Rock Sound Magazine Analysis

This magazine is called 'Rock Sound' and it has been called this because it focuses specifically on Rock music and is promoting the sound of rock music. The significant words in this title are 'Rock Sound' and although part of the title is obscured by the heads of two people in the band on the cover image it is clear enough to see what the title is. The only hint on the front cover that visually tells the reader that this is a rock magazine is the name of the magazine 'Rock'. However, the background is black and dark and the image of the group look like a rock band if anyone is interested in rock music and know this band they will associate the magazine with rock music. The connotation of this magazine is the recognition of some new rock bands which can be seen under the title of 'New Blood'. Also you are getting 'Fawesome debut album ‘Leaving Everything Behind’ for free when you buy this magazine.

The type of reader that this magazine is targeting is anyone who is interested in rock music. This is because although someone might not like the band on the front cover they may be inclined to by it because of an issue that is being discussed inside. This is why the magazine has included Straplines around the outside of the cover to get people interested in some of the stories inside the magazine. From the cover of the magazine you can tell that the audience for this magazine is anyone interested in rock music because it has a feature on Blink - 182 which may appeal to both young and old audiences and Iron Maiden which would again bring in audiences both young and old. The reader will interact with this magazine by looking at the front cover and seeing if they like any of the stories that will be covered in the magazine. Also they may be inclined to have a look through the magazine to see if there is anything in particular that they like. The magazine will have to attract lots of different audience through one magazine that is why the cover image has to appeal to all.

The main image on this front cover is a new band called "Japanese Voyeurs'. Although they are a new band they will still appeal to the magazines audience because they will want to know about the bands that could become big in the future and by putting this image on the front cover they are helping to publicise the band and helping to get the noticed with the rock generation. The image relates to the music genre because they are a rock band that is only just getting their name noticed and by appealing on the front cover of the rock magazine they are automatically appealing to that specific target audience. The effect of the Mise-en-scene of this cover is that it seems to be dark and wanting the reader to go deeper into the magazine to find out more. The addition of the rock group waring dark black clothing with some white clothing makes the group stand out against the dark background and the woman stands out more because she is wearing white clothing but also because of the way that she is standing in the picture. She stands with attitude and with posture as she is wearing white it contrasts so well with the background. The effect of the dark background with the bright clothing allows the image to merge really ell with the background and it also gives the image different levels as if it is coming out towards you. The views that come to mind when you see this cover in terms of cultural codes is that they are setting a 'trend' for younger people to follow in terms of the clothes they wear and they way in which they do it.

The colours that have been used are black, white, red and yellow. Although there are quite a few colours used they are spaces out enough and not used too often so the amount of colours do not compromise the final product and view of the magazine. They contribute to the mood of the image by making it dark and making the reader want to look in further and buy the magazine. The image relates to the target audience because they are a new rock band and they want people to know that they are a rock band and they ant people to listen tot their music. Also they my appeal to the younger target audience as they are quite a young band and they could be seen as role models.

There are various straplines around this front cover and these range from Iron Maiden access all areas to Blink 182 all revealed. There is also the addition of a kicker and it is 'New Blood' which is focusing on the new bands that are featured in the magazine. This stands out the most because it is on the lest hand side and half way up the page. The font also makes it stand out as it is bold and three different colours have been used and they all work well together. The typeface of this magazine cover is quite complicated as there is not just one font that has been used. But there has been 3 maximum and it has not complicated the cover to much and it is still readable. The writing has been spaced out and there is not to much of it so this means it is easier for the reader to take in. This magazine has been for sale in WHSmiths and all good newsagents o it would be fairly easy to pick up a copy and they also allow you to look at the magazine on their website if there is not a copy to but in the shops.   

Kerrang Magazine Analysis

The genre of this of this music magazine is rock and this can be seen from the images that are on the cover. Another way to tell that this is a music magazine is because of the name of the artists that are on the front cover. I think that he target audience for this magazine is anyone who is interested in rock music or anyone that likes the band or person on the front cover. This magazine would appeal to anyone who has a keen interest in music either being young or old and would appeal to both of them as there are may people in the world of all ages who a interested in rock music. You can tell that this magazine is not just for one specific audience because it gives you a free poster which younger children may like and it has some of the latest bands on the front cover which may and may not appeal to some readers of different age ranges.

