Music magazine double page spread - analysis: Kerrang!

Kerrang!

The title is a quote from a band member and states ‘We’re being the best MCR we can be!’ The use of a quote adds a personal feel and allows the reader to hear directly from the band. Three words within the heading are written in a white font and the rest is red to allow more important parts to stand out but both colours stand out in contrast to the black background. The font is a simple sans serif font but it appears distorted to link to the rebellious genre of the band. It is the largest and boldest font on the page to allow it to stand out to the reader and be noticeable to entice them to read the article on the page.

The image used is a live shot from a ‘My Chemical Romance’ concert and presents the lead singer, Gerard Way’, in a medium-long shot to show his body language and stance to represent his emotions while performing. The picture is greyscale to portray a moody, gothic theme to suggest the genre of the band. In terms of mise en scene, he is presented in dark coloured clothing with a sweeping fringe to cover his face to further emphasis the genre. The photograph has a caption beneath it to explain to the reader the purpose of the image. It is image dominated and contains little text.

The sub-heading states ‘My Chemical Romance invite Kerrang! to their recording studio…’ The band name is written in a bold font so it stands out to the reader and they are aware who the article regards. It is written in a sans serif font to suggest it is just as important as the heading. Also, it is bold and larger than the main article text so it stands out to the reader.

The smaller photos present mid close-ups of the band members working together and recording songs for their new album. This suggests they are passionate about what they do. These images are also black and white to portray a moody, gothic theme to suggest the genre of the band. These images are used to fill space on the page to make it appear less boring.

A buzz word has been used as they state it is a ‘World Exclusive’. This suggests to the reader they won’t find this information anywhere else so they must read the article. Alongside this feature, it states ‘News’ and shows a website for the reader to visit to discover more if they are intrigued by the content. ‘The Lowdown’ section stands out on the right-hand side of the double page spread as it is on a white background compared to the remaining black background. The word ‘lowdown’ implies they are stating previously unknown information which will intrigue the reader and make them wish to discover more.

The heading and sub-heading of the page are written in simple sans serif fonts so they are eye-catching. However, the main text of the article is a serif font and is written in a white-coloured font to stand out in contrast to the black background. Furthermore, the first letter of the article begins with a large, bold capital letter.

The colour scheme consists of black, white and red. As red is the brightest colour, it is used to present the more important or intriguing pieces of text to make them more noticeable to the reader. This also adds consistency to the magazine as this colour scheme will continue throughout each page.

There is little text on the page so a 2-column format is used to make it easy to read. Columns are more appealing in magazines as it is organised to be easier to read. This further fills in all blank space on the page to make it look less boring.

The page number is placed in the bottom right-hand corner of the page so that the page can easily be found according to the contents to eliminate confusion amongst the audience.

Music Magazine Double Page Spread - Analysis: Q

Music Magazine Double Page Spread - Analysis 

Q

The heading of the page is relatively simplistic. It simply states ‘Lady Gaga’ in a formal serif font. It is written in the largest, boldest font on the page so it stands out to entice fans of Lady Gaga. The word ‘Lady’ is written in lower case italics and the word ‘Gaga is written in capital letters. This could be due to the fact her name is so familiar and the word ‘Gaga’ will be recognisable to the reader. However, there is no sub-heading which could intrigue the reader to continue reading to discover the purpose of the article.

There is an A4 image of Lady Gaga on the left-hand side of the double page spread. The image has been edited from colour to greyscale. This allows the colour scheme to continue for consistency. However, it also adds an element of formality and sophistication to the article in an archaic form. It is a mid-shot of the artist to allow her relatively seductive pose to be highlighted. In terms of mise en scene, this is further emphasised as she is covered in chains with no clothes, dark eye make-up and tousled hair. Although her prominent genre is pop, this portrays her as a rock artist to entice a wider audience to read the article and discover more.

