Magazine Analysis

NME, Kerrang! And Mojo

NME

Front CoverThe masthead of the magazine is placed at the top left hand side of the page. This is 1) because people read from left to right starting at the top of a page and working their way and 2) when it’s displayed in a shop the magazines are usually staggered along the shelf so the audience can still see the name of the magazine even if half of it is covered. The main image is a photograph of the featured

band in this issue of the magazine. The image isn’t taken in a studio but rather outside in the open using more natural lighting. The sub-heading reads ‘from the LA boulevards to their London rehearsal room’ and the setting of the picture shows palm trees in the background and a clear sunny sky which is something readers might associate with their expectations of LA.The band members are all dressed smartly but casual and the looks on their faces are all relatively serious, promoting a sense of anti-social-ness. Alex Turner, the lead singer of the band, stands further forward than the other band members. This could be because out of all the members of the band he is seen as the most familiar to the audience so putting him further forward would make him stand out.

Pull quote from an inside article giving the reader exclusive information on the band. Makes the reader feel like they are part of a club. Also ‘The press got everything wrong’ suggests that NME themselves are not ‘the press’ and that they are more on level with the readers and the artists in the fact they are telling them the truth.

The letters ‘AM’ in large font stand out on the page, larger than the masthead, this is the main headline on the cover. The letter’s represent the initials of the artist on the front the ‘Arctic Monkeys’ but are also the name of the band’s new album and any familiar readers will instantly recognise this as the letters stand out so much, particularly because they are white against the main image which is predominantly dark.

This is the anchorage line and the font is the same style and colour as the header above it. The sizing is slightly smaller and it is placed below the header so that the reader’s eyes move down after catching header to read this. The phrase ‘The Final Chapter’ suggests something quite big and important and that the article inside might be one that concludes the journey of this artist, one that fans and readers might have been following and eager to read the conclusion of.

Finally at the bottom, the same font and colour again, we have another anchorage line. This one gives the reader an insight as to what might be contained within the article without giving too much away, sparking curiosity. It tells us enough, suggesting that the article will cover a broad portion of the band’s career, but not too much.

Here we have a plug. This one circled in yellow, which is the only appearance of the colour on the cover, making it stand out against the less harsh colours dominating the rest of the cover. The circle almost looks as if it’s been stamped on after the cover has been produced, giving it a look like this is something extra NME have decided to give the reader, again personalising the experience.

Double page spread

The main image is a full page image of the band before the article even starts, this stands out and the reader will recognise the article before they even start reading. If the reader is just flicking through the magazine the article will be easy to spot without having to necessarily look through the contents.

The Headline ‘R U Ready’ referring to the band’s single ‘R U Mine’ so anyone that is a fan of the artist already will easily recognise the reference but also a referral to the text speak commonly used by the younger generation today indicating that the target demographic is mainly teens and young adults as the band are more youthful and new then some of the other bands featured on the front of NME sometimes.

Certain words highlighted in red, vibrant and attractive colour. Links to the magazine’s logo. Highlighted in colour is the band being interviewed, the writer of the article and the photographer. Making the credits to the article stand out so that the reader’s don’t’ miss them .

Again white is used a lot, keeping the magazine very clean and minimalist. Black writing also follows this with only small amounts of vibrant attractive colours to highlight certain points on the article. The red is a bright and passionate colour, its stands out on the page and this draws the readers eye to the highlighted information.

The article is arranged into columns, conforming to the conventions of the magazine.

Contents The masthead of the page is not ‘contents’ it is named something interesting and quirky, giving the magazine a more informal feel to it and appealing to the younger audience. This makes the reader feel more comfortable and relaxed in their reading experience.

It also includes the date of the issue so that it is easy for the reader to identify the issue.

Then we have secondary images of other artists which engage the reader and means they might see the image of an artist they like before they read all of the contents in the magazine and it allows them to jump straight to it, visualising the information on the page. Also more obscure images will draw the reader’s eye as they will look at the image and then read the headline because they will wonder what the image means.

The main headlines are scattered around the page and the rest of the magazine content is listed at the bottom so that the reader can find anything through the magazine easily, however these articles don’t take spotlight on the feature.

The use of pull quotes from the articles in the magazine intrigue the reader and make them want to read on, also make them feel like they’re getting an exclusive preview at the content before even getting to the article, just like the quotes on the front page.

The main image and article of the magazine placed in the center and takes up the most space. This means it is the first thing the reader will see and look at, making sure that theydon’t miss the spotlight feature of the issue. Also it gives more information on this content as than it does about the other articles as this is the main feature of the issue.

MOJO

Front CoverUsing a plug to offer a free CD to the readers makes them feel like they being given something a little more than they’re paying for, makes them feel more exclusive. This also reflects on the audience and their social class status.

