Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

This is a double page spread from Dazed and Confused and is very classic and  understated. It would probably fit in with a fashion magazine judging by the photography style. The use of black and white makes it very stylish, gives it a classic look with sophistication.

The title of the article is written in two different fonts, sizes and case. This makes a differentiation between the two words, "SELF" and "obsession". It makes little of the word obsession and shouts the word self in comparison, readers are always drawn to things they can identify with, this is the whole point of an article, so the word "SELF" instantly grabs them, the word "obsession" just reels them in further. The different tones to it also make "obsession" lighter and "SELF" stand-out, furthermore; the lower/upper case difference does this also.

Regarding the photography, the models straight hair is used to contrast with her net ruff witch is wild and untamed, her plain, simple vest top is meant to take away no attention from the face and ruff. The title is also running over the vest top, showing that this is not supposes to be the main focus, however it also covers some of the ruff which actually makes the reader look more carefully to see what the words are concealing; the image gains more attention.

The text opposite the image is laid out very simply and unusually leaves the space above blank. This would suggest the magazine can afford to do this; meaning that it is well-established enough for readers to not be disappointed with lack of imagery, and as it could be valuable advertising space.

The idea and success of this article are due to it tapping into the mentally of an insecure woman seeing a beautiful model with a title maybe hinting at some reassurance for them.

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Music Magazine Analysis

This contents page, judging from the house style, is from a Music; Rock orientated magazine. The stylising of the word "DRUMMER" is very powerful; it is written entirely in capitals, black  colouring, and takes up a large amount of space. The images and text's are boxed off to make navigating easier and more information to be accessible to the reader. The main image has the caption "Exclusive" linking to it, this suggests it is the main feature of the issue, it draws the reader into the novelty of 'an exclusive interview'. The articles listed corresponding page numbers are made bolder and to stand out against the rest of the text, this means that readers wanting to skip pages can turn to their intended article a lot quicker.

The font colours used are red and black, these are very typical rock magazine colours as they elude power, intimidation, passion and danger; all traits which rock/metal music should give listeners.

All the images are given a caged effect to it, it makes it appear as if the camera is live on the action and it was not set-up as a photo shoot. This style suits the magazine as it is very raw and very real, true to artists. No airbrushing or extensive make-up sessions, for the sake of vanity, would belong with this magazine.

All space available is taken up by images, often bands, and text boxes. Gaps in the contents would make the magazine seem empty, un-exciting and bland, so it is important that all space is used wisely.

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Music Magazine Cover Analysis

 This is a cover image for Q magazine. The main image is of the Muse front man Matt Bellamy in a destructive pose, this is portraying his manic personality and is even smashing the Q logo with his guitar. The title for his article is "Matt Bellamy is out of control", this links with his behaviour in the shot. Bellamy has been dressed in black with hints of red even the guitar is black, this keeps in the running  colour scheme of the magazine, the cover lines are also written in these colours. The image is an action shot as can be seen by the blur in his guitar hand and the guitar itself, this suggests aggression and speed which are both very threatening qualities; this all fits into the theme of Bellamy being 'out of control'.

 The difference in logo (to the standard 'Q' used in other issues), is not uncommon in magazines, frequently the image will overlap the masthead or cover it almost entirely. Magazines which are well established are able to do this as very little of the masthead has to visible for it to be recognised, examples of this are Rolling Stones and Vogue.

 The rest of the magazine; left third, skyline and cover lines, fit into the conventions of a magazine. The skyline is an advertisement for itself, giving the reader information about the magazine, this is done so the skyline is visible on the shelf above other magazines. The cover lines are built around the main image, barely over lapping it, this shows again that the issue is centred around this lead article.

 In the left third, there are three articles mentioned, each of the titles are separated by deep red lines, this gives definition to the left third and the reader can identify each article individually. In the right upper corner there are more cover lines, this time they are in white boxes, this is so the text can be written in black  and red against a grey background, it means they stand out more and makes the cover more interesting.

 Finally the lower right hand corner has the only other image on the cover, and uses three different colours for its title, the number 200 is written in the boldest colour to grab attention, the band's name, The Beatles, is written also in a bold colour against the background, but the more informative part of the title is written in a bland colour. This is done because the two key parts of the title will grab the reader, 200 and Beatles already gives an idea about the article so the 'things you didn't know about' will only be read once the reader is engaged in it.

