Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Double page spread 2


This is a double page spread from a magazzine called NME. like in Kerrang and MixMag this is also the first double page spead of the main story on the front cover of the magazine. This article is about how the womon in the picture (Florence Welsh) has conquered the USA with her new song 'you've got the love' but she is very angree with her self. like in mixmag they have only used one picture that is spread over both pages as an interpritation of the article. The picture is of a women sitting on what looks to be a US flag layed over some stacked up boxes. i think that the message that they are tring to imitate with this is the conquuring part of the USA. the stacked up boxes act as a podium and the US flag over it astablishes that it is the USA. she is dressed wearing all black- to wear black is kind of a gothic look and the steriotypical view of goths is that they like to berry thier feelings inside them. this could be them trying to imitate her feeling through what she is wearing. also her hair is all over her face and her expresion is very dull this also helps to show the reader that she is hiding her hair and is quite unconfortable. in the back ground behind her it has a big 'USA' and then infront of it over the A it has, 'got the love.' i think that this picture works very well with the picture and the article. once again like in MixMag they have used play on words to create the name of the title. as Florence's new song is called 'you've got the love' and the article is saying how she conquured the USA with it by putting them together it cleverly creates the title USA got the love. the picture has been cleverly taken so that there is a gap in it with a white background designed forn the text to be added over. this is a very good technique as it helps to blend the writing with the opicvture but by having black text on a white background it also helps to make it stand out.


The layout of this double page spreasd is very simurlar to MixMag it has the title in the top right hand corner and the start of the article in the bottom right hand corner. also it has a brief summery of what the article is about under the title and like in Mix Mag they have wrote it like a question. finally they have used a big D to state the start of the article. this was also done in Mix Mag and NME. in the bottom right hand corner it also has the page number, date and the NME logo. to put the logo and the number in my magazine on each page could be a good idea because then it get people familiar with it helping to boosdt the identity of the magazine. the writing has been layed out in colums and is the smallest text on the page. the font used for the main text is very easy to read and simple. this is a good idea because it then doesnt draw the attention away from the picture and also it makes it easy reading for the reader. i need to be carful that i dont use a to confusing font for my article because it might put the reader of reading it.


over all i think that this double page spread is alot like how MixMag layed thiers out down to the pictures and the text. i like the way they have used a double meening on the title and tried to mix the picture and the text together by deliberatly leaving a gap in the picture for the text.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Double page spread 1

The Double page spread has a large picture which takes up lots of dead space which shows that the artist is important. In the top right of the second page it says 'Access all areas' this is an alliteration so easier to reader for audience and also that Q has an exclusive conversation on the artist and it methaphorically means they are a VIP which implies they go and get information which fans normally dont get, therefore people may want to read the article more because of this. The heading 'Danger! Shakira at work' is a play on words from danger buliders at work, this implies that the article Shakira is producing music and the picture highlights this.

Her pose is unnatural and she is clearly posing for the camera, she looks made up and glamorous and also quite vulnerable yet sexy. This contrasts to the more natural, laid back and everyday typical Shakira in the main picture. This particular article appears to be aimed more at women as it shows Shakira as an admirable powerful woman and the second picture, although she is naked, she is not exposing herself or trying to be particularly sexual therefore she does not look subservient and seems to stand up for women.

The commanding word ' Danger!' Gets the audience attention and may suggest that watch out competition and haters, Shakira is making brillant music that you should listen to. Most readers will just flick through the pages and only digest the pictures and headings, soo by showing a quote from the article it attracts the reader to the article due to the quote identifies the main, interesting part of the article. The picture has a large depth of field which shows the audience production material in the background which demonstrates and implies she is hard working at her job, and indicates what the text is about. We can tell that this article is aimed at the female audience due to they can relate to the teaxt because the smaller picture is her in a more glamourous photoshoot whilst the other, main photo is here at work this contrast shows that sterotypically women have to sides to them, working at their day to day job and getting dressed up to party on a night out.

Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Contents page 2


The contents page is used to inform the readers what is featured in the magazine and helps promote the magazine. ‘Q’ uses images on their contents page to notify to the readers who will be appearing inside the magazine. The use of limited colours (black, white and red) allows the magazine to look organised and catches the reader’s eye. 


