Portfolio ResearchBy François Ali

Front Cover Analysis

MastheadKerrang has a fairly basic masthead that is partly hidden by the cover star. This is most likely because Kerrang has already established a brand identity and therefore does not need to show the entire masthead for it to be recognised by its target audience.

What gives Kerrang! Its brand identity is the way the masthead has white lines through it making it appear shattered therefore more rock and roll. This would appeal to their target audience of 15-29 year olds as it gives the magazine an edgier more youthful feel.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘You Me At Six’ is the largest sans-serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline.

List of BandsKerrang follows the codes and conventions of music magazines by featuring images of featured bands on the bottom left hand side of the front cover and another list positioned on the black strip on the top and bottom of the page. This gives the audience an idea of what bands and therefore the genre to expect inside the magazine.

Cover Image‘You Me At Six’ are photographed wearing dark colours and slightly confident and cheerful expressions. The use of dark casual clothing with the jumpers and T-shirts will attract a teenage rock audience.

BarcodeKerrang follows the codes and conventions of magazines by positioning its barcode in the bottom right hand corner and by displaying issue information and price in the same place.

House StyleKerrang consistently uses the same fonts and mainly sticks to lime green, yellow, black and white.

FreebiesAnother way in which Kerrang appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example free posters are given away with this issue.

MastheadVibe’s masthead follows the codes and conventions of a magazine by taking up the full width of the page and being positioned at the top of the page so it can be seen. Because of this the masthead is the biggest writing on the cover and draws in the attention of the reader. VIBE’s masthead is big, bold and straight to the point.

Cover imageKanye West is photographed in a medium close up showing more of his face which suggests that he is the focal point in this particular issue. Having Kanye Wests’ presence will deliberately appeal to a young audience of a hip hop genre. Kanye is one of the best artists in his genre so having him on the front cover will make readers pick it up and want to read about him.

LureThe quote ‘I am Rap’ on the left hand side acts as a lure to encourage the audience to read the full story inside.

GraphicsA simple feel is given to the magazine. For example the sans-serif font used for the headline ‘Kanye West’ is very plain as the font has nothing inside it. This front cover is very colourful which gets attention at a quick glance. The deliberate use of the pink and blue colours gives a ‘chavy’ feel to it appealing to that particular audience.

House styleVibe consistently connects their image with the words in the front cover. He is wearing a ‘chavy’ cardigan which connects with the colour of this front cover which is appealing to the eye and targets the hip hop/ rap audience. The use of matching fonts and cover lines gives Vibe its consistent house style.

List of artistsVibe displays a list of featured artists on the right hand side giving an idea of what artists and therefore the genre (hip/hop rap) to expect inside the magazine. Involving the film ‘Notorious’ on the strip on the top of the page targets film audiences as well.

MastheadWhat gives Billboard Its brand identity is the way the masthead has the red, blue and yellow colours inside some of the sans serif white letters giving a gentle feel therefore targeting towards more of a female audience. This would appeal to their target audience of 11-19 year olds as it gives the magazine an edgier more youthful teenage feel.

House StyleBillboard consistently uses the same fonts and mainly sticks to yellow and white as their main colours.

LureThe quote ‘Hannah Montana’ on the right hand side acts as a lure to encourage the audience to read the full story inside.

Mode of AddressBillboard uses a gentle, sweet feel of language, for example ‘Miley’s Magic Kingdom’ which you would expect as they are appealing to a young female age group in a friendly manner.

Cover imageThe mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the pop/rock genre by using props such as a guitar and an icon figure.

Miley Cyrus is photographed in a medium long shot where she is the focal point of this particular issue. Having her presence will deliberately appeal to a young female audience of a pop genre. As she is also an actress this will target Television audiences as well.

In addition, this magazine is a summer edition where Miley is wearing a t-shirt, it seems very hot with the bright lighting and blue sky. Sub headlines such as ‘how to score the big gigs of summer’ creates a good feel to this issue as they relate to the season we are in which appeals to audiences.

BarcodeBlender follows the codes and conventions of magazines by positioning its barcode in the bottom right hand corner and by displaying issue information and price in the same place.

FreebiesAnother way in which Blender appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example free tracks are given away with this issue.