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Evaluation Of Cover and Contents Design

Regarding my magazine cover, I am very happy with the way it turned out. I think it is easy to navigate, the articles are clear and the colour scheme works well. If I were to improve the cover I may remove the shadow around the model but I did leave it in for the final edit as the background was plain and it gave the image extra body and depth.

The contents page was not as easy as the cover design, because there was no main image it made it difficult to put focus on and create a centre piece for the page. I chose to seperate the page in two, and the left side was dedicated to the page listings, and the right; to images and articles. The contents does still appear quite empty, to make it more lively and busy I could add lines between the page listings, giving more definition, take more exciting photographs and use a less bland background but which stills works with the colour scheme.

The only big issue I have with the running theme is the colour scheme, the colours used on the cover differ from those on the contents page, the cover is bold and sharp and very limited colours but the contents focuses more on shades and colour range. To keep the flow of a magazine the theme must be re-occuring, therefore if I were to do it again I would use the bolder colours in the contents page as well.

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Above: the trial magazine cover.

Below: the two fonts I tried before going with Steiner.

Below: the Steiner font.

Above: after importing the main image, I realised there was a large space next to the models head which I later used for a left-third.

Below: Colour text boxes without photo images.

Below: the magazine before importing the images and changing the background.



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College Magazine Description

Firstly I made a trial magazine cover. This design conformed to the front cover ‘rules’ of a magazine, and was an experiment for colours and themes. My later design was much more detailed and didn’t abide by the ‘code’ of a magazine.

Front Cover Plan

For the front cover I want to have a simple plain mast head but also for it to run across the whole width of the page. A font I have found which reflects this is Futura; it is not dominant but is clear and obvious; a trait I want to magazine to have. I have put a cover line along the bottom of the page, this acts as extra article information, I have set it apart front the left third fonts and sizes by making it stand out, this could then be used to advertise a different type of article or contents of the magazine.

House Style

The house style of my magazine is plain backgrounds and fonts but bright text boxes, images, and headlines. This will draw focus to the articles and photos with no complex backdrop to distract. I have chosen the font ‘Steiner’ for my masthead and page titles because it is plain and reflects the ease and simplicity of the magazine. I want the magazine to feel easy to navigate around and not be filled to every corner with text and images.

I also chose it because it wasn’t too striking or sharp this is important as the cover has a lot of text and imagery so the title must not steal too much attention. This also meant it seemed quite relaxed and reflected what the magazine had to offer.

Final Front Cover

The first front cover I sketched was very plain, but used a bright background with dull title colours. I changed it because it was not very eye-catching, didn’t grab the readers attentions and the article names were not intriguing enough for the reader to ‘want to know more’. I also changed the left third to the other side of the page; this is because I think it looks more aesthetically pleasing to be on the right side as there are banners which break up the main image on the left. I also may have done this as I am left handed so the text, to me, looks better on the right. I did keep the cover line along the bottom, although I made it stand out more yet not dominant in size against the left third.

I changed the background from a bright yellow to a bland grey colour. This means I can use bright fonts and coloured text boxes without the background clashing. The masthead is not in a bright colour though as it would then become too messy, the font used in the masthead is Steiner, and the text is in Eras Demi ITC and Calibri these texts are quite similar but it still sets apart the title from the left third. One theme I have incorporated throughout the magazine are bright coloured text boxes behind the text, against the grey background, it makes the page more attention grabbing and draws the reader into the text getting them to read the article names, and hopefully interesting them.

I chose to give the magazine an article theme to make the pages seem linked rather than thrown together, I feel it would make more sense reading through it for there to be a reoccurring theme. I chose food as the theme because it can be divided into many sub-categories such as healthy eating, recipes, and restaurants. Giving the issue a name will also make it seem like a one-off, special edition and students will be more likely to buy into the novelty.

The backdrop I used behind my model is the one seen; I didn’t change this as it gives a smooth tone and appears more natural than the grey I intended to use. The use of the flash in the camera has also given a defining shadow and suits the cover design perfectly. I gave my model a piece of fruit as it reflects the theme of the issue.

