Analysis of a double page spread for a music magazine















Colour: The main colours used on this double page spread are yellow, green, black and white. The black and white images show that they were taken in the past and makes the target audience see what there favourite genre of music was like in the 80's. The spikey block yellow colour gives the page an edge and gives of the rock vibe to the reader, using the green with the yellow makes the double page spread look busy and profrssional and also interesting to look at.

Design:The images are placed at the top of the page and run along the whole width of the two pages. The text is then stituated below the images and look it looks very neat, simlar to the previous music magazines the text is in columns and looks interesting to read rather than one big paragrpah of writting. The font is very small but larger if it is more important, such as the star on the left hand side with a black background and white writting is different as it is an interesting and important piece of information.

Images: The images featured are of punkbands in the past at gigs they played at, this is interesting for the target audience if they wern't around when this genre performed at these locations. One image shows a poster advertising a concert they put on in the 80's which is a interesting piece of memorabila.

Pose, Hair style, Make-up: The pose at the concert shows the band interacting with the audience showing their appreciation to the fans, the fans are exciting to see them play and to be up close with the music they enjoy. The hair style is in a mohawk which we associate with rock stars, the army style strips on the face indicate a strong chracter and matches his strong pose. This tells me that the singers make-up should match there pose and hair style so it shows off their personality and link to their genre of music.

How are the words used: The title of the story is 'The Stories' in a wacky font, the title tells us that it is going to be about the stories of rock and punk bands of the past and the images also make this link. The image of the poster reads "The dead Kennedy's" which gives of the image of a scary band and this wording is focused on in the photograph. There is use of different fonts and font sizes to keep the reader interested in reading the story, i think this works very well as readers will not get bored.

Language: The language stands out as it is not simplistic, it relates to the target audiences way of thinking and talking which is a great feature to make them buy the magazine.

Overall impression-How effective is the double page spread? This double page spread is very effective and is very bright attracting the target audience to read the story. I think it is a good idea to use lots of imagery as people like to look at pictures of the bands they like similar to Q magazines double page spread. Readers that have been addressed and represented are those who enjoy the rock bands music and lifestyle and this comes across in the photos and text.

Analysis of a double page spread for a music magazine













Colour: The main colours used on the double page spread are black and white, the brighter colours are in the artists make-up and accessories. This is done to make it look like a newspaer article making it seem very importent news about this new artist. The text is black and small drawing area attention to the huge image of the artist. The colours green and pink the image clash with each other and make it look bright. Again this makes the audience focus on the image rather than the text.

Design: The text and image are kept seperate from each other but we know they are connected as the image takes up more than the whole page and spills over to where the text is stiuated. A simple times new roman font has been used for the main story in the style of a newspaper article. However the artists name on the image is huge with the colour green highlighted the first letter of the name. As i said previously this is another feature to draw the readers eye to the image first before reader the article so we can see who we are reading about. Similar to Q magazine There is a quote in larger black text on the bottom of the left hand page. This shows that this piece of text is more important than other pieces of the story.

Images: There is one image on the double page spread which is the artist, it takes up 2/3's of the pages making the reader spot it as soon as they turn onto the page. In the background of the image the singer is surrounded by musical instruments showing that the story is focused on her music. She is also siting the wrong way round on a chair which looks like a speaker again indicating the importance of music to this new artist.

Pose, Hair style, Make-up: The pose of the artist is casual but yet completly different to other poses i have seen. The hand placed on her sunglasses makes the image seem as though there is movement. The singer is also at an angle as though she is falling of the chair making the reader work out what she is doing. As the clothing colour is dark it blends in with the hair colour and therfore the hair is almost unseen, although the hair is down no work has been done to it as it is swept back of the face and the bright green glasses are the focus. The pink lipstick clashes with the green glasses and make the artists face stand out from the dark image. Again this make the reader see who the artist is before they begin reading about her.

How are the words used: The larger the text the more important the words are and this is a pattern in all the music magazines i have analyzed. There is no clear title to the story which is different from the other music magazines, the artist name on the image looks like it could be the title as it is so big but rather than it being at the top of the page it is in the center of the image. This makes it different from other magazines and theefore people will be interested as it is a completly new layout.