MastheadBlender has a fairly basic masthead coloured all in black contrasting well with the light blue background which draws in the attention of the readers. The masthead is partly hidden by the cover star. This is most likely because Blender has already established a brand identity and therefore does not need to show the entire masthead for it to be recognised by its target audience.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘Fall Out Boy’ is the largest sans-serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline.

List of BandsBlender displays a list of featured bands on the left hand side of the front cover. This gives the audience an idea of what bands and therefore the genre (rock) to expect inside the magazine.

Cover ImageThe mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the rock and roll genre by using props such as an electric guitar and drum sticks.

‘Fall Out Boy’ are photographed wearing a combination of different colours and slightly confident, cheerful and lively expressions. The use of casual clothing style with the jackets and white shoes will attract a wide range of rock audiences of 16-40 year olds appealing more to the male side.

MastheadNME has a fairly basic masthead coloured all in bright red contrasting well with the dark background which draws in the attention of the readers. What gives NME its brand identity is the way the masthead has white borders around the red sans serif letters. Also the masthead leans on the top left hand side of the page rather than covering the whole top of the page which most magazines tend to do.

LureThe quote ‘we’re writing the holy bible part 2’ on the left hand side acts as a lure to encourage the audience to read the full story inside.

BarcodeNME follows the codes and conventions of magazines by positioning its barcode in the bottom right hand corner and by displaying issue information and price in the same place.

Cover ImageThe mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the rock and roll genre by using props such as the guitar.

In addition to this, the lighting behind the artist suggests that he is performing on stage which further attracts the audience as it conveys that NME features information on gigs and live music!

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘The Enemy’ is the largest sans serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline. The deliberate use of the red colour of the sans serif font attracts readers as it stands out the most.

A list of bands are positioned on the red strip on the bottom of the page. This gives the audience an idea of what bands and therefore the genre (Rock) to expect inside the magazine.

MastheadThe masthead is stylistic and bold with yellow being a good choice of colour against the dark back drop. This immediately makes the masthead stand out and be more visible to readers browsing.

Scratch's’ masthead is big, bold and straight to the point. What gives Scratch its brand identity is the way the masthead has black borders around the yellow sans serif letters.

House StyleBillboard consistently uses the same simple fonts and mainly sticks to blue, yellow and white as their main colours.

Cover imageLil Wayne is on the front cover which immediately targets the audience who listen to Hip Hop and Rap genres of music. He is one of the best artists in his genre so having him on the front cover will make readers pick it up and want to read about him.

The mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the hip hop/ rap genre by using props such as the DJ set, micro phone, ’bling’ jewellery such as the gold necklace and ‘cool’ sunglasses and hat. They both look very chilled out and would appeal to a young audience of 14-28 year olds appealing more to the male side.

Another way in which Scratch appeals to its audience is that it offers extras such as exclusives with DJ Khaled and has previews of new songs by artists such as Akon! Also the deliberate use of Question marks keeps the readers involved.

Mode of AddressScratch uses quite informal language for example ‘Great Label or Graveyard?’ ‘beats by the pound’ positioned on the left hand side of the page. This is suited to a younger audience who are more likely to use and relate to this sort of language.

FreebiesAnother way in which Rock Sound appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example free posters and a free CD are given away with this issue.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘Muse’ is the largest serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline. The deliberate use of the bright yellow colour of the serif font attracts readers as it stands out the most. The repetition of the word ‘New’ is used to excite the reader.

BarcodeRock Sound follows the codes and conventions of magazines by positioning its barcode in the bottom right hand corner and by displaying issue information and price in the same place.

List of BandsRock Sound follows the codes and conventions of music magazines by displaying a list of featured bands on the bottom left hand side of the front cover. This gives the audience an idea of what bands and therefore the genre (rock) to expect inside the magazine.

GraphicsA slight rough and scruffy feel is given to the magazine by its graphics. For example the serif font of the headline ‘Muse’ looks quite dirty due to the small black splodges on each letter. The graphics are very colourful which gets attention at a quick glance. Furthermore, Rocksound uses the same colours (green, yellow and white) throughout the front cover. This combined with the use of matching fonts for the cover lines, gives Rocksound its consistent house style.

MastheadRock Sound has a fairly basic masthead coloured all in green contrasting well with the light background which draws in the attention of the readers. What gives Rock Sound its brand identity is the way the masthead has black borders around the sans serif font to create a sticking out effect on the letters. Also they intertwine itself between the bands heads.Cover image

They are standing in a serious and strong manner which makes them seem more of a ‘hardcore,’ band and adds to the genre of rock.