Many quotes are included within the article. This will appeal to the reader as it will provide a personal feel as they are reading a direct quote from Lady Gaga personally. It is written in chronological order as it describes her achievements throughout her career as an artist which will be a subject which will intrigue and entice her huge fan base to read the article.

The main font for the article is a serif font which portrays an element of sophistication to link to the classy genre of magazine. Furthermore, the first letter of the article begins with a large, bold capital letter. This letter is presented in the same font as the heading of the page to represent its importance and to entice the reader’s attention to read the article.

The colour scheme consists of red, black and white. This is the house style of ‘Q’ magazine. The red is incorporated through the use of a vibrant red ‘L’ placed behind the writing of the article. This emphasises the fact that the article is primarily about Lady Gaga but it also adds consistency to the magazine as it repeats the colour scheme throughout. Furthermore, the writing is black and the background is white to allow a dominant comparison between colours to be shown so it is easier to read.

The ‘Q’ magazine logo is placed in the bottom right-hand side corner of the page. It is shown in the consistent house style as it is on a red background and in a white font which allows it to stand out on the page due to the bright colours. The logo is on the page to allow the reader to become familiar with the magazine and recognise it to define that it is the official version.

The writing of the article is organised in a 3-column format. This allows a lot of writing to fit onto one page without appearing like an essay. Columns are more appealing in magazines as it is organised to be easier to read. This further fills in all blank space on the page to make it look less boring.

The page number is placed in the bottom right-hand corner of the page alongside the logo so that the page can easily be found according to the contents to eliminate confusion amongst the audience.

 

 

Music magazine contents - analysis: Billboard

Billboard

The title is written in large, bold capital letters and states ‘contents’ and is positioned at the top of the page so it is immediately noticeable. It is written in a font which possesses connotations of strength and solidity. It is written in a black colour against a white coloured background to allow it to stand out in contrast.

The magazine logo is present on the page. It is shown in the consistent house style as it is written in the iconic style with the primary colours involved which allows it to stand out on the page due to the bright colours. The logo is placed on the page to allow the reader to become familiar with the magazine and recognise it more often and so the magazine can define that it is the official version.

The magazine’s familiar slogan is included alongside the logo and it states ‘on the charts’ in capital letters. This is persuasive as it intrigues the reader to discover more about the charts. It is also memorable and will entice them to continue buying more issues of this magazine.

The page titles and numbers are organised into blocks to make it easier to read on the left-hand third of the page. They are in the form of a table; the page title in one column, the page number in the next, then a small description of what you can find on the page in the final column for ease of reading. The title and numbers are in bolder fonts to allow them to stand out to the reader.

The page descriptions are in the third column of the table to describe the articles which are exclusive to this issue of the magazine. They allow the reader to decide whether or not they wish to read the content on each page. The descriptions are intriguing and don’t give much away to entice the reader to discover more by reading the content.

The contents page is split into different sections depending on the content of each page. The sections include ‘Music’ and ‘Features’. The title of each section is written in a bold font to allow it to stand out. The sections allow the content to be organised to allow the reader to find their desired pages more easily.

The main image is larger than all other images on the page and it relates to the main story on the cover. It represents the prominent article which will attract fans of the artist to continue reading to discover more about her. The image has been photoshopped to remove the background so it can be placed on the white background of the contents page and fit in. There are also smaller images to relate to other pages from within the magazine to appeal to a wider audience and to draw more people’s attention to read the content.

The colour scheme consists of blue, grey and white. The blue colour is the brightest and most noticeable colour so it is used for the pieces of text which require to stand out the most. Furthermore, the colour scheme corresponds to the colour scheme of the front cover for added consistency.

All fonts used on the contents page are simple sans serif fonts to appeal to the target audience. However, the heading of each section is written in a bold, curly font to appear younger and appeal to the younger audience. Large, bold text is used for pieces of text that they wish to stand out so that they are more noticeable on the page.

Music magazine contents - analysis: Kerrang!