The mast head is layered behind the main image on the page. You can’t really see the name fully but this suggests that the magazines readership is loyal and will follow the magazine, already knowing it by the look of the cover and not necessarily need to see the name.

The main Image is layered behind and on top of text, blending in with the contents of the cover instead of just sitting behind it. The image is infront of the masthead suggesting that this is what the publisher wants the reader to look at most to attract them to purchasing the magazine. The header is still placed firmly behind the rest of the text on the page though, cut of by the header that obviously refers to the main image. This link will be made by the reader quickly, the biggest image to the biggest piece of text

The main headline being in grey means it is following the colour scheme of the cover. It is the largest piece of text on the cover next to the masthead, making it stand out more and means it is the first thing the reader will see. It is also in a very bold font and is places in the center of the page reaching either side, drawing the reader’s eye.

A list of kickers and cover lines down either side of the bottom half of the magazine. The kickers I grey, stating an artist and the cover lines in red stating information on these aforementioned artists. This gives the reader the impression that they are getting a lot in the magazine and makes them want to read on to find out more about the features of the issue, thus persuading them more to buy it.

Pull quote from inside the magazine give the reader a sense of exclusivity and special treatment. Like they are personally given that little bit extra by the magazine, putting it on a more personal level with the reader. It also makes them want to read the rest of the magazine to discover the context of tis quote.

Then we have a selling line promoting other artists and features in the magazine, giving the reader further reason to purchase the magazine and attempting to persuade them more to do so. Also the use of secondary images visualises these other features and are also placed there in the hope they will catch the reader’s eye in their failure to read the entire cover due to possible disinterest in the main feature. Use of a banner promoting additional

interviews. Again, this persuades the reader to purchase the magazine and acts like proof to the amount of content within the magazine.

Barcode, date of publication, issue number and price are kept very small and down in a corner the reader’s eye won’t be drawn to. This tells us something about the audience as keeping the price small means that they do not want it to stand out, suggesting that price could be an issue with the social status of the audience.

Double Page Spread

The main image takes up one half of the double page spread and is of the artist that the article is about. The image is in black and white to fit with the rest of the article and blends well with the black background. This image is an indirect image of the artist in action. This gives the reader the feeling that they are experiencing something with more action than if the main image was a studio shot.

The use of a pull quote from the article used as a headline. This makes the reader wonder what the quote is about and intrigues them to read the article to find out.

Using very natural dull colours, very subtle, don’t stand out too much. The only other colour apart from black and white is a light mustardy yellow used to highlight certain parts of information throughout the article, for example it is used to make one line of the title stand out.

Anchorage on the page to give the reader the basic information they need to understand the context of the article before they start reading it. Certain information highlighted in the light mustard colour to make it stand out from the rest of the text and catch the reader’s eye.

The main text isn’t arranged into columns as in most music magazines but instead organised into a single column, although the layout of this article is very centered and the singular column fits with this style more than multiple columns would.

The use of a drop capital emphasizes the beginning of the article, making it clear that this is the start and making an impact on the reader.

Selling line or banner at the top of the page to give the reader an impression the feature before they read. Tells the reader what category this feature falls under.

Contents The masthead from the cover is repeated at the top of the contents page. This time not as large but the use of the bold font and white makes the title stand out against the darker background. The masthead is clearer here than on the front cover as there is no image covering it.

The tagline underneath the masthead reads ‘London, Memphis, Toryglen’ and this promotes a multinational image for the magazine which is more attractive to readers than a singular nationality and they will feel like they are getting a wider range of music coverage from various places in the world. This tagline is also an indication to a respectable reputation for the magazine and makes it seem more prestigious to the readers.

The date of the issues publication and the issue number is placed at the top to inform readers that might read the magazine regularly which issue this is. Some readers might collect the magazine and this will help them to identify the issue

Each point on the contents is followed by a brief description of the article or what the page contains allowing the reader to skim the page and understand what each page contains without having to look through each page individually.

The main feature is set apart from the rest of the contents, the reader might be particularly interested in this feature of the magazine as the cover is what they would first see before reading the rest of the magazine and this might be what attracted them to buy the magazine. This allows the reader to skip straight to this feature without trawling through the rest of the magazine first.

The use of a pull quote from the article featuring the woman in the main image on the contents page attracts the reader to this feature as it makes them wonder what the quote could mean and in what context it is being said, persuading them to read the article or feature and find out more, and therefore read more of the magazine.

The main image is the only image on the page and this keeps the page very uncluttered and minimalist, this is a contrast to the example cover I used but minimalism has become a popular style among media products in the last few years. The red hair of the artist pictured ties in with the colour scheme and the dark clothes make her stand out on the page, being one of the first things to catch the readers eye.

