Format research evaluations

Evaluation for format research on music magazines

Within the format research carried out investigating music magazines and analysing aspects of the features within the magazines themselves, the norms and typical features of a music magazine is revealed as these are repeated throughout all different magazines and as a reader you can find these immediately and instantly know that it is a stereo typical music magazine feature. This could be to do with layout of the pages, positioning of text and images, positioning of headlines branding and lots more.  The more magazines you begin to analyse the more you can notice these features and realise how often they are used.

Front covers of the magazines:

After looking at three different music magazines and analysing the features on each, you can begin to see the stereo typical layout and features of a normal magazine and understand how they work within the genre of music, target audience and other aspects.

      Through the research which took place, the reader can quite clearly see that with magazines of a younger target audience, the use of images on the front page is used more often and the variety of colours used within the magazine front cover is greater than those of which are for older target audiences. Each magazines colour choice is suited to the target audience in some way and it relates to the rest of the magazine with the house colour being carried out through the rest of the magazine and linking the whole of the magazine together. With Kerrang magazine, the uses of dark colours for most of the text and images relates to the genre of the music being conveyed in the magazine and this is carried through the rest of the magazine also as you can see in the double page spread. Although the contents page which I analysed had brighter colours on the front page, this does not defy convention as the use of often brighter colours within the magazine is effective has it helps certain parts of the text to stand out more, and having brighter colour on the contents page gives this emphasis to certain sections of the text and the headlines of the featured articles in the magazine.

   Although I analysed a classical magazine front cover, I was unable to find contents and double page spreads for this specific magazine, however this did not affect my research as I investigated into different genres of music and layouts of magazines, so this choice of front page was good for my research as it gave me a variety of different genres to analyse and understand the features used. The classical music magazine in which I chose had a very plain choice of colours and there was a lack of different colours used. This reflected in the target audience as it was for an older age group, so less variety of colours was necessary as colours aren’t always the attraction for older target audiences.

   With the last magazine being Q magazine and having the same aged target audience as Kerrang magazine, the use of colours seemed to be brighter once again, and brighter than those on the classical music magazine. As already mentioned this is due to what attracts certain target readers and this is what makes the magazine more effective and easily sellable for the target audience purposed for. Although on this magazine there is a use of darker colours, this helps the branding/masthead to stand out more and this is effective for the selling of the magazine as target readers will know which magazine they are reading by the immediate use of bright colours. This defies convention slightly as instead of using bright colours for the whole of the magazine and attracting the target audience, they have purposely used brighter colours for the branding of the magazine which helps it to stand out more and become more recognisable.

    Within my own magazine, I would like to combine both of these ideas within my own design as they are both very effective. My magazine will consist of bright colours for the younger target audience that I am aiming my magazine towards and with the use of colours, I am going to be very careful as although I don’t want to make the colours on my magazine very dull, I also do not want to include a large amount of colours in the magazine as I want my brand to stand out as much as possible and become recognisable for readers so that they are immediately familiar with the brand and what the brand includes. This will help to defy convention slightly as I mix the two ideas together and will help my magazine to become more unique and original rather than following the norms of a typical magazine for the whole of my design.

     Another norm of the magazines revealed within the front cover was the use and placing of mastheads. Within all three magazines that I analysed, you can see that the placing of the masthead is always at the top of the page mainly bannering across the width of the page. Although Q magazine slightly defies convention, with the placing being to the top left hand corner of the page, rather than bannering across the top of the page, or being central, it is still part of the norms of a typical layout of a music magazine as the masthead is at the top of the page. With some of the most common magazines which are often bought by regular readers, they masthead is slightly covered by the image as the design of the magazine is made because the brand is so recognisable that you don’t need to have all of it showing. I feel that this idea of part of the masthead being covered would have to be a longer process within the making of the magazine as firstly you would need a large audience that buy the magazine and that would easily recognise the branding. This would then be the time to use this feature of the magazine as you already have a large audience willing to buy the magazine and so the view of the masthead is not as important as they already know which magazine they are buying and they know what is included in the magazine.

    For the creation of my own music magazine I am going to follow the norms of a typical magazine and place my masthead at the top of the page in the centre so that it is easily recognisable for the readers. I will have my masthead I n bold writing emphasising the name of the magazine. My masthead is going to be the brand of the magazine. I want to make my masthead the brand of the magazine as this will help advertise the masthead more and readers will become easily familiarised by the brand and they will start to easily recognise it in the different issues. This will keep the masthead the same on every single issue keeping consistency throughout the magazine and giving professionalism and formality.

     Throughout all three magazines, there is a consistency with the use of images, and although all three magazines are different the consistency is through the norms of the typical music magazine. On the typical magazine featured and covering most of the page is a large image of a famous artist. This famous artist is usually the main headline and main article in the whole magazine. On the often magazine, but not all magazines there are a few other images on the page that advertise other articles within the magazine which are also featured articles within the magazine. Around the edges of the page and to the left third and right third of the page, the text is placed. This is so that it is out of the way of the main image, and it is in smaller text so that it doesn’t take the lime light way from the main image. The layout described is featured on all three of the magazines that I have analysed and shows that it is a norm of the typical layout of a magazine.

