3. Magazine Analysis

Cover Page Analysis

Masthead

The masthead in this issue is big and bold; they put it at the top of the page which is the most focal point of the cover. NME uses the same font and colour for every issue and therefore is easily recognised, also by using the colour red and the large capital font makes it easy to see from afar and ties the colour scheme together making it look more professional

Colour Scheme

The colour scheme the have used for this magazine is mostly black, white and red. Using the colours white and black makes the magazine look more professional and the red could symbolise their passion for music

Barcode/ Price

The barcode on the front page makes it look more professional and realistic and makes it look more complete. The price is shown In small print beside it, this helps the reader  read all the good features about the magazine and whether or not they want to buy the magazine and weigh up how much they think it’s worth before seeing the actual selling price.

Main Image

The main image they’ve used is very effective as it draws readers in by making ‘mike skinner’ have direct eye contact in the photo and they’ve then place the image where your eyes  fall on the page. The facial expression on Mike’s face is quite serious which could indicate that the article could be about a serious matter which the readers will find entertaining or that the article itself was taken seriously and that you can trust that everything written is truthful and you can believe it to be true.

Images

Including more images makes the readers wonder what they’re about making them want to read on. The smaller images they’ve used on this particular issue is some examples of free posters inside, this makes the reader feel as if they are gaining more for their money. By positioning the images slanted and overlapping one another it makes it look more interesting 

Contents Page Analysis

Layout

The layout for NME’s contents page is very simple which makes it quick and easy for readers to find that particular page they need. They’ve highlighted the headlining stories by including images and putting
 the page number in big, bold red writing with a white background in the corners.  Including images also help break up the writing so it doesn't look over crowded and that would lose the reader’s attention.

QuotesOn this page they’ve included an interesting quote from the article. This quote was chosen carefully to grab the reader’s attention as it is slightly bizarre and would influence the reader to read and find out the story behind it. Another reason the quote draws in readers is by using making the font size larger making it stand out and by using italics. This technique is effective as it implies it’s been spoken and empathises how unusual it is.

Headline

The headline in this issue is different to most magazines as they haven’t used the traditional ‘contents page’ this makes the page more interesting. It’s also similar style to a newspaper by the use of font and choice of words such as ‘this week’ this implies that all there articles are up to date and it the latest news. Adding the date underneath also strengthens this idea, and also supports the idea of it being the latest news.

Double Page Spread Analysis

Layout
The layout of the magazine is pretty simple. The text is set out in five columns this makes it easy for the readers to read as its more spaced out and not cluttered which would put them of reading. The font they’ve used is clear to read and looks professional this can make the readers feel that what their reading was taken seriously and can believe what their reading is truthful, this would influence them to buy the magazine more often. In this article they’ve also added extra slightly relevant information in boxes which has a different background colour this then makes it clear that its not a part of the main story. The font been used in these is also different.

Quotes
In this article they’ve highlighted carefully chosen quotes. The quotes they’ve chosen grab the reader’s attention as they give some sort of indication of what the article is about but without giving it completely away so it makes the readers wonder and influences them to read on.

Main Image
The main image of this article is positioned to go over both of the pages, this helps tie the double page spread together.