This brings us on to the colour scheme which uses a simple colour scheme with a darker background. Apart from the red font colour the colours are very muted and in some ways dull but this only makes the red stand out more. The only other colour used is white and on the grey background this makes the highlighted red areas stand out more and makes them jump at the readers eyes more than if they were a duller colour, say black, instead.

Kerrang!

Front CoverUsing a selling line to mention two bands that are following similar paths, use of very dominant verbs like ‘take’ and ‘terrify’ like these artists are actually on some sort of crusade. This makes the reader feel like they are getting additional content.

The masthead is very big across the top. Using a very blocky, strong font and the white on black making it stand out in contrast. Cracks spider webbing through the font make it seem very explosive. Fits with its genre of rock and surrounding sub genre’s. The masthead makes an impact on the page, the only thing standing out more being the main image.

The main image is in the forefront of the cover. Standing out over the masthead and filling the center of the page. This is one of the first thing the reader’s eye is drawn to and leads them to question what about this artist the magazine is covering.

The main headline is another thing that stands out. We have the name of the artist/ band being featured in big white font outlined in black splashed across the page, almost the same size as the masthead. This is something that stands out on the page and draws the reader’s eye so that they assume it will be associated with the main image too.

Another plug, within a circle, almost stamped onto the page, claiming the magazine is the UK’s biggest festival guide. Again in a bold font, fitting with this very harsh, stand out image the magazine has, this intrigues the reader to possibly discover what these festivals are.

Kickers and cover lines promote the other features of the magazine incase the reader is not attracted by the main feature. The kickers listing the artist and cover lines giving the reader minimal information on the features to intrigue them.

Again another plug to show the reader that this particular issue contains poster’s, offering extras that can be of use to the reader outside the magazine, also referred to as a ‘poster special’ so if the magazine usually contains posters its showing that this time it something even more. This again reflects on the audiences social status as the magazine is offering a lot of freebies which is something that makes the reader think they are getting more for their money.

Use of a menu stripto list other band/ artists featured in the magazine. AgainThis gives the reader the impression that they are getting more than they are paying for which is what a lot of the components of this cover are suggesting, this says something about the target audience, that they are young and do not necessarily have a lot of spendable income.

Using a plug to offer the reader freebies to make them feel like they are getting more for their money, reflecting on the social status of the target audience.

Using a buzz word such as ‘Exclusive!’ makes the reader feel more involved, like they are being told this information first, before anyone else, and like it is only for themUse of a pull quote from within the magazine to intrigue the reader and make them want to read more and therefore buy the magazine.

The use of the sub image visualises the selling line and attracts the readers eye to it more than if it wasn’t there.

Use of a buzz word to give the reader the impression they are getting more than they are paying for or that the magazine is giving them additional content, making them feel more involved

Double Page Spread

Using a Puff -‘World Exclusive’ makes the article seem more important. The fact that it says ‘world’ suggests to the reader that this is an international exclusive not just something national or local. Followed by the word exclusive makes the reader feel like they’re part of the club. Like the magazine is offering this personally to them and this involves them more and engages them in the article.

The main Image shows an action shot of the artist. This article is referring to them making their music and this conveys the sense that the magazine was in on them making their music, instead of taking them from their work they observed them at it. This also says a lot about the audience of the magazine. They are very interested in the music and not the glamour and showbiz of it all. They don’t take interest in the artist’s fashion or personal life, its all about the music.

The use of sub images to add to this documentary style article. Showing that they are in the middle of creating their music like they do everyday. This gives the reader a sense that they are seeing something not many people get to see, again an exclusivity thing and also making it seem more personal than if the images on the the page were from as studio shoot.

The headline is a pull quote from the interview. The band mentioning their own name. stating who the interview is about and again making it more personal as it feels as if the artist is speaking directly to the reader, making them feel more involved.

A factfile containing extra information on the band’s new tracks, this intrigues the reader and gives them the impression they are gleaning information that other fans do not have. Agai making them feel like the magazine is offering the something not everybody gets.

In following with the rest of the magazines colour scheme, the double page spread uses red, black and white, using the red to highlight certain areas to make them stand out.

Shows images of previous or articles within this issue of the magazine. Allows the reader to have a sneak preview of that’s to come.

Contents

The main image on the page followed by the name of the artist and the page the feature of this artist is on. Obviously a larger story as there is not descriptive text just the name of the artist. Showing that larger artists featured do not need as much introduction or description.

Listing the titles of the articles, the more exciting or important ones highlighted in black and written in yellow bold font. Again using this blocky, sharp, bold font to make certain things stand out.

Plug to promote magazine subscription, offering extras and exclusives to the reader if they subscribe.

Small column feature from an artist that is possibly regularly featured in the magazine. New artist each week? Yet another exclusivity thing.