NME double page spread

San serif fonts have been used on the double page spread, there is no clear masthead of the double page spread but the image on the left speaks for itself within the article informing the reader it’s about Greenday. The slick fonts suggest Greenday are associated with rock music, this will either attract the reader to the article or put them off it. At the start of the main body of text the ‘IF THERE’ has been put into bold font and capital letters. This acts as a kicker to the article drawing the reader into the article making them to read the captivating first sentence and read on further.

The layout is a 50/50 split between text and image as the main and only image is present on the left side and the main body of text on the right hand side. This makes the image easily visible to the reader and is there to look back on whilst reading through the article. The pages don’t really follow any eye routes but are effective in the way they are laid out as the reader can quickly establish where to start and read. The ratio of text to image is half and half overall.

The colours used on the right hand side of the is mainly orange and then there is a pattern of pink, green and red at the top. These colours are linked with the rock genre and particularly to Greenday as there are associated with both rock and punk genres. These colours have been chosen as they are relevant to the genre of the band and are iconic colours that are associated with the band.

The image used on the double page spread is and image of the band Greenday associated with the article. The colours they are wearing in the image Black, red and white has been a very popular colour scheme linked with the indie/rock genre and has become as a represented colour scheme. The Mise-en-scene, for example the make-up has also been used to relate to the punk genre as they lead singer Billy Joe in the middle is wearing eye liner. The image has been taken at a Mid/Long shot to show almost the whole body of the band members. This shows the whole outfit they are wearing.

The magazine uses specific language to speak to the audience like the play on words used in the headline of the article, “Greenday get Kinky with their garage band alter ego’s” relating to the band ‘The Kinks’.

Kerrang double page spread

The typography of the magazine, for example the main fonts used are mainly san serif fonts which give the effect of boldness to the page. Within the fonts there is a ‘splattered’ effect which, like the mast head on the front cover of the Kerrang magazines, connotes the indie rock genre of the magazine. This is best shown in the font of ‘The Best MCR’. The first piece of lengthy text uses a Kicker in Red which draws the reader into reading the article and it being in red also adds to the effect of making the article stand out amongst the page. The Main masthead is a pull quote and it helps the reader to gain an understanding of what the article is going to be about.

The layout of the double page spread isn’t saturated with too much text; it contains many images, one main image on the left side followed up by three other small images on the left and right of the double page spread. Many images on the page attract the reader to look at the images and then read the article by seeing the kicker. There is a vague route of the eye layout used on this double page spread but the rule of thirds can be seen as the main image is in one of the thirds of the grid.

The colours used on the pages are related to the to the colours that are usually used on the front of Kerrang magazines. This shows that Kerrang use colour schemes that relate to the audience and genre and use this house style throughout their editions of their magazines. These colours are chosen as they are all relevant colours to the genre.

There are four images on the double page spread which are the main attraction of the pages as the ratio of images to text is dominated by images. The images are in the effect of black and white which give assistance to the colour scheme of red, black and white. The clothes that are shown on the band members in the images are related to the indie rock genre, for example skin tight jeans and denim jackets. On the first small image on the left side of the page has been taken at a slightly low angle to make the band member look taller and of more authority.

The magazine speaks to its audience through the overall colour schemes used, fonts and images. It uses various pieces of langue to engage the reader like the quote they have used from the band my chemical romance. It also uses phrases like ‘worlds exclusive’ which singles out the interview engaging the reader further.

The Mise-en-scene used in this double page spread of the magazine signifies various elements of the readers genre. The props used such as Microphones, Guitars and Drums show how the magazine might be associated with the rock genre. The Hair and Make-up used also add to the effect of this as the lead singer has longish black hair swooped across his face and appears to be wearing a thin line of black eye liner.

The Double page spread is a host of various images. It is composed by one main image taken at a Mid-Shot for the reader to view most of the body of the singer. It also has three more smaller images on the page.

Q Magazine Contents analysis

The fonts that are used on the contents page aren’t usually as large as the fonts used on the front cover of magazines. The fonts are san serif fonts which relates to the indie genre of the magazine. The reason the magazine can be identified as an indie genre magazine is because the band ‘Courteeners’ are the main image on the contents. The san serifs fonts give this suggest that the music incorporated in the magazine is fairly recent and modern. In contrast old school rock genre magazines would probably use more serif fonts.

The layout on the contents page is fairly aligned and organised on the left hand side making it easier for the reader to identify what pages each article is on.  It doesn’t really follow the route of the eye concept but that is more relevant to the front cover rather than the contents page. There is far more text than image on the contents page, this is mainly due to the reason that each article is specified.

