The masthead of the magazine is hidden behind the main image. This suggests that it has already established its brand identity and so the audience would immediately recognise the magazine without the title being fully visible.

This headline acts as a lure to draw the audience it, by creating a sense of enigma. The audience is encouraged to read on to find out the full story. The font is bold and dramatic, grabbing the audience’s attention. Also, the black and white is similar to a newspaper headline, suggesting that it is an important story.

The image overlaps the title of the magazine, making it the main focus. The star of the magazine, Amy Winehouse, is portrayed as having a bad-girl image, with many tattoos on show. The image captures the classic, widely recognised Amy Winehouse with her beehive hair and winged eyeliner. Her facial expression and body language suggests she’s not afraid of who she is and she is quite an assertive character. The direct eye contact engages the audience and she appears strong and independent.

The use of the red font is an example of resonance, tying in not only with the colours of her tattoo, but also highlighting her devilish personality. The blue matches the colour of her bra strap, and as it’s a contrasting colour, it could suggest, she also has a calmer side to her personality.

The barcode is positioned in the bottom corner, as it is of the least importance.

The cover lines show the content of the magazine, which in this case shows the names of artists on tour in the summer. This gives the audience an idea as to the style of music the magazine supports.

The rule of thirds is used, with the left hand side being really busy with text and the image taking up the rest of the space.

The masthead has a strong brand identity, with the iconic font and colour. The red stands out and immediately grabs the audience’s attention, making the title of the magazine the main focus. The font gives a sense of sophistication, yet is also quite bold and daring.

The star of the magazine, Lily Allen, is portrayed as quite flirtatious, with her hand touching her mouth, and direct eye contact with the audience. She is topless, with her back turned and her hand on her hip, appealing particularly to a male audience. She is positioned in the centre of the page, so the audience is immediately drawn to her.

The panthers in the image connote a sense of power and perhaps evil, portraying Lily Allen as a strong, fierce woman. This is reflected in the text, describing her as a “beast”, which refers not only to her, but also to the animals. The word “wicked” is repeated twice and works well the image, as there are two panthers, emphasising the message of power the magazine wants to put across.

The page is divided into thirds, with the main focal points being in the top left hand corner (masthead) and the centre (‘Lily Allen’).

Lily is written in black and Allen is written in white, suggesting two different sides to her personality, good and bad. This is reflected in the image; although her facial expression seems quite innocent, her choice of clothing and posture is very seductive and suggestive. Also, one panther is growling connoting a more wild side to her, whereas the other seems more tamed, portraying a calmer side. This is enigmatic to the reader, making them want to find out more.

The golden line is the path the eye follows when scanning the page. The audience is drawn to the masthead first, followed by the image of Lily Allen, and then the cover lines at the top. The barcode is seen last, as it is of least importance.

The cover lines enigmatically lure the audience in, encouraging them to read the full stories.

The colours used are red, blue, white, black and grey. These are appealing to the eye, making the magazine appear sophisticated and stylish, while being bold and daring at the same time.

The masthead stands out as it is positioned at the top of the magazine. The brand identity is established as the iconic bold font is used, so people recognise the magazine.

The cover is part of a special edition series which is a unique selling point for the magazine, appealing to the audience more.

The strapline is important for the magazine’s brand identity as it sets the tone of the magazine. ‘New Musical Express’ suggests that the magazine is fresh and would appeal to their target audience of 15-29 year olds.

The headline ‘Rihanna’ is positioned very central, gaining the audience’s attention immediately. It is only a slightly smaller font than the masthead, making it the second most important thing on the page. This emphasises how NME have used the cover star to boost their image. Underneath the headline, a quote from the article is used, giving the audience an idea of what’s inside the magazine. The language is informal, which again would appeal to a younger audience, and it enigmatically lures the audience in, as they want to find out more about what Rihanna has to say.

The barcode follows the codes and conventions of a magazine, as it is positioned in the bottom right corner, so it’s the last thing the audience sees. This is because it holds no significance in the magazine.

Under the headline ‘The state of music today’, there is a list of bands that are included in the magazine, letting the audience know what style of music the magazine supports. This attracts a young audience as the magazine associates itself with modern music.

The cover star, Rihanna, is the main focus, with her name and the image being very striking and bold. Rihanna has been styled to look strong, with the angular clothing and hairstyle, complimented by the square text. Her posture is also angular and the image works well with the text, giving a clear example of resonance.

The parrot on her shoulder could connote dominance, the way its wings are raised as if it’s in control. Many images of Rihanna show her covering one eye, which fits in with a pirate theme. The parrot would also relate to this. It is covered in gems, which could represent Rihanna as being quite stylish.

Online reference so people are encouraged to go to the website to find out more information.

The magazine uses a consistent house style by sticking to the colours red, white and black.

The main title of the features is in bold, so the reader can easily find what they’re looking for. Underneath in a smaller font, is a summary of what the article’s about.

The main image on the page implies that the band ‘The Courteeners’ are the main feature of the magazine. The image is anchored with an informal caption, which portrays the band as quite humorous. Beside the caption is the page number, so the reader can easily navigate their way to the article.

The page numbers stand out as they are a different colour to the text. The contents page uses matching fonts throughout.

The title is in a bold and clear font, making it immediately obvious to the reader what the page is about.

The ‘Oasis Special’ is in a different font and colour to the house style, which makes the feature seem new and exciting. This would intrigue the audience, making them want to read on.

The layout is fairly simple, with the features on the left hand side in a clear, organised format. The audience’s attention is drawn to the large image on the right, luring them in to the main feature. Overall, this contents page is informative and easy to read.

