Analysis of Magazine Covers

 

Kerrang is a magazine edited by Nichola Browne, first publicised in 1981, originally as a 'one-time supplement.' It is so-titled due to its onomatopoeic name meaning, linking to music. The issues are generally priced £2.20, the price is then raised by a short amount for special editions. "Life Is Loud" is Kerrang's regular tagline, which relates to what sort of music is going to be in the magazine.
The magazine cover always features a plug titled "Plus!" section showing who else will be in that weeks issue of the magazine, in order to entice people to buy the magazine who may not like the artist on the front. Kerrang's audience is a wide one, ranging from teenagers to older adults.
Also usually included are posters, this particular one includes Linkin Park and Avenged Sevenfold- people will then be attracted to the magazine who like these bands.
The main colour palette used by Kerrang are black, white, yellow/red, which change sometimes in order to go with what image is on the front. The colours are well-suited to the genre of magazine that Kerrang is; rock, metal, punk and pop/punk sometimes.
The cover lines of this issue are things such as "Guess who's back" which arouses curiosity, making the reader want to buy the magazine to find out who is 'back.'
The puff of this issue is "Nice Planet. We'll Take It," as the band on the front is 30 Seconds To Mars- this is a play on words, linking to the content and in reference to the band's name which is the biggest font on the cover, creating dominance, drawing attention and appealing its audience. 30 Seconds To Mars are also making eye contact and Tomo (the one on the right) has a slight smile on his face, which would bring the audience in as it is welcoming. They are also on the same level and are wearing clothes the same/similar colour but not matching, indicating that they are unified and have a close relationship. The barcode, is on the bottom right, as usual. 

AP (Alternative Press) magazine is an American based music magazine, originally a 'fanzine' distributed at concerts in 1985, this was then made into a magazine because the founder believed that all genres of music deserved media coverage. The covers early on included bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys as AP is an alternative rock magazine.
The frequency is monthly and AP is generally sold at a price from $8.76.
The main colour palette is red, yellow, orange and grey, depending on the cover image. The Used are on the front of this issue, with "Used" being the biggest font on the cover, so that it stands out and encourages the audience to purchase the magazine. They are all evenly lined up on the cover and are all making eye-contact, bringing the audience in and Quinn (far left) is touching Dan's shoulder who is touching Bert's and so on, and from the contact the audience can infer that their relationship is close.
Like Kerrang, the plug at the bottom of the cover shows who else will be in the magazine- such as Sum 41 and Good Charlotte- to make anyone who may like these bands, but is not necessarily a fan of the cover artist want to buy the magazine.
The bar code of this magazine is also located in the bottom as when you read something, the last thing that you look at is potentially on the bottom right. 

Mojo is a music magazine, generally with the classic rock genre, produced in the United Kingdom monthly for around £3.95. The first issue was in 1993 which was initially published by Emap, later to move to Bauer. It started off featuring artists such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, The Velvet Underground, Sex Pistols and The Beatles.
In recent years, Mojo has been known for publishing "Top 100" lists, such as "The Top 100 Records That Changed the World," and including a 'covermount' CD which would attract a wide audience due to the fact that people would buy it purely for the CD, if nothing else. This issue has a free Christmas CD which they have chosen to use as the cover line, again to make more people buy it for the free CD, even if they are not a fan of anything featured in the magazine.
The cover of the issue that I have chosen to analyse features a picture of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, as Mojo often releases issues of older artists, not just new and still around ones. The picture chosen to put on the cover is quite innocent as it makes Kurt Cobain look like a small character, therefore making him look approachable and welcomes the audience. This and the fact that he is making eye contact, entices the audience to buy the magazine.
The font is usually bold, inviting and clear but this issue changed it for a more Nirvana look as it is still clear but busy and not nearly as crisp.
The cover line "Into the soul of America's last great rock band" gives off the impression that Mojo will be revealing some sort of secret, therefore making people want to know all about it, and make fans of Nirvana feel as though they don't yet know all; until they buy it and all will supposedly be revealed.
The plug on the right hand side shows what will be included in this particular issue if the viewers somehow were not a fan of Nirvana and/or Kurt Cobain, and so readers will be able to get a peek of what else there will be, therefore attracting more people to buy the magazine.