Language: The Green 'M' is used on the image and this colour corrosponds to the green writting on the opposite page. This gives the artists real name and not her stage name, this makes the reader feel like they know the artist better and that my reading the article they can learn more about her and her music.

Overall impression-How effective is the double page spread? To make the double page spread more effective i would use more images of the artist so we can see her in different locations and settings. By doing this it would make the double page spread slightly more interesting to look at. Although it does represent the target audiences interest of dark clothing and music insruments making them read the article.

Analysis of a double page spread for a music magazine















Colour: Throughout this magazine the colours used have been consistant and we can see this from the front cover and contents page. The Big red letter C is eye catching and shows you that this is very important as it is all about Cheryl Cole. The colour white and balck is also a big part of the double page spread, The white background makes the darker images lift off the page, the dramactic image on the right hand side shows the reader, the artists style. The red text in the bottom left hand corner also draws attention to itself as it stands out from the tiny black text across the whole of the page. By changing the size and colour of this quote it shows that it is the artists words and that it is worth reading,

Design: I like this design with the image taking up a whole page and text on the other, it also fills alot of white blank space and therefore looks very professional. The bold red text in the bottom left hand corner is special compared to the smaller times new roman text which is places across the whole width on the left hand page. Automatically the reader will generally read the red text first and then read the main article to see what context the quote was in.

Images: The image on the left page overlaps the big red letter this links the page together and shows that it all relates to one another. In the smaller image it carrys through the effect of the cover of the magazine, the rain affect on the artist relate to the rain on her on the cover again this tells the audience that it is the same artist and from the same shoot.

Pose, Hair style, Make-up: The pose's of both images are striking and impressive, the crazy pose the artist is doing shows through the singers personality and makes the reader feel like they know the artist. The hair style is similar in the two images, it gives the effect that her hair is blowing in the wind and it also shows of her bold make-up as the hair is off her face. The red lipstick and black eyliner and eye shadow corospond to the colour of the text making the double page spread join together.

How are words used on the double page spread: The large red C siginifies the artists first name and cleverly a smaller black C is positioned beside it, this is the artists initials and is a very smart idea. This allows the reader to see who the story line is about in rare way tempting the audience to read the article and find out more about the singer.

Language: The title of the page is the artists name but rather than using the conventional capital letters the first name is in lower case and the last name is in bold. This seprates it from other magazines and makes the reader think why have they done this?

Overall impression-How effective is the double page spread: The double page spread is laid out extremely well and is very precise with its lay out. The large amount of text is interesting to read and the images attract the target audience of older teens as they enjoy the pop music genre.

Analysis of music magazine contents page














Colour: The colour used in the images on the contents page contrasts to the image used on the
cover. Brighter images of the band are used creating a fun ora of the band. The colour and font of the artists name is the same creating a consisted theme in the magazine. It creates a happy and upbeat impression of the band and that they like to enjoy thmeselves as well as focusing on their music.

Design: The design is quite busy but it doesn't look overcrowded. The font is very neat and small and is well organised into categories making it easy for the reader to find their way through the magazines. The images are once again the focus of the contents page rather than the text. There are serval images located in the middle of the page and fill the whole width of the double page. Similar font is used on the contents from the cover, scrible writing is used showing a laid back feel to the band.

Images: The images are the main focus of the contents page similar to Q and NME's music magazine. The band is featured in different locations showing different sides to the band, this makes the target audience relate to them and see them as down to earth artists. The images represented the target audience of teenagers intrested in rock/punk music.

Pose, hair style, Make-up: The images show the band and different locations while they have been together. It shows them having fun and performing to crowds as well as chilling out together, this shows that the band are focused on both their music and getting on well with each other. By doing a range of pose's at different locations the target audience can see that they like to have fun as well as making their fans enjoy their music. They all have a different hair style showing their individuality and in some photos are wearing black eyeliner which is part of the rock image.

How are the words used: There is a masthead at the top of the page reading the bands name 'Green Day' and below this a smaller piece of text saying 'contents' this shows that the most important word is Green Day and that this page is all about them. This suggests that the whole magazine is focused on them, also the title of 'meet the band' shows that we get to learn about the band as individuals and the audience will like this as they can read in detail about there favourite genre.

