Jude White
AS Level Media Studies
Grunge Thematics
To ensure that my magazine constantly connotes the gritty nature of Rock music, I decided to look further into grunge thematics and elements used throughout not only rock magazines, but elsewhere in Rock. To do this I decided to look at certain iconography representative of grunge in general.
Fading and Destruction
Perhaps the most obvious iconography associated with rock is wear and tear, and this is seen in countless places in the industry. Magazines such as Kerrang! use faded and broken graphics to capture the gritty essence of Rock, whereas bands such as My Chemical Romance use features such as scratch decals on their album artwork.
Slapdash Elements
A heavy emphasis is placed upon elements looking deliberatley rushed in Rock. For example, on the front cover of the albums below, the text is scawled messily, but with a clear and purposeful art style. In the Kerrang! poster, some design elements are simply scribbles and doodles on the page. The entire Three Days Grace album cover looks to have been drawn by hand!
Gothic Imagery
Perhaps the most commonly used set of imagery in rock, Gothic iconography is seen almost everywhere! The examples below are barely a scratch in the surface! This imagery even slips into areas that are not overtly gothic in nature, such as the extremely political 'American Idiot.'
Three Days Grace cover - Crows
Kerrang! Cover - Crucifix
MCR Cover - Skeleton, Black Clothing
Green Day Cover - Bleeding Heart
BB Cover - Wings
Nico Vega Cover - Bleak Colours, China Mask, White Dress
'The Black Parade' Cover Analysis
Given that the album cover for 'The Black Parade' featured all the elements seen above, I decided it would be a good example to look into in further detail.
This text looks as though it were scrawled quickly and urgently, given the scruffy nature of the font. The text even overlaps in places. The font is sharp and pointed, sinister in its appearance, beautifully complimenting the dark subject matter of the album.
This font is old-fashioned and serif, which connotes the gothic genre which generally uses dated imagery. The letters are at odd heights and sizes, giving them a slapdash feel despite their font's uniformity, creating a strange and unsettling image.
The most overtly gothic image on the cover, the skeletal soldier's black robes and ghoulish appearance are inherently gothic, and these accompany his wicked, knowing smile to create an unsettling character.
The background of the cover is slightly off-white, giving the illusion of decay, an illusion also given through scratch decals all across the background.
Response to My Research
In response to the research shown above, I have decided to use certain graphics and fonts throughout my magazine to create a grunge/gothic theme. These are:
A ripped tape effect as a backdrop for text, inspired by Kerrang!'s faded graphics.
A serif font called Times New Yorker, inspired by the gothic fonts of 'The Black Parade' and other albums.
A T-Shirt on my model featuring bleeding roses, inspired by 'American Idiot's bleeding hand grenade.