Alternative Rock - Magazine Cover Layout

Both:

Target audience:  Rock/Alternative fans. Target audience are usually young people like teenagers and young adults. This is exposed by the main cover image which always shows young adults who are in a rock/alternative band. Also the younger generation listen to this Genre so mostly young people buy it.
Masthead: White and Black or Red. Big and bold which catches your eye (stands out).
Colour scheme: Both have a recurring colour scheme of Black, White and Red which is also apparent in many album covers, such as My Chemical Romance (As shown in my earlier post on Monday 23rd Jan 2012).


KERRANG!: 


Puffs: The words 'FREE' and 'PLUS' are in a larger font which attract the reader because the word 'free' makes the reader think this magazine comes with an extra benefit. The word 'Plus' makes the reader believe there are so many exclusive extras in the magazine which encourages them to buy it.
Main cover line: "My Chemical Romance" is used because the cover image has got the band on it. The font is red which stands out from the colour black and white which is typical of an alternative rock theme.
Cover image: The cover image of this issue of the magazine is 'My Chemical Romance', this band is very popular and well known among teenagers (young audience) so this attracts their target audience. A high angle shot has been used in order to get a full view of their face (so they are easily recognizable) and what they are wearing (black) which links to the colour scheme of the magazine. 
Typeface: Sans serif.
Layout: Kerrang has a busy layout with images and text crowded at the bottom of the page. The main image of the band has been made into a separate layer which covers the masthead in order for the band to stand out. 


BigCheese: 


Puffs and Plugs: "30 GREATEST POP-PUNK ANTHEMS" is a Plug; it makes you want to see the greatest thirty anthems.The list of artists/bands: "Biffy Clyro, 30 Seconds to Mars, Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, Dead By Sunrise, In Flames, Bowling For Soup" is a plug used which can be very effective because there is a high chance that a reader sees a band/artist they are a fan of which encourages them to buy the magazine as they believe they will be featured. 
Cover line: 'Paramore get the kiss of life', this gives the reader a hint of what is to come inside the article.
Pull Quote: "We had to revive the band", by using this quote from an article on the front cover makes the reader question "why?" and makes it seem dramatic which makes the reader want to buy the magazine so they can find out what happened.
Typeface: The masthead uses serif font, whereas the rest of the writing on the front cover is sans serif and script. 
Layout: The layout for BigCheese is similar to Kerrang!; BigCheese also has the main image infront of the text. Its also quite busy at the bottom of the page but with text instead of pictures. The colour scheme is similar to Kerrang as well; Black, White and Red. However the background is green with fades of white throughout. The pull quote and the cover line have got a large shadow behind the text making the title 'Paramore' stand out from it (as it has a white outline to the red text used as well).