Language: All the different font and tesxt sizes attracts the reader as it doesnt look the same and makes it exciting to look at and read. The names for the stories featured in the magazine are very unusual and exciting to read. Such as 'having a blast' makes the reader want to find out where they were having fun and see pictures of there favourite genre of music.

Overall impression - how effective is the contents page: The contents page is very colourfull and interesting to look at. By adding lots of pictures to the contents page it makes the reader stay on the page for longer looking in more detail at what the magazine includes. The page is quite effective as it draws the readers attention with the crazy text style and images of the band from their early days to current.

Analysis of music magazines contents page

Colour: There is not alot of colour within the contents page and only the image adds slight colour to it. This relates to the audiences style and preference, the indie genre is normally associated with dark colours and the colours of the clothes in the image show this. This creates the impression of the indie genre and the audiences style.

Design: The design of the contents is very simplistic, one trend i have noticed simlilar to Q magazine not all the stories in the magazine are listed on the contents, this will help me to design my contents page. The stories are located on the left hand side of the page making the image the main focus (another similarity to Q magazine). The main feature of the magazine has a summary of the article on the image in the top right hand corner. This draws the readers eye to it and directs them to the page where the story continues. By putting the summary on the image it tells the reader that it is about the image.

Images: There is only one main image on the contents page, which takes up at least 3/4 of the contents. The clearly shows the reader that this band is the main feature of this issue and is worth reading about. Also the summary about the image is in a different colour to the rest of the red colour storylines, making it exciting to look and find out about.

Pose, hair style, Make-up: The artist in the image are in a very casual, laid back pose portraying there image. None of them are making eye contact with the camera giving us the impression there chilling out behind the scenes making music. They are all using music equitment showing that they are very focused on what they do. Their hair styles are very sharp and well styled and take care of there appearance. No make up is used that is prominent that stands out. This tells the audience that the band look after themselves although they have a laid back image.

How are the words used: The word "snapshot" is writen as the masthead of the page, this is very clever as it tells the reader this is a brief outline of what the image includes and also links with the shot of the band below the title. There is a promotion about the magazine at the bottom of the page which can intrest the reader in suscribing to the magazine and the magazine will gain regular readers.

Language: I think that the word "snapshot" address' the reader and is a exciting phrase that makes the reader look at the image and see what is inside the magazine. Also the "albums for 2010" in colour makes this storyline stand out and is advising the reader to look out for certain albums this year.

Overall impression - How effective is the contents page: The contents page goes into detail about features in the magazine which is a good indication of what they can find inside to the reader. The photo is designed to appeal to the audience and the genre of music they like while representing their interests. This make the target audience buy the magazine as they can see that it includes features they like.

Analysis of music magazines contents page














Colour: The colours on the contents page are those that corospond with the colours used on the cover of Q magazine.By using red and black images and writing the reader instantly can associate this with the cover and knows it is part of Q magazine. The colours also add a dramatic affect to the images on the contents page. The masthead of the magazine is of the same font and colour on the cover keeping a constant image of the magazine and the audience will reconigse this house style.

Design: The images are the main focus of the double page contents, and only the main stories are featured on the contents. The stories and there page numbers are stiuated on the left hand side and the right hand side, making the design mirror each other and look simple and professional. The placing of the pictures is unusual but fun and intrests the reader to focus on them as they are so large and are placed across the center of the fold in the page.

Images: The bigger the picture the more importance it has to the magazine and interest of the reader, for example Cheryl Cole is the biggest picture as she was featured on the cover and is their main story for this issue. The different sized imagery also gives a futuristic and modern feel to the magazine.

Pose, hair style, make-up: The poses of the artist in the images are wild but they seem as though it is natural for the artist to be doing this. The pose is done to show of Cheryl Coles dramatic outfit and giving her a new image. The make up of the artist either matches their outfit or the colours of the magazine which makes the magazine its own brand and has its certain colours associated with it alowing the audience to reconise Q magazine.

