Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread Analysis
NME 1
This front cover is dominated by one image which is a medium close up shot of Carl Barat and he is the main article of this magazine. This seems to happen in most magazines, the image on the front cover is the main article in the magazine. The look of seriousness on the models face shows that the article inside will be serious. This happens on a lot of magazine front covers as the look on the face of the model will convey the emotion of the article inside the magazine. Telling the reader who it is and giving a little quote from the article will entice the reader into wanting to read the magazine. Using ‘I’ve got a right to tell my story’ shows that the article will be interesting and exciting because it sounds rebellious. The title of the magazine is big and stands out. The magazine has a chosen colour scheme used on the front cover which is blue, red and white. Magazines tend to use 3 colours for a colour scheme. This is affective because it makes certain lines of text stand out so the reader may read them straight away and think ‘I like the sound of that’ and may lead to them buying the magazine.
Telling the reader what is inside the magazine is always on front covers of magazines, because this appeals to the audience as they may find an artist they are interested in are on the front cover and then buy the magazine. Most of this seems to be on the left hand side of the magazine as this is the way people read, from right to left.
The codes and conventions I will take from this are the 3 colour scheme, and the look on the face of the model I use to show the emotion of the article I choose to do. A smile and laughing for a funny and interesting article, or a serious look for a serious and interesting article.
On the contents pages you tend to find offers for the magazines to come cheaper. You also find images of what the article is about with a quote from the article and the page number. They chose catchy quotes to interest the reader. Also you find listed articles with the page numbers. There is always a line that says ‘Inside this week’ or ‘In this issue’. A simple colour scheme is used on the contents page which is black white and red. The text from the title NME on the front cover looks the same as the text used on the contents page.
The codes and conventions I will take from this are using the same text throughout the magazine. Also advertising offers for the magazine to be cheaper by subscribing to the offer.
The codes and conventions of a double page spread are the image shows the main person in the article. There are also quotes from the article to what the person has said. The title is big and bold which makes it stand out to the rest of the article. The title of the article normally has the main person’s name in it. The title of this article is linked to the image in this article as he is pointing a gun towards to the camera and the title is ‘Carl Takes Aim’. The image is a medium close up. The article is made into columns where Carl has been talking. The interviewer’s questions are in a different text to Carls answers in the interview to make it more clear for the reader.
The codes and conventions I will take from this are using a different font for the interviewer’s questions and the person’s answers. Also giving a catchy quote from the article on the main image.
NME 2
There is a simple colour scheme which is black, red and white. Part of the NME title is covered, which suggests that the magazine is so well known the full title doesn’t need to be shown as people will know what it is. Page is dominated by 1 image and in the image is the band which the magazine has a special tribute issue about the band. In the title The White Stripes, the RIP in ‘Stripes’ is in a different colour to the rest of the letters because they have decided to split and this is really effective as they were so well known and people will be gutted about the band splitting up. Something different on this magazine is they do not show what else is in the magazine as they are just focusing on The White Stripes. Instead they just tell you what the special tribute article is about. They are also giving away free posters which will appeal to a wide demographic, especially if they like The White Stripes. The band will have a huge constituency so NME can be very confident that the magazine will sell.
From this I think I will include the posters part and link it to the bands I include in the magazine, because people that like the bands may buy the magazine to get the posters and read articles about the bands.
‘Inside this week’ is used again. Another offer is given so the reader can save money on the magazine. Images are shown to show the reader who the article is about, and what the article is about. The images have numbers on to tell the reader what page it is. The images are of the people that are involved in the article. There is also an explanation about what the article is about, and a quote from the article. They have the ‘Plus’ section on the contents page to tell the reader what else is in the article. They have a simple colour scheme on this page which is white and black, with the subscription part in blue to stand out on the page and catch the reader’s attention.
From this contents page I might take the subscription offer and put it into my magazine as I think more people may buy the magazine if they can receive it for cheaper.
The writing in this article is put into columns. The images show the people that the article is about. They show more than 1 image of the people having fun which suggests they had a good time. They have columns like the red one on the image, which tells you about the woman in the picture. The box on the left hand side which has a black background is very effective. It has quotes from other professionals and their fans about how gutted they are that The White Stripes have broken up. I think getting a reaction from the fans can make the article a bit more interesting. This article also follows the main colour scheme which is red, white and black.
From this article I might try and include the fans reactions and other professional’s reactions in my article.
Q 1
Front cover dominated by 1 image which is of Liam Gallagher, who will have a huge constituency. The main article will be about his new band Beady eye which is why he is the main image on the front cover. The other band members’ being in his glasses suggests he is the main man in the band and he is looking at them seriously. The serious look on his face suggests that they are back in business. The image is a close up of Liam Gallagher. The quote from the article will interest people because he calls his brother a ‘tit’. They have listed what else will be in the magazine all over the front cover. Because they have put so much on the front cover, the readers will be able to see what is in the magazine and they are more likely to see something they like because of this, then they will buy the magazine. There is a simple colour scheme which is red, black, gold and white. This will appeal to a wide demographic because they will be interested in what the band members of oasis are doing after the band have split.