FreebiesAnother way in which Classic FM appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example It offers an interview with Katherine Jenkins and has a free giveaway of a CD as it is the Christmas edition in this issue.

House StyleClassic FM consistently uses the same fonts and mainly sticks to grey, red and white as their main colours.

Cover ImageKatherine Jenkins is photographed in a medium close up showing more of her face which suggests that she is the focal point in this particular issue. She is looking bright and radiant against a dark and dim background.

Having Katherine Jenkins’ presence will deliberately appeal to a wide range of audiences as classical music is mainly listened to an older age group she will also appeal to the younger audiences as she is making classical music more and more popular.

Katherine is one of the best artists in her genre (classical) so having her on the front cover will make readers pick it up and want to read about her as she is a multimillion single artist.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘Katherine Jenkins’ is the largest serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline. Her name is in bright pink writing to make it eye catching to the readers when they are looking through magazines and would appeal more to the female side.

MastheadClassic FMs masthead follows the codes and conventions of a magazine by taking up the full width of the page and being positioned at the top of the page so it can be seen. Because of this the masthead is the biggest writing on the cover and draws in the attention of the reader. It is written in a grey serif font on a white backdrop to make it stand out. What gives Classic FM Its brand identity is the way the ‘F’ is coloured in bright red in a bigger and a different font, to catch the readers eye and you can clearly tell this is a Classic FM magazine .

FreebiesAnother way in which Kerrang appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example free posters are given away with this issue.

BarcodeKerrang follows the codes and conventions of magazines by positioning its barcode in the bottom right hand corner and by displaying issue information and price in the same place.

MastheadKerrang has a fairly basic masthead that is partly hidden by the cover star. This is most likely because Kerrang has already established a brand identity and therefore does not need to show the entire masthead for it to be recognised by its target audience.

What gives Kerrang! Its brand identity is the way the masthead has white lines through it making it appear shattered therefore more metal rock. This would appeal to their target audience of 15-35 year olds as it gives the magazine an edgier more crazy feel!

House StyleKerrang consistently uses the same fonts and mainly sticks to yellow, black and white. However in this particular issue the use of red is deliberately used as it represents danger, violence, death which relates to the genre heavy metal.

List of bandsKerrang displays a list of featured bands on the right hand side of the front cover and another list positioned on the yellow strip on the top and bottom of the page. This gives the audience an idea of what bands and therefore the genre (heavy metal) to expect inside the magazine.

Cover Image‘Avenged Sevenfold’ are photographed wearing dark colours and slightly threatening and scary expressions. The use of dark clothing along with the tattoos and equipment they are holding will attract a wide range of the male heavy metal audience.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘Avenged Sevenfold’ is the largest sans-serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline. The white colouring contrasts well against the dark background which makes the words stand out.

HeadlineExcept for the masthead ‘Skins’ is the largest sans serif font on the page, making it the focus point of the cover and therefore the main headline. The deliberate use of the bright yellow colour of the sans serif font attracts readers as it stands out the most.

Cover image‘Skins’ stars are photographed in a medium shot where they are the largest image on the front cover which suggests that they are the focal point in this particular issue. They are looking straight to the camera very relaxed and wearing simple young clothes overall giving a teenage feel.

The lighting behind the artist on the left of the page suggests that he is performing on stage which further attracts the audience as it conveys that NME features information on gigs and live music!

In addition, the deliberate use of involving television stars in the programme ‘Skins’ in the front cover will target a young teenage television audience (in a music magazine) of 14-21 year olds appealing to both genders.

GraphicsA slight rough and scruffy feel is given to the magazine by its graphics which would appeal to a teenage audience. For example the sans serif font of the headline ‘Skins’ looks quite dirty due to the thin black splodges on each letter. The graphics are very colourful which gets attention at a quick glance.

House StyleNME uses the same colours (red, yellow , black and white) throughout the front cover. This combined with the use of matching fonts for the cover lines, gives NME its consistent house style.

MastheadNME has a fairly basic masthead coloured all in bright red contrasting well with the dark background which draws in the attention of the readers. What gives NME its brand identity is the way the masthead has white borders around the red sans serif letters. Also the masthead leans on the top left hand side of the page rather than covering the whole top of the page which most magazines tend to do.

