Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

This double page spread is taken from the country music magazine called Nash. This is an

interview with Miranda Lambert when she released her Platinum album. Meaning that

music magazines can be used as a promotion tool for artists as it can boost the sales of their

newest songs and albums. This article is talking about her three different albums and some

of the songs on the album. The layout to this article is where the main image of Miranda

Lambert’s platinum records is on the left of the two pages and takes up most of the page,

there is a stand first written in pink on the bottom left of the first page, the use of hot pink

shows that the audience for this magazine will be female and also it can create a symbiotic

link between the image above and the stand first. There is a small paragraph that starts the

main text of the article written in black on the bottom right of the first page.

This layout shows it is clear and simple positioning being used. This is because the main

focus is on the article text and through using a simple layout of four columns of text along

with regular images, it breaks down the article and also keeps the focus of the audience who

are reading this double page spread. The image shows that the article is on Miranda Lambert

and her albums.

The colours on this image is pink for the text which matches the colour for the first small

paragraph on the first page and the titles for the song names on the second page. This creates

a symbiotic link between the two pages for the article, it is affective because it also shows

where the different parts of the article is. The use of the pink for the album names draws the

audiences’ attention more than the black writing for the article which is less appealing to the

audience. Also by using a different colour for the different album names it tells the audience

that the text in pink is important as well as breaking down the blocks of black text, making

the audience more interested in the different albums and the small articles about the CDs.

There are three smaller image on the second page to break up the text of the article as well as

to show that the information under the images are related to that image. The three images

are of three different CDs that Miranda Lambert has released over a series of years and the

text under each CD is a different song that is related to the image and the Platinum Records

CD which is shown on the first page. By doing this it gives a visual stimulation as to what the

article is about and images the audience.

Each of the images used in this whole double page spread are different, the first one is of

Miranda looking straight at the camera and is a close up of her, and the second is a medium

long shot where she is leaning on a wall holding the neck of a guitar. The third image is a

medium shot where she is standing against a wall and is holding the sides of her jacket. The

last image is where she is leaning on a bed and has a guitar leaning next to her while she is

looking out to the distance and not at the camera. The three smaller images all use heavy eye

make-up and a simple costume which differs from the main image which uses simpler tones

and lighter make-up. In all four images her hair is left down and is blonde, this shows a

symbiotic link that she shows within her album covers. Also it symbolises the natural nature

theme that country music holds.

Underneath each song title on the second page is the release date of the song and the album

name, written in black bold letters that match the song title which is written in pink bold

letters. This can be a promotion of her three albums that have a few song reviews as the

audience is provided with an image of the album and the album name. The whole article is

reviewing the songs on the Platinum Records and at the same time is promoting her three

CDs that are featured.

Through the images Miranda Lambert is being represented as beautiful and successful due to

the close up in the first image on the left page. Where the audience can she her with a happy

facial expression, she is smiling at the camera creating direct address to the audience. Also

the use of bright lighting emphasises her beauty to the audience as it highlights her hair

colour and also her makeup. In the other images she is represented as young and talented as

she has part of a guitar within each image, suggesting that she is able to sing and play an

acoustic guitar. This makes the audience admire her more as well as want to achieve her

success with their dreams.

In the first image there is part of a vinyl disc showing, this could be relating to the traditional

records that were first produced for people to listen to music on. Also it these records can be

known as antiques in many countries and by using this in the image it can suggesting to the

audience that Miranda Lambert’s music is worth lots of money and is also an antique to

have.

Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

This is a double page spread taken from a country music magazine. In this double page

spread the article is about four aspiring country singers who are involved in the country TV

show named Nashville. The colours used in this article are yellow for highlighting and

underlining the title to the article. This choice of colour is affective because it stands out but

you are still able to read the text of the article itself. The symbolism of yellow is courage and

happiness, so by using yellow it is showing that the artists in the main image have courage to

perform for the first time and show their journey within country music and fame. Also it is

showing that they are happy with their life and careers.

We can see that this article is about the artists and the TV show Nashville, showing that it is a

factual story and is not an interview or review. The layout to this article is like a traditional

article where there are two columns of text and a related image to break up the text. The

image is showing two of the four artists, who are shown on the first page, on stage and

looking back at the camera almost suggesting that they’re scared or nervous. This image

shows that the article is about their journey and what they will be feeling during this journey.

In the main image you can see that the costumes are traditional country wear, the men are

wearing jeans and a shirt. The shirts differ for each of the three men, where the woman is

wearing a white dress with a blue belt around the waist. Three of the artists are wearing

cowboy boots in brown while the third man is wearing dark brown/ black shoes. These

costumes show that country artists are the same as everyone else, it also implies that they are

simple and down-to-earth people. They stick to their beliefs and don’t let fame change who

they are. Through the use of these costume colours it also shows that the four artists have

been brought up within the country music world and they are all passionate with their home

life and their careers. Most of the pop artists would wear an expensive dress to show that

they are successful where as in country music these types of costumes; consisting of denim

and earthly colours; show that they are successful. The main image is a long shot showing

the audience the artists’ full costume, also through the positions the three male artists look

confident and elegant where the woman comes across as slightly shy and nervous as she is

looking over her shoulder and shielding the main of her posture from the audience.

The title of the article also shows that it is about their journey, as it is ‘Stage Ready’, can

indicate to the image below where they are going on stage. This term could be emphasising

their excitement to perform their songs for the audience. This is giving off the main meaning

to the article and what it will be about. By using the words ‘Stage Ready’ as the tittle makes

the readers intrigued as to what the article will tell them about the four artists. The title is

written in bold black letters to stand out on the page, this is effective because the readers will

see this and want to read the article.

Also just above the title is a small amount of text that is highlighted in yellow and written in

black. This could be the sell-line of the article as it is briefly telling the readers what the

article will be about. This however does not distract too much attention from the main article

and title.

This whole double page spread is unique and interesting, because it uses a layout that is

simple and clear. Where there is not a large amount of text within the main article text,

which is usually where most articles are blocked with. Many of the articles within music

magazines are full of text and with images. But this article there is a stand but small amount

of text. Therefore for my double page spread I will follow the layout of this double page

spread but I will change the positioning of the images slightly and where the title is placed.

Also I might change the placement of the title so that it is on the first page with the main

image for the article and then add another small related image within the main text of the

article.