Front Cover
Layout- Total Guitar’s magazine front cover presents the readers with a lot of featured content, which is mostly cramped into all sides of the magazine. The main image is centred in the middle of the magazine which covers parts of the masthead, so the image is clearly visible, but the main cover story's title is also overlapping the main image in the foregrounds. The magazine's branded slogan is show next to the masthead to tell the readers that this magazine is a best seller. A banner along the top of the magazine saying, "complete with audio and video", is a promotional ad for digital copy buyers (as this magazine was bought of iTunes) to draw in readers who are interested with freebies and extra media content.
From the looks of the style of magazine you can see its genre is heavy metal and rock by types of bands and rock artists featured in the left and right third. You can also tell by the use of language used, such Avenged Sevenfold's quote, "our new album will kick you in the nuts!". A pop or classical magazine would try to avoid including inappropriate language so it would appeal to their younger or lighthearted readers.
As heavy metal and rock are loud and obnoxious genres, this magazine is basically trying to fit as much featured content in to the front cover to make it feel like its shouting out to the readers and bragging about all the music information it has to offer. In my opinion, I wouldn't try to over crowed my front cover with so much content as. Only the best bits that can interest the audience into picking up the magazine and reading the other articles as well.
Font- There are several types of different font, scatter across the front cover. The only parts of the magazine that are in serif font are the masthead and any quotes next to a featured article. This is to show that the masthead is formal and as it is the main branded feature on the front cover, it needs to, look presentable to the readers. The quotes are formal as they are facts from the band or artists claiming what kind of people they are. However, the rest of the text is in sans serif showing its lower importance compared to the cover story and the branded masthead.
Colour scheme- As heavy metal is a cold and dark genre. The magazine has been designed with cold colours in mind, such as blues, greys, white and black. The only parts that are contradicting the colour scheme are the red tab in the bottom left hand corner of the magazine, showing its rebellious nature, like rock, and is attracting the readers to the article. In the bottom right another red tab is placed to brand and publicise the media corporation that published the magazine.
Image- The centre image of Avenge Sevenfold are the stars of the magazines cover story, taking up most of the front cover's space with there presents. Showing there dominants in the magazine and popularity if their on the front cover to make music headlines. The other images on the right hand side are just two guitar rockers (don't know who) and a electric guitar which are used publicise that this is a magazine dedicated to guitars and heavy rock n roll. The image in the bottom left is of one of the band members from Oasis, used to link to the article to let the readers catch a peak at who they might be.
Layout- The contents page is a different story to the front cover. As we can see the formality has improved massively with a clear and spacious layout. The magazines masthead sits at the top of the page above the title contents (clearly said) with the magazines issue number and date to the side to inform the readers 'the legacy of the magazines number of successful issues'. The cover story and other major music articles are position in the top section of the page, as well as being labelled with their page numbers and a title or quote for the readers to guess the rest of the content in the articles. The rest of the magazines articles are sub-sectioned to help the readers navigate to their desired topic and music article.
Font- Like on the front cover, the masthead and the sub-headings are presented in serif font font to show there formal format to the audience. However, this time all of the names of the articles in their sub-sections are in the same font accept for their brief descriptions which is in sans serif font. The page numbers are also in sans serif as well as the tabs making them informal but still reverent as they are used to guide the readers through the magazine.
Colour Scheme- Beside the masthead using the single brand colour black. The magazines contents page has finally decide to use some red instead of blue to brighten up the magazine with lots of notices for the reader to digest. The red numbers clearly point out the page numbers for guidance while the thick, bold, black text is used to highlight the articles and the narrow text in italics is used for brief descriptions. Handy. Something i may use for my magazines contents page.
Images- Four images are presented before the reader's eyes. One, of the cover story staring Avenged Sevenfold with them posing yet again with there guitars, but if you notice closely, part of the image is the same as the front cover's main image. It seems the staff who organised the pictures for the magazine didn't really think of using a different image for the contents page, instead of the same on. Or they are saving the best images of the band for the cover story which keeps the boredom but grows the excitement for a new image. The other images are of Deap Valley, another important music article, tickets for a rock concert or gig, which can be used to promote the awareness of gigs for the article and, a picture of an electric guitar to advertise its own article for new guitars.
Double Page Spread
Layout- Like NME magazine and Q magazine, the cover page has a very similar layout with there only be at least on main image, the title of the cover story and a brief paragraph into what will be the rest of the cover story. However, from the start we can see two images this time but not all of the images are covering up the double page spread. The title of the article, "Taking the Crown", is position on the left page of the double page spread while the descriptive paragraph is on the right page. In the top right corner, the name of the article is presented and the bands name as well. Just for readers who flick through the corners of the pages to find there desired music article.
Font- The title uses serif font for formal introduction to the cover story and it links to the, "crown", which makes sense for the font to be that kind. The rest of the text in the opening paragraph is in sans serif font making it informal but so it can link to the genre of the article and magazine and rebel against its formality. "...silence the naysayers...".
Colour Scheme- The colour scheme has gone back to the same as the front cover's. With dark, gloomy colours to represent the heavy metal genre. The use of a golden backdrop for the title makes the article seem royal and serious. Making this the 'bees knees' so to speak.
However, the grey gloomy background leaves a disappointing feel to the emptiness. I believe there is not enough on that there shouldn't be that much space left for a background colour, maybe they should of done the same as the NME and Q magazines cover stories and have a single image, stretched across the double page spread.
Images- Unfortunately, the double page spread has failed to not use the same image again. Even though there is a new image, taken from one of Avenged Sevenfold's concerts, I still believe they shouldn't of added the same image of the band again as not many people like repetition and I'm guessing the readers wouldn't like it if they saw it again. Also, the double page spread could of just used one image and covered most of the pages with it, leaving more drama for the rest of the article on the next page.
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