NME Front Cover Analysis
Firstly the main image is a naturalistic mid shot of rapper Eminem performing. There is a clear colour scheme used throughout the front cover, there is a mixture of the colours red, white and black, black being the least featured colour upon the spread and red and white being equally predominant.
The colour black is used scarcely throughout the spread however it is used as an effective tool in order to make the text upon the strapline at the top of the page stand out and separate itself from its background, by creating a contrast between the white background and black text. This is an effective way of making individual features stand out in comparison to other.
Furthermore the colour red is also used as a tool in order to make certain individual features stand out more upon the page, using red is effective due its vibrancy in compared to the rest of the colour palette. The colour red also has connotations that link heavily towards the genre of rap, hence the reason it was applied and partnered with an image of Eminem. For example red has connotations of blood, violence and rebelliousness, these are all connotations that cause the reader to link the colour with rap music because, rap often stresses themes that consist, are made up of or are about these connotations.
In addition the colour red is also used to section different pieces of text and to emphasise others for example, the initial article within each of the cover lines is white whereas the acting stand first for each of the cover lines is red, this allows readers to differentiate between the two and therefore makes it easier for them to understand whilst also making the page appear more aesthetically pleasing and professional.
Moreover the colour red is used to emphasise both “Eminem” and “Free New Music”, the editor chose to emphasise these two features because they are the main selling points of the magazine, the first is the name of an immensely popular rapper which will attract a wide target audience and the second is a promotional offer for what potential readers can get if they purchase the magazine, which is another main selling point for the magazine. Using this variance in colour for certain text is an effective tool for catching the eye of the reader and enticing them to read the magazine.
Eminem’s pose within the main image is naturalistic and therefore gives the impression that the magazine is more concerned with the truth than anything fake. Therefore providing this honest first impression is an effective way of inkling potential readers to purchase and read the magazine as they will believe that it is more serious and honest in comparison to other more artificial magazines.
The mast head and name of the magazine “NME” is bold yet white; the masthead is bold because that’s how NME are recognized by their bold sans serif name that works as their trademark, consistently following this appearance makes them as a magazine appear reliable and well established. Finally the fact that the mast head is white emphasises NME’s confidence as a brand as they don’t need to make their name eye catching vibrant colours in order to sell there magazine, instead they can apply a white text colour that causes the masthead to blend in and still be confident that their magazine will sell due to their instant recognisability and already established huge viewership.
NME Contents page Analysis
I believe that this is a well-structured, easy to navigate and especially effective contents page. Firstly I believe that the colour scheme applied throughout the page is simple yet effective because it allows the editor to individualise different features and text upon the page due to the use of the contrasting colours (black and white), using black text on a white background is an effective tool because it allows readers to read the page with ease, therefore reducing the risk of potential stress for readers.
Secondly the editor has used different sized images throughout the page, in order to create a sense of hierarchy regarding the importance of different articles. For example the largest image that is located within the centre of the page is obviously the most important article upon the page and is most probably the feature article within the magazine, especially when compared to the smallest secondary image located in the bottom left hand corner of the page. Furthermore all of the images used are images of the artist or band that are being covered within the article, this is effective because readers can immediately establish links between the article and the artist/s without actually reading anything upon the page.
Moreover in order to attract and entice potential readers to read each article pull quotes have been used, this is an effective tool as it provides readers with an insight into what the contents of each article will be and the style of the article etc. In addition not only have each of the images both the main and the secondary been anchored with the use of pull quotes and article descriptions, they have also been anchored with the editors use of page numbers. Page numbers are an effective and necessary tool within any magazine because it allows readers to navigate the magazine with ease and search for particular content.
Finally the use of the red box in the bottom right hand corner of the page is effective because it is the most vibrant and colourful feature upon the page, therefore readers will naturally be drawn to this feature as they turn the page. This feature contains both white and yellow text, the editor has chosen to apply different colours to the text in order to distinguish different pieces of information within it for example “subscribe to NME”, “£19.49!” and www.magazinesdirect.com/12DX are all yellow. This text is made yellow and in individualised because it is the most important text, and acts as more of the main texts whereas as the white text has less impact and will be seen by the reader as unnecessary and less important information. This subscription feature also contains the faces of different artists that have had a Christmassy theme edited on to them. This is effective because it implies to the reader that this particular issue of the magazine will have a Christmas theme. Also having the artists edited creates humour and humour doesn’t have a particular target audience and is therefore a tool that attracts everyone, therefore meaning that NME could potentially widen their audience with the use of humour.
NME Double Page Spread Analysis
The main image that consumes a vast majority of the right side of the spread is of lily Allen, she is looking directly into the camera and is therefore creating direct address between herself and the reader, making it more personal for the reader. Her pose is staged, this emphasises what the pull quote is suggesting, that being that she is an attention seeker. Furthermore her attire is rather common and informal, this is an effective way of attracting the target demographic for NME that being the middle and working class, because having an artist who’s attire resembles there’s allows them to draw similarities between themselves and her, this makes the reader feel as if the magazine is personally for them, this is an effective tool in enticing potential readers because if they feel obliged to read the magazine then they are more inclined to read the magazine.
The colour scheme applied throughout the spread is simple yet effective, because the black text against a white background makes the article itself easy to read for the reader due to the contrast created. This is effective because it allows the reader to navigate and understand the spread easily and will not cause them any stress which could lead to them not reading the magazine, making it an overall professional use of colours. The colour red has been used rather sparingly amongst the text and has only been applied to the artists name and the name below “words”, red has been used for these people in order to emphasise their importance upon the spread and within the music industry.