SineadDonnellyASmediablog: November 2014

This is the front Cover and Contents page analysis of the Rolling Stones TV Magazine.

Front cover analysis

This music magazine has got its inspiration from the band “The Rolling Stones” as we can see it has the same colour scheme and heading as the band also that it is based on music, TV and politics. From background research I know that Jan 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, film 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 cover lines 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 to the reader.

This is the Contents page analysis

This is the Contents page of the Rolling stones TV magazine and the contents page is always over the first page to make it easier for the audience to find out what they are looking for and will entice them more into the magazine as they will see what it features. 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.

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 capital 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.

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.

This is my collage of the rolling stones magazine contents pages

Below I have researched the latest issue of hot press magazine and analysed the front cover, contents page and made a collage of all the hot press magazine covers and contents pages I like.

Front Cover

Hot Press is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007. It has won a number of PPAI Awards, including Website of the Year (2003 & 2007), Magazine of the Year (2002) and Publisher of the Year (2004) and has been cited by independent sources such as The Irish Times and the British based NME. Rory Gallagher featured on the cover of the first issue. The magazine title is a play on the term "hot press", a common Irish term referring to a domestic airing cupboard. When we first look at the front cover of the magazine we can see that it has a young look at it and it is a modern day magazine so it proves that it has a target audience between the ages of early teens to late thirties possibly. However, featured in the front cover is the band U2 which would appeal to an older audience also so they may have an older target audience with this issue. The relationship with the reader from the mode of address is even as Bono is the only band member looking directly at us which makes us feel drawn more to the magazine as he is the lead singer and front man in this band is best known artist in the band.

The magazines appearance is recognisable as it has a signature masthead that stays the same and the large “HOT PRESS” logo at the top of the page makes it appeal to the audience with its ongoing colour scheme of black and gold. This helps the target audience notice the magazine and stand out also, the magazine has a typical house style and this is obvious when looking at the other issues of this magazine. The magazines main colours are black, gold and white but throughout the magazines pages blue and white appear also and this is a creative mixture of colours that will help engage the reader to the magazine.

On the front cover the colour scheme is noticeable as the cover lines are black and gold and they all appear to be in bold which makes them noticeable for the reader to see what is featured in this magazine. This magazine contains three cover lines at the top of the page and one along the centre of the page which relates to the image that takes up at least 90% of the magazine’s cover. U2 are a famous band and very popular around the world, the lead singer of the band Bono is situated in front of the other band members Larry, Edge and Adam and this is because he is the leader of the band so therefore in front of the other band members which is eye-catching for the reader. Within the picture there reads U2 in huge font and again portraying the colour scheme of the magazine as the letter are in a fainted gold.

This huge font covers a part of every band member to show they are “apart” of U2. There is a white strap line at the bottom of the magazine cover which reads in bold gold font “The Big Interviews” which indicates to the readers that there is more than just one big interview with U2 but with other artists and gives the names of these artists in the strap line also and engages them to want to read it.

The front cover contains the names of nine artists within the cover lines and this makes the reader want to get the magazine in order to find out more information on these artists and the magazine focuses on the lives of the artists and not only their music.

The picture of the band has a black and white filter which ties in with the colour of the magazine and all the band member s are wearing black also. The issue number and date is also on the front cover of the magazine to let the reader no how new the magazine is.

Below I have analysed the corresponding contents page to my front cover page as they are both from the same issue.

In this magazine there I a back to back contents page, the first page read “Contents” in huge writing that takes up 50% of the page with the logo of the magazine. The colour scheme throughout this page is light blue and white and it contains a picture of U2 on an escalader in an airport and beside the image reads the page number 28 with the title HIGH FLYING WORDS which contains the interview by Olaf Tyaransen with the members of U2 on a plain to Germany.

On the other side of the page are a number of pages within the magazine with the number on them also and again has the light blue and white colour scheme. Underneath the pictures of the pages in the information that these pages contain as well as other pages numbers and their contents.

There are lots of images on the page leaving it very accessible and shows the readers what the artist look like that are featured inside the magazine. There is a spotty design running through both contents pages which makes it look flattering for the reader, the information is extremely accessible in this issue. You clearly see the direction that they want you to read as the numbers are laid out left to right for the reader to follow..

The images in the contents ages are images of pages in the magazine which is helpful to the reader as they know what the page looks like that they want to find. The font in the contents pages are big and in capital letters. The writings colour is black, light blue and turquoise which matches the colour scheme throughout the magazine.

Front Cover Collage