FreebiesAnother way in which NME appeals to its audience is by giving away freebies. For example free posters are given away with this issue.

Reflection on the Front Cover

•By researching the front covers I figured out how to analyse them efficiently.

• I have learnt new technical language such as the ‘Masthead’, ‘Graphics’, ‘House style’, ‘lure’ and I have found out how it is represented to see who the magazine is aimed for. A lot of various techniques are used and put in to appeal to a particular audience.

•What the majority of front covers had in common were that they all gave away freebies in the magazine, which could be a free CD or a free Poster to make the reader pick it out and buy it.

•I now have a number of ideas on how to set up my font cover for my magazine to make it look professional. This has given me more of an idea than before on what I will use and put in in my own front cover.

•I feel that my magazine will target an ‘indie’ audience.

Contents Page Analysis

EditorialKerrang follows the usual codes and conventions of magazines by featuring an editors’ letter at the top of the contents page. The editorial is fairly informal and boasts about what is included in the magazine. Awesome rock weekends are reviewed in this 72 page issue. Further more, the editors letter has a familiar mode of address making the audience feel like Kerrangs friend. As well as this, Kerrang further follows the codes and conventions of magazines by displaying the editors name as handwritten , giving the magazine a slightly personal feel.

House StyleKerrang uses a consistent house style by sticking to red, yellow, black and white. The contents page also uses matching fonts throughout and tends to box the yellow page numbers and titles in black.

LureThe quote displayed on the top right corner of the contents page ‘My favourite dance move is the spider walk...’ acts as a lure. Because it is quite a bold statement that some might find a bit unusual, this will grab the readers attention and encourages them to turn to the page and read more about it.

LayoutKerrang’s content layout is very grid-like and quite regimented. There are more photos than text which would appeal to their target audience of 15-29 year olds. In addition to this, the photos are the same size making them look like CD covers. This is apart from the photo of the man, which still has the appearance of a CD cover, but is larger and therefore implies that it is the main feature of the magazine. As well as this, beneath each image is a line of text which briefly summarises the article using appealing language such as ‘revealed’. There is also an image of this issues front cover next to the editorial which follows the codes and conventions of magazines.

SubscriptionFollowing the codes and conventions of magazines, Kerrang offers its readers the chance to subscribe by showing images of past issues and offering a cheaper deal than in shops.

LayoutVibes content layout is very basic quite empty and uncluttered. It uses a photo of the cover star to take up the whole page and by doing so creates more of an impact. In addition to this the layout is very simplistic with just one image and text over the top , giving it a minimalist feel. The headings are emphasized with a larger and a different font than the text below them. Apart from the red heart on Kanye West, which is the only colour in this contents page therefore making it the only thing which leaps out the page; the uniform layout makes the audience read the page to find a specific feature.

Brand IdentityVibes brand identity is again displayed inside the magazine as a large item on the page, emphasizing its importance.

House StyleSimilar to its layout, vibes house style is fairly basic and simplistic; it uses black and grey giving it a relatively classic look and feel. It uses a variety of fonts to show the difference between the headings and the texts below them.

LureThe quote displayed on the bottom left corner of the contents page ‘There was a void in music for girl, who has some sass...’ acts as a lure. Because it is quite a bold statement that some might find a bit unusual, this will grab the readers attention and encourages them to turn to the page and read more about it.

In addition, because it is about mega Pop star Katy Perry this will appeal to a young female audience of the age 11-25 years old.

LayoutBlenders content layout is very basic quite empty and plain. It uses a photo of the cover star to take up the majority of the page and by doing so creates more of an impact. In addition to this the layout is very simplistic with just one image and text over the top , giving it a minimalist feel. The headings are plainly emphasized by being bolder than the text below them.

The mushroom leaps out of the page connecting well with Katy Perry as they have the same colour as each other which is very appealing to the eye.

GraphicsA slight rough and scruffy feel is given to the magazine by its graphics. For example the serif font of the title ‘Rocksound’ and the numbers looks quite dirty due to the small black splodges on each letter. The graphics are very colourful which gets attention at a quick glance. Furthermore, Rocksound uses the same colours (Red, black and white) throughout the contents page. This combined with the use of matching fonts, gives Rocksound its consistent house style.

