Double Page Anaylsis (NME)

This is a double page spread form the music magazine NME. This is from the same magazine as the front page which I chose to analyse. You know that this page is from an NME magazine is because next to the title of the band thee is a bold block of black with ‘NME loves’ in it. This is a subtle way to get the magazine name into the article.

The colours on this page are electric blue, white and black. These colours are eye-catching and work well together. The blocks of colour are the most eye catching parts of the magazine; these include the name of the band, a need to know section and a quite from the interview. These work similarly to ‘puffs’ on the front page of a magazine and show the ‘best’ parts of the page, which after reading the consumer is incised to read the rest. This is something which I would like to do on my magazine, as I think that it looks very effective.

The band which is being interviewed is ‘The Teenagers’. This is the largest font on the page and is attention grabbing. The font is very plain and is not like a logo; however it is different from the rest of the font on the page so stands out.  

On the far right hand side of the page there is a section called ‘What everyone is talking about’. This section is a contrasting colour to the other half of the page, which contains the interview of the band. The writing on both sides are contrasting to the backgrounds, this centralises the interview and makes the writing look shorter. This has been done because as the magazine targets both males and females and as male readers prefer short stories with little writing and many photographs, this suits the target audience well. There are many multi-coloured images on this section, all of which are associated with the stories above them and balances the page of colour from the left page which has a large colourful image.

The main image covers the whole of the left hand side of the double page spread. The image is colourful, with 3 males lying on a bed (the band members). They look relaxed and are wearing the same colour clothing as the writing and background of the magazine. Behind the bed are photographs of young adults, mainly females with very little clothing. This shows that the men feel that women like men who are famous and that women are a big part of their lives. The photograph is taken at a high angle and means that you are looking down on the band members; this shows that they are still small in the world of women however the other image of the band on the page is taken at a low angle looking up at the band, while they are playing at a gig. This shows that in the world of music the band is popular and making it large.

The interview section of the double page spread gives the questions from the interviewer and the answers from the band. The writing is small and compact, yet still large enough to read. The font is simple and easy to read. The font is in block with some jagged edges, which keeps it informal, like the audience they are trying to target.

Content Page Analysis (Q Magazine)

There is a black banner across the top of the page, which contains the masthead and the words ‘contents’ this shows the reader what the page contains and what magazine it is from. It also contains the date the issue was released this is all informative.

The main image is band on a hillside. The band look relaxed. On the image there is a block of white, which has the information on it, which tells you who the band is and what page you can find them on. 

Below this there is a ‘Q review’. This is set out in the same way as the banner on the top of the page. This shows a uniformed layout, which readers will associate with Q magazine. The review is something that I have not seen on any other contents page, this is something that readers will also associate with this magazine.

There is two sections to the contents of the magazine, features and every month. These are very explanatory in themselves. They enable the reader to find what they are looking for every easily. They especially make it easy for people who read the magazine monthly with the ‘every month’ section. On the featured section there is a ‘Oasis special’, this is in a fancy font, which draws your attention towards it. The black writing on the white background makes it look very formal and is easy to read. The majority of the font is very similar to the front page, which keeps continuity throughout the magazine, likewise with the use of the house colours (red, black and white).

Content Page Analysis (NME)

This is a contence page from NME, this is clearly visible by the large title. It uses to words ‘this week’ instead of contence page as this is more informal method.

There is a section called ‘Band Index’. This is a section which has all the names of the bands and the pages where they can be found. This is for easy navigation of the magazine and makes it user friendly.

On the right hand-side of the page there is the list of the contence in the magazine. These are split into sections, which again are easy to find specific pages.

The colours of the page are the same as the front page of the magazine which I analysed. This keeps continuality throughout the magazine. The blocks of colour attract attention and these are they key points that are the most important on the page. This includes the subscription section. This is a key point on the page, and attracts repeat business. It is a different colour from the rest of the magazine, and is the second focal point on the page.

There is a main story in the middle of the page; this image is the only one on the page other than the one advertising the subscription. It is large and eye catching, yet is still in similar colours to the rest of the page using red, white and black. The image shows a band playing live, with a story beneath about the band. It is very short and can be ready quickly. This is a taster of what the rest of the magazine contains, and fills out the space nicely.

The layout of the page works with the two thirds rule. This means that all the different section of the magazine can fit into a two by three grid with the main focal lines on the lines of the boxes. This is a good way of using the line of sight to get consumers to see what you want them to in a certain order.    

The font used is very simplistic and not over fancy. It is therefore easy to read and matches their target audience of teenage males and females. The font looks professional and informative and is in a similar style to the logo. This means that when you see this type of text, you immediately associate it with the magazine.  