Kerrang!

The masthead states ‘contents’ to allow the reader to understand the purpose of the page. It is written on a black banner and in a yellow font at the top of the page as the colours stand out in contrast to make it noticeable. It is also written in the largest, boldest font to allow it to stand out on the page. Furthermore, it is written in an informal sans serif font to appeal to the audience as it appears to relate to the rock and metal style of music.

There is a column down the right-hand side of the page including the title of each page linked with its corresponding page number to allow the reader to immediately visit the pages they have most interest in. This eliminates confusion and enables the reader to understand what they can expect to be on each page. There are also a number of small images with page numbers beneath them so the reader can find the page with the relating image easily.

Beneath the smaller images, there are small descriptions describing what content the reader can find on the corresponding page. This will allow the reader to decide whether or not they wish to visit this page. The descriptions are intriguing and don’t give much away to entice the reader to discover more by reading the content.

The columns on the contents page are split into different sections depending on the content of each page. These sections include ‘News’, ‘Features’ and ‘Live Reviews’. The title of each section is written in a bold font and highlighted with a yellow colour to allow it to stand out. The sections allow the content to be organised to allow the reader to find their desired pages more easily and so they can easily find the content which interests them.

In terms of language, there is a quote beneath the heading from a band member. It is a comical quotation which relates to the laid back attitude of the magazine. It also provides a personal feel as they hear a direct quote from the band member personally.

There is a slightly larger image of the band ‘You Me at Six’ and this is the prominent image on the page. Each band member is using direct eye contact with the camera which acts as a personal pronoun as they are looking directly at the reader and personally and enticing them into the magazine. In terms of mise en scene, two of the band members are dressed as zombies which connotes to the brutal attitude of the band as they are a rebellious rock, metal band.

The colour scheme consists of black, white and yellow. The yellow colour is the brightest and most noticeable colour so it is used to highlight prominent and important pieces of text so they stand out to the reader.

All fonts used on the page are simple sans serif fonts. This will stereotypically appeal to the target audience as they are not interested in complex fonts and will be appealed by the simplicity. Furthermore, large bold text is used for pieces of text that they wish to stand out so that they are more noticeable on the page.

The contents page includes a note from the editor. This paragraph explains something the editor has done recently which relates to the genre of the magazine. This could interest the reader as they may wish to discover what the creators of the magazine discover while researching content to put in the magazine.

There is a feature in the bottom right-hand corner of the page which allows readers to subscribe to the magazine. This is being advertised to offer discounts on further purchases of the magazine to persuade the reader to apply for subscription and buy the magazine again as it will be cheaper to purchase.

Initial Draft Contents and Double Page Spread Photographs

These are all of the photographs from my first photoshoot for the images to be placed on the contents page or double page spread of the initial draft of my music magazine. From these photographs, I chose two for the initial draft contents page and double page spread of my magazine.

I used two of these photographs for the rough cut of my magazine on the contents and double page spread. However, after deliberation, I felt that they didn't show my full potential. They left too much blank space around them and I felt it would be more appropriate for me to include images with a detailed background to make the page appear more eventful and less boring.

 

Music magazine contents - analysis: Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops

Rather than being titled ‘contents’ the masthead states ‘Inside the mag…’ It is written in a white font in front of a fuchsia pink banner as a background to allow the text to stand out in contrast. The font is also an informal style as it appears hand written to appeal to the younger targeted audience. Furthermore, it is the largest piece of text on the page for added noticeability so it stands out to the reader.

There are large page numbers annotating the screenshot of the front cover to allow the reader to see where the articles which enticed them to buy the magazine can be found. Furthermore, in the columns of the three-column layout, there are titles for each page linked with its corresponding page number to allow the reader to immediately visit the pages they have most interest in. This eliminates confusion and enables the reader to understand what they can expect to be on each page.

