My favourite Rolling Stone contents pages

Contents page analysis Q magazine

This is my analysis of Q magazine contents page. I like the whole layout of it and i got lots of ideas from analysing it to use in my magazine.

Published on a monthly basis, Q always features an abundance of articles which fills up the whole contents page, allowing for a spacious and polished look which will appeal to the target audience of young professionals. This mode of contemporary and yet sophisticated presentation reflects that of all Q front covers and so will be easily recognised as an important aspect of the magazines house style which readers have come to expect from each piece. Similarly, the inclusion of the Q masthead and slogan aids the pages in being instantly recognisable with this further illustration of the house style creating a sense of fluency between the pages. As always with this magazine, a strong colour scheme consisting of reds, blacks and whites is evident: the dominant shades create an eye-catching impact and a sense of continuity without over-complicating the page and so succeed in alluring readers to various images and articles. Encompassing seven images which add vibrancy and colour, the contents have page numbers beside each picture to navigate the reader to where this section is and there is also a “Q Review” section.

The contents page accommodates the house style of the magazine as it uses the colour scheme of the magazine, red, white and black. The title on the contents page uses the Q logo which is red and white colour for the word contents. It is surrounded by a black box and above it states the date of the issue in a grey colour. This makes it more elegant.

There are 7 pictures altogether on the contents page. The biggest image is on the right of the page at the top and is of St. Vincent holding a Q award. This image represents the Q awards which feature in this issue. She is wearing a black dress which again accommodates the house style and her hair is slicked back which is an elegant feature.  There are 5 images along the left hand side of the page. These are pictures of the people that have been mentioned on the cover lines. The first one is Ed Sheeran who is the main feature of the magazine. He is again holding his guitar which represents him as a person and the image is very causal as he is not posing. Under his image it says "on the cover" in red colour to show the audience he is the main feature and what page he features on. The next image is of Culture Club. It is a close up image and the colours are incorporated in this image because he is wearing a red hat and black jacket. The next image is an picture saying "50 Albums of the year". This again features on the cover.  The image of Royal Blood is a mid shot and they are wearing black jackets accommodating the colour scheme. The next picture is a long shot of Neil Young standing holding a guitar case, this is a very casual image of him and he is directly looking into the camera to appeal to audience.

The review section is in a black box with the title "The Q Review" the Q is in red which is the house style. The picture at the top of the box is of AC/DC and the colours they are wearing are black. The review section includes a live, new and reissue section with artists beside each section. Beside the live section is Caribou and the page number. AC/DC is beside the new section as well as Mary J Blige and Pixies is beside the Reissue section. This narrows it down for the readers and makes it easier to find the person they want to read about. The font is the same throughout the cover and contents page and the colour of the writing is mainly black.

The page numbers are beside each picture, they are inside different coloured circle. This adds colour to the magazine and makes it appealing to the young audience this magazine has. The number is in white which makes it stand out more. At the bottom of the page there is a plus section which also features on the cover. This is extra information that is included in the magazine that is worthy to feature in the contents. This includes other people that feature, it is John Lydon, Jamie T, Labrinth, Madness and Jessie J. These artists appeal to the young and Cool audience the Q have. On the bottom of the pages it states the issue and the Q logo as well as the page number.

In conclusion, I think the use of a dramatic colour scheme consisting of red, black and white is very striking and I may consider including such shades in my own piece as it draws attention and makes an impact. Q magazine’s house style is prevalent in every aspect of these contents pages: I would also aim to develop my own house style and employ it throughout to create a sense of continuity and add the impression of my magazine as polished and professional. Finally, I really like the idea utilised in Q of imposing the page numbers over corresponding pictures and so would hope to do the same thereby the page can be easily navigated and so would appeal to readers. Overall, I feel that analysing this magazine has been of great benefit to me, providing a greater understanding of the codes and conventions of music magazines as well as inspiring ideas for the contents page I will be creating.  

Cover page analysis on Q magazine

This is my analysis of Q magazine Front Cover. I analysed this to give me some ideas for my cover page. I particulalry liked the main image on this as it was informal and it would be something I would like to use.

