Analysing classic rock magazine

Task 3a- front cover

The main image is of grunge, who are rock artists. The image takes
over most of the front, therefore it is the main feature to grab your
attention first as it is directly in your eye line as you look at the
magazine. It is set against a dark background with a spot light coming
from behind the centre person. This further suggests their
importance as rock artists as the spotlight spots them out above
everything else. Furthermore, the image is a medium long shot image
as it cuts off just above the knee, therefore, in this image you can see
what they are wearing and how they are positioned and I can analyse
the denoted features which have been selected for a literal meaning.
The artists are all wearing smart casual clothing which connotes with
rock artists as they are known to be have the stereotype of not really
caring about there clothes they are more about their music unlike
many pop artists these days. Also, features like the guitar have been
selected to show that it is rock music as many rock artists will have
guitars while performing. Additionally, the artists are using direct
mode of address. This is the way the magazine communicates with
the readers. In this case the artists are looking directly into the
camera so they look as though they are making direct eye contact.
This connects with the reader as you feel as though they are looking
at you which in most cases persuades a potential reader to buy the
magazine. This is a very powerful connotation that many magazines
use. The layout uses rule of thirds, which is a 3x3 grid which shows us
where our eyes are drawn to instantly. I can tell that this has been
used as the main image, masthead and cover lines are in the areas
we are instantly drawn to but the barcode, which is the least
important feature but follows the codes and conventions needed in a
magazine, which is at the bottom where we wouldnt automatically
look to we would have to shift our eyes first. This is appropriate to
the audience because what they see first is what the magazine wants
them too see first and this may be what the reader is interested to.

Grunge is the main cover line. A main cover line is one of the main
features on the front cover line. This is often relates to the picture and
also anchored to it so you can see what it is about. For example,
someone may not know who the rock artists are on the front but the
main cover line will often tell you who they are. Underneath this as well
it gives you a cover line related to this. This is the celebrity endorsement
article which is the magazines main article for this issue as many people
will choose this magazine so they can read about them because they
could be their favourite artist.
The magazine has used cover lines around
the main image. Cover lines are headings on
the front cover. These are used as a sneak
peak for the audience to see what is
includes in the magazine before reading the
content page. This is effective as the cover
lines are related to what their target
audience is interested in, therefore there
readers will pick up the magazine, see the
cover line and could be interested in the
articles included so are persuaded to buy the
magazine so they can read its contents.
The magazine also used representation, this is the magazines way of
portraying a person, group of people or a place. In this magazines they
have used representation to portray a group of people in a particular way.
For example, the dark colour scheme that they have used have portrayed
people who like rock music to be quiet dark people, suggesting they wear
dark clothing, like the artists on the front cover of the magazine and that
they like dark colours, so they have used the dark colours to stand out to
rock fans. Also, the type of music they have included portrays a group of
music as they have included all the music they believe rock fans listen to.
I think that the target audience for this magazine is aimed at middle aged
white men, aged 25+. I think this because everything on the main cover
is a man based theme, for example all artist are also male. Also, their
hobbies would be music and going to gigs as this is what this magazine
talks about throughout. I think that will be married or single with a
standard paying job.

The masthead of the magazine is the

first thing a reader will see when it is on
the shelf in a shop. This is the name of
the magazine. On this magazine it is at
the top in the centre of the front cover,
this will always stay the same so the
repetitive buyers can identify the
magazine. The mast head is very bold
and eye-catching, therefore the font is
often larger ,which draws the audiences
eye straight away, which then gives
them a clear understanding of what the
magazines genre. For example, classic
rock 'signifies it will have a significant
rock focus. Surrounding the main image
is part of the masthead rock it is
positioned behind Chris Cornell's
trademark hairstyle. When placed on
the shelves, potential buyers will be
able to see the masthead as well as his
hair. This has been carefully constructed
by the stylist and editor so fans will be
able to identify the musician and
masthead and be inclined to purchase.
They have put the rock part bigger, they
may have done this so it stands out
more that it is the rock genre of music.
The masthead is white on a dark
background, therefore it makes it more
clear and readable for the audience.

Genre is the sat of characteristics that the magazine has, which puts it into a
certain category. This magazine fits in to the category of leisure/rock. The
audience will see this magazine in the leisure section in shops and by reading
the masthead you are able to tell that it is direct to people who enjoy rock music
and like reading about classic rock.
Mise-en-scene refers to everything that is put into the scene, the mise-en-scene
of the main image will immediately attract the target audience as they used a
guitar as a prop, which fits into the iconography of rockers also, there clothes
represents the fashion of rock fans , therefore e casual and baggy with messy
hair. This it will address the target audience who are interested in the genre of
the rock music.

