Cover Image Examples and Ideas

I want to have two people on the front cover of my magazine. Dressed smartly will give my magazine a vintage feel.

Some examples of photo style and camera angle are these:

Classic Rock Magazine

I have included Classic Rock Magazine in my style models, as it is aimed at the same genre as my magazine would be, but i hope to make my magazine current to attract younger readers.

The publisher of Classic Rock, is TeamRock. Who also publish Metal Hammer. But it used to be published by Future Publishings, until John Myers, the head of media group Guardian bought future and its two music publications, Classic Rock and Metal Hammer. This created the new company TeamRock. Which also involves Billy Anderson, the former GMG Radio exec who was at one point linked to a plan to take one of that company’s rock stations into independent ownership.

Mise En Scene

For my magazine i wanted a kind of vintage feel, which is why i have chosen black and white for house style with also green to contrast the black and brighten up the magazine. I have also chosen to include red as a colour to use on all pages as i can draw the readers attention to specific things on the pages.

I need to have good lighting on my image so that i can have good contrast on my image and stands out on the front of my magazine.

The costume needs to be vintage and classic to tie in with the theme, i could dress them in a suit or a waistcoat to make the image look like it fits with the magazine. Also i could include jeans and a t-shirt which reflects the rock genre of the magazine. 

For props, i was considering classic instruments like guitars or microphone for the artist.

The camera angle i want for my image is a mid-shot, this is much like one of my style models, Classic Rock. I also wanted to include a long shot, or a full body shot to contrast the mid-shots.

Target Audience Research

The ideal target audience of my magazine would be 17-23 year olds who are interested in classic rock music. A style model i have looked at is classic rock magazine. 

Classic rock magazine are a magazine aimed at people who listen to vintage rock music, they are the sister company of Metal Hammer, also a rock magazine. These are the ideal style model because they specialise in classic rock music, which i would also want my magazine to be.

A Typical Reader

Typically a reader of my magazine is ages around 18-24 years old. They are more interested in indie, rock music and prefer going to an intimate jam night than hanging out in night clubs. They would also enjoy going out to gigs and festivals throughout the year with friends and are interested in keeping up to date with the latest new artist in indie, rock. They enjoy finding young upcoming artists but also like to keep true to the original, legends of the genre. Although not generically labelled as well off, a reader of my magazine would have a part-time job and be in university continuing their studies or starting off their career, the socio-economic aspect is that my magazine isn't too expensive and is suitable for a variety of people. 

Conventions of a music magazine

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Image 1 - Masthead - A masthead features on the top of the magazine and is usually the magazines brand and logo. This is typically the first thing the reader sees.

Image 2 - Buzzwords - Buzzwords are used to attract the audience. They are used to make the reader believe they are getting more for their money.

Image 3 - Banners - Banners are used on a magazine front cover to make, usually cover lines or phrases, stand out more and attract more readers. In this instance they have used banners to highlight the fact that Florence And The Machine feature in the magazine.

Image 4 - Pull Quotes - Pull quotes are quotes pull straight from an article inside the magazine and are used to give readers an insight into the main article.

Defying Conventions

These magazines all defy the generic characteristics of a music magazine. These magazines all feature a 'one off' limited edition magazine usually featuring one specific artist/band, but this Q magazine features artists of the century. These artists/bands will draw in a different audience, the artists audience and attracts one off buyers who only buy the magazine for that artist. Most of these magazines don't include the bar code or issue number on the front cover. This is because they don't want to take away from the main artist and keep focus on them. They also use the buzzwords, "Special or Limited Edition" which appeals to the audience to make it appear more exclusive. They also don't feature many or any cover lines. They want to keep the readers attention on the artist so its exclusive to them and the articles they want to read.