The colours used on the magazine consist of red, white, black and yellow representing to the buyers that this is a unisex magazine as it is not targeting a specific gender audience. Also the colours black white and red are normally associated with the rock/indie genre yet the yellow used helps to make a more exciting front cover allowing it to stand out from other magazines. The NME masthead is in bright red following the tradition allowing it to stand out and be recognized by traditional fans.
The masthead is situated in the top left hand corner conventional of a magazine yet it is not top of the page like most magazines. Above the masthead is the banner where 'The Killers' a very successful rock/indie band in the UK are in white bold writing almost as big as the masthead. This implies to the audience that the magazine will feature a story on 'The Killers' appealing to a large audience of rock/indie fans (traditional audience of NME) as they are very well liked in the UK. The masthead is on a white background with red lettering so it stands out to the audience. There is a bright yellow banner across the page that has teared edges proposing the idea that it has been teared out form a page. This creates an edgy feel to the front cover again appealing to a young audience who would find the teared edge effect quirky. Bold black lettering is used against the yellow background stating 'the new music issue' highlighting to readers that this is new and up to date music magazine appealing to an audience who are interested in the newest music. The layout of the magazine is quite messy targeting teenagers again as it reflects their lifestyle. It also creates an exciting image as there is lot going on the page connoting that the magazine content will also be exciting.
The main image on the front cover is a medium long shot of Florence from Florence and the machine. At the time in 2009 when this magazine was made the band was new to the UK charts and were very successful so the magazine were targeting a broad audience of teens who would want to buy the magazine as the main feature is based on the newest craze in music. There are other images on the front page which are pictures of the other artists featured in the magazine, this allows the buyer to receive a good incite of what is in the magazine just by a quick glance of the front cover. The pictures are at an angle creating more of an edgy look to the magazine making it appealing to young teens.
Simple language is used all over the front page to appeal to an everyday audience, mainly young adults/teenagers as they would easily understand and identify with the magazine. By using the phrase 'rock n roll' on the magazine in bold red writing, it is targeting a rock audience as that phrase is stereotypically associated with rock artists and rock fans.
The artist’s names on the front cover are in reasonably large bold writing that has contrasting colour backgrounds. This allows the text to stand out allowing the buyer to be able to read from a distance and gain an instant incite to what is in the magazine, without giving too much away.
NME Content page
The colour scheme on the contents follows the colour scheme of the front page, with red white black and yellow used again. By using a white background it allows the attention of the buyer to stay on the text in the contents. Black backgrounds are used for the side headings to maintain the indie/rock style of the magazine yet also compels it to stand out so readers can easily navigate themselves around the magazine. The magazine logo is again printed on the contents page, printed in bright red with a white outline against a black background. This allows the logo to define itself and allows the reader to identify with the magazine. The page numbers are all in red colour allowing them to stand out so readers can easily find what pages they want to read.
At the side bar there are clear headings splitting the contents into sections with clear bold font, making it easy for the buyer to quickly find a particular thing they are looking for in the magazine. The stories have page numbers next to them, this is an important convention to a magazine content as it is an essential in order for the readers to know how to get to the pages they want to read about efficiently. At the top of the contents page in bold capitals it states 'NME THIS WEEK' connoting that this magazine is weekly and has a new range of features within it each week. Beneath that in smaller writing is the date to ensure readers know which edition they are reading. On the left side of the page there is a band index column showing traditional buyers where to find there favourite bands, but also a good selling point to the one off buyers who will want to specifically find the bands they are interested in. In the contents page there are also arrows next to the text in which reflects stories on the front page.
The main image in the contents page is the Astoria pub showing that it is an important feature within the magazine, this story about the Astoria was featured on the cover of this edition, showing that the magazine uses the stories on the front page on the contents page showing the importance of the stories. The image of Astoria pub is also anchored by the text beneath it again emphasizing its importance to the magazine. At the bottom of the page there are also photos of previous editions of the magazines advertising them to be ordered weekly and if ordered today you could save over £45 causing a good selling point to the magazine. This also connotes to one off buyers that the magazine must be good as it is successful as people want it ordered weekly.
The language is simple and easily understandable suitable for the magazine target audience of young adults/teens. In addition to this the story headlines show what story there featuring yet don't give too much away compelling the reader to want to read further and find more out about it. Exaggerate language is also used for example 'The UK'S number 1 gig guide' a good selling point to the indie/rock music fans as its showing that this magazine features the best gigs in the UK which is an interest in the target audience.
NME DOUBLE PAGE ANAYLSIS
The colours used on this double page spread are very bland yet consist of the typical rock genre colours of black red and white, sticking to the theme of the magazine and the front page colour scheme. A white background is used in order to make the pull quote that Lilly Allen is saying stand out and entice readers to read the interview. Also it allows the small writing at the bottom to be easily read by readers, as oppose to a bright multi coloured background which would be unpleasant to the eye. Red writing is used for her name in order to make it stand out so people who are fans will be interested.
The layout of the double page spread consists of the main image being situated on the right hand side. The main quote of the page is printed in bold writing which fills the majority of the left hand side showing its importance to the article featuring Lilly Allen. The main quote heading is edited to give the idea that it has been cut out from a page and stuck back down like a collage presentation; this is effective as it would be attractive to a young target audience. The text is positioned around the image to create a more aesthetically pleasing page to the readers.
The only image on the page is of Lilly Allen. It takes up the whole left hand side of the page to emphasis her importance to the magazine. Her pose is very casual with her hands on her hips to connote that the interview is casual, it also appeals to their target audience of young teens as they would rather that then a cheesy pose. Her wrists are facing outwards in order to show the reader her tattoo to reinforce that edgy indie rock magazine look. She is dressed in a bright red chequered shirt, a fashionable item of clothing at the moment to make the magazine look fresh and in fashion, it also stands out from everything on the page and adds some colour and excitement to the dully colour page, without withdrawing the reader’s attention from the text. Her facial make up is quite suttle, yet her dark eyes stand out to again give her that indie/rock look that the magazine is going for. It also gives her an image of attitude which corresponds with the pull quote from the text 'people think I'm an attention seeker but I'm just honest'.
The text is separated into four identical columns separated by gutters so the text is clear and easy to read. A pull quote from the text is used as a title and headline for the double page spread. This is effective as at a quick glance it informs the reader a bit about the content of the interview and they can quickly see if it will be of any interest to them. The name of the magazine is in the house style font and colour as it always is whilst the date is in a smaller font and is in italic. This helps to create a house style which is the magazine's design that distinguishes it from the other music magazines.
This is my first design for the front of my magazine, it is also my favourite design out of the three as the mast head and cover story stand out. This is important so that people know which magazine they are buying, as well as the cover story being the main reason why people buy that certain magazine.
<< This is my second design for the front page. I will not be using this design even though the layout advertises the cover line and sub stories clearly. however the layout is a more like a typical gossip magazine rather than a rock magazine, even though this will make the magazine unique, it may also prevent my target audience from buying the magazine as the would not recognise the convention.