A freebie was placed in a red box to seem alarming to the reader because it
attracts more to the audience. It means everyone will own something when they
buy this magazine instead of pot luck on a competition. It helps make the
magazine seem more personal to the viewer.

Task 3b- contents page

This contents page has a masthead as well/ the

masthead is contents this is he title of the page. It
is the biggest font and at the top of the page a they
want this to stand out to you first above anything
else so you are aware what the page is. They want
you to notice this page because it the page that
informs you what the magazine includes. This is
important because the potential reader want to see
what the magazine includes before buying as they
want to know if it includes articles related to their
own interests so they know if it is worth purchasing.
The main heading is featured. This is used to tell us
that this column is filled with what the magazine
features. The word features automatically makes
us think what celebrities are being featured. This is
effective as people are mostly interested in articles
featuring celebrities. Then underneath there are
titles of each page with information underneath of
each article and what it is based about. This is
effective because it gives the reader a quick, short
summary of what it is about so they havent got to
search for the article and read it all to find out what
it is all about. However, this information is much
smaller as the magazine editors would rather you
read the whole article not the summary. Next to
this gives us the page number for each page
number, this is so that when the reader is looking
through the content page they know which page is
which. Therefore, if the reader only wanted to read
a certain article at that time they would know
which page to go to straight away instead of having
to search through the magazine to find it.

There is also a main image on the contents page. However this image is
a long shot type, therefore it shows the whole length of them. This is
effective because it continues to show their fashion and as you can tell
their fashion carries the stereotype of rock artists. This is important as
it continues to keep the genre of the magazine. This image does not
use direct mode of address with the rock artists looking into the
camera. They didnt need to use this on this image because their need
to grab the readers attention has already been used on the cover so
now by this point the connection has already been made with the
reader. Furthermore, this image is surrounded by darkness of black,
white and grey which further keeps the colour scheme going
throughout the magazine which supports the stereotype that rock
music is dark. On the main image there is the use of anchoring. This is
the term that refers to how images are referred to. This image is
anchored to a page number and a caption. This directly explains what
the picture is about. Anchoring an image helps give it a meaning as it
helps the reader understand the significance. This image links to the
magazines main featured article as the image is of grunge again. This is
effective because it is giving the reader more awareness of the main
article but on this page it adds extra information like which page to find
it on.

The contents page uses mode of address. Mode of address refers to the way the
magazine communicates with their readers. This magazine does this by using a
question underneath the image related to the image/article. This connects with
the reader as it enables them to think about that question. Then you can read
how the grunge answered that question. Therefore it persuades you to want to
read the article to find out why they answered it that way and you to find out
more about them. The language used in the answer to the question is very
informal however it is acceptable as It is a quotation. The language in the text is
important in the contents section because it needs to be clear and quite formal
so that it is suitable for everyone reading it and if the language is informal it may
come across as the magazine is for children because informal language is usually
more basic and not as formal for children so its easier to read.
Mise-en-scene refers to everything that is put into the scene.
The mise-en-scene of the main image will immediately attract
the target audience as their clothing fits into the iconography of
rockers as their clothes are casual and baggy with messy hair,
which represents the fashion of rock fans. Therefore, this will
address the target audience who are interested in the genre of
rock music.

The only column used on this page is the

one on the right side which is telling us
on the contents of the magazine. The
overall idea of any magazine is to offer its
readers utmost reading satisfaction and
the written information and pictures
should be able to capture the imagination
as well. The overall writing pattern,
formatting, images and layout play a very
crucial role in enhancing the overall
image and standing of a particular
magazine.

The page also uses rule of thirds. This is the breaking down of an
image into thirds. This is used on the page outing the image more
into the centre of the page because the readers eye is drawn to it
then has nowhere to go from there because the object is equal
distance from all sides. Therefore when the magazines subject is
positioned closer to one of the edges, it forces your eye to follow Underneath the masthead the date and the issue
number is given. This is the date which the magazine was
it leading to the column of contents, This allows the viewer to
published and the issue number is to inform us which
linger on the page longer.
magazine it is out of all the others published. This is
useful so that the reader knows if the magazine is up to
The target audience stays the same throughout, therefore the
contents page will match the features used on the front cover to date, so they know if they are reading the latest
information or not.
carry on presenting the magazine to their set target audience.

What additional information does the contents page give us that the front cover
doesnt?
The contents page gives us further information about the articles. The front cover just uses cover lines to
tell us what articles are included but when you read the contents page it gives the reader the page
number and as short summary information of the article. The contents page is plainer than the front
cover this is because this page needs to be clear and understandable as people just look on this page to
find page numbers as they already have what they need from the front cover because the front cover is
the part which catches their attention not the contents page.