LayoutRockSounds layout feels very lively by the way the whole page is used up with various objects. It is very simple yet at the same time slightly messy where the images go on top of each other. In addition, the photographs also exemplifies this by being rough round the edges and giving the impression that the images have been torn. This would appeal to a teenage rock audience.

Furthermore, there are more photos than text which would appeal to their target audience of 15-29 year olds.

LureThe quote ‘He’s just showing off’ underneath the image acts as a lure to encourage the audience to read the full story inside.

The exclamation mark (!) where it says ‘Oasis Special! ’ is deliberately used to excite the reader!

House StyleQ uses a consistent house style by sticking to red, black and white. The contents page also uses matching fonts throughout and tends to use the colour red for the page numbers and in gold for the ‘special’ featured pages to attract the audience.

LayoutQs Layout is what you would expect for a contents page with a couple of images, but mainly with information about what is inside, the uniform layout makes the audience read the page to find a specific feature. This would appeal to ages of 21-40 year olds.

Furthermore, the large photograph of the band implies that they are the main feature of the magazine.

EditorialThe Beats follows the usual codes and conventions of magazines by featuring an image of the front cover on the top of the contents page. The editorial is fairly informal and boasts about what is included in the magazine.

The deliberate use of Question marks are to engage and involve the reader.

House StyleThe beat uses a consistent house style by sticking to pink, yellow, black and white. The use of the colours pink and yellow; the messy font; the star names included in this issue such as Ne-Yo and the way the whole page is full of various objects will appeal to a young ‘chavy’ audience. The contents page also uses matching fonts throughout and the more important information tends to be coloured in yellow and in a different angle.

Cover ImageThe mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the rock and roll genre by using props such as the guitar.

In addition to this, the lighting behind the artist suggests that he is performing on stage which further attracts the audience as it conveys that NME features information on gigs and live music!

SubscriptionFollowing the codes and conventions of magazines, NME offers its readers the chance to subscribe by showing images of past issues and offering a cheaper deal than in shops. The use of the bright yellow colour of the sans serif font is used to attract readers as it stands out the most.

LayoutNMEs Layout is what you would expect for a contents page with a couple of images, but mainly with information about what is inside, the uniform layout makes the audience read the page to find a specific feature. This would appeal to a rock audience aged of 15-29 year olds.

Furthermore, the large photograph of the band implies that they are the main feature of the magazine.

LayoutVibes content layout is very basic quite empty and uncluttered. It uses a photo of the cover star to take up the whole page and by doing so creates more of an impact. In addition to this the layout is very simplistic with just one image and text over the top , giving it a minimalist feel. The headings are emphasized with a larger and a different font than the text below them.

House StyleSimilar to its layout, vibes house style is fairly basic and simplistic; it uses black and grey giving it a relatively classic look and feel. It uses a variety of fonts to show the difference between the headings and the texts below them.

Brand IdentityVibes brand identity is again displayed inside the magazine as a large item on the page, emphasizing its importance.

EditorialKerrang follows the usual codes and conventions of magazines by featuring an editors’ letter at the top of the contents page. The editorial is fairly informal and boasts about what is included in the magazine. Awesome rock weekends are reviewed in this 72 page issue. Further more, the editors letter has a familiar mode of address making the audience feel like Kerrangs friend. As well as this, Kerrang further follows the codes and conventions of magazines by displaying the editors name as handwritten , giving the magazine a slightly personal feel.

LureThe quote displayed on the top right corner of the contents page ‘I’ve done many things with my pubic hair...’ acts as a lure. Because it is quite a bold statement that some might find a bit unusual and shocking, this will grab the readers attention and encourages them to turn to the page and read more about it.

LayoutKerrang’s content layout is very grid-like and quite regimented. There are more photos than text which would appeal to their target audience of 15-29 year olds. In addition to this, the photos are the same size making them look like CD covers. This is apart from the photo of the men, which still has the appearance of a CD cover, but is larger and therefore implies that it is the main feature of the magazine. As well as this, beneath each image is a line of text which briefly summarises the article using appealing language such as ‘new’. There is also an image of this issues front cover next to the editorial which follows the codes and conventions of magazines.

SubscriptionFollowing the codes and conventions of magazines, Kerrang offers its readers the chance to subscribe by showing images of past issues and offering a cheaper deal than in shops.

