Classic Rock Analysis

Najat Hachem

An oversized promotion page stuck onto the back of the magazine, which is removable. This is not a common in all Classic Rock magazines, however it is exclusive of this month only.

The Unique selling proposition (USP) is the 'Free CD' which is placed on the promotion page, and it is in the top corner of the page and in a yellow box with black sans-serif writing. This is not common in Classic Rock magazines and it is only for this month as it is a new years promotion. The Skyline follows the code and conventions of

magazines as they normally run across the top of the page. Classic Rock magazine, uses the skyline to tell the audience that there is more exciting things inside the magazine. Moreover, the use of skyline wants to grab the readers attention

The masthead of the magazine is ‘Classic Rock’ which is in black bold font which makes it look superior to the rest of the text on the front cover. The masthead is placed behind the main image which shows that the company is well-known to hide the their name and it is iconic and easily recognised. This is a common code and convention in magazines where the masthead is located on the top of the page. The masthead is placed across the width of the page which shows that is dominant and important to be noticed on the page to the readers. The masthead also has to star next to the word classic which may seem to connote that the music that it focuses of very special music and music that has won a lot of awards.

The centre of visual interest is the main image which is an image of the band ‘Queen + Adam Lambert’ which has a link with the cover story. It is a long shot of the three artists which overlays the masthead which shows how significant they are. This is a common code and convention of magazines where the main image is in the centre of the front cover.

The main cover story/splash is based on the band ‘Queen + Adam Lambert’ which links to the main image, so this will create some recognition. The cover story is written in sans serif font which connotes that the brand is posh and are well spoken. The barcode is located at the bottom of the page

which includes the website of the publisher of the magazine which is ‘TeamRock’, price and date of the issue.

The puff piece has been used to encourage the reader to buy the magazine and it is placed in a circle shape which is different to all the other features on the page. It is a common convention where most puff piece are in a circle shape, which is a sense of professionalism.

The title of the contents page is referred to ‘contents’ which is a common code and convention in magazines. Moreover, the title of the magazine wasn’t mentioned in the contents page which suggest that it is well-known enough so it is already been branded and doesn’t have to be reintroduced to the audience.

The main image on the contents page takes up three quarters of the page. It is a long shot of Adam Lambert which links to the splash on the front cover. He looks like he is performing on stage and he is directly looking at the reader making them feel that he is on stage to impress them. Page numbers are located under the

features column in a variety of sizes, which they are most likely going to be sized related to the importance of the particular article. They are in red which makes it stand out to the reader and the colour red connotes that it important, moreover the fact that it is located under the features column it shows that it is important.

The cover story is located on the main image which makes it ‘jump out’ to the reader as it is noticeable. The heading ‘cover story’ is in a red rectangle shape and in white text which shows its importance as it standing out on the background. The Story has a WOB effect which makes it stand out and creates a sense of importance as it is different to all the other headings on the page.

Pull quotes on the contents page are a main code and convention in magazine. The pull quote is linked to the cover story which they are used to make the reader more excited about reading the article and it gives them a quick idea what it is about. It is located below the cover story to show that it is linked.

A puff piece has been used to on the contents page, so the reader is more excited and informed in what is inside the magazine. It is in a red circle shape with white writing inside which stands out on the page.

Throughout the contents page, the colour scheme is red, black and white which creates a sense of professionalism and consistency throughout the magazine. It is important to keep a specific colour scheme in the magazines as it will give it a professional look and the readers will be more interested in looking at.

Similar to NME and MOJO, on the double page spread they usually include a pull quote. This is emphasised in a rectangle shape and in black serif font. It located at the bottom of the page of the page. The pull quote is used to display an element which is used to attract the readers attention and to break up long blocks of text.

The block cap is a main convention for double page spreads as I have seen it in most magazines. They are an effective way of grabbing readers attention because they add personality and visual strength to the page. Also, it navigates the reader to where they should start reading the article.

The headline of the interview on the DPS which is located at the top of the page is the artists name which links to the main image and to the Q&A.

The main image on the DPS is an black and white image of the artist Bob Seger in a car with a cigarette in his mouth which spreads over two pages. It is the centre of visual interest on the page as it is the first thing the reader will look at when they see the article.

The layout of the interview is that the question is in bold and the answer is normal, this is so the question stands out to the reader as it will be more noticeable and It is separated from the answer. Moreover the layout of the columns makes it easier to read for the reader as it is clear. However, there is a lot of text which suggest that the reader would be interested in reading articles in depth and would like to know a lot of information, also the font is readable.

Double page spread

About the interview, so the reader will know what the interview will be about and if they are interested they would read it. It is located under the heading, which makes it noticeable for the reader.

On the image, there is caption where they state who is in the image which informs the reader who is in the image. This is common code and convention in magazines where on the double page spread there is a caption next to the image.