ML Paper 1-The Rolling Stone Magazine

: http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/5399657/2003_rolling_stone_covers/photo/6/large/

ML Paper 1- The Rolling Stone Magazine

Critic on the Rolling Stones Magazine Cover

Dory Younes, 200801729

SOAN 207

October 19, 2009

Abstract

The essay discuses the Rolling Stone Magazine, a publication that discuses contemporary topics mainly pertaining to the entertainment industry. The critic cover all the topics pertaining the cover story and focuses on the cover page itself. I discuss the design elements in the cover page including the fonts, colors, pictures, and headlines. Furthermore, I added a section that discusses the effects of changing some of the elements in the cover page and how people might react to that.

The Big Picture

After reading the article by Jack Rosenthal named THE PUBLIC EDITOR; What Belongs on the Front Page of The New York Time, I started to realize and look at magazine covers in a completely different way. Then, after searching online for different magazine covers, the Rolling Stone magazines stood out the most. I enjoy the Rolling Stones magazines, and what I enjoy most is their covers. Straight off, the Rolling Stone covers depict exactly what you, as the reader, are going to stumble upon inside the issue; however, they do it in a unique way. The main subject in this issue is obviously 50 Cent, however, that’s not all the Rolling Stones has for its readers. Without even focusing, our eyes are drawn into all the other surprises they have in the issue. The Rolling Stone not only focuses on the importance of the 50 Cent articles, but also gives equal weights to the other articles that are just as important. There aren’t many magazines that do this correctly, but of the ones that do, the Rolling Stone Magazine is the leader. The theme is crisp, clear and attractive. (Watson, 2003)

Looking deeper into the main cover story, we read the caption or by-line of the image, which reads, “50 CENT MASTERING THE ART OF VIOLENCE.” Is it catchy? Definitely. The reason I feel that the tag line is attract is because of the image that compliments the line. 50 Cent in the image gives us the representation of a mean fighting machine. Standing cross armed with his back towards the audience, 50 Cent appears to be that someone you would not want to mess with. The image is strong, clear, and vibrant. By adding the chain to the back, it gives off a “thuggish” vibe, or even a violent one. But it doesn’t end there, if you look at most the other stories, they all have similar themes: violence, war, tragedy. Example: “ZERO HOUR WITH THE U.S. NAVY ON THE EYE OF WAR.” Therefore, the Rolling Stones will not only cover the main articles in the issue and give them equal importance, but will try to have most the publications related by theme. (Watson, 2003)

Now if you take a look at the font and the font style, you notice that there is unity between the texts. The font is readable, neutral, bold and effective (especially since everything is capitalized). Most the text is in red and black, again complimenting the theme, and the other texts are in more of a gold color, such as the main title. (Watson, 2003)

A New Perspective

A suggestion to an alternative cover picture perhaps be a picture 50 Cent in the same position (on the magazine) just with a different look, one that makes him seem like he just came out of a battle a winner. His clothes would be torn with some bleeding around his body. Perhaps some cuts around his body and face. In addition he would be carrying the microphone as his weapon. The headline to go with that might be something like “50 CENT: MASTERING HIS OPPONETS” or “50 CENT: THE BATTLEMASTER.” This change might cause the readers/viewers to perceive the image in a different way. It gives a different feel to the cover story, suggesting that he is a master in both the music industry and his daily struggles/disputes. It also suggests to the readers that the article discusses 50 Cents career and the fight to achieving his goals.

The alteration of the image might also attract other readers since it hints that the story is not only talking about 50 Cent as a rapper, but discussing 50 Cent’s rise towards fame and all the struggles of his life. The layout would be the same giving the cover a strong feel that tells its viewers that this issue will be filled with excitement and battles!

Overall, the design of the original cover is unique yet simple. It’s not over clustered and yet provides the readers with plenty of information on what’s found in the current issue. From a designer’s perspective, I find the cover extremely effective since it portrays and compliments the overall theme of the issue. All the elements within the cover page (font, colors) were placed in a nice, eye catching layout. After all, the main point of the cover page is to provide the most information within the best layout. In this case, both the image and texts are the information used in the layout.

Works Cited

Watson, A. (2003). 2003 Rolling Stone Covers. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/5399657/2003_rolling_stone_covers/photo/6/large/