Magazine Deconstruction #3 - NME

There is a lot more going on visually in this cover than the others I have deconstructed (Q and Artrocker). The magazine uses a large, mid-long shot, picture of Muse; which includes the scenery behind them, an Italian town, as a backdrop for the cover. The faces of the band are the main part of the image visible, and thus are more noticeable in this cover than the other covers, with the main focus of the picture being on them. This suggests that they are a well-known band who is likely to be recognised by the target audience, and entice them to buy.
The target audience is teenagers and young adults, as suggested by the use of bright colours and an abundance of exclamation marks – suggesting the contents are exiting. From this it seems that this magazine is aimed at a slightly younger audience than the other magazines.
Red is used a lot on the cover, which is a bright and eye-catching colour, and draws the reader’s eye towards the features. The colours used are red, black, and white; and these are used many times on the cover so as to maintain coherency.
The main headline is very large and the name of the band dominates the cover, this is done because they are a popular band amongst the target audience and will attract readers. The use of ‘Exclusive’ in the headline is also used to attract people with the promise of a new story about the band.
The masthead is semi-obscured by the picture and a text-box, suggesting that he magazine is well known enough to not have to worry about people not seeing the name.
There is also mention of posters and competitions inside which would entice a potential reader.

The contents page is well laid out and easy to use. It makes use of sub-headings to organise pages into groups (such as News, or Reviews) which makes reference much easier. Another way this contents page makes reference easier is the Band Index feature on the left, which allows the reader to find articles about their preferred group instantly. The contents page maintains the colour codes from the contents to maintain coherency through the magazine, although white is used as a background to make reading easier. There is a large picture in the centre and a page reference, suggesting that this artist is recommended by the magazine to look at. This magazine has the most organised contents page out of the three magazines, and is the easiest to read, although as a smaller, weekly magazine it possible this is becasue the contents does not have to catch the readers eye as much, as they will only use it for reference, and not to choose an article.

This double page consists of a large amount of text and many smaller images, which is different to the other two magazines. The images are used to illustrate the article rather than the band, and many of the pictures will correspond to points made in the text. This is further exemplified by the positioning of the pictures – most of them are at an angle so as to look like photographs lay out to illustrate the story, instead of conveying a particular message.

The article is black writing on a white background which keeps with the colour coding used on the contents – helping to keep the magazine uniform. There are also important quotes set apart from the main body to entice the reader to investigate. This layout is quite similar to Q, although it has an extra column most likely due to the larger width of NME; this would suggest the target audiences for both magazines overlapping – resulting in both magazines adopting a similar design for their article.

Magazine Deconstruction #2 - Artrocker

The cover of this magazine is much more eye-catching than Q. It makes use of green and yellow, as well as black and white, which makes it more visually interesting. The use of yellow also has could connote a ‘punk’ or alternative influence. The masthead is placed above the image, on top of all the other visuals, this and the bright colour suggest that the magazine is not very well known, and they need to advertise themselves to a potential buyer.

The cover makes use of numerous different fonts and the text is often placed at different angles, which help implies the magazine is more ‘underground’ and creative, as well as making it more visually striking. The magazine is more specialist, and is aimed at fans of alternative/indie music, we can tell this because it doesn’t rely on big names to draw a reader in. Its target audience is people in their teens or twenties, the layout would suggest, as it conveys an image of youth and excitement.
There is only one image on the cover which covers the entire front. It is of a musician, in his twenties (Martin from The Answering Machine) wearing clothing normally associated with ‘indie’ music; and is obviously a shot from a concert as opposed to a studio picture, as most other magazines would use. This connotes that the band (and the magazine) prefer live music, and also makes the magazine seem more personal. The cover has two black text-boxes which include a teaser for a competition inside; this is to entice the target to look in the magazine.

The contents are well laid out and easy for a reader to use. It continues the font styles used on the front; as well as the colour codes, which helps keep the magazine fairly uniform. The contents page is a single list, in chronological order. This is because the magazine is smaller, and also it may not maintain all of the same regular features every month.

There are more images than the cover on the contents, which can help the reader find a feature that looks interesting. This is because the magazine is based around bands which may not be so well known, so it must rely on good visual hooks to attract a reader, as opposed to magazines such as Q, which can rely on the well-known artists to attract readers.
All of the article titles on the contents are the same size, although some have a direct quote from the article to entice a reader.

This double page has a large image on one side and an opening to an article on the other side.
The image is a high angle mid-long shot, the high angle makes the band appear small and connotes that they are up-and-coming, instead of an established band. The band are dressed smart-casual, with cardigans and shirts – similar to what would be worn by the target audience. The image appears to be taken in an attic or room in a house, and there is lots of mise-en-scene in the image – the band are surrounded by retro equipment such as portable record players, and lamps; suggesting that they have older influences (as the Beatles sticker would also suggest), and that they are more down to earth. This is very different to the image in Q, which is taken in an empty studio, and helps highlight the difference between the two magazines in terms of audience and content.
The Headline is in the same font as the headline in the front which helps to maintain coherency through the magazine. The article is white on black, which looks more striking that the plain black/white of Q and NME. The article, excluding the opening paragraph which sets the scene and introduces the band, is a simple question and answer, but where the band are given space to elaborate instead of keeping it to short answers.

Magazine Deconstruction #1 - Q

The main part of this front page is clean and well laid out; this suggests the magazine is aimed at a more mature audience. It is quite minimalist compared to the others (NME and Artrocker) this suggests that it doesn’t need to rely on graphics to attract readers, and instead trades on its reputation.
All of the cover is in the same font which helps convey an image of tidiness and uniformality. The colours used are red, black, white, and grey; which connote the magazine’s base in rock music, as well as performing as a contrast for each other – making the text more striking.

Matthew Bellamy is portrayed, on the cover, to be an anarchistic rock-star, as suggested by his pose and his dress, which is black and military looking. There is only one other image – framed in white and at an angle (possibly to make it look like a photograph) this makes it more visible as it juxtaposes the straight alignment of the text. The masthead is obscured as it is being destroyed by Matt; this suggests that the magazine is well known enough to be able to hide the title without losing potential readers. The names on the cover are quite well known - suggesting an appeal to casual music fans, as well as more serious ones.

The contents pages make use of a lot more images than the cover, to illustrate the features. This is to catch the reader’s eye and make them look through the contents to find which page it appears on. The contents is split into two sections – ‘Features’ and ‘Regulars’ – This helps make the featured articles more prominent and help the reader find their desired article, after reading the name on the cover. It also makes the contents tidier, as the different aspects of the magazine are split up into sections, making reference easier. There is a considerable amount of text for a contents page – this consists of a tagline designed to draw a reader in to reading the article.

This double page consists of a large image covering an entire page, and a block of writing on the other. The image is a simple mid-angle mid-long shot, and consists of the three band members standing in a triangular formation, so it is very clear who is the leader; also he is the only one looking straight forwards at the camera, suggesting he is the most important. They are dressed the same as the singer is on the cover to keep continuity, in a slightly military fashion which connotes that they are dramatic, and perhaps convey some politics in their music.

The article is fairly plain black on white, and split into three columns, continuing the sense of tidiness presented in the cover. There is a small image in the centre which is set at an angle to look as if it were a photograph dropped on the page, as opposed to an illustration, although it does, however, keep away from the text so as not to obscure the story. There is also a quotation in the centre to entice the reader to read on to find out the context in which it should be taken. The article is written in the first person, with the writer recounting what the band have told him.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary task - Front page for a student magazine.

Preliminary task - Contents page for student magazine.