Starting the main task

Firstly, I have analysed the format of a variety of magazine covers to create an idea as to what techinques are used such as font, colour, layout, structure, genre, target audience, background and images/photographs. I have also thought about why the magazine is structured in that certain way and if it matches the intended genre. For example, if the image is overlapping the headline, is it intended for the audience to already know the name of the magazine?
The genre of the magazine cover on the left is about night life and night clubs. I know this because along the top of the cover states about night clubs. It connotes that the magazine has some theme of different cultures and countries as the image of the girl on the front is from a different country. Also, the use of bright flouresent writing on the advertisment on the bottom left hand side of the page connotes night clubs as bright flouresent lights would be used in night clubs.
The genre of the magazine on the right is a music magazine. I know that it's a music magazine from the content on the front of the cover. e.g. the free gift is a CD. Also the main feature of the magazine is a rock band which connotes that it is a music magazine. The text stands out well on the cover because of the contrast betweent the black background and the pink flouresent text. At the top of the page, the magazine gives insights into other articles in the magazine which is useful to the reader so that they know what to expect to read about when they start reading the magazine.







I then looked at some contents pages of music magazines. The example on the left is from a magazine called Kerrang. The image on this contents page dominates the writing. I think this is an unusual layout as I would imagine the writing to dominate the image. However, it is effective because it does show the reader what to expect in the magazine by using the image of a band that is probably going to be featured somewhere in side the magazine.

The use of the bold head line is effective because as soon as you open the magazine the bold white font will be eye-catching to the reader and will jump out straight away.

The way the writing is structured is interesting as it is in small print at the bottom of the page. This could suggest that Kerrang readers are supposed to assume what is in the magazine from reading experience. Just like on a magazine cover when the image overlaps the title of a well known magazine.

This is another example of a contents page from a music magazine called Mojo. This example is different from the contents page from Kerrang magazine.
The writing stands out just as much as the image from the use of background colour as the back ground is white which makes the bold black font stand out more. The contents is organised in a structured list which makes it easy for the reader to understand making it quicker for the reader to find the page they want.
The images are effective as they are highlighting the main features in the magazine that the readers may find the most interesting. The two images are both in the same fonts and have the same background colour (black) which makes the band in the images stand out more so the reader knows these are the main features in the magazine.










I then looked at some examples of inside articles of a magazine. The example to the left is from a magazine called Mojo. I thought that the editing of the images to make them seem worn out and old was effective as the article is talking about the singer who has been around for two decades. This shows that the images work well with the article and are relevant to it's content. Also the fact that the image of his old album is in colour whilst the rest of the images are in black and white is significant as it connotes that his old album is different. The picture of his new album in black and white, matching the two other images connotes that this is the 'new' him which fits in with the image of himself as both are in black and white. This article has a basic layout and structure of the text as it is wrote in basic columns and paragraphs.




I looked at another article from a magazine called Guitar. This article is structured as an interview Which is different from the article from Mojo.
An interview could create appeal to the audience as it is opinions of two well known singers whom some people may be interested in. An interview is easier to read than a full article as the layout of information is in small columns rather than in the form of lots of large columns.
Effective quotes are used and are in bold fonts in a different colour that stand out on the page, such as "New song 'Blood Fire Water Hate' is an anthem. It sounds like it came straight from hell'. If this quote interests the reader, it means that they will be more eager to read the article.
The use of the large image in the middle of the article is effective as the use of a low angle photograph shot makes the subjects, in this case the two singers, look superior to the reader. This could make the reader feel intimidated as the two men are looking quite agressive towards the camera. The image is bright and in focus which draws the attention of the reader automatically to the image rather than the writing first. Overall,this is a powerful article mostly from the large image which creates a big impact on the rest of the article as it dominates the rest of the article.