Rolling stone is a US magazine devoted to music, politics and popular culture. The magazine cover is made up of different pieces of information through an image and text including the magazine heading. The magazine name originates from 1960’s American Blues musician, Muddy Water’s song ‘Rollin stone’. Because the magazine name is a song itself it suggests the magazine’s main focus will be music. It also, makes the magazine popular as it shares the same name as a song. Furthermore, the magazine title is a calm orange colour. The colour of the magazine title often changes depending on the themes within the issue. In this case, the orange title takes away brightness and youth from the magazine which links in with ‘the serious side of Eminem’ and represents the maturity of the artist.
The target audience for the magazine is for 18 year olds and above as it refers to ‘the hottest sex scenes’ and features parental advisory rapper Eminem on the cover. The sophisticated colour scheme also suggests that the magazine is for adults.
The title uses a capital letter before each word to add formality to the magazine. The font style consists of flicks and curls and is italic. This gives it a vintage old fashion look and the song name used for the magazine also reinforces this. The colour of the title is one tone through out until it reaches the grey outline and shadow. The use of the grey outline gives the title a solid metal like look. The use of one tone within the outline also adds to this. This makes it bold and eye catching for the reader. The title also stands out from the grey background.
The image used on the magazine is not the second layer. It is beneath the issues and puffs on the cover but above the title. This could be because all the other information on the magazine is not constant with each issue so, as readers it is important for us to read that information. However, the magazine title has been covered slightly covered with the artist’s head because readers can predict the name by looking at the catchy font without having to see all the letters of the magazine. It also adds importance to the main image of the magazine.
The main image on the magazine is of rap artist Eminem. The image is a mid shot which places more importance to the upper body of the artist and makes the readers relationship more personal with him. The image is at eye-level which adds seriousness and again makes the reader feel as if they are face to face with the artist interviewing him. The use of a black and white could metaphorically suggest the clear cut attitude of the rapper. It also adds seriousness and maturity to the artist linking it in with the puff ‘The Serious Side of Eminem’ promoting the magazine interview with in. The musician is wearing a formal shirt, blazer and watch. This suggests that he is serious and hardworking like a typical business man and puts his job first. It also suggests that he is being interviewed. In addition to this, the artist is wearing two different types of jewellery on each hand. On his right hand we see a watch which adds to the business man persona. However the he is wearing a wrist chain on his left hand representing his less serious side. Male rap artists are often associated with wearing jewellery so we can sense that the artist has two sides. Furthermore, he is leaning against a desk made of unfinished rough wood. The fact that he is leaning his head against his hand suggests that he is laid back and unbothered in stark contrast to the connotations of his clothing. His facial expressions suggest that he is serious, and his eyes are staring right into the camera which indicates that he is making eye contact with the reader and he strikes us as unafraid. Furthermore the background in the image is grey/black which adds to the dullness of the image suggesting that the interview will cover serious and possibly dull topics.
The text on the cover revolves around the issues within the magazine. The colours used are white, peach, and blue. All 3 of these colours stand out against the dull picture. The anchorage text helps us understand the purpose of the image. We read ‘The serious side of Eminem, The rolling stone interview’ on the left. This suggests that the artist himself isn’t generally serious so, reading the interview seems more interesting to the readers. The words ‘the serious side of’ are orange and medium sized font is used that is formal and clear to read. The content of what is being said is reflected through the appearance of the font itself. The name ‘Eminem’ is bold and white reflecting the rap artist himself. The font used is also, large and this makes it more eye-catching and important. The words ‘rolling stone interview’ is blue and small font is used reminding the audience about the magazine name and placing importance on it. Also, the least relevant text is in blue as it is least contrasting against the dark background compared to white and orange.
There are also other puffs on the cover referring to ‘Iraq on Fire’ and ‘Year’s best DVD’s’. This shows the reader what will be inside the magazine. It also invites other types of readers so the readership for the magazine isn’t narrow. The larger the target market, the more magazines copies are sold.
The anchorage ‘The Serious Side of Eminem’ is written with a capital letter at the beginning of each word adding seriousness and formality to the topic. At the top of the magazine, the list of four different artists is white and capitalized. This makes it stand out of the background. All four artists produce music from different genres and this invites a larger target market. Below this and above the magazine title, is the date of the issue and the magazine website. This is white and clear to read but is in small print as it is the least relevant information on the page.
Unlike music magazine such as Kerrang, the magazine cover only uses one image to give it an elegant simplistic look. There are no buzz words, and no groups are being represented. The magazine tells you that its readership consists of various adults, from those interested in politics, to those interested and music and videos. The uses of colours are all secondary colours such as light blue, grey, black and peach. This also targets adults as it isn’t bright and colourful. The fonts used are also, easy and clear to read and are formal. This makes it easier for the target market to read. Although, the magazine is aimed at adults, I prefer this cover as it is more aesthetically sophisticated.
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