Pre-production layout analysis

Magazine interview layouts – Task 8

Patrick Gouldsbrough

Q Magazine

This particular layout is an unconventional one, just by looking at the aesthetics of this magazine piece. The capital letter that stretches over the left hand side of the double page spread is an interesting aesthetic feature that would be worth experimenting with, even if I don’t end up using it for my final layout. Some features that I might try and emulate for my layout task is the half layout-half copy design. I like the fact that the copy is accompanied by the image, which gives it a visual aid and helps it explain the subject and the main focus without reading any of the copy. Another feature I may choose to emulate in my piece is the pull quote; most magazine articles have this feature and it’s a good way of trying to entice the consumer to reading the rest of the piece, it draws them in.

Due to most interviews in Q magazine been a Q&A format, I may have to convert my copy to be more like this. However, I could make my piece unconventional and have an interview piece that reads like an interview but has the aesthetic layout of a traditional music news article. To do this, I may need to add a bit more copy on the first part, maybe set the scene and give more background information on my celebrity, Johnny Marr. I have always wanted a full layout, compared to one that has hardly any copy. I want to show that I have done the research and actually taken the time to pick apart the quotes to make them more interesting and keep them in the correct context, while adding in copy in between to create humour, insight and background information.

The alliterative headline/title on this Q magazine is unconventional of a traditional Q magazine layout. The normal layout normally conveys the band/artists name and a little sub-heading to explain the situation they find themselves in or a little bit of background information about them. The latter is what I want to try and emulate, plus, I don’t want to turn my piece into a tabloid like article. This piece also doesn’t have an image to accompany it, which I don’t like as a feature. My piece will feature at least one image, which will give the consumer an indication of what the article is about and will break up the main copy. This image will be sourced, due to me not having any images of my celebrity, but I will correctly note down the source of this image to avoid copyright.

This is another Q&A layout example, which Q seems to stick to for interview pieces. However, like I stated on the previous page, I think I will try and experiment with a more article drive piece instead, which will create a subversive interview piece. A feature that I especially like and will try and emulate in my layout is the use of contrasting colours used on the interview piece. The white of the background and the red of the contributor strip and names of the people been interviewed, as well as the capital letter and the pull quotes on the previous layout. I may attempt this but I might test more colours before making a decision. This will give me a more finished product and a more professional product. On the topic of pull quotes; this interview doesn’t feature one and therefore doesn’t entice the consumer to read the rest of the article, due to the producer of the article not creating an enigma or a sensationalised piece of information.

The contrast of black, white and red is evident and gives the interview piece an interesting, aesthetical edge over other articles. Also featured in this article is the use of a sidebar; a sidebar helps to pick put a key question from the interview, which is normally the most interesting. The feature of the sidebar is to entice the consumer and let them know the key information, so they don’t have to read the article to know what’s happening. In this case, the sidebar is another feature of a sidebar; the red box is contrasted by a white font, which is the main aesthetical feature on this particular interview piece.

Unlike the first articles, this layout is a single page piece, which means that the information must be condensed and the key parts must be the ones that get communicated to the consumer. In this layout scenario, the picture must be fitted in the right place or it risks cutting some of the text out or taking much attention away from the main copy. In this layout, I believe it’s in the correct place; it helps to add to the effectiveness, while allowing the copy to be seen and be clear. I don’t think I’ll select this type of layout for my finished product however, due to me wanting a page with just an image and a pull quote featured on it, while the main copy and title would be on the next page.

Even though, I don’t want to directly emulate this layout for my product, there are a few features that I will experiment with on my final piece. Features like the box at the back of the capital letter which contrasts it is a feature which I think looks effective and adds to the piece on an aesthetical level. However, if I use the idea of the whole page capital letter, this feature won't be used in addition, I will have to scrap the one which is the least effective and adds the least to my overall product. The sidebar feature might be something that I may add but I will have to test it out on my layout and see if it works as a concept and doesn’t take any effectiveness away from the rest of my copy.