 

 

Q was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing.

Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Q is a short, snappy title and would stand out drastically from any other music.
Published on a monthly basis, Q magazine costs £4.99 per issue. It has a readership of 339,000 and a circulation of 48,353. This statistics were a lot bigger in recent year and has had massive decrease due to media sources e.g. internet and iPad.
It seems as though this magazine is aimed at a young, vibrant audience ranging from early teens to early thirties and are interested in the latest music and rock music in this issue. The main image is Ed Sheeran standing with his guitar not looking into the camera directly.it is a mid shot of Ed and from this striking image, the cover succeeds in evoking a very cool and vibrant feel which would entice a young audience. This edition of Q is an awards special edition and is packed with cover lines. The clothes Ed Sheeran is wearing fits I with the colour scheme presented by the magazine.We can see that the magazine uses simple language that is easily understandable for teens, students and young professionals: utilising quotes from the interviews to create interest. There are lots of cover lines in this issue and they are mainly the names of artists who feature in the magazine e.g "Neil Young", "Royal Blood", "Wilko Johnson", "Pink Floyd", "Kasabian", "Culture Club" and of course Ed Sheeran himself. These cover lines tell us what to expect in the magazine and give us some information on the artists. One of the cover lines says "Exclusive" which means it's only available in this magazine and no other, therefore more people would be inclined to buy it.

The writing used for the cover lines is white with the exception of Ed Sheeran as the writing is red. This is to show that he is the main feature of this magazine. Also the font saying Ed Sheeran is different to make it stand out more.The large red circle on the right side of the magazine stating

"50 Albums of 2014" with "Essential" wrote on top of it. This is in large writing to make it stand out as it is very interesting for the audience of this.The image is a mid shot of Ed and although he is not looking directly into the camera, like other artists on previous issues of this magazine are, the picture still interacts and engages the audience. Fans of Ed Sheeran would also recognise his guitar which would entice them into buying it.

There is a strap line at the top of the page, covering part of the Q. "The Stories of The Year.... by those who made them" this will again entice reading into buying it as it is another key component of this magazine issue.  There is another strap line at the bottom of the page with an extra cover line. "Plus! ST. VINCENT CARIBOU THE WAR ON DRUGS & THE RETURN OF AC/DC...." This is exclusive information to the buyers of Q and also extra information because it might sell more copies. The cover line are important pieces of information about the artist to engage the audience into buying it. The picture on the cover of Ed holding his guitar is a very iconic image as the fans barely see him without his guitar, therefore it is part of Ed himself. Q wanted to incorporate his guitar to make sure the target audience engaged into the picture.

My top 10 Favourite Rolling Stone Magazine covers

This is my analysis of the Rolling Stone Magazine contents page

Rolling Stone Magazine analysis of contents page

Published on a biweekly basis, Rolling Stone always features an abundance of articles. The contents are over 1 page to make it easier for the audience and will entice them more into the magazine. This mode of contemporary and yet sophisticated presentation reflects that of all Rolling Stone front covers and so will be easily recognised as an important aspect of the magazines house style which readers have come to expect from each piece. Similarly, the inclusion of the Rolling Stone masthead and slogan aids the pages in being instantly recognisable with this further illustration of the house style creating a sense of fluency between the pages. As always with this magazine, a strong colour scheme consisting of reds, blacks and whites is evident: the dominant shades create an eye-catching impact and a sense of continuity without over-complicating the page and so succeed in alluring readers to various images and articles. The contents page features 3 images. One of the images features Lenny Kravitz who is a rock star; the image is very enticing and would appeal to the rock lovers. It is an action, mid shot of Lenny playing the guitar with sunglasses and leather clothing which is in keeping with the edgy persona of the magazine and will represent the rock culture. The next image is of a cartoon Television programme; it is a very colourful image and clearly stands out on the page against the black, white and red theme. The final image is a close-up of Smokey Robinson who is a singer/songwriter. It is a black and white image with the caption “Smokey Robinson looks back” it looks like an image took years back and he is not looking directly at the camera which shows the casual and relaxed side of the image. The shot creates a sense of equality between the music legend and magazine buyers which will encourage them to read on. People will be enticed to see what the article consists of and includes exclusive information on him looking back in the past.

