Front Cover

This is my final front cover for my music magazine. The masthead (AMP) is placed in the top left of the splash, a typical convention of magazine's, the sub line/selling line placed under that. I chose to call my magazine AMP (amplified music production) as an amp has the iconography of the music genre and therefore links well. I have also chose to have this as the masthead as i feel 'Amplified Music Production' fits well with the music scene and connotes how big this magazine is due to the word 'amplified'. My masthead has changed from my original drafts (initially i chose to have my magazine called 'M'). However, i believe that this change has been for the better as it has stronger connotations and links more with the music genre.

As my magazine is a new one i had the ensure that the main image was not covering the masthead so it was clear to the reader what the magazine was called. If i had covered the masthead with the main image the reader would not know was the magazine was called as it is new and not been seen before.

The main image is placed towards the right of the splash, taking up the majority of the page. This ensures that it is clearly noticed by the reader and grabs the readers attention instantly. The shot is a medium close up which makes the model seem intimidating and in turn, makes the reader feel small and intimidated, a further convention of music magazines i have identified.

Placed on top of the main image is the main cover line which reads 'About A Girl'. This links with the main story and the background of the model as i have chose to have this interview about a young teens with famous parents, in this case Courtney Love and Kurt Curbain, struggle to break their way into the music industry due to their famous roots. The main cover line links with the story as 'About A Girl' was a famous Nirvana (fronted by Kurt Curbain) song. I have chose to use a scripted font, as a contrast to the bold, simple lettering on the cover line's, masthead and banner to connote Lola's personality that she is different to everyone else but should not be excluded or over looked. As this is the largest of fonts and the most predominant it goes against the typical idea that being the same is the most important and will get you the farthest.

The caption to this main cover line, 'Lola Curbain on music, mayhem and mum's!' draws the reader in as it does not give too much away about the article, only highlights the main points the story will include. As her mother is famous is also draws in the reader, makes them want to read on and includes more music elements. This is featured in a bold font which contributes to the idea of the contrast between the real Lola and the one that is constantly being portrayed by the public as it is set against a scripted font. The i have added a white border around the font to make sure it is noticed against the darker background of Lola's jacket.

The three cover lines running down the left side of the splash are in bold text to make sure they are noticed next to the main cover line. The three cover lines are all targeting different aspects of music for example, a quote from an indie star (Alex turner of Arctic Monkeys) which grabs the readers attention and makes them want to know why that particular thing was said. The second cover line is about band 'Vampire Weekend' who have recently come back into the spotlight due to their new album release. I have decided to include a story about them as they are becoming popular again and therefore should bring more attention to my magazine. As the band are called 'Vampire Weekend' i decided to include something with the same iconography and therefore used the phrase 'bite back' which also makes the reader think they are going to see a different side to the band and therefore urge them to purchase the magazine.

Finally, my third cover line is titled 'The Carling Weekend' which is a reference to Leeds and Reading festival. As most people who buy music magazines have a great interest in the live music scene they will instantly want to read further as the caption states that this article will announce the bands performing first.

While constructing my magazine cover i knew i wanted to include a banner along the top. On the banner i have advertised the '30 albums of 2010 you MUST own'. I have set the banner as a yellow background to catch the readers eye when the magazine is on a shelf/in a shop etc. This also contrasts with the running black, grey, red and white theme running throughout my magazine, making it noticeable despite it being at the top of the page. The emphasis on the word 'must' (i have made it capitalised and underlines) makes the reader think that if they do not have the albums mentioned their music collection would not be complete. Beside this text i have featured a few artists that the reader could expect to see in this feature. As the artists mentioned are a mixture between pop and r'n'b it contributes to the idea that my magazine is targeting people interested in all genres of music.

Finally i have featured a barcode, the price, the issue number and the date in the bottom left of the splash. This ensures that no attention is being taken away from the main features but also lets the reader know that if they would like, they can know what issue number the magazine is and how much it costs.