While these NME magazine articles bare some resemblance to the previous Q magazine examples, there are plenty of differences between the two. For a start, there is less copy featured in the articles of NME, which makes way for a bolder and bigger title and image. While I like the NME way of laying an interview piece out, I think the Q way is more effective and gives more focus to the copy, rather than the aesthetical features, which I like. Instead, of been a half page image, which I want for my piece, this particular Lily Allen example uses the full page for both the title font and the image, which will entice the audience, but won’t inform them as much as a Q article. It’s a trade-off and I would much rather have plenty of copy and the big image and entice my consumers through pull quotes and copy, rather than rely on solely the images.

NME Magazine

Despite the Lily Allen example, NME do vary their interview articles quite a bit, which is evident on this Noel Gallagher piece. More copy and pull quotes show the features that I want to try and emulate for my piece. As well as the pull quotes, the contrast of the Q articles is featured on this one, along with the more reasonable sized images. Even though there are two images on this piece on either side, this layout may need to be experimented on to show me why it doesn’t work for my piece, which will be the next stage of the task. This piece also shows me that a bland colouring for the background and bright other features work, despite seeing previously that they don’t work on layout pieces. In addition, the inclusion of the sidebar has furthered my interest in experimenting on this piece and trying to incorporate it in my production work somewhere. Even if I don’t use it in my final piece, I can experiment on it during production and see what works and what doesn’t – the whole function of experiential work.

Features that I want to experiment with in production:

Drop capitals

Half page image on double page spread

Pull quote

Sidebar

Contrast of colours

Whole page drop capital

http://www.vintageguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/JOHNNY-MARR-01.jpg

http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/d851/Johnny_Marr.jpg

http://onenoteforever.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Johnny_Marr_moulah_4.jpg

https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/images/medium/SPS_JOHNNY%20MARR_2104.jpg

http://covoclub.it/bo/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/johnny-marr1.jpeg

http://backseatmafia.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/johnny-marr.jpg

http://rymimg.com/lk/f/a/dda49a64b0b8282aea519d37b23594e8/1054995.jpg

All my images have to be portrait because they have to fit on half a double page spread. If I would select a landscape image, I would have to cut half of it off trying to add it to my layout, which is why I have selected exclusively portrait images. If a landscape image is selected, I would have to try and cut it or crop it. However, the portrait style I have gone for makes it easier to work with and means that pixilated images will be less common.

JOHNNY MARR (Arial black)JOHNNY MARR (cooper black)

JOHNNY MARR (Rockwell extra bold)

JOHNNY MARR (Stone Sans OS)

Due to the simple fonts that feature on products by or associated with Johnny Marr, I have decided to pick a simple font for my layout piece. A sylised, creative font chose from Da font might not be identified with by Johnny Marr fans, after thy are familiar with the simple, yet effective font of Johnny Marr’s products. The Stone Sans and Cooper Black fonts are effective, but are a bit thin to be the font that emulates the font from existing products, unlike both Rockwell Extra Bold and Arial Black.

Title Font development

Main copy Font development

Johnny Marr is…. (Baskerville Old Face)

Johnny Marr is…. (Bookman Old Style)

Johnny Marr is…. (Chalkboard)

Johnny Marr is…(Footlight MT Light)

Johnny Marr is…(Optima)

Johnny marr is…(Trajan Pro)

Johnny Marr is….(Geneva CY)

Similar to the title font, I won’t need a stylised Da font typeface. This is due to a magazine layout been simple, with the main function of the font been that it’s easy to read for the consumer, not the aesthetics. I have selected fonts which I think will look effective, while been easy to read at the same time, apart from Trajan Pro that uses capitals for it’s default. Apart from this font, I haven’t discounted any other font in the development stages yet. I think Baskerville Old Face and Optima are potentially good fonts that can be used, due to their easily readable and simple, yet effective nature. However, Chalkboard, Bookman Old Style and Geneva CY add a bold nature to the font, which might be useful if I go for a Q&A style, but might not be if I choose an article style interview. This leaves Footlight MT Light which is a cross between the two; it is bold but it is easily readable and effective, however, it might be too simple for what I’m looking for. From here, I will experiment test layouts to see which font is the best for my layout and which one I will use on my final product.

Image

Pull

quot

e

Name (Johnny Marr) Title

Copy

Drop cap

side

bar

Flat plan

Sub heading

Flat plan mock up

Image

Pull

quot

e

Name (Johnny Marr)

Copysi

deba

r

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