Magazine comparisons

1. Magazine comparisons Molten magazine – Heavy metal BBC Music – Classical music Rolling Stone – Various popular music Tom McLaughlin

2. Contrasting colours and small fonts written across the top of the cover to showcase the variety in content, thereby attracting a wider audience Masthead obscured by picture due to the popularity of the magazine – people know what it is called and recognise it by the font used in the masthead and the layout Main headline written in a more distinctive and larger font, compared to the stories around it. This makes this headline stand out more than the other stories on the cover, as it advertises the magazine’s main feature. Sell lines are written in a smaller font so as not to draw attention away from the main headline of “Rammstein”, but also to advertise the magazine’s other stories, in order to show that there is something for everyone, drawing in more customers Barcode hidden in the corner so as not to detract from the main image and headlines on the cover

3. Bright yellow shapes often indicate a special offer, so the promise of this attracts readers Title is partially obscured, showing the magazine’s popularity as they are confident that the audience will recognise it by the font and layout alone Large headline accompanied by a large picture whose colours contrast with the background to create maximum effect Smaller, less mainstream articles are advertised below in a smaller font which still stands out The overall dark colour scheme of the cover contrasts with these lightly-coloured boxes to draw attention to them, while also presenting them as a separate feature Barcode is placed in the corner for reduced visibility so it does no interfere with the main advertisements for the magazine’s content

4. Additional stories appear at the top of the cover, so all members of the audience will ideally find a story that interests them inside Official details such as the issue number are written in extremely small font immediately above and below the title Title is written in a vibrant, bright red and is partially obscured – this shows brand confidence and consumer awareness Sticker effect to look more spontaneous and relaxed, creating a positive atmosphere for the audience Comparatively minimalistic method of presentation to reduce clutter – this also shows that the magazine is confident in its audience. Large, bold, one-word caption with an exclamation mark to create an emphatic, punchy headline which draws the audience in

5. Similarities • All of the magazines minimise the impact of official details such as the barcode, issue number and publisher name, showing this is a popular and effective technique • All of the mastheads are partially obscured by either the main picture or a feature of the front cover • They all make use of contrast to distinguish between features on the cover and use an appealing colour scheme for an aesthetically pleasing effect

6. Differences • Rolling stone has a very minimalistic, stripped down presentation about its cover, creating focus on the main feature to increase its impact as it is a story that would attract and interest many people • By contrast, the metal magazine features more details, while the classical magazine harbours more still, with an abundance of text spread across the majority of the cover • The photo on the Rolling Stone cover has clearly been taken in a studio, while the Molten cover has received less editing, possibly to fit better with the magazine’s theme, subject matter and connotations. • The classical magazine features some pictures on the cover, while the other two covers consist solely of text (other then the cover photo).