Analysis of Exsiting Magazine Covers - Rolling Stone

The image on the magazine is that of a man in a grey hoodie that shades most of his face. It is obvious the man is looking directly at the camera; however you cannot see his eyes, causing the image to be intimidating. The only facial features the audience can see is the man’s nose, mouth and chin, the rest is shaded. The magazine’s iconic title is covered by the man’s head, showing that the “Rolling Stone” magazine expects its readership to be familiar with the title and they also expect those people who do not frequently buy the magazine to be drawn in primarily by the menacing image. The name of the man on the cover is printed in large white font which stands out against the dark grey background. This is the largest print on the magazine, a part from the mostly obscured title, so the magazine expect him, rapper Eminem, to be a large draw for this issue and that people who would not normally buy Rolling Stone would purchase it because of him.

The next largest text, other than the title of the article on Eminem, is the names of two other very well-known musical sensations: Bruce Springsteen and Kanye West. This shows that the magazines readership spans a large age spectrum, from 18 to late 40’s. This is also shown in the other cover story, “fraud at the heart of the mortgage meltdown”. This story would appeal to reformers and others who are politically and economically active, not to young people. I predict that this magazine has a demographic profile of ABC1, as it is definitely tapping into the more intellectual audience, however it contains stories about Eminem and Kanye West who are both popular amongst a working class C2D demographic. This could be because these artists are trying to market themselves to a more middle class audience to expand their audience appeal.

The use of colour is sparing and effective as it leaves the magazine uncluttered and minimalistic. The only colours that appear on the magazine are white and pink, with a dark grey background. This keeps the attention on the text and the image rather than a multitude of bright distracting colours. This is also appropriate for the audience, who are more mature and so will be less inclined to buy a magazine that has loud colours on it.