Written analysis

Top of the Pops and Rock Sound magazine front cover analysis 

I have decided to do a comparative analysis on a Top of the Pops and a Rock Sound magazine front cover. I have chosen to look at music based magazines throughout this unit. I specifically chose these two magazine covers as they have are two completely different genres of music - one being pop and the other rock. I thought it would be interesting to compare the differences. I would say that the Top of The Pops magazine is mainly aimed at teenage girls starting at around the age of 14/15. At this age it is common for them to get into pop music as it is very well known and advertised. The colour scheme of reds, pinks and purples are very feminine. The main image stars Jessie J who is a well known celebrity and relates to the context of the magazine. We also see captions such as 'Who's the fittest'. These three points further suggest that the target audience is girls. However, the Rock Sound magazine is much more neutral in terms of gender and appeals to a wider audience. I would say that the target audience is ages 15+ both male and female. Both have images of celebrities who feature in their main article within the magazine. This then draws in the reader.

The front cover of Top of the Pops is very busy and crowded. The main title and cover line are in similar colours which contrast well together. They are also similar in size with the title only being slightly bigger. These take the main hierarchy of the page and immediately draws the readers eye to this part of the cover. I would say that I am drawn to the title and main cover line first before moving on to reading the subheadings situated along the right hand side - right alignment. This happens as the brain and eyes are automatically accustomed to paying attention to larger things first as they are considered more important. It is important that certain features are spotted first as if someone is only glancing at a magazine stand they wont have the time to read absolutely everything. The way that we read the magazine front cover is determined by the colour, size, font and positioning of the text. Within this cover there is a variety of decorative type faces which provide a lot of variation making it interesting to look at. The colour scheme is warm - based around pinks, purples and reds. This links to the target audience gender. It could also be representing girls due to the fact that the main story within this issue is about a woman - Jessie J. All the colours used within the cover compliment each other nicely to give an overall pleasing aesthetic. Basic information including the bar code, date and price is also found on the bottom of the magazine cover.

The front cover of Rock Magazine is even busier than Top of the Pops. This gives the impression that the magazine contains lots of information about lots of different bands which will be interesting for the reader as they have a better idea of what they are purchasing. The hierarchy of Rock Sound makes the readers eye flow from the top (title) to the middle (cover line 'Lower Than Atlantis') before moving to the left hand side where there are many subheadings - left alignment. The cover uses a variety of different sized serif fonts which are eye catching, bold and easy to read. All text is capitalized which almost gives it an excited and urgent tone whilst reading it. The structure of the text is a lot more organised than Top of the Pops. Subheadings are enclosed within a yellow box on the left hand side which makes it very organised and efficient to read. It stops the readers eye from wondering and getting confused with what they have and haven't read. This is important due to the amount of information found within this cover. There is a lot of graphic ornamentation with the cover as they want to make the cover look as busy as possible. This then means that it will have a wider target audience resulting in more people buying and reading the magazine. For example there is a blue sticker saying 'FREE'. This is the only blue used therefore making it stand out and contrast against the other colours. This is striking and will further persuade someone to buy the magazine as they are getting something for free.

Overall I would say that these magazines have very different target audience due to the stereotypes of different genres of music. The covers then reflect this throughout their colour schemes and typography. Personally, I really like the Rock Sound cover as it is bright, busy and packed with lots of different information that makes you want to read the magazine. The well organised layout using left alignment works really well to get the reader to spot what they want them too first. The Rock Sound magazine is more relevant to me as an individual.