Double Page Spread Analysis (NME)

 

The main image takes over the whole of the second page; the pose is very masculine and strong and the clothing matches. The use of colour matches the house colours of Q magazine. However on this page there is very little use of red writing, so the red of her shirt stands out. She is looking directly into the camera; this shows she has power over the audience. The camera is at eye-level so the reader feels like they can relate to her.

The use of font in the quote shows attitude and a masculine side to Lily Allen, which is the view that the magazine is trying to get across, that she is a strong independent woman. This font is used often in blackmail and other illegal activities, and lack identity.

In the introduction to the interview ‘Lily Allen is in bold and red, this captures the attention of the reader and easily shows who the interview is off, if the reader was uncertain.

The interview is in blocks, which makes it look formal and informative. There is not much writing, which will attract a both a male and female audience. As the magazine attracts both males and females, this is an advantage.

The page layout fit into the rule of 2/3. This magazine double page spread follows the conventions of magazines, as the writing is on the left hand side, with the bottom right hand corner with no important information in, as this s the last place people look on a page.

Main Task

For our main task we have to create the following of a music magaine:-
 A front page
A contence page
A double page spread
We can choose any genre and target any age group!

Preliminary Front Cover

This is the front cover of my school magazine

From the original image a lot of manipulation on photoshop has been done. This is to make the image of the school more appealing and to make the pupil look more professional. I got rid of some of the less attractive buildings i the back ground and replaced them with excess sky and grass. This is to make the pupils of the school see the buildings in a new light, a more attractive one.
The pose is rexaled and she looks very approachable and friendly. She is looking into the camera and smiling, it shows that she is inviting the reader to talk to her and fo them to hear what she has to say. Her clothing also adds to this effect, as she looks relaxed yet caring.

For the two puffs I have decided to back them with block colour. This draws attention towards them and makes them stand out. I chose two diffrent shapes as they work together and  follow the shape of the pupil. For the contence of the puffs I decided to write about gossip, news and freebies. This shows that the magazine contains a vareity of content and will appeal to a wider audience. I chose to put the word 'us' is black to contrast against the other colours, as this makes it feel exclusive to the magazine, which it is. 'Affair in music dept.' this is a very straight forward puff and looks very professional and reliable. This would encourgae readers to believe the content of the magazine to be the truth and to trust the magazine.

There is no price or date on the magazine, this is one way which I feel improvment would be needed to make it look more like a professional magazine.

Development of Prelim Task

These are a handful of the image I took around the school. The majority of the images incude a pupil, these are the ones from which I will choose a main image, however I took other image so that I could use them also on the front page, nect to the puffs that to they relate.

This is the original image that i took and decided to use as my main image. I am going to make the magazine similar to my mock-up as I believe that this will look good.

I then cropped the image to get rid of excess sky and grass. Therefore the image is more focused on the pupil. There is still room around the pupil to have 'puffs' and other information about the magazine such as mast head.

I changed the curves of the image, this made the image brighter and more appealing.  

I went further and changed the levels, to make the image more professional.

I then decided to get rid of some of the buildings in the background as they were distracting. I filled the gap with more grass and sky. This is to make the school seem rural and in touch with nature.

I then chnaged the colour of the sky from a grey colour to a light blue. This makes the image brighter and a happier atmosphere.

I then added some cloudes in the sky and changed the shade of the sky to make it look more natural.

I added a litle 'smithdon weekly' and a catch line. The font I chose for the mast head looks neatly hand written, which i believe works well for a school magazine. This font is notmuch in the magazine, thisis so it will look like a logo, which people will establish with the magazine. The catchline tells the comsumer what the magazine is about and encourages them to buy it. I chose 'bringin' u closer to the newz and $candal' becuase the language is often used with younger pupils and they can relate to it. I chose news and ascandals as pupils will find them exciting and intresting. It will also give people something to talk about together.

I used a freebie of 'free exam tutition' to intise customers. Using the block colour as a background, this puff is bold and stands out.

The colours I have used are associated with the school. This gives pupils a link to the school.

The main storyline is about an interview with the head girl. This is the 'top' pupil in the sixth form and is looked up to and admired by the lower pupils.

I change the colours of the main story to red and blue as the 'head girl' is now more of a title.

I also chnaged the freebie, to free music tuition, as to most pupils this would be more exciting and intreserting than exam tuition.

I also added a barcode to the bottom left hand corner, this follows the conventions of a magazine as it is the last place a consumer looks on the front page.

I put the catch line on a slant, which follows the school building, this attracts the audience as they are easy going and relaxed.

I changed the size and rotated the barcode, this is becuse i felt it was hiding too much of the image.

I also added an extra puff to the front to show the comsumer that there is both news and gossip in the magazine, like the catch line quotes.