The review section has a strapline saying ‘The world’s biggest and best music guide’ which encourages the reader to trust the magazine’s judgement on music. This makes the reader want to find out what the magazine has to say.

The editorial profile uses informal and chatty language to explain about the magazine to the reader. This is effective as it offers a more personal approach to the reader as they feel they can connect and relate to how the editor is writing. Also, the mode of address is quite familiar, making the reader feel as though they know Kerrang personally. It is considered conventional if at the end the editor signs the note, as it builds a friendship between the reader and the editor.

Kerrang uses a consistent house style, by sticking to the colours yellow, black and white.

The quote in the top right corner acts as a lure. Because it’s an enigmatic statement, the audience are intrigued to find out more.

The layout of the page is very grid like and regimented with quite a few images, appealing to an audience of 15-29 year olds. Additionally, most of the images are the same size, making them look like CD covers, apart from the larger image on the page, which suggests it is the main feature.

Kerrang offers its readers the chance to subscribe to the magazine by showing images of past issues and offering cheaper deals than in shops.

The features of the magazine are clearly laid out on the right hand side. The headings stand out, as they are the same font as the contents title. At the top left hand corner beside the editorial profile, there is a small image of the front cover, so readers can refer to it when trying to find a particular article. The more important features have images to illustrate what the article is about, as well as a caption to briefly summarise it, using quite informal language to relate to a younger audience.

The title of the contents page is broken up which looks unusual and exciting. As it is out of the ordinary, it grabs the audience’s attention immediately. The bold font is simple but effective. The white dramatically contrasts with the dark grey background, making it stand out more.

In the background, is the outline of a V, standing for the name of the magazine ‘Vibe’. This is to keep emphasising the brand’s identity.

An image of the cover star takes up nearly the whole page, creating more impact. Her legs take up most of the space, making them very eye-catching. There is also sex appeal, as her legs are bare, attracting men’s attention in particular. Similarly, her facial expression would appeal to men, as her mouth is open slightly and she has a ‘male gaze’, making direct eye contact. The star is wearing clothes of a similar colour to the background of the page, making it appealing to the eye.

The magazine has a consistent house style throughout the page, sticking to grey, white and black. The font of the headings seems to be quite ‘frilly’, which is very feminine, appealing to a female audience. The summary underneath is in a more formal font, which appears sophisticated. Similarly, the image adds style to the page. Overall, the layout is simple but effective.

A personal quote from the article is enlarged and takes up most of the space, grabbing the audience’s attention and encouraging them to read the interview to find out more about the star. The striking font lures the audience in and reflects Lily Allen’s ‘attention-seeking’ personality.

The large image of Lily Allen takes up half of the double page. The bold red colour of her shirt stands out as it contrasts to the black and white colours on the page. She is making direct eye contact with reader connoting that she’s demanding attention. Her facial expression is quite cheeky and she has her hands on her hips in a playful manner. Her pose is quite dominant portraying her as a bold, strong character. Her clothes and make up fit the colour scheme of red and black.

The standfirst is the opening paragraph of the article, giving some background information about the article. The striking font is eye-catching which lures people in.

The typeface for the main body of the text remains very conservative and formal in style, enabling a large amount of text to be organised on the page and simply is easier to read.

The colour scheme on the page is mainly white and black which is contrasting and dramatic. Hints of red are also used, linking in with Lily Allen’s shirt. In the standfirst, her name is highlighted in red to make it standout and to emphasise that she’s the star of the article.

The background is white and uncluttered, so the reader’s attention is focused on the image and text.

Drop capital grabs the audience’s attention and draws their eye to the start of the article making them want to read it.

The image of the band represents their name ‘The Teenagers’ well. They are pictured in what could be a teenager’s room, with the back wall being quite cluttered which is typical of a teenager. They appear to be very laid back which could appeal to the target audience of 15-29 year olds because they can relate to them.

The band’s name is in bold which grabs the audience’s attention. The reader immediately associates the name with the band pictured left. After being drawn in by the image, the reader wants to find out more about the band by reading the article.

A quote from the text is highlighted and enlarged in the centre of the article describing the band. Because this stands out to the audience, it’s read first and acts as a lure to make them want to read the whole article.

The opening statement of the article briefly sums up the band using informal language. This lures the target audience in because it makes the band seem ‘cool’ and by using words such as “young” and “dumb”, younger people may feel they can relate to them.

Some information about the band is presented in an interesting way which is eye catching and informative, letting the audience know more about the band before they read the main article.

Letting the audience know that the magazine recommends the band makes them want to find out more about them, as they trust the magazine’s judgement.

Information about other bands is also given under the heading “everyone’s talking about...” giving the impression that these bands are popular, making the reader want to find out more about them.

The overall layout is cluttered representing the band’s personality as quite crazy.

The image is the main focal point of the page, being a close up of the Pink’s face. She is laughing, making her appear happy and friendly, drawing the audience in.

The gutter space is quite small which implies that the magazine’s readership are not frightened by lengthy text.

The drop capital is eye catching and gains the attention of the audience, leading them to the beginning of the article and encouraging them to read on.

The colours black and white contrast quite dramatically making the page effective and interesting. The layout is very straightforward with the text and image separated by a harsh line in the middle.

The standfirst establishes some background information about the subject of the article, luring the people in by making them want to find out more.

The typeface for the main body of the text remains very conservative and formal in style, enabling a large amount of text to be organised on the page and simply it is easier to read.

The logo of the magazine is positioned in the bottom right hand corner, where the reader last sees, reinforcing the brand’s identity.