Analysis of existing magazines

Magazine cover 1

The main title of this magazine is featured as a logo. The Q is big and white against a red background and this means that it stands out well. The colours are masculine, and stick within the red, white and black colour scheme. I will need to think about what colours are determined as masculine when making my own front cover. This means that I will grab the attention of my intended male audience.

The tagline reads "A different take on music" and this is used on every magazine to show continuation throughout them. it will also inspire curiosity within the reader, as they will want to know what makes this magazine so different from the rest and would therefore be encouraged to buy it. The main flash used is promoting a well known artist and this may encourage the reader to buy the magazine especially if they like that particular artist. It also allows you to know what is going to be inside the magazine and may therefore encourage you to buy it so that you can read the article inside.

The main flash is used in a Serif font and is in bold black and white fonts. This means that it really stands out and holds the reader's attention. The main artist is deliberately wearing the same coloured clothes used in the titles so that the front page again shows continuation and also looks aesthetically pleasing. She is also half naked, which would again attract the male readership that Q encourages to read its magazines. The panthers featured next to the main artist, could also be seen as masculine animals, and again help promote the magazine towards the male reader.

The front cover also includes smaller titles, such as the one running along the bottom, promoting other bands. This would be a good idea to include on the front of my magazine, as it means that the reader knows that they are getting good value for money, if the magazine looks like it contains quality material inside.

Magazine cover 2

On the front of this magazine you can see very bold and eye catching bright colours such as reds, yellows and blues. The magazine immediately strikes me as being intended for a younger, male audience because of this.

The title of the magazine is again in bold and bright, so you immediately know what magazine you look at. I think this is a good idea that could be used on my magazine as it leaves a lasting impression on the magazine's name. Underneath is the tagline which tells you what NME stands for, 'New Musical Express'.

The title is overlapped on top of the main background picture which is of a band that will be featured inside. The picture, shows the band looking directly at the reader. I want to use this idea on the front of the magazine, as it gives the impression that they are connecting with the audience. It would encourage the reader to buy the magazine. The band are wearing clothes that do not coinsist with the colour theme of the magazine and this again suggests a less mature audience. It could also suggest that the band are 'rebelling' against the status quo of magazine editing, and therefore showing their attitudes through it.

The main flash informs you on the name of the band and lets you know what the main article inside is going to be about. It links into the picture of the band on the front as again the font colour is bright and bold.

Some of the words on the main flash have been slightly rotated to make it look more aesthetically pleasing for the reader and gives the magazine a bit of an edge. There is a bar code clearly shown on the bottom right hand corner. The other title flashes are around the edge of the magazine front, and they also tell you what else is going to be featured in the magazine. There are other smaller images of bands and artists on the front cover as well next to the smaller titles. This is so that the reader knows what other bands and features will be inside the magazine, as the main featured artist may not be what they are after. This would encourage them to buy the magazine, as there is other things to read about. I will include this on the front of my magazine, so that my readership members are higher.

Quotations are taken from some of the interviews inside are put onto the front page to give the reader an idea of what is going to be discussed inside the magazine. All of the fonts are in bold and the same font is used for the whole front of the magazine, it is in a simple Arial font, so that the reader can confidently read the magazine smoothly. The simple font also appeals more to the male genre as it is more masculine than having a more feminine curly/handwriting font.

Contents Page
I took this contents page from the magazine Q as it covers the genre that I am aiming for with my magazine.

The contents page uses a grid of 3 and has a border running across the top. The border has a navigation point such as the name 'Contents' and also shows the Q logo for continuation. In my magazine I am going to have clear navigation points such as page numbers and titles so that the reader knows exactly where they are in the magazine.

The features in the magazine are in the first grid running down the left hand side and then there is a main picture that takes up two grids on the right. In the main picture, the featured band are again all looking out at the reader, so as to make the audience feel like they are being connected with.

The contents page uses the same colour combinations of red and black so that there is again continuation. The font is again simple, to make reading easier for the audience.

Double Page Spread

The double page spread is taken from NME magazine, which is again a magazine that is made for my intended audience. The page is bright and eye catching and would definitely appeal to a younger audience probably aged 15-30. The colours used are again masculine, and would therefore appeal to the male audience that NME are most popular with.

Each page on the double page spread makes up a grid of 4 collums. The main picture takes up the full four collums on one side of the double page spread. The featured band are again connecting with the audience by looking straight at the camera. Because this is so popular within magazines, I will definitely be using this approach with my own magazine. The pose held by the band is almost like the photographer was just to catch the band lounging around in their free time. The picture is quite good in reflecting the name of the band, 'The Teenagers'. The name is again emphasized by their casual clothing. It also looks like they are in a bedroom relaxing together, there is pictures of women on the walls something that is perhaps meant to portray the stereotypical things that teenage boys like. This would also again appeal to a male audience reading the magazine.

On the other page is the interview with the band and this takes up 2 collums.

The other two collums is made up of information about other bands that are probably in the same genre to the featured band in the article. This means that readers can increase their musical knowledge.

Pull quotes are included and highlighted which gives the article a good look and also pin points key quotes that may have been a good or interesting part of the article. Language used in the article is casual and not very formal at all. This would again attract a male intended audience that are looking for an easy read. It also means you get an idea on the attitudes and opinions of people in the band.

There is a 'need to know' post it note styled box at the bottom left of the main picture containing other pieces of information about the band not nessacerily mentioned in the article. This means that if you are perhaps just browsing through you can still find out something interesting about other bands.