Summary of ResearchSummarising what I have found out through the three analysis's

of music magazines.

Conventional Layout

Every front cover has their masthead at the top of the page in the largest font size and they always have the same masthead on every issue.

The cover story is almost always in the centre of the page below the image of the artist that the cover story is about. It is also in a large font like the masthead.

The image of the artist is always in the centre of the page and stands out from the rest of the page.

The coverlines are arranged around the main image and are in much smaller fonts because they have less importance.

Through my research, I noticed that the barcode is often in the terminal area or the bottom left hand corner as it isn’t very important.

There are multiple other images on the cover but they are much smaller.

Conventional Layout

The image is the main part of the double page spread and they often cover one of the pages.

The headline is in the largest font as it is an important aspect of the double page spread.

The kicker is always at the start of the article so people know where to start looking. It is often in a serif font because they look more interesting.

The article is in columns which is conventional.

Conventional LayoutThere is an image of the artist/band who have a double page spread in the magazine.

The masthead is also on the contents page in the same style as on the cover story.

The contents is in a column which is conventional so it takes up less space.

There is often an advertisement in the bottom left hand corner or the terminal area.

The contents page uses the route of the eye and the important parts of the page lay on the route of the eye

Conventions of Genre The colours red, white, and black, are conventional for the rock genre as they are the colours associated with rock. Red connotes blood and black connotes death which also suits the rock genre.

The masthead font looks aggressive as it looks like it has been smashed by someone. Anger suits the rock genre hence why that font style has been chosen.

The image makes the artist look violent because of his hand gestures which is conventional because rock is usually associated with violence.

The sans serif fonts are conventional on rock/indie magazines because they look more modern than serif fonts and they are also more masculine.

Conventions of Genre

The long shot image is conventional for indie magazines because people like to see what other people wear and it also makes them look more powerful as they have a whole page dedicated to a photo of them.The serif font is more typical for the indie genre because it makes it stand out and looks different which people who listen to indie music like.Red is the only pop of colour which is conventional for an indie/rock music magazine.The sans serif font is conventional for indie/rock music because it is simple and clear to read which those people like.

Conventions of Genre

The image is of an artist singing with their band which rock/indie people will like as it isn’t too posed and it also clearly shows who the artist is without having to look too hard.

The red black and white is conventional for the rock genre more than indie because they are quite masculine colours.

The fonts are all sans serif which is conventional for rock/indie because they look more simple and modern and not over the top which people would like.

Mode of Address The colours black, white, and red, suit the mode of address as the brand wants to make themselves look masculine and aggressive and the colours achieve this as red connotes blood and violence and black connotes death and sadness.

The smashed masthead suits the mode of address as it shows aggression and violence which suits Kerrangs mode of address.

The hand gestures Gerard Way is making suits the mode of address because Kerrang represent themselves and want to be seen as very masculine and fearless and Gerard suits this mode of address through the gun hand gestures that make the brand look violent because guns are used in killing people.

The cluttered layout shows that the magazines mode of address is quite informal.

Mode of Address The colours red and black suits the mode of address that NME is hoping to achieve as the red connotes passion and the black that Florence is wearing is very mysterious which suits the rock/indie genre which in turn suits the magazine.

The artists all suit the mode of address because they are quite unique and alternative which is what NME is trying to be so they always have quite unique characters on their double page spreads.

The way the artist is sitting makes shows that the magazines mode of address is quite playful but edgy.

Mode of Address

The cluttered layout suits the informal mode of address.

The natural shot of the artist on the contents page suits the informal mode of address as it doesn’t look to posed or edited to make it look perfect.

Images dominate the page.

Technical ElementsThe black and white photo is often used to show that an artist/band is indie and this cover is no different. They clearly show through the effect on the image that the magazine is rock/indie. The artist is also wearing dark clothes which suggests he is more of a rock artist rather than a pop artist.

Mid shots are also conventional on rock/indie music magazine covers so that the audience can clearly see the artist/bands facial expressions rather than what they are wearing which pop magazines would do.

Technical ElementsThe guitars used as props in the picture because it shows they are rock/indie as they usually play guitars. Bands/artists conventionally use an instrument as a prop in rock/indie magazines as it shows that they make their own music.

The mid-long shot allows you to see all of the artists outfits along with their facial expressions which is often done on double page spreads so fans can re-create their looks.

Technical Elements

The low key lighting in the top image clearly shows that it is a rock magazine as they are usually darker.

The outfit Oli Sykes is wearing has been specially chosen as it is conventional ‘rock’ clothing which makes it clearly identifiable as a rock magazine and clear that he makes rock music.