This is my analysis of three front pages.

NME Magazine

The predominant colours of this magazine are red, white and black. All of the writing is in black except the heading which says "The Albums of..." in white writing on a red background which makes it stand out. These colours tie in with the NME logo which is big, bold and red but is located in the top left hand corner which stands out but is not too imposing upon the main image. The single main image is a collage of artists which overlap one another and the title of the main feature. One person is 'resting' on the main title. This imagery tells the reader that these artists are in this list of "Albums in 2010" Because the whole front cover is covered by this we can assume that the inside will predominantly be about new albums of 2010. Even the banner at the top says "The ultimate guide Albums of 2010" tying the whole thing together. There is a pug is the top right corner which advertises festival line ups inside. It is bright yellow which clearly stands out from everything else because there is no yellow used in the rest of the cover. Not even the photo. At the very bottom of the page there is a list of some of the artists that can be found inside the magazine. These are just listed separated by red bullet points drawing the attention of the reader downwards to the bottom of the page so they can see if there is anyone they like in the magazine. The bar code is kept out of the way on the white background so it does not draw attention away from the main focus of the magazine.

Kerrang! Magazine

At first glance the first thing that catches our eye is the pale face staring at us which contrasts greatly with the pink background. This immediately catches the readers attention which is then drawn outwards to the surrounding headings. The main colour scheme for this issue of Kerrang magazine is pink, blue, black and white. Other photos on the page are made to stand out with a blue colored border that contrasts with the black jacket the person in the photo is wearing. Bold straight lined letters are used to alert the reader of something inside the magazine, and exclamation marks are used after some headings to tie in with the Kerrang! logo and to inform the reader that it's exciting or important. The placement of the logo is at the top of the page stretching across the whole width of the page. This is a very bold logo and would take up a lot of space however there are components overlapping the logo like a masthead with information about bands that are featured inside and a small medium close up photo of a music artist. Overlapping features like this give the front cover a feeling of depth which is further emphasized by some of the subheadings having a drop shadow making them stand out from the page and seem as though they are just sitting on top or floating slightly above the page surface. The left hand side of the magazine would draw the buyers attention the most, firstly with the K from the magazine logo featuring a shattered effect which already causes the reader to focus on this side of the page but also, a pug is used also to advertise a 'Mega' Competition which overlaps everything as if it has been stuck on post production. However unlike other pugs this one is not designed in a colour that stands out massively from the background, however the unnatural star shape and white outline helps the competition advertisement stand out to the reader. Further down the page just below the pug there are pictures which advertise features of the magazine for example artists that can be found inside and posters that are included. Further use of the logo familiarizes the reader with the magazine so it sticks in their head and lets the reader know what magazine they are reading. Constant use of the logo throughout the magazine will help a reader spot the magazine from a distance and draw their attention straight to it. The bar code is situated at the bottom right of the page and is hardly noticeable with the readers attention being drawn by more dramatic and interesting components of the page.

Q Magazine

The main colour scheme used for this cover is is blue white and red. The red is a colour only used for components added by the magazine. This includes any headings and of course the large red Q logo, which like most magazines is situated in the top left corner so it does not take over the whole page but stands out because of the bright, bold red background. This will stand out to any buyers from a distance so if on the shelf with other magazines the readers attention is immediately drawn to it. Other elements of the page overlap the Q like the pug and the harpoon from the drawing which is heading towards the pug. Blue is a very predominant colour on this cover and the large blue wave is probably the first thing that stands out to the reader after the logo, the wave takes up a vast percentage of the page and is filled with a montage of many different artists of all different ages and poses with a blue tint to blend in with the wave. There is no giant headline that explains what the cover is all about which is unusual but the pug below and overlapping the logo explains that 'The Gorillaz & a star studded crew set to sail again.' This sailing pun tells the reader that this pug relates to the cover and also, the harpoon which also stands out because it overlaps the logo is aimed towards the pug which connects the pug directly to the background. On top of the wave is drawn a picture of The Gorillaz in colour sailing a boat which informs the reader that this group will be the most prominent feature of the magazine and the other artists in the wave montage wont have as much focus. Along the bottom of the page there is three headlines which are separated by a line. The three headlines are written in different fonts and sizes to add a sense of variety to the page but because they have been arranged in a straight lines they don't look disorganized or unprofessional.