   For the creation of my own magazine I am going to stick to the norms of the layout of the magazine as this is effective for music magazines and the layout is set out well and in a way that the audience can easily read the text on the magazine and also view the images.  The layout is clear, easily read and simple. This will be good for my younger target audience as it will be simple for them to read and easily set out so that they can work their way round the magazine easily. This layout is effective for younger target audiences because although it is a simple layout it still looks professional and formal.

   To conclude, in my own magazine I am going to stick to most of the norms of a typical magazine as I have found that these are very effective on the magazines that I have analysed and I aim to make my magazine as successful as possible. Although sticking to the norms of a magazine is good, I would also defy convention with some aspects as I want to add originality to my own magazine and make it my own. Defying convention will add originality and make  it different to general music magazines.

   

Contents pages:

After analysing Kerrang, Billboard and Q magazine contents pages and with some analysing of the front cover pages as well, links can be made from these two pages and things within the magazine are carried throughout. Although not analysing Billboard magazine front page, you can still make links from assumptions of what could have been included on the front page from the view of the contents pages. From the analysis of the three different magazines there are aspects in which you can take and see are typical aspects of a music magazine or any magazine as these features and aspects are carried through in all magazines.  

   Features which are the norms of a typical magazine contents page and featured in most magazine contents pages include use of image, branding and amount of text (headlines and captions underneath headlines). 

        To start with the use of image was bold, and through research you can see that there is use of at least one large image and then on some magazines there is a use of other images as well, but a main image on the contents page is a norm and found on most magazines. Although through research you can see that Billboard magazine didn’t exactly have one main image and there were a few images placed at the top of the page, you can still tell that there is an element of one of the images which is meant to be a main image. The magazine does try and stick to the norms of a typical magazine with this aspect, although it isn’t as clear as the other magazines as these images are placed in different areas of the page and with more text around. The use of different placing of the images goes against the norms of a magazine and defies convention in this magazine as the images are at the top of the page. Although this is effective for this magazine and its target audience, in my magazine I would not defy convention with the use of placing of images and the main image being subtle as this would not work with my target audience as my target audience will include teenagers and to draw their attention into my magazine I will need to use the aspects and stick to the norms of a contents page for this audience. I will take the ideas from Q magazine and Kerrnag magazine to attract my target audience and these two magazines have the same target audience helping to give me ideas for my magazine. The large images placed close to central of the page show the norms of a magazine and this is what I aim to use in my magazine to stick to the norms and attract the readers that I intend to get.

    The next feature which is carried out on all three magazines in which I research upon, is the branding and this is shown as a norm of music magazines also as I found that this was on all three magazines researched and featured on most magazines that you will find. The use of branding is mostly vivid on the Q magazine as this is clearly carried through onto the contents page and also onto the double page spreads. The branding is clearer on this magazine as the branding is bold and clearly shown on the front page of the magazine. Although the other two magazines also showed their branding carried through onto the inside of their magazine, it isn’t as clear as Q because they have made sure in their magazine that it is large and standing out for the reader reassuring them of the magazine that they are reading and constantly reminding the reader which magazine is in their hands. With Billboard magazine they have carried the brand throughout the magazine; however isn’t very eye catching and it tucked away into the corner of the page. With Kerrang magazine contents page they have carried it through and they have placed it within the contents headline. It is as bold as the branding of Q, magazine although it doesn’t stand out as much.  Within my magazine that I will be creating, I am once again going to stick to the norms of a magazine with the use of branding as I feel that within the magazines, especially Q magazine, it was very effective and eye catching for the reader. Within my magazine I would like to make my brand very recognisable so that when readers see the brand they will immediately know that it belongs to my magazine and I am going to carry it through my magazine just like Q magazine has done as this is effective and helps readers get used to the brand even more, and making them recognise it.

    Looking at the use of text and headlines, I found that target audiences of teenagers and of a younger age group, there is less text underneath headlines and on the contents page there is lack of lots of text.  This is effective for the target audience (as mentioned in my analysis) because younger audiences are more likely to pick up magazines with lack of text as they enjoy the use of pictures. I am therefore going to stick with this idea for my target audience as I will want to attract as many readers for my magazine as I can and draw in my audience easily.

Double page spreads:

From analysing the double page spreads of three different magazines, likewise with the contents pages and front cover pages you can identify the norms of the typical double page spread. All three magazines which I analysed for the double page spreads had the same sort of layout and were very similar with each other. This shows a norm of a typical layout of a magazine. 