How has it been presented?

The contents page layout has been presented in a clear, formal way. The contents age is quite plain which
is effective for the target audience because it allows them to read then move on instead of having to look
all over the page for different features with the use of bight bold colours like you would find in a child's
pop magazine. Therefore it shows the sophistication for the older target audience. The only use of colour
is on the page number and the promotion which suggest this text is most important and they want to
stand out more.

Task 3c- double page spread

The main feature of the double page spread is Grunge as

per the main cover line of the front cover. This is
represented by the use of distressed textures and
grayscale imagery throughout the page enforcing the
magazine house style. The background continues to carry
on with the colour scheme and it is quite plain using black,
white and red so that the text and images stand out more.
The fact that the text is black connotes the darkness of the
genre of rock music which could relate to the style of the
article. The red and white goes against the dark
background giving it more power.
The main image of Chris Cornell dominates the spread it
is right aligned and bleeds onto the left side of the spread
this is effective as it is ensuring that focus is drawn to it as
it is the image that consumes the largest focal area of the
page. The mise en scne of the main image also
represents the articles genre and its purpose; the
costume, or rather lack of clothing, connotes a raw
aesthetic, supporting the sub-genre of grunge. The lighting
of the image focuses on Chris Cornells face, in particular
the centre of his eye causing attention to be drawn in.
Therefore, this supports the direct address used by the his
pose. An aggressive pose is used in the image, using
animalistic imagery to create a tone of intimidation to the
audience; representative of the Grunge/Rock genre. The
prop of a tribal themed necklace further supports the
animalistic imagery connoted by the photography. The
setting of the image is also basic with no background
textures; this brings the audiences entire focus onto the
subject as Chris Cornell is the main focus of the article.

The main image is captioned by a pull quote which uses a

contrasting colour to stand out but it is still keeping with the
house style. This pull quote anchors the main image, suggesting
that it related to him. The pull quote features a rhetorical
device meaning a question is asked and immediately answered.
This engages the audience as it is interactive, possibly causing
the reader to think of answers to the question.

There are three other images present on the page, which have
a white border which separates them from the main image. The
images continue to keep the house style; being grayscale and
feature by-lines dictating the images subject, to give them
context and meaning as well. The alignment and rotation of the
secondary images are also slightly off centre, possibly
representing un-perfect nature of grunge. The shot type of the
main image is a close up; this suggests that it is the main image
of the spread, as the other images are all medium long shots,
suggesting that they are secondary images.

The headline is a san-serif typeface with distressed texture on some letters connoting the genre of grunge, this is modern
yet unpolished. The headline uses an oxymoron Pushing forward back, this will intrigue the reader as the reader will most
likely want to find out the meaning behind the headline. The layout of the headline is also tight ,allowing for the word back
to be put in focus making it a larger point size and stretched vertically but still being aligned with the other words.
A drop capital is used to start of the
article, showing the reader where to
the start the article, it is recognised
technique to signal the start of body
text. The font choice for the body text
and drop cap is based on times new
roman, showing class and prestige
associated with the house style of
Classic Rock.
A by-line is positioned under the stand
first, using contrasting red accents to
draw attention. This by-line is a device
to inform dedicated readers the
identity of the author; enforcing brand
loyalty to the magazine. The baselines
for the body text are equal like all other
articles in the magazine, establishing a
consistent house style that again
connotes class and prestige. This is
reinforced by the equal width of
columns which are all contained on the
left hand side. The gutter space inbetween the columns is quite large,
however it contains a line accent to fill
space and could be said to connote the
mature theme of the house style.

The page numbers are at the bottom of the page, these are important to be ale to
look for the page you are looking for. Next to the page number it gives the
magazines website address for further advertisement that they are also online.
The target audience stays the same throughout, therefore the double page spread
will match the front cover and contents page using mostly the same features used
on the front cover and contents page to carry on presenting the magazine to their
set target audience. Also, because the article is featuring the artists used on the
front cover we would expect the target audience to stay the same.
The bold artist name could also create appeal, as these are popular bands that
carry interest. A very small kicker is used at the end of the body text to inform the
reader to turn the page. This is not in need of any contrasting colours as a reader
could probably expect a multiple page feature for the cover article.

Overall impression
My overall impression of the magazine is positive, I
think that the magazine uses the features well and are
very effective when using them because the magazine
does an excellent job of drawing in the reader on all
three pages. The colour scheme is used throughout
and the target audience is kept the same with the
features used which is very important so the magazine
can be recognised and so its contents doesnt get
confusing. To summarise I think that the magazine is
effective and will easily get sales by using their
methods to gain readers and to interest people in the
magazine.