Faye QuinnTask 3

Arctic Monkeys NME Magazine

The masthead is big, bold and colourful to catch the audience’s attention. The font is easily recognizable as it never changes, which makes it a brand. The colours NME uses for its masthead have been known to change in previous issues, however the audience still recognize the font and general style of the magazine. It is located in the top left corner which is typically a hotspot with rule of thirds.

A pug has been placed in the lower right hand side, this fills the dead space of the cover and also advertises more content from within the magazine. The pug is bright yellow with black and red writing, this totally goes against the house style which is red white and black. NME have done this so that it stands out and catches the readers attention. This draws the readers attention all over the cover instead of focussing on the artists only.

A drop quote from The Strokes has been used as a cover line in the top right corner. This will grab the readers attention as it doesn’t give you any other detail about the story, it’s a mystery until the reader picks up the magazine. A drop quote can be very effective as it is direct from the artist and can be very personal.

The main cover line and its selling lines are in bold white capital letters. This stands out over the image as it needs to be seen ass well as the artist. It has been place off centre, the A is in the very centre of the magazine, making this one of the first things the reader sees, which then makes their eyes follow the text all over the page. This can draw interest from people who have never read the magazine, their eyes are made to read it all, then an interest can spark.

The background of the main image shows the British band in a foreign country. The palm trees would suggest LA to the readers, this is confirmed with the cover line ‘From the LA boulevards to their London rehearsal room’. This is unusual of NME as they usually keep to a plain colour background, however the image is important to the article inside

FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS

Blocking has been used to separate each article, they have used a relevant image for each one. There is a clear use of rule of thirds. This neatly separates the page and guides the readers eye around the page smoothly. The page is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.Lines have been used to separate each article or section of the cover, this makes it more obvious which heading, picture ad page number belong to which story.

The heading of the contents page has been placed in the center column on the top row. For a contents page this is a hot spot, as it it written in capital letters, in bold and larger font to the rest it stand out and draws the readers attention.

Feature articles have been presented with a relevant image, a drop quote and a page number. Other articles have been featured at the bottom in smaller font with page numbers. These articles are not highly advertised as they are not what will draw readers in, they are almost extras o fill the magazine.

In the bottom right corner, which is considered dead space, there is an advertisement to subscribe to the magazine. Previous issues are featured to show the audience issues they have missed which they wouldn’t have if they had subscribed before. The red background of this advertisement keeps with the house style as it keeps the red and black text also.

The drop quotes featured are also an indication to the age of the target audience which I believe to be aged 16+, this is because of the language used and how casual it is. One quote say, ‘It’s about being 13, giving hand jobs ‘cos you might get raped’ this article could be considered highly inappropriate for a younger audience. The content wouldn’t be for a young/childish audience as it is sexual and very casual about it.

The article featured on the cover has been put to the op left corner in a smaller format to other articles, this is because it has been advertised on the cover which means it has already drawn readers in. The other articles are now given the chance to get attention and show the readers what else the magazine has to offer

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ANALYSIS

An image similar to the cover photo is featured as a whole page on the left page of the double spread. This is to show the band as a full and in a different ay that the cover which features them looking moody/angry, typical of rock stars, whereas this image shows the contrast in their personalities as they are happy and enjoying themselves in this. Connotations of this contrast could be that they are rock stars for the camera, however average men when they are relaxing

The image clearly shows that they are in LA because of the palm trees and warm weather, LA is very well known for this. The image is parallel with the article as it is about their time in LA as a British band

The headline used ‘R U READY’ is a clever word play off one of the bands newest songs ‘R U MINE’, immediately fans would understand where the title has come fro. This is a way of getting the reader interested before they even read the article. Fans would know the article will be about their new music, which is a hot topic in the music industry at the moment.

The double page spread keeps with the house style to make the magazine flow as a whole. White page, black text, and red highlighted words/names. Keeping with the house style is important with NME as it keeps the brand going throughout the magazine, to remind readers that they are reading NME and no other magazine.