Research into Music Magazine Covers

I have researched into different genres of music magazine front covers. My aim was to see how each genre of music was displayed differently through the use of colour scheme, layout, image, sell-lines, and overall look of the magazine. I chose three very different genres, these were: Rock, Classical, Indian Culture and R'n'B.


Genre: Rock
On this 'NME' music magazine cover, the layout is very busy and cluttered and energetic, which could be reflective of this genre of music. Rock music in general contains quick, heavy beats, with several instruments. Therefore, the use of many sell-lines and and images is representative of this genre. The first word of the main sell-line, reading 'The Wombats', is askew, adding to the hectic feel of the magazine cover. The colour scheme contains many clashing colours, such as the red of 'NME' and and yellow of 'Wombats'. However, the colour of the clothing which covers the majority of the page is dark, connoting the sometimes dark and angry nature of rock music. I feel the contrast between the dark colours and the vibrant colours such as the yellow and red work works well, meaning the magazine stands out and represents the raw nature of rock music. The image shows the band members at different levels, to make the cover more visually interesting. The sell-lines are positioned so the image looks as if it is displayed diagonally across the page. Light blue text boxes are used around some sell-lines, which means they stand out and are more likely to catch the reader's eye.

Genre: Indian Culture
The general composition of this music magazine front cover is simple, with the white background and standard black font. The gaze of the magazine is directed towards the Indian woman named 'Priyanka', who helps the magazine more appealing to the male gaze and for fashion conscious women. The layout is simple, with the image centre-right of the page, with sell-lines boldly around this. With the image obscuring the title, it gives the impression that this is a famous and popular magazine and well known enough to not lose out from not showing the full brand. The masthead is vert strong, with the black font colour standing out against the white. I feel the strike line through the masthead is effective, as it gives it brand identity. The colour used in the image for the woman's material is typical of the Indian culture, with the variety of colours used, and this also contrasts well against the white background. Critically, it is not immediately obvious of the genre of the magazine without reading the sell-lines, and I would hope to make my genre of magazine more apparent.

Genre: Classical
For this 'Music' music magazine, it follows a very simple layout. The image is displayed centrally on the page, infront of the masthead; this enables the image to stand out from the page. From the front cover, it is clear to the reader that the magazine is focuses on classical music. The masthead alone informs the reader this, but using a famous violinist holding the instrument emphasises this, and means the magazine is immediately recognisable as being for classical music. I feel the way the words 'Sarah Chang' are written in the same colour red as the masthead is effective, as it links the two together, showing that Sarah Chang is strongly linked to classical music, and emphasising her, as she may help in the sales of the magazine. The sell-lines are displayed simply on the page, in 'times new roman' black font. The page includes a puff to increase the magazines status by saying, 'The world's best classical music magazine'. I feel the simplistic appearance of the front cover reflects the genre of music. For example, the layout is very structured, similar to that of classical music. It is also a sophisticated genre of music, which is similar to the appearance of this magazine.



Genre: R'n'B
The layout of this 'Vibe' magazine is slightly different to the others I researched. The image is is a medium long shot, directly central of the magazine, emphasising the main subject that is, Chris Brown. However, the sell-lines are positioned neatly down the right of the page, almost in a block of writing. I would not use this technique when creating the front cover of my music magazine, as I feel it does not enable any particular sell-lines to stand out, and catch the readers attention. The one sell-line on the left of the page though is effective, through the use of colours and font styles. The different colours attract the gaze of the audience, as well as italisizing the word 'that', to create a bigger impact on the reader. Direct mode of address is used effectively, by the magazine asking 'Is that Chris Brown?', and this means the reader can feel more connected with the magazine. Again, displaying the image infront of the masthead gives the impression that this is a well known magazine, which gives the magazine extra credibility. The colour of the subject's t-shirt against the background is good, as it gives the magazine more of a colour scheme, adding to it's professional look. The jewellery and accessories helps to connote the R'n'B genre, as many R'n'B artists and bands are seen to be wearing similar. Also, the use of the green and white fonts adds to the appearance of the magazine. I feel the title of the magazine, 'Vibe' is relevant, as it relates to this genre of music and the feeling it gives.