Analysis of Magazines

On this example the Masthead is bold and also black outlines that brings it out of the page and really makes it stand out. This is a recognisable magazine so people will recognise its covers more than other less popular magazines and for that reasons the masthead does not need to stand out quite as much as some others may have to, as this is a well-known, recognisable magazine. This magazine cover has two famous people on the front cover; this may attract fans of the famous person/people on the front. Alex Turner is slightly covering the title, but for NME I don’t think it really matters that much as it is well known magazine so people will know what it is, in comparison to new magazines who would have to make there masthead clear. This is the typical magazine cover with the subtitles on the left and the main headline in the middle.

The main colours used on this magazine are white, red and black, this works well because the white and black combination really goes with any colour, and makes the red stand out.  Also I did some research and I found out that NME magazine colour scheme is generally red and black.

The language used here is informal and a lot of quotes within the front page. There also is a direct address pronoun, “we’ve found for you” is a direct pronoun this gives the impression that the magazine is addressing you personally, which creates a bond between you and the magazine and makes you feel involved and that you want to read.

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This is a very simple magazine cover, the masthead is covered by the picture, so this shows that maybe that the magazine is well known and the audience already know what the magazine masthead says, because the majority of the buyers will be regular customers of the magazine. The subtitles are all over the page in a weird but attractive way, this magazine for me personally makes me want to buy it because it looks interesting and fun, when some others look more formal and boring.

The language is informal, almost like inner city chat “going hard”. This shows that the magazine is aimed at inner city community, also this magazine looks colourful and fun so this makes me think it is aimed at teenagers more than the adults.  Also it talks about “18 pages of fashion and style” this stereotypically is aimed at teenagers as generally teenagers are more into fashion then their elders.  Also on the actors clothing it appears to have written “Party Hard” yet again stereotypically teenagers are known for “partying hard” unlike adults.

The colours on this magazine are bright and attractive, the creator has used as their main colour palette purple, green and white. This is an unusual colour palette for a music magazine it’s the only magazine I have seen with such energetic colours. The genres of this magazine when I have researched it I have found the majority of images are bright and attractive, and honestly that surprised me.

This magazine cover in my opinion from first glance is really eye catching; I personally like how Jay-Z’s head takes up the majority of the page it makes you want to look at it. The giblets are really close together or the left hand side which may make the magazine look slightly cramped and unappealing to some, generally teenagers. Oddly this magazine looks like it is aimed at a slightly older audience, I say this because there’s no fancy text, no bright colours, and just from the front cover this looks more informational. Unlike many of the magazines I have seen, this is one of the only ones I have seen that the masthead isn’t overlapped by the main image, this could be because it is not well known, but personally I think it’s just because the magazine is to appear to older audiences so it’s more formal. From the layout I assume that the magazine is created for people of the age of 17-26.  

The language on this magazine is formal; there isn’t any slang within it. There are quotes on the cover; this adds credibility to the magazine because it makes you believe that some big names have given them quotes.

The main colours used on this cover are white, black, and gold which is a peculiar combination and doesn’t really draw in the teenage community, this is more for young adults with its more aesthetic feel.

On this page all the main pages are on the right hand side of the page; also notice they have giblets on the right which makes it easier for the viewer to navigate through the magazine in comparison to having to look for the direct page that they want. There is one main image on this contents page, which in my opinion is good because it doesn’t make the contents look overly crowded. The font is larger than the rest on the page so it really is an eye catcher. Also the large cover story in the centre of the page has a slight white background so this makes the text stand out in comparison to just putting it over the image.

A first impression of this contents page is that it is really attractive and eye catching. The contents seems to start at the bottom of the page, with a less user friendly way. If you are not used to this kind of contents page, it could be quite difficult to navigate. A good thing about this contents that you don’t normally see on the average contents page is the date of which the magazine is released. On the contents page there is multiple pictures of celebrities which in my opinion makes you want to read on further because it gives the magazine credibility, for example you think if JLS are on this magazine it must be writing about them.

I really like this contents page I think the colours really go well together, and the picture on the right with the text at the bottom and the left looks a really good layout. This is a really user friendly contents, the black and red texts on a white background really go together well, I like how this magazine always sticks to these colours I think it makes it much more appealing. Also to help the viewer it shows what band is on the picture as well as telling them what page to find them on, I really like this idea. So the main contents on the left but underneath there is an added section which makes the magazine look full of information and extra appealing stuff.

This spread is a really colourful and eye catching; it also uses the male gaze to get its attention. The picture on the right is really effective use of the male gaze because the majority is black and white then what the creator wants you to look at, this instance being her chest, is all colourful and stands out. This double page spread is clearly two different pages in comparison to some which a picture goes over two pages. On the left there is a cartoon strip which adds fun to the magazine and then next to that there is an article which is colourful and the picture above the heading is really fun looking. The text looks formal as it is wrote in an essay format, however to make it less boring and more appealing the colours are there to make it stand out.

This is the best double page spread I have came across in my opinion, I like how Lily Allen is spread over two pages, this is really attractive and effective.  The big heading on the left hand side I think is really effective and adds a less formal approach to an article which is a nice thing to have, as it’s a music magazine and not a newspaper. I like the colours scheme on this page the red and black always go well together and this is NME magazine and there colour scheme the majority of the time is red, black and white, it is impressive to see how they find a way to fit to their colour scheme.

In my opinion this double page spread is less attractive however it looks more informational. It has a picture on its left which takes up a whole page and a little of the next page. Also over this picture I like the title how it has the mix of colours within it. I like on the text with the big capital letter at the start and the red on the first paragraph, however I don’t like the paragraph at the bottom of the right hand side page, I think it looks unwanted and doesn’t really feel as it fits in.