Compare Two Magazine Covers

In the two magazines there are several different presentational and language devices. The two

magazines I have decided to analyse is ‘Total Guitar’ and ‘Rhythm’ but they both fit in to the genre of

rock music but they both fit into different sub genres for instance ‘Rhythm’ fits into the category of

slow rock however the sub-genre of ‘Total guitar’ is calmer and includes artists whose music

contains less heavy metal.

With the magazine ‘Total Guitar’ discussing the presentational devices there is a use of layering with

the positioning of the text and images this could imply that the main article can convey a sense of

importance and the structure could be this way because if a regular reader was to pick up this issue

they would be familiar with the layout and would see it as recognisable. Furthermore, this could link

to the ‘Rhythm’ cover because it shows the larger image represents the main article but also shows

what the main focus will be on throughout the issue. Moreover, comparing the fonts used on both

covers you can see a clear use of variety of fonts for example the style varies because ‘Rhythm uses a

more sophisticated and bold font whereas ‘Total Guitars’ font make the use of a title which varies

from higher to lower case which is a contrast to ‘Rhythms’ title which is all in capital letters. Also you

comment on the use of a spray paint effect which can be identified as linking to the genre and its

target audience, you could go onto classifying it as more gripping and more exciting to view.

Furthermore, when comparing the language devices there are several examples of personal

pronouns to allow the audience to feel that the writer is speaking directly to them but also the use

of imperative verbs for example on ‘Total Guitar’ the use of the word ‘learn’ portrays it as a direct

command but again to allow the audience to seem more involved.

From looking at both of these covers I have been able to establish the several conventions used

within music magazines but also the layout and use of language has inspired me to use some of

these key techniques when creating my main task. Additionally, has allowed me to in some aspects

think outside the traditional colours set for each gender because the colour scheme could differ

depending on who my target audience is and what I decided to base mine on but also if I would like

to subvert from the normal expectations.