From this I will consider putting a lot of the bands that I include on the front cover because I think people are more likely to buy it if they know what is inside.
The colour scheme has continued onto the contents page. There are images of the content in the magazine to let the reader know what they will be reading. Images have page numbers. The biggest image is of Liam Gallagher, and his band is part of the main article in which the magazine focus’ on. They have a regular’s column which lists what they involve in the magazine every month. The issue 296 shows the magazine is massive and successful. They show the front cover on the contents page. The heading contents, is made very clear by the word being in black on a red background. Showing the actual double page spread as an image is telling the reader they may like these articles as well as the other images shown. Giving a review at the bottom of the page lets the reader know which bands and artists are interviewed or reviewed.
In my magazine I think I will include the front cover being shown on the contents page because I think it looks very effective.
The interview is made into columns. The interviewer’s questions are bold while the answers are not to make the questions stand out. Also the answers are giving by different people from the band and the initials of the people are used to show who is answering. The red boxes give the reader knowledge about their career. They looked really laid back in the image which suggests they are confident that they could do well. The image is a long shot of the band. The subtitle ‘What EYE once was’ is good because they use part of the band name and it explains what they once were. This will appeal to a mass demographic as the band once were oasis, who will have a huge constituency.
From this DPS I like the red boxes where they talk about their own career, it gives the reader some knowledge about the band.
Q 2
Part of the title of the magazine is covered showing that the full title does not need to be shown because people will know what the magazine is anyway. The look on the models face suggests he is ready and it’s the bands time to do well and he is serious about it. Simple colour scheme which is red black white and gold. Listing what is in the magazine is also effective because people are more likely to see a band or artist they like and therefore will buy the magazine. The front cover is image dominated. The front cover also gives a quote from the article. Having a lot about British bands and artists means that this will immediately appeal to a British audience as this will interest them a lot. Large bold title to stand out.
Including British bands and artists is something I will consider to put in my magazine.
Show the front cover on the contents page, showing what issue the magazine is, shows how big and successful the magazine is. The colours red, black and white have been used on the contents page, following from the front cover. Contents stands out as its black font on a red background. Lots of images to show the reader the articles and who they are about to inform them. They have the regulars column which the readers obviously enjoy otherwise they wouldn’t have it. Then they have the features column which is separated from the regulars to inform the reader what is special in this issue.
I like how they separate the features from the regulars because it is easier for the reader to see what is in this issue because they know what the regulars will be. I think I might use this in my magazine.
Have the text on the left hand side is good because this is where you would expect it to be as you read from left to right. Giving a quote from the article is also effective because it may be an important part and this can interest the reader into reading the article. Having lots of images of the band practicing shows they are serious about doing well and the images will interest people. The images are close ups of the bands playing their instruments or singing. Having a large T shows the reader where a new paragraph starts. The title of Elbow is away from all the text to stand out. The colour scheme has continued on this page, the red, black and white.
Q 3
Title is in bold and eye catching and slightly covered, but the magazine is so well known, it can be covered. The model looking at the camera catches the reader’s attention, and the woman jumping suggests fun and excitement. The front cover is dominated by this image. The front cover is packed with other articles and headlines inside the magazine. Some of the headlines are intriguing, like the ‘50 albums of the year’ and ‘the new 10 faces of 2011’, because the reader will want to know who and what they are. They are writing in black and red so they stand out. The colour scheme is black, red, gold and white, which seems to be this magazines colour scheme a lot.
On my magazine front cover, I will try to use language that will intrigue the ready and entice them into reading the magazine.
Because the contents page is on a double page spread, this could suggest there is so much information they need the space to fit it all in. They use the same colours that match with the front cover. This makes parts of the magazine stand out, such as the ‘contents’ and the ‘issue’. The regulars and features are separated so when the reader buys the magazine they can see what they expect in the regulars and then see what is special about this issue in the features column. There are lots of images to show what is inside the magazine but no writing to go with them so this can entice the reader into wanting to see what the article is about.
In my magazine I will put lots of images on my contents page to interest the reader and make them want to read the article.
This double page spread is very colourful. It is also very eye catching so the reader will begin to read this article if they like the look of it. The writing is in columns and on the left hand side because readers would expect it to be here as they read from left to right. My chemical romance is highlighted to make it stand out and tell the reader who it is about. The right hand side page is dominated by an image, on the image the 2 people standing on the stairs may be doing this because they are more important that the other 2 band members. They have also compared albums in the ‘modern ROMANCE’ box.
When I take my pictures I will consider the positioning of the models in the image.
