The Magazines that I have chosen, NME and Spin magazine are of the indie rock genre this is shown by the bands/artists on the front (e.g. the Foals on NME and Pete Doherty on Spin), which is iconic because these bands are associated with this genre.

Both NME and Spin have used minimalism on the cover by using a plain background and photo taken in a studio. Spin magazine have used a black and white image that makes the bold red and white of the masthead standout. NME have used a similar idea apart from the image is not black and white but the bright pink of the masthead and main headline stands out over the image.

The clothing they are wearing is iconic as it follows the fashion that goes with the indie rock genre. This would appeal to the target audience and make them more likely to buy the magazine. An oppositional reading for the NME is that because they are wearing everyday clothing it looks messy and therefore not appealing to some people. Also the facial expressions of the people on the cover of both NME and Spin magazine is iconic to the genre of music but an oppositional reading for this is that they look unapproachable and moody which might put some people of buying the magazine.

The contents pages for these magazines use very different layouts. NME have used headlines in different fonts and sizes with pictures to show what is in the different pages in the magazine with main article having the biggest photo and in the middle of the page. Whereas Spin has used one image as background with what the magazine features down the left hand side of the page using the same font and layout for each heading.

Yet again they have both used simple colours with Spin using the black and white image again and NME using a white background with black writing and coloured pictures. A preferred reading of this is it is simple to understand and so you can clearly see what features are in the magazine. An oppositional reading is that it is boring to look at and there is nothing to capture the eye.

They have used iconic photos that fit with the genre and will also fit with what is inside the magazines which will make people want to read the magazine and find out more about it. Spin magazine have only used one photo from the main feature of the magazine which means that if people are not interested in that band then they might not want to read more. NME have used many different photos related to the content of the magazine which means the reader has more of an idea of what is in the magazine.

These two double page speeds have the image as the main focus with the article along the bottom. This means you can clearly see who the articles are about e.g. NME is about Lily Allen and Spin is about Kings of Lean.

They have used medium close up photos with a level that is equal to the audience. This gives a sense of unity between the reader and the article making the reader want to read the article.

Both magazines have used a san serif text for the head line of the article this makes it more casual and would appeal to the target audience. Within the article they have also used the simple white background and black writing.

Aside from the photo the main focus on the NME article is a quote from the interview with Lily Allen. They have used this as a headline for the article using a san-serif text that looks link it has been cut out from another article to stand out. This gives the reader and insight to what kinds of things they spoke about in the interview making them want to read more. Spin also use a quote in there double page spread which stands out from the rest as it is bigger than the rest of the text but does not stand out as much as the headline.