House StyleKerrang uses a consistent house style by sticking to red, yellow, black and white. The contents page also uses matching fonts throughout and tends to box the yellow page numbers and titles in black.

Layout‘In the mixs’ content layout is very basic quite empty and plain. It uses a photo of the cover star to take up the majority of the page and by doing so creates more of an impact. In addition to this the layout is very simplistic with just one image and text over the top , giving it a minimalist feel. The headings are plainly emphasized by being bolder than the text below them.

House StyleSimilar to its layout, vibes house style is fairly basic and simplistic; it uses red, black and white which are the colours you would expect in a contents page. It uses different sizes of fonts to show the difference between the headings and the texts below them.

Cover imageHaving 50 cents presence will deliberately appeal to a young audience of a rap genre. 50 cent is one of the best artists in his genre so having him in the front contents page will make readers turn to the page and want to read about him.

Reflection on the Contents Page

•By researching the Contents Page I figured out how to analyse them efficiently.

•I learnt new technical language such as ‘editorial’, ‘subscription’, and ‘brand ‘identity’ . Once the audience turn to the contents page there is still a lot of various ways in which they keep the reader engaged and to lure them to the next page.

•What the majority of contents pages had in common were that they used a lure which was often shocking to grab the readers attention. Also I feel that the main objective for a contents page is to show what is inside the magazine which I want to focus on.

•I now have a number of ideas on how to set up my contents page for my magazine to make it look professional. This has given me more of an idea than before on what I will use and put in in my own contents page. For example, writing on what will be in the magazine and an image which will take around half of the page.

Double Page Spread

QuoteA personal quote is displayed in a bigger font than the interview in order to grab the readers attention and encourage them to read the interview. The use of the colour black on a brighter background, makes the quote stand out more.

Drop capital

Stand firstA stand first is used to introduce the article.

LayoutThe layout for this double page spread is fairly straightforward; a whole page for the photo is used for the left hand page, with hardly any text displayed. This gives the page a minimalist, uncluttered appearance. In contrast the right hand side of the page is filled with three columns of text plus more images at the bottom of the page.

GraphicsA slight rough and scruffy feel is given to the magazine by its graphics which would appeal to a teenage audience. For example the sans serif font of ‘Teen Spirit’ looks quite dirty due to the thin splodges on each letter and a few around it.

LayoutThe layout of this page is well thought through, the photo of the artist presented, Lily Allen, is on the right side of the double page spread. This means it is the first thing the readers would see when turning the page. The article is written in on the left page over a white background, this connotes emptiness, and the page lacks in colours, which

makes the heading stands out. The only bit of colour found in the article is the name of the artist. Lily Allen is written in red bold font to make it stand out from the rest of the black and white monotone writing.

Drop capitalA drop capital is used in the body text of the article. This follows the codes and conventions of magazines. The first letter of the paragraph is in a different font which attracts the reader’s attention.

LayoutThe main photo of the article is found on the left page, with the title “fiasco @ 9:30”. The article is on the right page therefore the first thing the audience will see when turning the page. There is also a quote used to present the article. This gives the audience a small taster of what the article is about, while trying to get them to read the rest of the article. The masthead of the magazine is also found on the bottom left corner of both pages.

ColourThe dominant colour in this article is black, it is used as a background colour to make the rest of the article stand out. The photo used to support the article is also in those tones. The use of colour in this article is very important. The key words in the quote have been written in white, and this stands out from the other golden writing. The same concept has been is for the rest where paragraphs are in different colours to show importance.

LayoutThe article is presented on the right page, this is the page that the readers immediately sees when turning the page, and therefore attracts the audiences attention. The left page is used to present a picture of the lead singer and another one of a member of the band. Hierarchy is also presented as the picture of the lead singer is bigger which makes him dominant. The title of the page is covering both pages, the heading is even tilt a small amount to create rebellious attitude as it does not follow traditional writing. A drop cap is used to present the article, the letter M is in a bigger font in red to stand out and attract attention. Caption are also used on the photos to introduce the artists.

ColoursThe dominant colours on this double page spread are black red and white. This represents the style of genre of the band presented. The red is used to attract attention as it connotes importance, but it also connotes danger and represents blood. These are things this band are trying to associate themselves with, and represents there band identity. The Black is used as a background colour to make the rest of the page stand out but also on the pictures. Black and white picture also creates a nostalgic mood, and helps to identify the band presented with this punk-emo, and metal genre.

