House Style research

Kerrang




The cover pages of Kerrang show the mast head is nearly always behind the celebrity. This shows it's a very popular magazine and the label can be hidden but still recognised. The cover also shows that whoever is featured on the cover has the biggest double spread feature. They have the biggest coverline on the front page as well.




The contents has one main image that takes up half the page. It also has black blocks with either white or yellow writing for headers and sub titles. Linked to this the contents page always has a black block in the top left hand corner with yellow writing saying 'contents'. The left side of the page also has a photo of one of the editors with a little message from them to the readers. I haven't seen many magazines have editors connect with the readership which I think is nice. Half way down the page there is always a black rectangle across the whole page. In this black block there is a white 'KERRANG!' followed by a yellow 'THIS WEEK'.



The actual pages of the articles, the pages are styled to suit the featured celebrities. However they maintain the black blocky theme. For the pages though the inner writing is in red. Writing is never placed on the image on the pages. Most pages have a black box in the top. They signal what kind of article it is. News, tour dates, specials and other categories said in the contents page. The feel is edgy and more youth with the constant blocky, sharp presentation.

The language used throughout the magazine is very friendly and direct. Almost as if you were talking to a friend. They use funny captions for photos as if they were mocking whoever was in the pictures. It's a very complimentary style of writing which is good for the artists and readers. There isn't really any negativity in this magazine and it focuses solely on music and people who create it.


Q

On the front cover of Q the logo/masthead is always on the top left hand corner. It's a very distinct logo which people will always recognise so it doesn't matter if the features image is in front or behind because people will still know it. Every issue is slightly different but they keep the same scheme running throughout the issue. The colour red is very prominent, not only on the cover but throughout all the pages. On most issues there is a bottom bar on the cover with just lists some more artists who will be featured in this magazine. There is few coverlines which makes the front cover look eloquent and tidy which is what you would think of if someone were to talk about Q magazine. The main image will not have any writing on unless it's the name of said artist. They try to avoid putting more on the image.

The contents page is column like. It has a vertical list of contents which is easy to read and in a more fancy typography. There are red blocks with white writing inside which is the magazines iconic thing about them. Red and white are still present in the contents page. They are the colours of the magazine so people know it's a Q article if there is a red and white writing colour scheme. They have a few photos but not an excessive amount. Sometimes they create a 3D effect where the people in an image come out of the frame slightly. However that isn't in the example shown to the right.

The articles keep to a black, white and red scheme. It's a simple looking magazine but as they say 'less is more'. They only have one image on the articles The images are often close ups but sometimes mid shots. This allows the readership to actually see the artists. Q's old style was to have a black and white image on the left page and have the writing on the right hand page with a big red letter behind it. This is their unified house style however they have branched off into more modern layouts.

The language Q use is more factual. They do not bother with a chatty style of writing as that is not the type of people they are aiming at. The style of writing is a lot less 'banterous' and more formal. The articles are more like reports and hard facts rather than silly little reviews and funny interviews. They take themselves more seriously which isn't a good or bad thing, just a different style.