Q magazine double page spread

This double page spread is set out in a very traditional way with all the text on one side and a large picture on the other, although this is a very clear layout and makes it easy for the reader it is also very boring and it can be tedious for readers when looking at a magazine with all the pages set out in a similar way. The blue colour scheme is followed through to this page but the red is replaced with a brown to add a bit of variety to the pages. The main title is written in blue in a clear font, and the word “round” is in italics to put emphasis on it and therefore intrigue the reader to find out why Chris Evans has been associated with alcohol. Below the title there is a small white box with Chris’s name in and a quick description of the article, this again follows the colour scheme and in a small font there are details of the writer and photographer responsible for article. In the middle of the page there is a quote in bold that has been taken from the text" I had a party on my own with absinthe. it was a very strange night" this quote especially draws the readers attention to the text and makes them want to find out what would make Chris Evans say this and result to drinking alone. The rest of the text is written in a basic black text. As this is an interview the questions are bold with Chris’s answers below. the text is written in a friendly style and flows nicely this style of writing makes the reader feel like they were there and more in touch with Chris Evans and his thought band feelings at the time. At the bottom of this page there is a blue border and below this is the page number, issue date and the web address so that readers can across other information about the article and others similar. the image has a main colours scheme of black and green, it is a shot of Chris Evans holding a bottle of ginger beer, the beer is slightly out of focus and almost blurred as if you are looking at the picture after drinking a few of them, but as Chris is the main focus in the picture his face is clearly focussed and his expression suggested the reader should be surprised about what this article says but he is not pulling a serious face which lightens the mood.

Analysis of NME magazine contents page

This contents has a completely different layout to the previous two pages ive analysed, most of the page is taken up by one big pcture with only a small column on the left telling the reader what is inside. The column down the left hand side is in alphabetical order unlike others which are either randomly ordered or done by page numbers, it is on a white background with red text and black numbers to make it stand out form the rest of the page but still following a specific colour scheme to make the page look neater, at the top of the column the title is "what's inside" this is not following the convention of others who's title is normally "contents" . The main image is of Blur and had a pug saying that its a snapshot of them in london and the date on which it was taken and then towards the bottom of the image is a small description of why the image is there and explaining what Blur got up to that evening, this text is started with a red kicker to make it stand out from the rest of the page and draw the readers eye towards it. Also in the very top right corner of the page is a news tab to show that this blur article is part of the magazines special news section of all the latest bands. Finally at the bottom of the page is a pug advertising the sale of a subscription offer to the magazine which people can access online if they buy this magazine.

Kerrang magazine contents page analysis

Unlike q magazine the contents page of Kerrang only goes across one page this is a traditional style of most magazines because then there is more room in the rest of the magazine for the articles. The main layout of the contents page is split in to two with the contents below a main image. At the top of the page in the left hand corner there is a title, contents, this is written in yellow is follows the colour scheme of the front page, it is also written in a broken up font which again represents the rebellious side of Kerrang magazine, below it in the same black box is the issue number and cover date to remind regular readers which issue they are reading, also you notice that from its issue number Kerrang has released 100’s more copies than Q magazine this may mean that overall it has been a lot more successful so far. The main picture is of Herman Li, he is pulling a serious face and holding a guitar this is because the feature that he is included in is something that he feels passionate about and its main focus is on how to play a guitar, in the bottom right of this picture there is a page number and a tagline of the article he is featured in. in the bottom left corner there is a small column of text and a picture of the editor, with a small comment about this issue of the magazine it gives the reader a personal touch and makes them feel more involved and psychologically more attracted to the magazine because it is more personal unlike others without it. There is a border across the middle with the words “Kerrang this week” the text is in the usual broken up font and is following the yellow and white colour scheme of the page, below this border there are four columns of different things included in the magazine, the list is in page order and is separated by subtitles of what types articles they are. The cover stories are shown with a star beside them to emphasise the most important stories and attract more readers to look at them. All of the features are on the front page somewhere so that readers don’t even need to look inside to see the main things included. There is a picture of a guitar and bass below a preview of a competition to encourage readers to take part and try win this amazing prize. There is also a picture of one of the several free posters that are included free with this issue of Kerrang, including a small description below. The last item included in the issue is a quiz and below the tagline for this there is a picture of Howard and Adam pulling funny thinking faces to show that the quiz is hard but fun to do at the same time. Finally in the bottom right corner there is an advert to sign up to receive regular issues of Kerrang magazines at a discount price, this offer is meant to be excusive to readers which again makes them feel special as it is not available to just anyone.

Q magazine contents page analysis

The contents page is a few pages in to the magazine, this is not the traditional place for it, but is typical of Q magazine because it allows a few pages for adverts. Along the top of the page there is a long red box, with a black border around it, this follows the traditional colour scheme of red black and white as Q and the issue number are written in white and contents is written in black. The contents page is a double page spread unlike most other magazines, this is probably because Q magazine is a lot bigger , and they have spaced things out a lot more using a variety of pictures from within the magazine. Along the left hand side there is a column of the contents for feature articles that are exclusive to this issue of Q magazine, the top one is in red to make it stand out and encourage people to have a look, the rest are written in black and underlined in red with short descriptions of each, to show the readers all the different features that are included. Down the right hand side there is a list of all the regular pages in the magazine, again they follow the colour scheme all Q magazines and are written in black and underlined in red. In the top right hand corner of every one of Q’s contents pages there is a small image of the front cover and this is no different, this is there to remind viewers of the front page and has information about the most important features in the magazine. Across the middle third of the double page spread there are several pictures allowing the reader to get a sneak preview of some of the main stories inside, there is also a very large animated image of the Gorrillaz because this is the main feature for the magazine, all of the pictures include a page number at the bottom to allow reader to quickly flick to that page and read the relevant story. At the bottom of the page there is a small review on the magazine, as it is written by to magazine it is bias but it sums up what is included in the magazine well. Along the bottom of the contents page there is a white border, which includes information on how to subscribe to the magazine plus the date and page number, throughout the contents page the same signature font of Q magazine is used, this makes it look neater and better as a whole magazine.