As a unique selling point, the articles page number is printed clearly onto the photo for the ease of readers. The masthead is placed at the top of the page and it is an abbreviated form “RS1219” RS meaning Rolling Stone and the 1219 is the issue number. The black letters and the white numbers are depicted in a bold font equivalent to that of the magazines iconic masthead which adds to the sense of continuity, coinciding with the house style and professional appearance. Placed beside the masthead is a quote stating “All the NEWS THAT FITS” this is very enticing for the readers and because half of it is in capitol letters it stands out on the page and really promotes what the magazine consists of.

As mentioned, the colour scheme, depicting prominent reds, blacks and whites, immediately denotes the Rolling Stone magazine house style, creating an edgy, glamorous appeal. For those who regularly purchase the magazine, the striking shades are familiar and recognisable and so will help to sell the magazine with new readers being attracted by the fresh, vibrant combination. Employing the colour white for the backdrop of the contents pages, there are no clashing colours or illegible writing and so the magazine appears more professional and polished – this simplistic look also makes the inclusion of blacks and reds all the more eye-catching and effective.

Along the left hand side of the page is the “features” and “departments” section. At the top of the left hand side is the John Oliver section in a small box. It includes the page numbers on what he features on and in the small box it states “John Oliver Is Mad as Hell” this will engage the audience as it shows a humour and comic element to the magazine and readers would be interested in reading more about this TV sensation. At the top of the small box it states “The TV Issue” this is to show the audience that this is the TV section of the magazine and gives the entire page numbers associated with TV. The background for this small title is colourful which continues on from the front cover, this shows the continuity and house style of the magazine which makes it polished and cleans.

The “Features” section is a red font, again showing the continuity colour scheme and the writing underneath is just black, this shows a sophisticated element as it is not too overwhelming and in your face. The main story’s is in bold writing to engage the audience and underneath it gives a blurb on what that article is about and also the journalists name, with the page number beside it so it is easily located for the reader. The “Departments” section is the same as the features section in terms of colour and font, but above each heading is a sub-heading. The first one is “Rock & Roll” with the article based on Lenny Kravitz and the page number beside it. The next is “Record Reviews” this article is based on U2 and again will entice the audience to find out more about record reviews. The last one is “Movie Reviews” this one is based on a “So Not a Love Story” it will give reviews on the upcoming and older movies so readers can see what is good and not so good. This section would be popular because most people watch movies, therefore would want to read a review before watching it. At the bottom of the page it gives information in the form of a strap line of John Oliver, it includes where that photo was taken, the date, the stylist, groomer and design of the clothes. This makes the audience feel more involved in the magazine as they know all the details and maybe want to copy the style of the John himself, therefore know where he got his clothes etc.

In conclusion, I think the choice to place text at the side of the page with images on the other side, taking up most of the page as they are effective and eye-catching. This layout is very professional and sophisticate and the use of a dramatic colour scheme consisting of red, black and white is very striking and I may consider including such shades in my own piece as it draws attention and makes an impact. Rolling Stone magazine’s house style is prevalent in every aspect of the contents pages: I would also aim to develop my own house style and employ it throughout to create a sense of continuity and add the impression of my magazine as polished and professional. Finally, I really like the idea utilised in Rolling Stone of imposing the page numbers over corresponding pictures and so would hope to do the same thereby the page can be easily navigated and so would appeal to readers. Overall, I feel that analysing this magazine has been of great benefit to me, providing a greater understanding of the codes and conventions of music magazines as well as inspiring ideas for the contents page I will be creating.   

Analysis of the cover page of Rolling Stone magazine

 This is my analysis of the Rolling Stone cover page. I got some good ideas from analysing it e.g place of the coverlines and the main image is very striking therefore I would consider using something like this for my magazine.

