The mast head is located in the top left hand side of the page, the mast head on my music magazine is also located on the top left of the front cover as it is part of the conventions of a music magazine, as magazines are normally stacked so that only the left side is visible. therefore it is important to make sure that my mast head and be clearly seen so the customer will recognise it. My masthead uses the font called impact. it is a sans serif font, sans serif font projects a more modern image and the thickness and general style of the font is very bold and almost aggressive, as it is unavoidable because it is the first thing you notice on the page. My mast head is colour orange and black. The colour orange suggests vibrancy and energy, as well as a strong dominance and as the colour is too bright to ignore, helping to draw attention to my mast head. where as black suggests dominance and power, this helps to re- enforce the mastheads place on the page, stopping it from becoming lost in the background and making sure it is the first thing the reader notices.
The mast head is a bright white colour with a dull Gary outline, as well as this the a and the s merge together. The bright white colour of the font acts in contrast to the dull earthy tones of the background, as well as this the Gary outline helps to make it stand out and helps to highlight the merged a and s making it more legible. The merged a and s add a more interesting dynamic to the mast head which makes it more pleasing to the eye and draws the readers attention on the name of the magazine.
The font i used on on my mast head is called Impact, this is a serif font and it is a bold and loud drawing the readers attention to the Magazine, instead of the traditional red black and white colour scheme normally associated with an indie magazine I decided to use black, white and orange. The colours I used I throughout the magazine. I used the colour orange on my bold mast head to further draw attention to the magazine, which in conjunction with the style of font I believe it does effectively, as well as this I outlined the mast head in black, this gives the mast head a more professional feel
The other magazine used a serif font also. This gives it a more modern and young appearance, such as my own. However unlike mine they used the colour white it makes it seem fresh and has connotations of purity, although the font itself is futuristic in its appearance it is somewhat dulled down by the aged appearance of the image or Courtney love.
There are two examples of a flash used on the cover of the magazine, the first is in the top left and says ‘win a guitar signed by David Bowie’ the text is white and highlighted with a chalky blue box around the text. Although the colours are not vastly different and Don’t give a really noticeable contrast the white text does still stand out and grab reader’s attention in a subtle way that doesn’t look out of place with the rest of the splash, the colour scheme ties in with the colour of the image, the second is in the top right hand side of the page and it says ’14 free downloads’ the 14 is in big white text where as the free downloads is in small white text highlighted by a baby pink box. Having the 14 in larger text is what draws in the initial attention from the viewer, however it is still subtle and not trying to dominate the image. This gives the impression that Clash is well known enough to not have to bombard there customers with offers in brightly coloured text to attract them to buy the magazine, as they are already well established within there market.
My magazine also has an example of a splash in the top right of the page, the splash is circular and white, the white acts in contrast to the black paint splatter in the background drawing the readers attention to the magazine, as well as this the text says ' free leeds tickets inside', with the white splash and the black background drawing the readers attention, the offer on the cover will also act as an incentive to buy the issue. Inside the splash I added the word 'win' in orange writing which contrasts against the white background, this ties in with the running colour scheme used throughout the magazine. As well as this the font I used is also sans serif like the masthead, giving the front cover a feel of continuity and a more professional appearance
the image of Courtney Love more predominant further emphasising that it is the main focus of the magazine, as well as that Courtney love is an iconic figure and her image alone will sell the magazine. However the magazine does not entirely place to the conventions a magazine should and therefore is not set out in this way. A magazine like clash can do this as it is an established music magazine. The bar code is located in the bottom left hand corner rather then the right in line with conventions, my magazine has the bar code in the bottom right in line with the conventions. The headlines are not in the left third as you expect and are instead on the right hand side of the page in small white writing, they also offer no explanation as to what the headline is about, the headlines are a collective of well known bands but it does not give an incentive to read on. This again shows that Courtney Love is the min focus of the magazine; however the fact that is does offer no indication as to what the articles may be about also may act as a tease devise making the reader curious. The main bulk of text is at the bottom half of the page in the centre and reads ‘Courtney Love. Rehab. Relationships. Redemption.’ The font for the words ‘Courtney Love’ is larger then any other on the cover therefore drawing attention to the focus of the magazine. however the use of alliteration is very effective in this headline and does in a way also act as a tease devise.