The colours that have been used make the magazine look fairly smart and sophisticated as the indie genre is like a formal genre of rock. The black and whites are there to make the brighter colour, red, stand out more. An example of this is when the numbers on the left hand side before the article are coloured red. This makes the page numbers stand out as this is what the reader is looking for.

The Mise-en-Scene used in the image such as setting portrays the genre very well. The Dull countryside used in the image above suggests that the magazine could be related to the indie genre/folk music. The band members are also wearing indie style costumes within the image. The lead singer is wearing sunglasses, this might be a iconic message to the readers, or could be portraying his authority as the leader of the band.

The camera work of the image used the image is composed so its a long shot. This shows the full body of a person(s) so that the reader can look at the full clothing line they are wearing. It is also a very good image of the band as the lead singer is standing just in front of the other members to show his authority as leader of the band.

NME contents analysis

Like other magazines related to the indie/rock genre the fonts used are mainly san serif fonts, this shows how san serif fonts should be used to accomplish a professional look for an indie/rock magazine. The text at the top of the page ‘NME’ is very bold and easily recognised by NME readers, this has become and iconic element to NME magazines. The fonts are generally all the same but vary in size. This could be a connotation of how indie/rock music is as many songs from each band have similar guitar riffs.

The layout of the contents page is fairly cluttered but uses a basic layout which most magazine use. This is with a main image in the middle and the main body of text on the left hand side of the page. Like other contents pages this incorporates an advertisement that is situated at the bottom of the page. The cluttered effect of the contents page doesn’t hinder the purpose of a contents page as the article titles are easily visible due to the colours.

The colours of the contents page follow the colours schemes that have been used many times on magazines of this genre. The colour scheme red, white and black have an effect on the audience as they see those colours on the front of a music based magazine and automatically realise whether they can relate to that genre or not. The article titles on the left hand side of the page are in red so they stand fourth upon the cluttered layout and doesn’t defeat the purpose of a contents page by making the titles hard to see.

Contents pages I have researched into like this one aren’t overloaded with many images. This uses one main image which is taken at mid-shot so it shows the artist and their instrument they are holding. This also adds to the effect of identifying the genre of the magazine as different instruments can connote different genres such as trumpets connoting brass band music.

The magazine speaks to the audience by having a Band index on the left side of the page with page numbers this enables the reader to identify which bands they particularly admire and read articles about them.

The Composition of the main image used in the contents page is a Mid/Long shot which establishes most of the body of the person in the image. It has also been taken at a slight low angle, looking up at the musician on stage showing his importance and authority. It also makes it look like an eye-line match of the audience as if the reader was standing in the audience watching the performance. 

Q Magazine Front Cover analysis

Q Magazine Front Cover

The magazine like other Music indie rock magazines uses San serif mainly san serif fonts apart from the ‘Q’ logo which cannot really be changed as it is iconic to the magazine company. The san serif fonts make the text stand out and appeal to the reader. However under the masthead a serif font is used to single out a pull out quote from the text. It makes contrast with the other fonts making it stand out from them. Throughout many of the front covers related to indie/rock have used san serif fonts.

The layout of the magazine is fairly spacious this is mainly due to the fact the front image is the face of Noel Gallagher and cannot be covered with lots of text as it would hinder the effect of the image. Although the image covers the whole of the front cover the layout the page does show aspects of the route of the eye concept and doesn’t follow the rule of thirds. Overall the page consists of more image than text although it isn’t by much. It gives the reader a share of image and text.

The colours like all the other covers I have analysed uses a colour scheme of red white and black. The image is also given a black and white effect to assist the colour scheme. The colour of the cover lines in the bottom left hand corner slightly clash with the black and white image but holding the real magazine to the eye would 

make the text easier to see as the text is very bold.

The camera work used within the central image of the magazine is an ‘extreme close up’. This shows all the facial features of the band member Noel Gallagher from Oasis. Again this magazine uses direct address as the band member is looking directly at the camera, out of all the magazines using direct address this one might be the most effective as the shot is composed at a close-up which would make it stand out.

The Mise-en –Scene of the magazine signifies the indie/rock genre very well. Most indie rock bands and people associated with that genre can be stereotyped to specific clothing such as beanie hats. In the image the band member is wearing a beanie so it relates to the genre. The rough stubble on Noel’s face could be related to the rough music of rock and roll. 

