MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

FRONT COVER

TypographyThe font of the magazine is all fairly similar. All font except part of the anchorage text is the same. The whole front cover is written in capital letters to make the magazine have a courageous feel to it and to make it stand out to the reader, it also makes the information presented look more important. The masthead is outlined with white and black which makes it stand out and be the most important text on the magazine. The font is always the same on each magazine to create a house style of NME. The word ‘insane’ in the anchorage text is written differently to the rest of the magazine. It is on an angle and over laps some of the other writing and makes it the most interesting word on the page, it is also situated in the middle of the page to draw the attention of the viewer to it. It looks almost hand written and the font has connotations of the word itself –Insane. This is a very effective technique as it adds character to the anchorage text and the whole magazine itself, it also makes the reader more interested in this ‘insane’ news and will be more likely to buy the magazine.

TaglineThe tagline is situated just underneath the masthead ‘NME’ states the words ‘New Musical Express’ which is what NME stands for, this is to give the reader more information about the magazine and may create a bond because the reader now knows more about the magazine. On this issue it also states the issue of the magazine and the price next to the tagline. This is situated in black and white and contrasts against the black and white background, this adds effect and makes it look interesting and edgy. The tagline is one of the smallest pieces of information on the magazine and is not that important, it underlines the masthead proving that that is the main importance of the magazine cover.

HeaderThe header matches the magazines house style colour of being black and red, the header advertises that this magazine is a ‘Libertines reunion photo special’ which would catch the audiences attention and Libertines fans would be persuaded more to buy this magazine due to the special, even if they don’t buy the magazine usually.

The props used by the cover models make them look slightly ‘insane’ as these are not items someone in the 20th century would usually have/own. Doing this links with the anchorage text.

Anchorage textThe anchorage text is nearly as big as the masthead to highlight that it is an important piece of information and also to highlight that this links to the main image, the word ‘kasabian’ is the largest word in the anchorage text, which is who the main image is therefore viewers can automatically link the two together. The word ‘insane’ is also a large word in the anchorage text, insane can put many thoughts about what the information is about and will be so intrigued they'd have to buy the magazine to read the article inside. Also the red words of the anchorage text are the more important information and the white less so, the white has been used to put variation into the magazine as if it was all red it would be rather over powering and put the reader off. The word ‘insane’ is also in a different font that the other words to make it stand out more and the font emphasises the word and almost makes it look like it means more.

PuffThe puff is situated in a small space of the magazine and advertises a competition the largest words in this puff are ‘WIN! £4100’ which is the main piece of information about this competition and is important as this is how it will be sold to the reader. This is also situated in red to grab the readers attention. Other information (worth of top music gear) is also situated in the puff in black writing and slightly smaller than the red as this is not as exiting and important than the other information but the reader may need to know what their in the chance of winning.

Date and priceThese are situated with the barcode at the bottom of the magazine, the barcode almost blends in with the whiteness of the photo behind it so obviously isn't that important, as it is only for purchasing reasons. The date and price are in small print as they will be the final thing that will determine if the viewer buys the magazine or not, usually the company doesn’t want the price to stand out to theaudience as it may put them off.

Cover LinesThe cover lines are situated under the cover models to make the models look more powerful than them and also because the bottom of the models aren't as an important part of the magazine than the rest of them. The cover lines are also situated under the anchorage text to make that more powerful too and make that seem more important. These cover lines introduce other artists featuring in the magazine to the reader – this will be a big impact whether the viewer would buy the magazine or not.

Main ImageThe main image is of Serge and Tom (Kasabian), they are using direct address to make a bond with the viewer and invite them into the magazine. The models are positioned almost symmetrical in the page and level about the front cover. Serge and Tom are dressed old fashioned yet look indie rock still with the make-up and jewellery worn. They look stern and powerful and look like their facing down to the camera which connotes that they are powerful. They contrasts against each other as tom is wearing dark colours whereas serge is wearing lighter colours. They look rather

sophisticated yet have little qualities that make them less posh towards their target audience (serge’s bow tie is slightly wonky, rings look kind of indie/rock like) the make-up worn by serge makes his eyes bold and stand out against the white and Tom’s face is framed by the blackness of his clothes and hair.

MastheadThe masthead ‘NME’, standing for New Musical Express, should be the first thing that catches the readers eye. It successfully does that

by using large red letters bordered by a line of black and white to give it that extra power on the magazine front cover. This creates the brand for the magazine and is easily recognisable throughout all of their magazines. The font is bold and powerful making it look strong and like it controls the page. The masthead doesn’t particularly have a target audience matched to it but the whole magazine aims at the demographic audience. Although, it does not look like a childish masthead and is aimed towards both male and female. It is coloured red as it is eye catching and will be the first thing the reader sees. Also the magazine front cover main colour seems to be red.

Colour schemeThe colour scheme consists of three main colours, red, white and black. These are strong colours and are usually used on rock magazines, red also attracts the attention of the viewer and makes the magazine more noticeable therefore it Is a good colour to use. The colour scheme is consistent throughout the magazine. The front cover also has the colour gold to advertise the puff and a competition, gold connotes royalty and wealth and is the colour associated with money and riches so is a good colour used to advertise a competition.

CONTENTS PAGE

The mini article is included in the contents page to give the reader an idea of what is inside the magazine and is intended to make the reader want to find out more and buy the magazine.

Coloured text is used for the page numbers, bold text is used for the titles of the articles inside and smaller text describes the contents of each article featured. This makes it easier to identify what you want and makes it easier to read.