My magazine has all the headlines in the traditional and conventional place of the left third. my magazine is no established enough to be able to be as elusive as Clash, and neither is the magazine a special issue so there can be no exemptions to ordinary lay out, the idea of re-arranging the layout for a special issue magazine is to make it more eye catching because it is not the ordinary layout the viewer expects to see there for this catches there attention. however because the magazines are normally stacked so only the left side is visible, i believe is is best to stick to conventions because that way the intended audience will see my headlines and if they can relate or are interested in the subject they are more likely to pick up and purchase my magazine. The font i used from the main headline is different to that used on the rest of the page. It is to draw attention to the main article in the magazine of that month and is also used through out the magazine for that artist. the writing is or a more and rendered style and gives the impression of been edgy but also more natural at the same time, the font is slightly disjointed and that gives the impression of rebellion. however the font is also quite rounded and curvy giving the innocent and natural feeling.
The contents page uses two main images of both Noel and Liam Gallagher, although they are related and are on tour together, this suggests a rift between the pair. As well as this the headline ‘Oasis kicked off their world tour’, this is an incentive for the audience to read the article as it helps to create an interest by both the headline and a short snippet of information that also can entice the audience to read further, as well as this with it been the dominant focus of the page it indicated that the main article of the monthly magazine will be based on Oasis as they one of the biggest most successful indie bands around at that point in time.
My contents page also consists of a large main image indicating that that is the main artist featured in this months magazine, he image dominates most of the contents page and is outlined i black, this draws the readers attention to the artist and re-enforces who the magazines main article is about. as well as this under neither my article there is a short snippet of text that acts as an incentive to read on. the font is in orange, a colour used throughout my magazine to give the impression of
continuity making the magazine feel more ordered. as well as this the more naturalistic disjointed hand rendered text that i used to make the main article on the front cover stand out is also brought through to the contents page. this also adds continuity and also acts as a motif for the artist.
At the top of the page the mast head has the iconic NME magazine name which also acts as a logo, this shows that they are proud of there magazine. Next to the iconic NME name/ logo there is ‘This Week’, this is a more interesting way of saying the contents page. The bold large black serif writing attracts the attention of the viewer as well as the serif font appeals to a younger audience of people as it feels more fresh and modern in comparison to sand serif font. On the left hand side of the page there is the band index, this informs the viewers if there favourite bands are in this month’s issue as well as this is shows the verity of quality music that NME offer in there magazines.
Following the conventions i also have my mast head located at the top of the page, this. like the NME magazine acts as a logo and shows continuity and a sense of ownership and pride over my magazine, i want this to resinate to the audience that they are reading something to be proud to be seen with. Mimicking the style of NME i have also put ‘ Inside this week’. however i reversed the colour contrast using white as my font colour and black as my background. this makes the ‘this week’ a more visually appealing and young relaxed way of establishing the contents page, as well as this it stands out attracting attention and appearing more alternative, like the audience.
On the right hand side of the contents page is the contents list. The contents list is divided into sections such as news and reviews, this is an efficient and organised way to find the articles the reader desires with ease and simplicity. As well as this is fills out the page making it appear to have more content then it actually does.
My contents page is divided into efficient easy to read categories making the article of your choice easier and quicker to find. however my contents list is placed on the left side of my magazine mimicking the left third on the cover and in conjunction with the use of the same font and the same colour scheme gives the sense of continuity. the simplicity of the lay out gives it a more clean cut appearance where as the paint splatters in the background make it appear more grungy and unrefined. Re- enforcing the indie persona of rebellion.
The colour scheme through out the contents page and used predominantly throughout more cover pages on NME magazine is red, black and white. This creates and iconic continuity with the colour scheme through out all NME magazines. The only acceptation to this colour scheme is used on the subscription advert. It uses a vibrant yellow font based on a black background, the yellow acts in contrast to the black making the advert stand out, and this draws attention to it and can encourage people to buy the magazine via a subscription.
My magazine also uses a consistent colour scheme through out. it creates continuity and makes the magazine seem to flow better as a unit more effectively. it helps to create a more iconic look and the colours i have used have connotations of the genre i am music i am representing, this helps me to portray the correct impression about the music i am passionate about and am trying to represent. However my magazine does not offer a subscription as i felt it was more important to fill the space with content inside the magazine. The black boxer around the features categories ect, act in contrast to the white text drawing attention to the readers desired article. Where as the orange font used for the articles helps to create a sense of continuity as well as spark an interest.