The main image on this magazine cover is of Biffy Clyro who are a Scottish Rock band and this would seem an appropriate image for a rock band but also as good publicity for Biffy Clyro. The main image takes up the majority of the page and even covers the R and A of the title. Kerrang might have done this to advertise the band in the hope that people might buy it because they like the band and because the magazine is so popular with rock music fans it would appeal to them. This image relates to the Genre of this magazine because it has been designed around rock and they have got a rock band to appear on the cover.

The main image is very striking on this cover because it stands out against the rest of the pictures and writing on the page and it also grabs your attention because it takes up so much space on the page. On this cover i don't think that there is anything left out but i think that this is a very dark cover because there is lots of black and white that has been used but i think that in doing this it creates a good effect and the balance between the black and white with hints of red goes well. Also the colours contrast with the images because they make them stand out because the main image has a black background and the magazine cover is white so the picture stands out. Kerrang have only used three colours on this cover and they are Black, White and Red and with keeping to three colours it keeps the page simple but very effective. The Mise-en-scene of this cover adds to the effect of the rock magazine because the clothing is quite dark in the small images at the bottom of the page and the images have been taken with not much light, so the background is fairly dark but light enough to make the people in the pictures stand out. The clothes that these people are wearing add to the effect of a rock magazine because they are quite dark and it makes you think about the band and what they want the people to get out of listening to their music and the image that they are setting to people that admire them.  


The magazine is called 'Kerrang' and this would be widely recognised by the rock culture. This magazine is well known by the people who buy it because otherwise they wouldn't have covered up the title do that some of the writing is obscured by the main image but because this is one of the main rock magazines people will know what it is even if they can see the title and if the person likes the band then they would be more inclined to buy it. This magazine is in a standard form in A4 but a sheet of A3 paper would have been folded to give the double sided effect and so that the pages fit together much more easily when the magazine is being put together. The important thing about a music magazine is that is has to appeal to its target audience and for 'Kerrang' this is rock lovers and i think that they have successfully achieved this.

Magazine College Contents

This is the contents page for the college magazine that i had designed the cover to This contents page keeps with the same colour scheme and was designed to be simple yet effective. I didn't want there to be too much information on the page to confuse people but i wanted there to be a right balance between information and pictures and the picture at the bottom has been edited using Photoshop Elements so that it blends into the background and so that it doesn't stand put too much.

The image at the bottom of the page is of a group of year 13 students who were rehearsing for their drama performance. I used Photoshop Elements to edit this photo because it allowed me to completely change the visual effect of the picture. I used the filter tool and accented the edges of the picture to make them stand out more and so that they are harsher and i also increased the brightness of the picture so that i merges into the black background.

I decided to keep with the same colour writing but decided to do different shades going from light at the  top to dark at the bottom so that it contrasts with the background and goes from light to dark. I think that this combination of colours work on this page however i think that the black is too violent and makes the magazine dark but the one way that i could solve this would be to change the background colour to a Grey and White instead of Black as the effect would be the same but it would make the page lighter. Also i think that the image at the bottom of the page could have been better because it is very dark and i could have edited it more to make it lighter and so that peoples faces are clearer.

Magazine College Cover

This is the first magazine front cover that I have made. This college cover was made to represent Lordswood Girls School and all of the images that are used had to be original and taken around the school. To start with I went around the school trying to find interesting and attractive images that would attract the reader and would make them want to buy this magazine. The images on the cover show a variety of different school activities including Theatrical Performances, School Library, new Sixth Form Study Room and the Media Arts Suite complete with Apple Macs and Macbooks.

From looking at other school magazines that had been produced previously and from research I thought that there was too much information on them and that people want a front cover that will attract them and get them interested in the magazine before they have even opened it. For this reason I have kept the writing to a minimum but kept some to show what is going to be inside the magazine. I designed this cover on Photoshop elements and although I wasn’t that confident at first once I had got going and had got the hang of what to do then I found it much easier.  

The main features on the front of this magazine area cover image, it has an issue number and there would e one magazine released at the beginning of each term and special editions at Christmas, Easter and Summer Holidays. It also includes a Pug (free watch inside), Barcode, Straplines, a Kicker going across the page, Masthead and Logo of the School.

My First Blog :)

This was a picture taken in the library for our preliminary task in Lordsood Girls School Library. At this point we were just gathering our initial images for the preliminary task.