Research of front cover 3

Research of front cover 2

Kerrang magazine’s always have the same masthead. This is the smashed/cracked Kerrang logo. This shows the grungy/rock genre. Also there is the feature this is directed towards the main image and tells the reader about the main article. Also there is banners these make the text stand out. The cover lines is distributed around the front page to show the reader what issues are encased in the magazine. There is also puffs on the magazine promoting features in the magazine, Kerrangs house style is white and black, and also all kerrang magazines have a barcode this makes it easy to buy the item.  The target audience of this magazine is for teenagers, boys and girls. The main image is of a model looking away, this is different as the model is looking away from the camera whereas the normal thing seen is of the model looking into the camera or direct address.

The magazine is breaking conventions by making the model look away from the camera and by using a medium long shot. Also they are breaking conventions by having the models head in front of the mast head. Here Kerrang are using the theory of the male gaze on in this case the female gaze. 

Research of a front cover 1

Here's an image I found of Amy Winehouse on a Q magazine. I chose this image due to the fact how she is posed but also on how the magazine is similar to all the rest of Q's magazine. The mast head is the same it is always a white Q in a red square. This is known as the masthead underneath this is the slogan of the magazine. This is the advertising to persuade people to buy it.

 Also there is a quote from the artist which entices the reader. All over the magazine there is sell lines. These are used to tell the reader about what articles are in the magazine.

Anchoring text is also used on the front cover to show what the image is relating to, in this case it is relating to Amy Winehouse’s death and how the music business is coping with the shock a year after. Also there is a barcode and date/price this is essential in a magazine this makes it easier for people to see how much they will be spending. On the front cover there is also puffs this gives information about the content of the magazine. The main image is centred on the front cover with the model looking into the camera. The image is of a medium shot, with the model looking into the camera it gives the impression the model is looking directly at the reader.

Amy here is being represented as a innocent woman although many people knew about her bad habits at this time. The creators are using the theory that a star is just a image and how they are no longer a person. Amy is clearly represented as a star and not as a human and how her face/style is so iconic to her image.   

Mojo and Classic rock grid

Media Terminology

Today in class we learn't about new terminology which we can use to deconstruct a music magazine, these will help us with what to add to our magazine.


Anchoring - the intended meaning of a media text; what a text shows or represents
Audience - the group for whom a media is intended
Bias - prejudice in favour of or against something
Broadsheet - a serious paper aimed at professional, upmarket people, previously in a large format but now mostly compact
Connotation - meaning which is suggested by a media text
Deconstruct - to take part/analyse
Denotation - describing what you see in a media text
Editorial - a newspaper article written by or on behalf of the editor which gives an opinion on a topical behalf
Genre - group of texts that share certain characteristics; classification
Masthead - the title of a newspaper or magazine at the top of the front page
Narrative - the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional media texts
Objective - not influenced by personal feelings
Representation - how the media shows us the 'real world'
Sensationalism - exciting or shocking reportage which is intended to interest the public, without necessarily being accurate
Strapline - a few word sentence to accompany a brand or product
Structure - in newspapers, the way an article is organised
Subjective - based on or influenced by personal feelings or opinions
Tabloid - a compact paper, designed to appeal to a mass audience
Text - any media product (eg. advert, photo, film, video game, web page...) or piece of writing
Values and ideologies - systems of beliefs which determine how power relations are organised within a society

Evaluation of preliminary task

This is my college front cover. In this blog I have used screen grabs to show the simple elements I have used to create my front cover. I have used pugs to show different articles from my cover and I have used a logo to pull my magazine together making it look more realistic.

Contents page

Here is the design I have created for my contents page, it is simple and effective and shows clearly where everything is to go.