How are the words used: There is a masthead running across both pages of the contents page showing what the page is about. The short description of the stories make the reader interested and makes them want to read the rest of the story, theh large page numbers directs them srtaight to the page. Again the bigger the wording indicates the magazine wants the reader to focus on them, the bold page numbers on the large images show that they are the most important stories in the magazine.

Language: By having a summary of the story underneath the plugs inticies the audience to turn to the page quickly so they can find out more. The titles about stories tells the readers what is a regular in the magazine and what is speacial and new to the magazine.

Overall impressions how effective is the contents page: The contents page is very effective by showing the reader the big stories, although it does not indicate what is on every page of the magazine. It continues to appeal to its target audience with dramatic appealing images. Young teenagers are intrested by the well know celebrities and singers this is done as this audience know the celebrities and therefore want to read the magazine.

Analyzing music magazines

Colours: The colours used are mainly black and white, this seems like an angry front cover. The puff has a green background and black writing making it stand out from the rest of the imagery on the cover. This signifies the importance of the information in the puff.

Design: There is minimal text on the cover making the image the main focus. There is scribble type writing in black font around the image giving the information about the band. By writing in this unusual text it makes the cover stand out and interesting to read what the scribbles say. The large silver masthead writing clearly shows the name of the magazine and stands out as this is the only silver writing on the cover. The bold white writing at the bottom of the magazine i
ndicates the bands name and show that they are the main feature. Also the plug in the top left hand third tells the reader that this issue of the magazine is a special edition which means it is rare and more copies of the magazine are likely to be sold. There is also a strapline at the bottom of the magazine which is different from the previous magazines i have analyzed. The bold red background and simple font used advertises a prize to be won and the strapline tells the reader that this is exciting.

Images: Green day are a Rock band and are the only image on the front cover. As the plug indicates the magazine is a special edition and tells the reader that the whole magazine contents is about the band. The image of the band represents the target audience which is older teenagers that listen to rock bands and are interested in the band itself.

Pose, hair style, make-up: The pose of the band indicates the rocker lifestyle of black leather jackets and messy hair. Two of the men are wearing black eyeliner adding to their image of rockers and relating to the target audiences image. The pose also shows that they are a hard, strong male band and portray this by crossing there arms and kneeling down giving the feel they are looking straight at you.

How are words used on the cover: The font and style of the words on the cover relate to the genre of the magazine. They are very loud and bold words that run across the whole width of the magazine, this makes the magazine stand out from the rest of the music magazines on the shelf. The strapline runs across the bottom of the magazine advertising a prize to be won intriguing the reader as they think they could be in with a chance of winning a cd of the featured band.

Language: The Puff in the top left hand corner on the left hand third tells the audience that it is a special edition. This shows that it is a rare magazine and a one off. This language indicates the contents of the magazine and that it is purely based on the band on the front. The wording underneath the bands name reads "How three punks took over the planet" this shows the bands personality and the type of genre they are based on, this will therefore incourage readers who listen to punk/rock music purchase the magazine.

Overall impression-how effective is the front cover: The overall impression of the cover is effective as it has reached its aim of showing the reader who it is aimed at. The colours, fonts and images all link together to produce a really effective rock image. The cover tells us that the whole contents of the magazine is about the band and who is is designed to appeal to the audience. By using the black leather jackets in the artists it represents the audience intrest in fashion as well as music. All these effects really attract the target audience of older teenagers.

Analyzing music magazines

Colours: Similar to Q magazine NME uses the colours red and black as well as white. These colours give the impression of an indie music genre, the dark colours in the main image also add to this feel of indie. The masthead of the magazine is on a black background with red writing making the title of the magazine stand out and attract the audience. The puff in the top hand corner has a yellow background and grabs the readers attention, this signifies the importance of the information within the puff.

Design: The image is the top half of the magazine and the large text takes up the rest of the cover situated at the bottom of the front cover. The larger writing shows the important story lines the magazine has inside. NME also has a strapline across the top of the magazine advertising their most exciting story they have in this issue. The title is on the left side third, the simple font indicates it is not a up market magazine.

