Chris Briant WGSB AS Media Studies
The title of "Rolling Stone" is very bold and is coloured in red with a white outline and is shadowed in black, which is similar to "Q" magazine, as the logo for that magazine is coloured white and framed in red. This in turn means that the magazine doesn't really have a set target audience, as the title and the colours used don't point to a specific genre of music. This too is similar to "Q" magazine, which means that anyone can pick up "Rolling Stone" and relate to what is inside. The wording of the title helps the magazine to appear subtle unlike a magazine such as Kerrang! as the cover doesn't give off a hardcore music fan impression. This overall means that "Rolling Stone" is a music magazine for everyone. The "Rolling Stone" masthead is unlike "Q" magazines masthead, because it is positioned across the top of the page in the centre, where most titles are positioned. "Rolling Stone" is written in a serif font, which demonstrates that the magazine is serious and sophisticated, as the title gives off an impression to the reader that it is a proper music magazine. This particular issue of "Rolling Stone" has the title covered slightlty by the main image of the front cover, which is an image of the rapper Macklemore. This is interesting as it exemplifies how "Rolling Stone" magazine is so well known that you don't need to be able to see the whole title to know what magazine it is. Overall the masthead is clearly recognisable and simple, and it is the same on every issue.
I have decided to analyse "Rolling Stone" magazine, as it is an acclaimed and renowned magazine that is presented in a professional manor. "Rolling Stone" is published biweekly, so it is of a higher quality print than a magazine such as Kerrang!, which is published weekly. However the quality of print won't be as good as "Q" which I have already analysed. The cost of this magazine is $4.99 (£3.28) per issue, and it is published by Jann Wenner. "Rolling Stone" had a circulation of 1,468,263 for 2014. The average age of a "Rolling Stone" reader is around 35, and is someone who is heavily into music, and wants to know all the news story's that are going on in the music industry.
Background Research
Front Page Analysis
The main image on the cover of this issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine is a close up of Macklemore who is looking directly at the camera which may be because Macklemore is a straightforward person. The image conveys Macklemore as being confident, as he looks ready to make some friendly conversation. This insinuates that the interview is fairly open and relaxed. His facial expression puts forward that he is quite happy, which is what his music tries to promote. Macklemore is wearing a vest and a chain around his neck, which is a stereotypical appearance of a Hip Hop/Rap artist. He also has his hair slicked back that looks shiny and natural, which helps the image to stand out on the front cover. This all comes together to express a relaxed and sophisticated look to this issue of "Rolling Stone" which will make people who are potential readers, pick up and buy this magazine.
Like the issue of "Q" I analysed previously, there is only one image on the cover of this issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine, which indicates to the reader that the main focus is Macklemore. This doesn't flood the reader with images; which helps to give the magazine a professional feel. This concept helps to attract fans of Macklemore, as if the magazine wasn't appealing to them before, now it will be because an artist they know and like is on the front cover. It also helps to keep the focus on Macklemore, as there aren't any other images to draw your attention away from the main selling point of this issue. This will help to increase sales, as there is a well-known artist on the cover of this issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine. "Rolling Stone" isn't an unorthodox magazine, and it is facially orientated with the images that it uses on the front cover of each issue. This is similar to "Q" and "Billboard", but it differs to magazines such as "Kerrang!" that crowd your vision with banners, articles and images. Overall, "Rolling Stone" is a popular and well-established magazine that is about informing the readers about what is happening in the music world. The consistent house style and layout is minimal and professional compared to magazines such as "Kerrang!" that is completely the opposite of minimal with the use of a lot of images and articles.
The language used on the front cover of "Rolling Stone" is fairly easy to read, as it is a magazine for everyone, which helps it to be eye catching to potential buyers, as any music fan can understand what is being said on the front cover of the magazine. The main cover line reads "Thrift Shop Superstar Macklemore" which stands out on this front cover. This is because of the colours that have been used; in this case yellow and white, which are bold and stand out on a front cover with predominantly, black text. This indicates to the reader that this part of the magazine is of high importance, as it is in a different colour to all of the other cover lines apart from one. By using the word "Superstar" in the cover line, this implies to the reader that Macklemore is a well renowned artist and might help to draw more potential customers in to buy this issue of "Rolling Stone". There is a cover line in the top left hand corner of the cover that is styled in the same way as the main cover line. It states "Ripping off young America" in yellow, which puts forward that this is a key and controversial article. To the main fan base of "Rolling Stone" this is something that they can somewhat relate to because the main readers of the magazine are 18-24 year olds (which make up 26.8% of the "Rolling Stone" readership) who are either starting college or have finished college and beginning to pay back their loan. This means that this issue of "Rolling Stone" may feel personalised to these buyers of the magazine, as it is something that they may agree with and find interesting. All of the cover lines are advertising interviews or articles, and in total there are 4 face to face interviews, and 10 articles about music that is to come in this issue of "Rolling Stone". This helps to make the magazine interesting and exciting, as it seems like in this issue, quality of interview has been chosen rather than quantity of interviews.
All of the typefaces that have been used on this front cover are in sans-serif, bold fonts, including the masthead. This helps the magazine to feel modernized and up to date and makes the magazine stand out from its competitors. This is because the colours used are eye catching and draw the reader in. By typing the cover lines in a bold font, it highlights the importance of each one to the reader. Grey headline dividers have been to separate each cover line, which underlines the importance of each artist and interview, as they are all of equal importance. On the front cover of this issue of "Rolling Stone" 5 colours have been used, red, white, black, yellow and grey. Red has been used to make the masthead stand out. White has been used to emphasise the importance of some parts of the magazine, such as the interview with Macklemore. Black has been used as a shadow around words. Yellow has been used to highlight the titles of 2 of the interviews. Lastly, grey has been used as the colour for the headline dividers. Overall, the colours that have been used on the front cover of this magazine make it stand out, but don't overwhelm the reader's eyes.
Rolling Stone Magazine Analysis
