Magazine Front Cover Analysis

 This magazine is aimed at fans of the rock/metal genres, and covers a wide variety of bands. It also includes posters of famous bands/members/artists in every issue. The subject has a friendly look on his face, and is facing the reader directly, showing confidence.

 There is a strong use of big writing and bold fonts on this cover, the main use being the big white phrase imposed on the darker clothing of the subjects. This emphasises the fact that is is big news, and that it is linked with the two subjects. They are also looking straight at the reader, but with more serious expressions on their faces, which could show that they mean business.

 This cover has a very simple layout, which doesn't leave much to look at or analyse. The fact that the logo has no proper title accompanying it, only the tagline in black and white above it, shows that it is an esteemed magazine, that lots of people know about (hence the tagline; 'The UK's Biggest Music Magazine'). The subject is in a very bold and striking pose, standing over a crack in the ground (that has been photoshopped in). He is shown to be yelling into a megaphone, which implies that he has done something really important and groundbreaking, or he has said something that people are taking notice of (maybe something controversial/inspiring). This subject, unlike the other three, is not facing the reader, which could mean that he might be nervous about what people think of him/his ideas (relating to the megaphone/crack in the ground).

The magazine shown here is somewhat different to the others, as this is a guitar magazine, that covers news about new equipment for guitarists. It does interview various bands and artists, but specifically on their guitars and amps etc. The cover of this particular issue is quite packed, which could detract from new customers from being interested, as it might not hold your attention for long, what with the big use of small writing. However, the subject in the centre of the cover is very striking; bold pose, use of dark/black clothing against a white background, and he is looking straight at the reader. It also has the subject's name in bold yellow writing (contrasts to his black clothing), with 'Guitarist of the decade' underneath. This could have been used to grab people's attention, and maybe stir some emotion within the reader/potential buyer to guarantee them reading/buying that issue, at least.