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Magazine Research

For my magazine research I asked students what they would like to see in a college magazine. The answers they gave were as expected, and gave me a few hypothetical ideas such as; breaking up the magazine into subject group areas (e.g. the arts), displaying public information such as bus timetables, and lists of job opportunities, and exploring creative ideas, such as cooking.

Below is my questionnaire with some of the answers I was given:

1. Would subject specific areas of a magazine make it easier to navigate around it?

·  Yes because I could find the types of things I am interested in.

·  I wouldn’t mind because I am interested in a lot of different things.

·  Yes, I would find my way around the magazine more easily.

2. Would you be interested in knowing about City events as well as CCN?

·  Yes because I never know what’s going on.

·  I wouldn’t find it useful because I don’t do activities outside school.

·  It could be useful to some people.

·  Yes because I like going to events outside school.

3. Would you find it useful to have food place alternatives listed?

·  Yes college food is too expensive.

·  I would like to eat somewhere cheaper but I wouldn’t want to go into Norwich for it.

·  No, I bring my own food.

·  Yes I can’t afford college food everyday.

·  I am bored with the food I bring in.

4. Would a map of Norwich be useful?

·  No, I live in Norwich.

·  Depends on what places it show.

·  I don’t need a map for Norwich.

·  I just moved so I would find a map useful.

5. Would you benefit from a list of upcoming trips, (subject specific)?

·  I get all my information from class.

·  I don’t go on trips with schools.

·  I wouldn’t need to know what trips were happening.

·  Reminders might be useful but trips information; we can get elsewhere.

6. Would music information (charts) interest you?

·  Yes, I like to keep up with music.

·  Yes but not a lot of information, just a column or half page.

·  If it was up to date then yes.

·  No I don’t really care about the charts.

·  It isn’t relevant to me.

7. Would you be interested in student artwork displays?

·  No I’m not interested in art.

·  I do art so the ideas might help me.

·  I like looking at other people’s artwork but I don’t do art.

·  I think it would be a good way to advertise new artists to universities.

·  I might flick through it but I wouldn’t go to it first.

8. Would you find revision ideas helpful; techniques, plans, timetables?

·  No we get a lot of help in class.

·  Yes I don’t get enough help in lessons.

·  If it was relevant I might look at it.

·  Any extra help is useful.

After the questionnaire I have decided on which ideas to scrap; I will change the map of Norwich to focus on key study areas such as the Museums, libraries, book stores and public information centres. The ideas I did come up with from this questionnaire were as follows;

Film/Theatre; reviews, cinema times, new releases, cast lists, awards

Cooking; recipes

TV; reviews, listings

News; local, worldwide

Art; exhibitions (Sainsbury Centre, Art College, UEA, Blickling Hall)

Photography; students work, local artists

Norwich City Centre; restaurants, shops, travel links, holiday events

Shops map/new shops/sale information

Places to eat – coffee shops, restaurants, fast food, convenience stores

General information; college opening times, shop opening times, phone numbers, email addresses; tutors, teachers, offices

(College) calendar; events, holidays, term times, trips

Music; reviews, release dates, chart update, awards

Bus timetables

And the hypothetical subject groups in the magazine would be;

                        - Drama, P.E and Arts

                        - English, Media

                        - Psychology, Sociology, Science and Maths

                        - Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Politics, R.E

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Magazine Cover and Contents

Centre Number 18125

College Magazine Analysis

This college magazine is very busy and has various fonts, sizes, and text customising such as bold and italics. This cover has a left third and ariticles running down the right hand side too, this gives a diverse range of different ariticles to interest every type of student. The articles are relavent because they are of modern interests such as parties, gadgets; blackberries, and money making oppourtunies. The main image is of a student carrying study books, giving the illusion of work but clearly having fun and enjoying 'campus life'. This  is telling you that the magazine is written for students but is about the social and fun sides to student life, this is reflected in the busy apperance; it shows you that the magazine has many different layers on different topics. The 'splat' icon below the masthead shows a childish fun to the magazine, giving the students a chance to leave studying and relax, something all students long to do.

Overall the magazine is tapping into the nature all students have which long to party and make the most of social oppourtunies but without sacrificing grades.

Centre Number 18125