NME Front cover analysis

The typography of the magazine, for example the fonts used are mainly san serif fonts. However a few aspects such as the ‘&’ symbol used in the center of the magazine is part of a serif font. NME is in bold lettering with a white and black line around it to emphasize the title. It speaks out to the audience. The font styles are chosen as they make the overall magazine eye-catching and upbeat. A variety of fonts are used on the front cover rather than one font style this is to give the effect of a professional magazine. Examples of font changes are ‘the last shadow puppets’ font and the ‘first major interview’ font.

The layout of the magazine is fairly cluttered, there are many coversine’s used on the left hand side of the magazine. There are also the main title articles in 2/3 down the center of the page.  This gives a messy effect to the magazine as if it is pumping the reader with information on the latest topics. The layout follows the route of the eye as the title at the top of the page is bold and is usually the first thing that the reader would look at. This would be followed by seeing the large central image and the cover lines on the left hand side. Overall there is more text on the magazine than images as there is only one image present which is the main, central image.

Various bold colours have been used to attract the audience an engage them in wanting to read the magazine. For example the reds are used to attract the reader to read the cover lines and cover stories. However, like on the kerrang magazine I previously analyzed the yellow colours are used for the promotion articles for example “jack whites shock new album, out this week”. With the genre being indie there aren’t clear links as to what the colours symbolize apart from they are fairly masculine colour schemes.

There is one image on the front cover of this magazine and that is the central image of Alex Turner and Miles Kane. The shot of these two band members of the arctic monkeys is a mid shot, it is a relative shot to use on a magazine as the faces of the people in the image can be clearly seen and the bodies of the people can be seen under the text of the cover lines or cover stories. The costume the two are wearing relate to the indie genre NME is associated with.


The Mise-en-scene of the magazine connotes the genre very well. it is evident from the colors in the image used such as the black clothing and the dark hair that it is associated with indie/rock. It also looks as if it has been taken in a suburban setting which can also be related to the genre. 


The Camera Shot of the central image is a Mid shot showing the two standing in the image chest upwards. This shows off what clothing the two are wearing to give the reader an idea of what genre the magazine is suggesting to them. The two band members of the arctic monkeys are also looking directly at the camera this is 'Direct Address' and gives the effect of them looking back at the reader, this also makes the magazine stand out on the shelf.

Kerrang Front Cover analysis

The typography on the front on the magazine such as the fonts portrays various connotations. For example the San Serif mast head has cracks in it which connotes the music vibe being ‘loud’ and gives the genre connotation of ‘Heavy’ or ‘Rock’. This also is linked with the famous Kerrang tagline ‘Life is loud’. It automatically attracts the correct audience drawing them in, making them want to read the magazine. The bold font styles are used as they are relevant to the bold vibe of music and relevant to everything else on the front cover than assists to the genre.

The layout of the magazine is fairly cluttered and saturated with the latest articles. The cluttered style is used at the bottom of the magazine; this is so it doesn’t ruin the effect of the central image making it hard to see. The layout does follow the route of the eye but doesn’t follow the principle of thirds. The text to image ratio is fairly even there seems to be around 50/50 of each.  The cluttered style of the magazine gives the connotations that the magazine is promoting loud, rough music.

A variety of colours are used on the front cover and each are used to suggest various connotations. Like black used connotes a gothic feel to the front cover and the red suggest s aggression and envy. This speaks to the audience as it gives them a vague idea as to what genre the magazine is. In this a rock and metal genre. The yellow is used to stand out from the bland colours like the black and whites. The yellow promotes ‘Download 2007’ and ‘Posters’ inside the magazine.

The main image used on the magazine cover is a central image of the band muse. The costumes they are wearing, part of the Mise-en-Scene are black and white which is relevant to the genre and the rest of the magazine. It isn’t taken at a high or low angle so this doesn’t show and superiority or inferiority. They is not a specific location as the picture is taken on a white background or the background has been erased. The hairstyles particularly of the lead singer in the centre assist towards the genre of the magazine via the black hair and lightly spiked.

 The Mode of address of the magazine for example the language uses fairly basic vocabulary and isn’t necessarily sophisticated. It speaks to the audience as it attract teenagers as the youth of today use fairly basic language in laid back conversations ‘Life is loud’ also speaks to teens as they enjoy playing the music loud and is again related to the genre of rock and metal. 
The camera work on the front cover of this magazine is very effective. The producer has used a Mid-Shot of the band members which shows the features of each person within the shot. The band members of Muse are also looking directly into the camera which is called 'Direct Address'. This gives the effect of a relation towards the audience as if the members were specifically looking at them