 

This music magazine has got its inspiration from the band “The Rolling Stones” as we can see with the same colour scheme and also that it is based on music, TV and politics. From background research I know that Jann Wenner is the co founder of the biweekly magazine and it is also published by Wenner Media. Wenner stated in the first issue that the title of the magazine referred to the 1950 blues song, "Rollin' Stone", recorded by Muddy Waters, the rock group The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan's hit single "Like a Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone initially identified with and reported the hippie counterculture of the era.

The rolling stone magazine has a total circulation of 1,470,813 with 12, 162 readers and a price of £4.10. The Rolling Stone brand has developed a worldwide reputation as a trusted and premium quality voice of musical, TV and film authority amongst fans, musicians and actors. This reputation is extended not only through the magazine but also across online and an app for android and apple.


The magazine was known for its musical coverage and for political reporting but in the 1990s, the magazine changed its format to appeal to a younger readership interested in youth oriented television shows, films, actors and popular music. In recent years, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content. This mix would appeal to lots of generations as it focuses on popular music as well as old music for the older generation. From my social demographic of audience I can see that most of the buyers are men, perhaps because of the rock theme the magazine has.

The cover of this magazine features names of artists along the side with the main image of John Oliver who is an English, political satirist, writer, producer, television host, actor, voice actor, media critic, and stand-up comedian. He is widely known in the U.S. for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the satirical comedy podcast The Bugle and for hosting John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show on Comedy Central. He reflects what this magazine is about and would appeal to all generations that rolling stone wants to attract. Assisted by this striking image, the cover succeeds in evoking a colourful and cool feel which will further entice the audience. The rolling stone masthead’s house style is a contrast between bold red and black compared to a bright white outline and the font has been maintained from 1967 except for the colours being added. The masthead creates a sophisticated style which would create an impact. The magazine uses language that is easily understood by everyone and also the bright colours for the cover lines makes the cover look fresh and modern which would perhaps involve and attract the reader more to the magazine. On one side of the magazine it focuses on music and on the other side it focuses on the TV element and a blurb relating to the main image. There are no slang words used which demonstrates a clean and polished magazine.


The rolling stone masthead consists of a colour scheme of red, white and black and an instantly recognisable font. This font has been maintained from the very first magazine cover. The issue uses black and red font when talking about music and then different coloured font when talking about television. The colours are for both genders but predominantly associated with male which explains the higher sales for men however the magazine still has a sophisticated and stylish feel. Rolling stone would appeal to a wide range of people especially those interested in rock and pop also those interested in film and TV. The main image is the first thing that readers notice as it takes up at least 80% of the page. John Oliver is a successful comedian, TV Host and writer and his interview would appeal and be a unique selling point to the reader. The image is against a clear white background with no other images featured; this is to ensure that the reader just focuses on that image. He is staring right at the camera with his wide eyes, this will entice the audience and keep them focused on the magazine. The black and white suit he is wearing accommodates the colour scheme and fits in well.


The image itself it a mid shot and John Oliver is making eye contact with the camera which will again engage the audience. The language is straight forward and easy to understand for the reader. He is wearing glasses which create an intellectual feel for the audience and also he is wearing a suit which makes him seem professional and smart. The blurb under John Oliver’s name states “the angriest man in fake news” this is a short, snappy, dramatic statement which will entice the reader and make them want to read his interview in the magazine. The writing stating John Oliver is large, bold and bright white and really stands out in the magazine. Also on the music side “U2” is in bold red writing as it would appeal to U2 fans as well as other rock music fans.


Utilisation of an uncluttered, relatively simple layout along with the striking colour scheme, eye catching coverlines and a single main image ensures that the piece’s presentation style comes across as professional, polished and sophisticated whilst still maintaining a youthful and vibrant feel. To conclude, this magazine cover certainly succeeds in appealing to a target audience of all age groups who enjoy music, TV, politics and films. The vibrant masthead ensures it would stand out among others with a house style consisting of reds, blacks and whites creating an attractive contrast. The piece exudes sophistication and contemporary cool; readers are given the impression that Rolling Stone is providing them with the inside scoop of the music world. Overall, the front cover of this issue of Rolling Stone is eye-catching, creates impact and draws attention – I would certainly pick it up if I saw it in a shop!

 

Music magazine research

Music Magazine Research from katiemccreesh

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