Double Page Spread Analysis :

The first magazine double article i have analysed is from Kerrang Magazine.  It is in a very non-formal style and features a strong "Rock N' Roll" theme throughout.  This article is the same genre as the music magazine i am going to produce.  The article features 4 images, one taking up an entire page, of the band in the studio and live. This adds a very non-formal and grunge feel to the article.  The artice features a side column giving details on the bands new tracks and informing the reader in a non-formal style of language, what they sound like and what to expect from the new album.  The article uses a strong colour theme of Red,Black and White, colours commonly associated with rock music.  A quote from the artist is given as the headline to make the reader feel like the artist is talking directly to them, this technique is used prodminantley throughout the article.

The second magazine article i have analysed is from NME magazine and contrasts greatly from the first.  The article features a full page taken up by an image of the artist, however, un like the kerrang article, this image is not live or in a studio, it is a professional image and features the artist looking directly at the reader, making them feel like the artist is talking to them.  Feminism features greatly here as the womens legs are exposed in a pose which is appealing to the "Male Gaze".  The article is far less cluttered than the kerrang magazine and has a brighter colour scheme of Greys,Whites,Blacks and Reds.  The article has a formal/'eligent" touch throughout appears to be written to attract a more mature audience than the first.  The articles spacious layout and colour scheme perfectly resembles the softer style of music it is representing.

MOOD BOARD

Shown above is my mood board showing all the different artists,brands and connetations that are associated with my chosen genre of music magazine which is hard rock/rock.

College Magazine Contents Page (House Style/Mock Up)

This is the mock up for the house style of the contents page for my college magazine.  I have included all the basic features such as dateline and subheadings ect, along with some interestingly shaped image boxes, in order to catch the eye of both teachers and students, making them want to read more.  I have chosen to include a note from the head teacher in order to make the page more formal, but also, more personal and direct to the reader, that was my intention behind including a quote also.  The layout of the page is simple and easy on the eyes, clearly separated into columns and boxes for a quick scan allowing the reader to flick to their page of choice quickly. 

Music Magazine Contents Page Analysis :

Above i have analysed two contents pages from different music magazines, to view the full size images and annotations, just click the small images above and the full image will be opened in a new window.


The first contents pages is from 'Kerrang' magazine and although it shares some similarities with the second, the contrast between the two is great.  The Kerrang contents page appears to be much more cluttered, using many images as apposed to the few shown on the second contents page.  The kerrang page contains a letter from the editor, involving the reader more than the second contents page makes the effort to do.  The Kerrang contents page is styled perfectly to fit with it's hard rock/grunge magazine type with a shattered wall paper, giving the impression of heavy music, where as the second contents page is plain and simple.  The Kerrang contents page however contains more subheadings,notes and other features, making it far more clustered than the Mojo page, however, this may be suited to the heavy style of music the magazine promotes.


The second contents page is from Mojo magazine, a less heavy music magazine than the first and more mainstream.  The Mojo page is far less clustered and contains fewer images, although the images it does contain are bigger than those in the kerrang page.  The Mojo page has a much calmer feel, a scrap book-styled notebook feel to be precise and contrasts greatly to the post-grunge shattered glass style of the kerrang page.  The Mojo contents page is more formal, with a more mature coulour scheme and layout, giving the impression that the magazine is for readers of an older age, where as Kerrang is aimed mainly at teenagers.  The magazine house style fits perfectly with the more mellow style of music it is aiming to promote.  

College Magazine Front Cover

Above is the finished draft of my college magazine front cover.  I have used a colour scheme of Blues,Reds,Blacks,Whites and Yellows. I have chosen to use that colour scheme because the school colours are Blue,Black,Red and White, so the colour scheme is in harmony with the school logo.  I have chosen to use yellow on the Puff to make it stand out amongst the other colours, making it eye catching, inviting the reader to read more.


I have chosen to use a large image covering most of the colour as the image relates to the main headline story and makes the magazine more eye catching. The Splash Headline is displayed in a sans font on a diagonal obstructing the main image to make it eye catching to students and less formal. Although, college magazines are also read by parents, so the official school logo and specialist science college logo's are located left and right of the official masthead, which is in formal sans serif font to appeal to this audience also. 


I was aiming for a balanced mixture of formal and non-formal in order to make the magazine eye catching to both parents and students, i believe i have achieved my goal in the finished product by combining formal sans serif fonts with diagonal sans puffs but maintaining the formal school emblems and titles around the masthead. 

Genre :

The Genre of music magazine i have chosen to create a magazine for is Hard Rock/Rock. I have chosen this genre as it is my favorite genre of music and i am most experienced in writing about it.  Also my questionnaire results showed that Rock is the most popular genre amongst people who took my questionnaire. Below are some artists that fit into my chosen genre :

Questionnaire Results :