Research into similar products - Magazine 1 analysis - Rolling stone

I decided to start off with a 'Rolling Stone' magazine as this is the magazine I am focusing on.

Rolling Stone magazine has the typical conventions of a music magazine

There is a mid-shot picture of Lady Gaga as the main image who is using direct address to make the reader feel like she is looking straight at them. The main image could be classed as very controversial, but it suits Lady Gaga's style as she is controversial.

The main colours used on the front cover of this magazine are pink and purple which can therefore effect the audience which the magazine receives, as it is a colour which is associated with females.

The masthead is the name of the magazine 'Rolling Stone' even though the main image is covering half of the masthead, we know what the magazine is as most the readers are subscribers to the magazine and if not it is recognisable as it is a very well known magazine. 

The banner headline includes the image and the line 'The rise of Lady gaga' shows the story of why Lady Gaga is on the front cover and the story behind her, the headline draws the reader in as they want to find out what the full story is. 

By having a famous pop icon on the front of the magazine, it then determines the audience which the magazine receives, it would range from people who are monthly subscribers to people who are interested in Lady Gaga and her fan base who would want the story behind the front cover. 

The layout of the magazine is very basic, the cover lines are beside the main image and therefore make the whole front cover easy to understand and easier to read.

This is a double page spread on Lady Gaga from a Rolling Stone magazine. It is a simple style and contains a 2 page image with a small amount of text with Lady Gaga as the main focus point. Lady Gaga is very controversial which is represented in this image as she has lack of clothing on and is only being covered by bubbles. This image also shows her authority as she is stood above everybody as they lie around her and she is striking a powerful pose. This pose is also known as the 'Jesus' pose which is iconic and shows her importance. The pages have a pink wash over them, making the main colours pink and purple which both have girly, feminine connotations. The headline 'New York Doll' stands out on the page which shows Lady Gaga's relevance and shows her as an iconic figure.This page carries on the theme of the front page.