The magazine contents page has the typical conventions you’d expect to find on other magazine content pages. Some of these distinctive conventions are; the name of the magazine and the date. The use of repetition of the magazine name allows the readers to remember the name whilst going through the magazine. The date reinforces how current the issue is. Other conventions are the use of image and the amount of colour used on the contents page. As mentioned before the use of images highlight who will appear within the magazine and attract the readers further once seeing the front cover. The use of limited colours (black, white and red) appeals to their target audience both male and female of an older generation. The white text is based on a black background and the black text is based on a white or red background, this allows the writing to stand out and looks well structured. The colours white and red also link to the colours used to create the magazine brand name ‘Q’ allowing the readers to remember the name of the magazine. The titles (contents, features, oasis special, every month and review), help separate sections, making it easier for the readers to find information they want quickly. The two titles, features and every month, are conventional on a contents page, as they are usually laid out like this. Catching sell lines listed under the titles such as; ‘Bobby Gillespie looks back on his rock’n’roll CV’ which is marked under the title features, grabs the reader’s attention and encourages them to read on to find out the full story. 



The title Oasis special, further down the page suggests the unique selling point of the magazine. This enables the magazine to attract more audience as it features information that no other magazine will have. ‘Oasis picture special’ with the word ‘exclusive’ written below it reinforces the fact that this magazine has photos that are one of a kind. The fact that the copy is black and gold instead of the three usual colours used (black, white and red) helps the section stand out and appeal to the targeted audience. The title ‘Every month’ creates a regular and unique selling point for consistent buyers of the magazine ‘Q’, this allows the audience to identify with the magazine. 



The main image takes up most of the space on the contents page. The image consists of the band ‘The Courteeners’, who are casually standing on a hill top. The long shot allows us to see the mise-en-scene; all four males are casually dressed in jeans and three of the males are wearing t-shirts and one is wearing a shirt allowing the audiences to identify with them. The band specialise in rock’n’roll and it is ironic that they are wearing dark colours as musicians within this genre tend to dress causal and in dark clothing. The band is not mentioned under any titles which propose the wide range of content in the magazine. Directly below the main image is a section titled Review. Here we see another image which is smaller, of Nick Cave who is leaning against as large white pillar. Unlike The Courteeners, Nick Cave is dressed smart in a suit reinforcing the wide range of content which is shown in the magazine. A smaller caption, alongside the title Review, states ‘The world’s biggest and best music guide’. This connotes, the magazine has another unique selling point, and allows the audience to have a close look at what is featured within the review. This could be another aspect of the magazine that interests and appeals to the audience. 



At the top of the page under the issue/date of the magazine, is a website and Myspace address for the magazine. This suggests ‘Q’ have had to become a convergence industry as more and more consumers using the internet to view magazines online. The Myspace web address connotes the magazine is able to provide for it audience by allowing them to listen to music via the internet.

Friday, 28 January 2011

Contents page 1


This contents page from the NME magazine is very detailed as with all the other NME magazines are. The title is in a very large font and the word 'NME' follows a house style because it is the same as the front cover, therefore readers are able to familiarize with the magazine. the tagline is the date of issue so readers know they are looking at the relevant news of the time.

The contents page helps relate to the target audience because they use typical colours which boys like such as red and black. Therefore this can help boost sales if potential customers feel they are reading a magazine for them. NME have decided not to include an editor’s letter which most magazines normally have. I think they chose to do this because their target audience of boys are less likely to read it. Therefore this is an advantage for NME as it enables them to include more information about music.

They have a separate index for all the bands mentioned in the issue, this is clearly set out in a long straight list. As boys wouldn’t enjoy searching through the pages trying to find out about their favourite band, this allows them to find where they are in the magazine straight away. I think NMEs target audience would appreciate this a great deal; consequently it could help attract more customers. They have placed a very large picture of a band in the middle of the page which automatically stands out and catches the reader’s attention. The band is also well known so it is likely this will help grab the reader’s attention because they want to know about their favourite bands. The contents page is split into 5 different headings, ‘news, radar, reviews, live and features.’ By using this technique, customers are able to jump straight to the pages they want without having to search through the magazine. NME have placed a subscribing offer at the bottom of the page which is very bold. The offer would benefit NME because readers would appreciate having to pay less for the magazines, as a result they will keep buying NME.




Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Front Cover Analysis 3


This magazine is also specialised in  r&b. Q was first published in October 1986, founded by  Mark Ellen and David Hepworth. The Q magazine has a masthead which uses the colours red and white. The use of red helps to make the magazine more eyecatching. The main cover line is linked to the key image on the magazine which is 'red hot chilli peppers'. The reason the main cover line is big is because it attracts consumers to the magazine. The sell line underneath the 'red hot chilli peppers' has alliteration in it as well as a rhetorical question. This implies that the magazine wants the consumers to think about the question and attract us to the wierd question, which is quite sexual. Many magazines have the sell line 'world exclusive!' and this is now a typical sell line.


Looking at the main image of the four men standing with a mysterious look on their faces , you can see they look quite intense and as some people would say 'crazy'.