Analysis of NME magazine front cover

 

The NME magazine is slightly bigger than the other two magazines I’ve analysed; this allows them to have more space on the front cover to include things. The main colour scheme of the front cover is black, white and red; even the picture follows this colour scheme. The masthead is in red with a white and black outline, this is the same colour used for every issue, which allows it to be easily recognised, by regular customer when they are looking for it in shops. The left hand third rule is used here and the tagline for the main story is on the left hand side which allows readers to have a sneak preview of what’s inside and if the magazine is stored in a horizontal shelving system rather than a vertical one then readers can still see what is going to be included. There are several other taglines around the edge of the magazine, each are written in white with a small red box around them with the main bit of information then a short description about what the stories will include below them, this makes the audience want to read on and buy the magazine to find out more. Along the top and bottom of the front cover are pugs showing more information about what is included in the magazine, both pugs are on a white background with red and black writing to attract the audiences eyes towards them as the are different and show the other different/ exclusive stories that they include. In the bottom right corner there is a small white box which includes a barcode for sales purposes, the issue number and website which allow regular readers to order and previous issues that they may have missed and the website allows the audience to see more about their favourite bands and buy merchandise. Even the writing in this box is following the main colour scheme of the entire magazine. There is also a quote to the right of the barcode box which states “all is lost there is no hope/all is lost you can go home” this is a song lyric and makes people think that even if they are alone they’ll still have this magazine to read .The main picture on the front page of the magazine is of the lead singer of my chemical romance, and the main tagline to the left of him states what the story is about, the picture is fairly serious and he is wearing smart casual clothes which means he is serious about “no more rock opera” and how the band are going for a different style of audience in their comeback album.

Analysis of Kerrang magazine front cover

The colours scheme of Kerrang changes with every issue but the main colours in this issue are yellow and blue these are two contrasting colours and attract the readers eyes to different parts of the magazine showing different taglines of what is included in it. At the top of the front cover there is a pug showing information about one of the stories inside, it is about playing the guitar, which will encourage music lovers to buy the magazine so they can be more like their hero’s.

The masthead is white and in a cracked and broken up font to represent the rebellious image of the magazine it also goes against tradition of other magazines because the masthead is underneath the main picture. Most of the main taglines are down the right hand side, which ignores the normal convention of the left side third rule, which again shows the rebellious image of the magazine and attracts customers to buy it because it is different. The main picture is of the band all time low, all the band members are in casual clothes which shows that it is not formal and they are relaxed people, the main singer in at the front is pulling a funny rock and roll face showing his real personality and that unlike the others who want to look good on the front of the magazine he doesn’t really care what he looks like, this also attracts the audiences eye more towards him because he is different. The other three ban members are in the background and look pretty serious compared to the main singer. down the left hand side there is one tagline for a story in side the magazine which makes readers want to find out more, there is also an add for the Kerrang tour 2010 and shows the sponsor relentless energy drink to encourage people to buy the drink if they want to be more like their rock heroes. The title for the main story is written a lot bigger across the middle of the magazine making the audience more intrigued to look inside. Along the bottom there are two smaller pictures giving the potential customers a preview of what’s inside, above them it says that they are posters inside which will encourage buyer so that they can get a poster of their favourite bands. In the bottom right corner there is a list of a few more stories in the magazine again to encourage consumers to buy it. Then there is an exclusive in yellow making it stand out and showing that this magazine is different from all the others. In the very bottom is a white box with the barcode, issue number, date, price and the Kerrang website. The issue number and website allow regular readers to order and previous insures that they may have missed and the website allows the audience to see more about their favourite bands and buy merchandise.

Analysis of Q magazine front cover

The main colour scheme of this magazine is red and blue, the red stands out and catches the readers eye when they see the masthead in white on a read background in the top left corner of the cover, this is usual for this particular magazine and the same colour masthead is always used. Then the main picture in an animated picture of the Gorrillaz riding a tidal wave, the way the image is shows makes it look like Gorrillaz are on top of everyone else, and covering over the normal, everyone else is being washed away, also the picture includes faces of famous people inside the wave which allows readers to see what kind of people the stories inside the magazine are about. The harpoon that one of them is shooting is going toward the pug, which draws attention to it and allows the audience to see a tagline of what the main story is about. Along the top of the magazine there is a puff saying “the world’s biggest music magazine” this draws attention to the target audience and makes then more intrigued as to find out why is the best so they are more likely to buy it and find out. Along the bottom of the pages there are three more taglines telling reader what is included in this issue. They also include to smaller taglines and one slightly bigger showing the other main story in bold, and then there is an arrow to encourages the audience to open the magazine and read more.

My preliminary task