Magazine Deconstruction #2 - Artrocker

The cover of this magazine is much more eye-catching than Q. It makes use of green and yellow, as well as black and white, which makes it more visually interesting. The use of yellow also has could connote a ‘punk’ or alternative influence. The masthead is placed above the image, on top of all the other visuals, this and the bright colour suggest that the magazine is not very well known, and they need to advertise themselves to a potential buyer.

The cover makes use of numerous different fonts and the text is often placed at different angles, which help implies the magazine is more ‘underground’ and creative, as well as making it more visually striking. The magazine is more specialist, and is aimed at fans of alternative/indie music, we can tell this because it doesn’t rely on big names to draw a reader in. Its target audience is people in their teens or twenties, the layout would suggest, as it conveys an image of youth and excitement.
There is only one image on the cover which covers the entire front. It is of a musician, in his twenties (Martin from The Answering Machine) wearing clothing normally associated with ‘indie’ music; and is obviously a shot from a concert as opposed to a studio picture, as most other magazines would use. This connotes that the band (and the magazine) prefer live music, and also makes the magazine seem more personal. The cover has two black text-boxes which include a teaser for a competition inside; this is to entice the target to look in the magazine.

The contents are well laid out and easy for a reader to use. It continues the font styles used on the front; as well as the colour codes, which helps keep the magazine fairly uniform. The contents page is a single list, in chronological order. This is because the magazine is smaller, and also it may not maintain all of the same regular features every month.

There are more images than the cover on the contents, which can help the reader find a feature that looks interesting. This is because the magazine is based around bands which may not be so well known, so it must rely on good visual hooks to attract a reader, as opposed to magazines such as Q, which can rely on the well-known artists to attract readers.
All of the article titles on the contents are the same size, although some have a direct quote from the article to entice a reader.

This double page has a large image on one side and an opening to an article on the other side.
The image is a high angle mid-long shot, the high angle makes the band appear small and connotes that they are up-and-coming, instead of an established band. The band are dressed smart-casual, with cardigans and shirts – similar to what would be worn by the target audience. The image appears to be taken in an attic or room in a house, and there is lots of mise-en-scene in the image – the band are surrounded by retro equipment such as portable record players, and lamps; suggesting that they have older influences (as the Beatles sticker would also suggest), and that they are more down to earth. This is very different to the image in Q, which is taken in an empty studio, and helps highlight the difference between the two magazines in terms of audience and content.
The Headline is in the same font as the headline in the front which helps to maintain coherency through the magazine. The article is white on black, which looks more striking that the plain black/white of Q and NME. The article, excluding the opening paragraph which sets the scene and introduces the band, is a simple question and answer, but where the band are given space to elaborate instead of keeping it to short answers.