Research...

So i guess that best way to start my research is to firstly look at some magazine covers and assess the conventions of a music magazine. All magazines should follow the same rules when designing the front cover, these of which being:

• An image and logo/header- this should fit the contents and the target audience.


• The mode of address- most common of which being direct address which invites the reader in.


• Stars and Celebrities- these draw the audience in as many people are inspired by them, celebrities on covers also increase sales and profit.


• Bright, interesting and eye-catching- front covers should attract the readers attention straight away and resemble the genre of the magazine.


• The leading caption- this should dominate the cover and should focus on the featured article.


• Subheadings- these should be of the main stories featured in the magazine.


• Straplines- these are usually situated at either the top or bottom of the page and highlight stars or stories in the magazine.

I have done a bit if research into different styles of magazine covers to see if these follow the conventions and to analyse how the magazine cover is successful and how mine will do the same.

This Rolling Stones cover features Lady Gaga as the main celebrity, this will attract a wide range of audiences as Lady Gaga is a big breakthrough act at this moment in time and a lot of people are inspired by her and her unusual fashion and music. Pink is the main colour used which shows that this feature is targeted mainly at females, pink is also a bright colour which stands out to a lot of females therefore attracting them to the magazine. Direct address has been used here inviting the reader in, however i think that instead of using a long shot of Lady Gaga, a medium-close up should have been used to draw the viewer to focus on her direct address which will stand out more. There are two leading captions on this cover, " The Rise of LADY GAGA" and " The HOT LIST" these draw the attention of the reader in, as lady gaga and hot list are in capitals we are instantly drawn to these and as we are familia with lady gaga and hot list meaning more famous stars making us want to read into the article more. Further subheadings have been added to the right hand side of the page to show other featured articles/stories in the magazine. Overall this magazine cover is very successful as it features many of the conventions and the layout has been kept simple.

For my magazine to be as successful as this, i will need to produce a bright and eye-catching cover with a striking image of a new band whilst using direct address. My leading caption should attract the attention of the reader straight awa, also as the magazine will be a new magazine the title will need to be noticeable and the title will need to be rememberable.