Existing Magazine Analysis- Double Page Spreads

This is a double page spread from the magazine Kerrang! It has many key features which make it successful, such as how the pages have a colour scheme of black, white and red which is used throughout which goes well with the black and white photos.

The double page spread is heavily image based with the whole left hand page having a full A4 image of the lead singer. The band members in the photos are wearing rock style clothes (leather jackets etc) and have a typically metal look to them. There are a series of banners that have small black dots which I think catch the eye and make the words that they are surrounding stand out. It is also there to conform to the house style of the magazine as this style would’ve been used throughout the whole magazine which gives the magazine a good flow and continuity. On each of the photos there is a small caption in the bottom corner which sums up the photo in a few words. The article title is a pull quote from the text which lets you know some of the things that will be in the piece without reading it. The title is in a bold, eroded style font which goes with the edgy rock genre and also matches the Kerrang! Logo which is in a very similar style of text which again matches the house style of the metal/ rock magazine Kerrang! The use of lines to separate the bits of text within the white bar in the top right is effective as they make it look tidy and in place. Another effective feature is the way that the editor hasn’t even mentioned the band’s but has abbreviated it to MCR (My Chemical Romance) which shows Kerrang! Trying to hit their target audience who in this case would be My Chemical Romance fans, who only need to see an image to realise who is being shown on this double page spread.

In my own piece I would like to use the black and white style of photographs as a main dominant image with the black white and red colours which I think go well together and none of them over dominate each other and go well and match to the metal scene of the genre that I wish to aim my magazine towards. I would also like to use the large text which is a small quote from the text which is on the double page spread. Another feature I would like to use is the small banners which pick out and let the reader know what section is what.

In this Metal Hammer magazine double page spread there are six men look at the camera, the camera has been placed in a position that looks up at them and one of the band members is pointing down towards the reader as if to say that they are trying to portray themselves as being something powerful and that they are pointing you out and that they want you to listen to them and like their music. The font of the   ‘Scene Not Heard’ has got some brown shading on the outlines of it which represents mud and dirt which fits in with the photo of the men being in an outdoor terrain and gives them a representation of being a ‘wild’ band. The band name is repeated throughout the double page spread and is displayed in a clear font and in red which contrast against the white background of the sky and make t stand out from the rest of the article which clearly shows who is being interviewed and shown on this particular article of Metal Hammer magazine. At the start of the main paragraph the letter U is in a larger font and in the colour red which makes it stand out and catches the eye which draws the reader’s attention to the main article which makes this seem to be the most important part of the page. The magazine name and page number is placed in small font in the bottom corner which will be the house style of the magazine and would be repeated throughout the whole magazine. Having the page number in the bottom lets the reader easily locate the specifically wanted page from what they have found in the contents by quickly flicking through the pages.

For my on magazine I would like to use the idea of having an outdoor location on the double spread as it is a unique way to present the band members and is different from all the other types of double page spreads I have looked at in my analysis process. I would also like to incorporate the band’s name in a bright colour in the top corner like what is shown in the above magazine. I feel that this is a good way of showing which band is being presented on the page as it is the first thing that you will be looking at when you first start reading the page.  Another idea I would like to use is the pull quote from the text and having the band members name underneath as this is a good way of educating the reader into who is in the band and gives them more knowledge of the band.

In this Rock Sound magazine double page spread, there is one large image used that dominates the two pages and the band members are all in long black cloaks which suits their genre of being in a rock/metal band. The whole colour scheme is black and white except from the bands logo and a photo of the bands album cover, this is a very effective little touch as it allows the reader to recognise the bands newest album cover so they can go to a record shop and purchase it. There is 3 main fonts used, one small print for the main part of the article. The same text is also used but in a slightly larger font below this and it acts as a sub heading. The title and the pull quote from the text are both in the same font this is effective as it links the band and the quote together. The band members are all looking at different things which give them a mysterious look and this makes you want to find out more about the band when looking at the double page spread. They mostly seem serious in the poses which they are pulling but one of the band members is sitting in an arm chair which also gives them a laid back feel. They seem to be in a church like location which gives them the dark image and lets the reader know without listening to the band’s music or without knowing who the band are, you can see that they are a very dark rock band. The target audience would be also for people who enjoy that genre of music.

I like how they are in a unique location and I would also like to replicate this in my own magazine with the band in a place which you wouldn’t normally see in a music magazine which I think gives it an unique look and seems more exciting and enjoyable to read for the target audience. I like how the band members pictured all have a very different style of pose which is a good idea as it can make the reader think about the image and can make their own judgements on how the band act based on how their self-preference.

There are many key features used in the double page spread that make it successful. The man in the page is Jimi Hendrix and there is no writing that says his name as they can afford to do that as he is such a well-known and highly regarded musician that the vast majority of people and the target audience of rock music lovers would be able to recognise his straight away. There is 3 main fonts, a small font for the main part of the text so they could fit in a lot of information, there is a brief introduction the parts of the text which is in a slightly larger font and is separated by lines which make it look neat and because of these you can tell that part if the text isn’t in with the rest of the paragraphs. The third type of font used is a large font that seems to have been handwritten on and is next to image and in speech marks so you can tell that it is a quote about Jimi Hendrix. The colours used are very vibrant and represent his era of the ‘flower power’ from when he was in his prime in the 1960s. The colour purple could be there to represent one of his classical songs ‘Purple Haze’. He is smoking in the picture to show how he was known for his drug taking and it could also link into the handwritten text as it seems to have been purposely placed where it is to represent the smoke he would be exhaling. At the start of the text, the letter J is in larger text to represent his first name Jimi and could’ve been made a bigger font than the rest to make it seem that he was a bigger musician that the rest of his genre.

I would like to use some bright colours and also maybe have a member of one of the bands I will be using holding a cigarette to possibly link in some of the text with the smoke as it looks very professional and suits the genre and target audience as Jimi Hendrix’s music is famous for drug takers to enjoy so I could possibly use something of the same style. I also like the style of having the first letter in a slightly larger font to represent the band and to also show where the text starts. Another key feature I would like to replicate is the small introductions to the longer paragraphs in a slightly larger font with thin lines that separate it from the rest of the text and make it clear that they aren’t part of the main body of text. I also like how there is one image that dominates the whole of one of the pages  which is effective as it shows the person/people pictured in large and the audience get a good view of who they are. I am going to also pick colours that go with my target audience which is demonstrated on this double page spread with the bright colour choice.

This Rocksound double page spread has various conventions which make it easy to identify who the article is aimed at and who the article is about. For example there is a large image that dominates the double page which shows that they are in focus and from a quick glance, with the large text you can see that the article is clearly about the band ‘Gallows’. The whole page has a dark look to it with the images being in black and white which conform to the idea of the band being of a metal/rock genre. The way that the band are presenting themselves gives them a very dark and aggressive look with the frontman making a rude hand gesture and with the tattoos of the band members give them a menace to society image. The colours used also help them achieve this as they use a lot of black and white throughout and the paint splats give the article a messy and edgy look and adhere to the house style of the metal magazine Rocksound. In my own piece I would like to give my models the same sort of look with the dark colours and aggressive and confident posture/stance to establish the metal genre.

The use of the blocked font outlining the messy handwritten font could be used to show that the band can be a bit wild and crazy but also serious about their music. They use very edgy fonts which seem that the article is mainly aimed at the masculine gender with bits of the text having been chopped off, illustrating the whole metal scene of the band Gallows. In my magazine, I would like to use a text which has been purposely chopped up to clearly present the genre the article is aimed at.