LayoutThe layout for this double page spread is fairly straightforward; a whole page for the photo is used for the left hand page, with a question mark used in the text to engage the reader. This gives the page a minimalist, uncluttered appearance. In contrast the right hand side of the page is filled with columns of text plus with the image on the left of the page coming along this page slightly giving a ‘moving effect’.

ImageBlack Eyed Peas are photographed in this double page spread and would appeal to a young hip hop audience. Three of the artists a faded in the page which creates the main artist ‘Will I am’ to stand out from the group giving an interesting effect.

ColourThe colours are very tasteless and empty giving it an unpleasant feel which links well to the music genre of metal. The use of a lot pale green gives a sense of sickness.

QuoteA personal quote is displayed as the biggest font in order to grab the readers attention and encourage them to read the interview. The use of the colour black on a brighter background, makes the quote stand out more. The larger font of ‘scarier’ gives more emphasis and importance to it and using strong words such as this would appeal to a metal audience.

EditingThe text box featuring the article about the lead singer of Metallica is tilted slightly to the right creating the impression that the text box has been dropped on the page at the last minute. It gives an impression of untidiness which links in with the genre put forward which is rock/heavy metal. The picture in double page is spread across the two pages; this makes the artist look more dominant as the photo takes the majority of the space. This therefore shows order of importance in comparison to other members of the band who are represented in smaller photos.

LayoutThe main article about Metallica is found on the left page; where as the other page seems to be based on the artist. There is a small red box on the bottom right corner which is illustrated as “frontline” and is about the lead singer. The pictures on the left and the text box are very symmetrical.

LayoutThis particular layout is extremely simple as both pages consist of a very large picture and a large title introducing the article. This image will appeal to any audience especially people into folk, as the page is full of things to look at, this gives this double page spread a lively feel to it.

Cover ImageThe mis-en-scene of the cover image is very effective because it fits in with the folk genre by using props such as the guitar, banjo and the violin which are common instruments in folk music.

In addition to this, the lighting and the fans behind the artist suggests that he is performing in a festival of some sort which further attracts the audience as it conveys that this magazine features information on gigs and live music!

Pull quoteThe use of a pull quote is used to sum up some parts of the article, and the blue highlight around it makes it stand out. Therefore readers would read it before the rest of the article and will be encouraged to read on. The blue colour used to highlight the quote is also found else were in the article which links everything together.

HeadingThe title of the double page presents a band called “the teenagers”, however this will attract the teenager’s attention and encourage them to read the article even if they do not know the band. The title is supported by “NME LOVES” over a star shape sticker. This encourages the readers to read the article as it is supported by a well known brand; therefore this means the band is someone to look out for. The heading also goes over the main image; it is highlighted in blue and written in black block letters. This attracts people’s attention and gives the band more importance as they stand out more.

TextThe background of this double page is very unusual, we can see the “USA” in the background, (To promote their next tour) this written in a very big font. But does not make the article look busy because it is in a similar colour as the rest of the background, it therefore merges in. Next to that, we can also see “got the love” which is one of their most famous records and so creates play on words “USA got the love” and still give out this sophisticated and classic effect.

LayoutThere is only one picture on this double page, and uses the colour red as the only main colour which attracts the reader’s attention. The drop cap on the first paragraph has been written in a very classical and sophisticated font and format. This sense of sophistication is found all over the page especially the background implying this where the silver colour is very classy.

Reflection on the Double Page Spread

•By researching on the double page spreads I figured out how to analyse them effectively so I could understand an indication of an overall view of everything about the magazine.

• I learnt new technical language like ‘stand first’, ‘drop capital’. I now understand that this is the last page in the magazine that aims to keep the audience interested and make them turn the page. I feel that once the reader has turned this page, the magazine has completed its job!

•What the majority of double page spreads had in common were that they used a large image to cover at least half of the two pages and a few columns of writing. I feel that this page gives an indication on what bands/ artists will be in the magazine and I have noticed that the use of popular well known singers are used to appeal to their audience.

•I have got a good idea on how to set up my double pages for my magazine to make it look professional I will perhaps do this by a massive photo covering both of the pages and a transparent text box with the writing on one side of the page.