Beneath each page title, a small description of what you can expect to be on the page is included to describe the articles which are exclusive to this issue of the magazine. This will allow the reader to decide whether or not they wish to visit this page. The descriptions are often intriguing and don’t give much away to entice the reader to discover more by reading the content. The more important and intriguing pieces of text are highlighted in yellow to draw the reader’s attention to this and entice them into the magazine.

The contents page is split into different sections depending on the content of each page. This makes it easier for the reader to find the content which they are most interested in. The titles of these sections are statements like ‘We <3 Shopping’, ‘We <3 Boys’ and ‘All About You’. These will stereotypically appeal to the target market of young teenage girls. The title of each section is written in a bold font and in a separate text box to allow it to stand out.

This contents page is text dominated but contains a number of smaller images. They have included a screenshot of the front cover. This is to allow the reader to refer back to any interesting stories they saw on the cover without having to find it again. The other images are of popular artists or groups like ‘One Direction’. They have a huge fan base and will entice their many fans to read the content of the magazine. They have also included smaller images of products like fashion accessories to appeal to the remainder of the target audience as they will, stereotypically, appeal to teenage girls.

The colour scheme consists of pink, white and yellow and corresponds to the colour scheme of the front cover for consistency. All of the colours used are bright and noticeable to entice the reader as the page will stand out to them. Also, they are colours that will stereotypically appeal to the target audience.

The majority of the fonts used on the page are simple sans serif fonts to appeal to the target audience. However, the heading of each section is written in a bold, curly font to appear younger and appeal to the younger audience. Large, bold text is used for pieces of text that they wish to stand out so that they are more noticeable on the page.

Music magazine contents - analysis: Vibe

Vibe

For the logo, there is a large white outline of the letter ‘V’ in the top left-hand corner of the page. The logo is placed on the page to allow the reader to become familiar with the magazine and recognise it more often and so the magazine can define that it is the official version.

For the title the word ‘contents’ is in a very large font, so large that it is required to be split up. It is written in the largest, boldest font to allow it to stand out on the page. Furthermore, it is written in a simple sans serif font to appeal to the younger targeted reader and generally make it easier to read. It is also written in a dominant colour contrast as it is in a white font against a black background to allow it to stand out for the reader for added noticeability.

There is a column down the right-hand side of the page including the title of each page linked with its corresponding page number to allow the reader to immediately visit the pages they have most interest in. This eliminates confusion and enables the reader to understand what they can expect to be on each page.

Beneath each page title, a small description of what you can expect to be on the page is included to describe the articles which are exclusive to this issue of the magazine. This will allow the reader to decide whether or not they wish to read the content on each page. The descriptions are often intriguing and don’t give much away to entice the reader to discover more by reading the content. Bold fonts are used to highlight the more intriguing words and statements to entice the reader to visit each page.

The contents page is split into different sections depending on the content of each page. The sections are ‘Features’ and ‘Fashion’. The title of each section is written in a bold font to allow it to stand out. The sections allow the content to be organised to allow the reader to find their desired pages more easily.

The contents page is image dominated which means the image takes over the majority of the page. It is superimposed over the masthead of the page to represent its importance. Ciara is using direct eye contact with the camera which acts as a personal pronoun as she is looking directly at the reader and personally and enticing them into the magazine. Front lighting is used to allow the model to appear lighter and stand out. The outfit of Ciara corresponds to the colour scheme as she is presented in a silver outfit for consistency. Furthermore, it is a large, page dominating image to allow the reader to understand this is the main article within the magazine to target fans of Ciara.

The colour scheme is primarily dull colours; black, white and grey. The background has been gradually shaded from black to white. The black fonts are written in front of the white background and the white fonts are written in front of the black background to allow them to stand out in contrast. Dominant contrasting colours have been used to emphasise more important pieces of text.

The main font appears relatively formal as it has swirls and flicks on the letters. It looks classy and suits the type of the fashionable magazine. However, the title is written in a simple sans serif font so it stands out to the younger intended audience.