The contents page is set out sub-categorising everything into boxes. The main article/image is placed in the centre of the page while underneath is some information about the article. On the left there is a band index while on the right there is the main information about the articles inside the magazine. Underneath the main image is the subscription information while above the main image is the masthead ‘NME this week. The way the page is laid out makes the information frame the main image and highlights it more to the reader and has packed the contents page with information yet it doesn’t look messy.

Advertising is used to promote the subscription of the magazine which appeals to the reader as it is effectively cheaper than buying each issue separately. The colours of the advert stand out against the rest of the magazine (yellow) and stands out to the reader. Two images of the magazine have been used to entice the reader to join the subscription and also offers a lower price to get the magazines.

The colour scheme is consistent throughout the magazine yet a new colour has been added into the contents page to promote the subscription of the magazine. Yet the original, memorable red, white and black are also present in the contents page, the black and white are used together to contrast to create a bold, strong affect and make the writing stand out more.

The issue date is presented in white under the masthead and stands out from the rest of the article isolated as its own piece of information, this is present to tell readers which issue they are reading and will help them decide if this is the right issue or if they have forgotten to buy the issue before or if they have already purchased this issue yet in a different style cover but couldn’t remember this is a helpful piece of information to have present in the contents page.

The main headings to chunk down the different categories are used then a bold black headline is used to advertise the articles within the magazine, sublines are then used underneath to inform the reader a little about what they should expect in the articles and will also help decide if they purchase the magazine or not.

The same font is used throughout the contents page to keep a consistent feel about the magazine, yet the fonts have been presented in different sizes and colours to keep the reader satisfied and not find the contents boring or too much the same.

The masthead of the magazine is situated at the top of the contents page to remind the reader the name of the magazine, so they can remember it. Also it displays ‘this week’ to state that it’s a weekly magazine. The masthead is presented on a black block which makes it stand out from the rest if the magazine as it is the largest white text on the page as it the most important.

The magazine has a band index which links into the musical genre of the magazine. Also the list shows a high number of bands, these are shown in red as red stands out to the reader, and matches the colour of ‘NME’. The bands are a good unique selling point of NME as if the reader is looking for a certain band they can check the contents page if they are situated in this weeks magazine.

Main cover lines are used to categorised the different articles which make it easier for the reader to find the

correct article.

Arrows are used to make the magazine look more appealing to the target audience, it gives the magazine a modern and youthful feel.

The name/logo of the magazine is presented in the masthead which makes it memorable to the reader and creates a brand throughout the magazine.

The central image shows Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno (Kasabian). The image isn’t a photo-shoot as it doesn’t look prepared for, this suggests that it was taken during the session. This also suggests there was behind the scenes gossip inside that you wouldn’t normally find out other than if you read the magazine. The way the photograph is taken could make the viewer feel as though they are involved with the photo and at the place their venue is.

The category headings look like a smaller version of the masthead and are in black boxes to make it stand out from the rest of the information. The words are shown in bold, capital letters and written in white as it is lighter and stands out to the reader against the black background.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Main ImageSergio takes up the majority of the double page spread by being presented on one half stretched across to the other half, this highlights his status as a musical legend and his importance to the magazine. His arm also breaks up the main text from the header and the kicker. He uses direct address to create a bond with the reader and entice them to read the article. His body language makes him look laid back which helps with the direct address as if he looked fierce he might seem intimidating to the reader and scare them off. Although he is posing, he looks casual – aligning himself with the general feel of the magazine. He is dressed in black clothing to contrast against the white background. This also links with the magazines colour scheme (white, red and black) although the background is a dirty off-white it still links with the overall theme of the magazine. Sergio's picture isn't positioned away from the article its more as he has been included within the article and the article is written around him. This makes him seem powerful.

Sergio is wearing laid back clothes which don’t really make a statement as such. His facial expression is no particular emotion which makes it a little more mysterious as if the reader may have to guess how he's feeling, yet his body language, facial expression and clothing doesn’t give too much away and keeps a hidden mysteriousness about the article and Sergio himself.

The words ‘Empire strike back’ is presented at the top of the magazine in the border of the double page. This is the name of a Kasabian album and the page is labelled ‘Albums of 2011’ therefore it links with the article, kasabian fans would be highly intrigues by this small sentence and will want to know what it is about, it is situated away from the article so the writing is spread and not in one spot of the page and it could looked cramped and boring on the either side.

A white border is situated around the double page spread which highlights it slightly and sets it off making it more appealing to the reader.

The colour scheme and fonts is consistent through the NME magazine. This is to set a statement and remind the readers they are still reading NME not a totally different magazine.

There is not much writing on this article which may make the pages look empty, therefore a slightly patterned background has been used rather than just a plain white or other coloured background, this adds a little texture to the article and doesn’t make the pages looks boring as if they did with a bright white background.

The text in the page isn't a large amount, this may be due to many reasons yet it is still presented in two columns to make the page look neater and better formatted. The large ‘T’ is to highlight where the article starts and saves the reader getting frustrated about where to start.

The celebrity’s name is usually presented somewhere bold in double page spreads to make the stand out more as a celebrity. Yet on this double spread the word ‘kasabian’ is large and used as the header which is the band Sergio is involved in, he is used to present the band and also the article may not be about the whole band, yet the bands name has been used instead of just Sergio's as the band is more well known that Sergio on his own.

The ‘15’ with the red circle around presented just above the header, links with the ‘albums of 2011’ circles as the are both presented the same, this highlights that this article is apart of other articles about albums of 2011 and helps the reader locate the albums and talk about them may that be online or face-to-face.

KickerIn the kicker Sergio is introduced, this is a small piece of information to inform the readers who may not know who the celebrity is just from the image who the image is, therefore introducing them would save some readers not knowing who they are reading about. The kicker also separates the header from the main article and makes it look neater and clearer to read and follow.