Images: There is lots of artists and bands bundled together to make one large image. The image of artist are all of the same genre 'Indie' targeting an audience who listen to this genre of music. The puff in the top right hand corner advertises well know festivals which links in with the target audience as this is the kind of genre that play at the festivals.

Pose, hair style, make-up: The pose's of the artist are very casual and don't look like they have been made to stand in a certain way which is the style the audience follow. The dark clothing and minimal make-up give the impressions of the laid back style. The artists hair styles look natural showing its all about the music, the pictures of the guitars also show this.

How are the words used on the cover?: The title is on the left hand third with the strapline running across the top. By reading the strapline the audience knows the contents of the magazine. The large eye catching text located at the bottom of the magazine is hard to miss and shows even more of the contents of the magazine. The text is easily read from a distance drawing the reader to see what is inside to influence them to purchase the magazine.

Language: The 2010 text indicates its latest issue of the NME magazine. It addresses the reader by telling them what is featured and the list of artists is a quick effective way to do this. The simple language is quick and easy to read and gets the point across without taking up the whole of the cover with text. The dramatic writing that reads '2010' is the main text that is focused on for a reason. The reason being this is the main story of this issue and by writing it so large it shows how important it is.

Overall impression - how effective is the front cover?: The overall impression is a detailed magazine cover and is effective by creating a cover that attracts its target audience. A wide range of indie bands is used on the front cover with text to show stories about them and other bands inside. The cover is effective as it appeals to anyone who enjoys indie music and this is clearly shown in the image and text. My having the plugs and puffs on the front of the magazine is shows phrases that will grab the attention of customers that attend festivals and thus creating a wider audience and boosting the magazines status.

Analysing music magazines

Colours: This music magazine uses the colours black and red to corospond with the artists make up. The image creates a provocative feel to the cover and the colour red emphazises this. The artists new album is located at the bottom of the magazine which is called'Three words'. We associate this with love and again the colour red makes this more apprant, it also draws attention to the words and advertises the artists new album.

Design: The Masthead of the magazine is located in the left side third which helps to sell their magazines in traditional retail stores. The coverlines surround the image in the centre immediately draws the audiences attention to the artist. The title is very bold and takes up 1/3 of the width of the cover. The title has a sophisticated font style signifying that the magazine is upper class. The large red writting saying 'ROCKS' shows that they are exciting about this artist and telling the reader how great she is and other good way of marketing.

Images: Cheryl Cole is the artist on the cover and is normal associated with the pop band, Girls Aloud. This cover shows she is launching her solo carrer and tells the audience this with her new song and album name located underneath the image. The focus is on the dark eyes and red lipstick which draws the audience in to the provocative image and magazine, which corresponds with the text colour. The image also shows who the target audience is as well as the coverlines, the target audience is older teens and early twentys who listen to current music in the charts.

Pose, Style, Hair and Make-up: The wet hair and red lipstick fits well with the colour theme on the cover, the rain falling on the artist gives the magazine a great style as it is unusual and different from other magazines like it on the shelves.

How are the words used on the cover?: The strapline runs across the top of the magazine telling us it is the biggest music magazine intriguing the reader to see why it is the best. By running these words across the top of the magazine it is clearly visable to the audience and starts the front cover off. The coverlines are stituated around the artist in bold writting keeping in with the colour theme and tell the reader what they can find in side that might intrest them. The coverlines include exciting artists that are well known and the target audience can realte to them. By putting the bold coverlines around the image the contents on the magazine can be identified immediately and are clearly visable. There is a puff used on the right hand side of the magazine drawing attention to an exclusive about John Lennon. This will stand out to the audience as no other magazine will have this story and by using a puff will signify the importance of the story.

Language: They use the artists song title below the image of her 'Three Words' but cleverly change it to describe the artist "Cheryl Cole ROCKS". This shows the reader the appreciation of the singer and that they should read it to find out why she rocks.

Overall impression - How effective is the front cover?: The magazine is well designed and gives plenty of information about what you can find inside the cover. The audience of the magazine is aimed at through the image ' a pop singer' and the artists talked about on the coverlines. The magazine is designed to appeal to older teenagers and young adults who listen to current artist's in the charts. Readers that are not intrested in pop music are unlikely to buy the magazine.