    By analysing the double page spreads of all three magazines I found quite a few norms of the typical magazine. These include position of main image, article title positioning, article positioning and size and drop caps. Firstly the position of the main images seemed to be the same throughout 2 of the magazines; however one of the magazines defied convention and went against this. But sticking to the norms of magazines, on Kerrang magazine and Q magazine, the positioning of the pictures on the double page spread seemed to be on one of the pages (either left or right) and the image seemed to fill the whole of the page.  The image filling the whole of the page makes it stand out easily for the reader and for younger target audiences this is effective as it draws the reader in quickly with the large interesting image and lack of text on the page.  It seems to be that the large image that fills the page is usually on the left hand page, but some are featured on the right hand page.

     The article title positioning is placed on the opposite page to the main image at the top of the page. On the Q magazine there are two article title headlines, one which features the brand and carries it through the magazine and one which is the actual article title. The use of a branding title and an article title is effective as it helps to carry the brand throughout the rest of the magazine. The positioning of the article title at the top of the opposite page is effective as it is right as the top; therefore standing out immediately because readers usually scan from the top of the page to the bottom. Depending on where the images are depends on where the article title will be placed, but if the magazine sticks to the normal layout then the article title will be in the original place already described.

     Depending on the target audience and the amount of text that can be written about an article, depends on the size of the article and therefore the placing of the article on the double page spread. For the younger target audiences the text seems to be limited and in small sections. It is placed on the opposite page to the main image and underneath the article title. With the older age groups there seems to be more text on the page and in more columns. This is effective for this specific audience as they will enjoy reading more about the artists or problem in the media.

    The last norm of a typical magazine is the use of drop caps within the text. Although not all magazines include these in their articles, the majority of them do and so this makes it a norm of the magazine. The drop cap helps to emphasise the first word of the text, and it also gets the reader involved in the text straight away with the bolder letter being more eye catching.

    In my magazine I would like to stick with some norms of the typical magazine to keep it formal and professional. For my images I want to stick to the norm with one of them being on one of the pages and I would quite like a few other images on the other page, but not as large and tucked more away as the article will also feature on the other page to the image. This will give my double page spread a variety of images by sticking to the norm but slightly defying convention as I add my own idea into it. I am going to stick with my article title being at the top of the page, and my article itself being on the opposite page to the main image, and slightly to the left, leaving space for images or any other text I choose to place on the page. I will also have a drop cap at the beginning of my article to help emphasise the first line of the article and help to stand out more for the reader.

     Although there are any norms within these three magazines that I analysed, there are also a lot of aspects which defy convention and go against the norms with these. In my magazine I would also like to use features which will defy convention as this will help my magazine to be unique and slightly different to the other magazines. In the magazines that I have analysed I found that two of them defied convention and went against the norms. They were only small aspects to do with the placing of images, but this made their magazines unique and different to the others.

   Firstly there was the image difference with the Vibe magazine. The placing of images on this magazine is different to the other magazines as the images are placed along the top of the page and then the text and the article title is placed underneath this. This is effective for its target audience as it is for older people and so they enjoy reading more about the article. The placing of the images at the top is effective and a change of ‘scenery’ for the double page spread.

    The other magazine which slightly defied convention was Kerrang magazine double page spread as this features more than just one image on the page. It features one page with a large image on and then there are smaller images on the opposite page. Although this defies convention it is effective as it gives a variety of images for the article.

   For my magazine I would like to take the second idea and include this in my magazine as I would like a variety of different images on my double page spread. I aim for this to attract more readers as I feel the more images there are on the page then the more viewers I may achieve with a young target audience. However I do not want my double page spread to be too packed and busy as this may push readers away as they do not know what to look at and could get confused with the article.

   To conclude I am going to use aspects within my magazine which go with the norms and those which also defy convention. This will mix up the ideas within my magazine, giving it originality but also sticking to stereo typical features of the magazine also as this helps to stay professional and formal. 

Double page spread 3- format research (Q magazine)

I have chosen to analyse Q magaziner as i had analysed Q's front cover and contents page aswell, so by analysing the double page spread I will able to view wheteher they carry the brand throughout the rest of the magazine and what features that they continue to use throughout the whole magazine.

Image:

The use of image on this front cover is presented large and covers the whole of the left hand page and the majority of the right hand page. The image itself seems to use the thirds rule as if you split the image into three then sections of the image will be in each third. In this image, the picture of John  Newman is placed to the centre third of the image and is right in the middle of the page. The artist being in the middle of the page shows important and draws immediate attention to him as he is directly in the middle of the page. The placing of the image on the double page spread is so that John Newman is directly in the middle and if they had just placed the image on the left hand side, he wouldn’t have stood out as much as it wouldn’t be exactly in the middle and he would be slightly to the left of the page. The use of centre thirds sticks to the norms of a simple photograph with the image directly in the middle. Although the image is directly in the middle of the page, the mode of address is not direct as he is not facing the audience. This defies convention as usually with a direct shot with the model in the middle of the page, there will be a direct mode of address. As he looks away from the camera and towards the koala bear in the Wild Life Sydney Zoo, he shows an emotion of care for the animals. The image introduces the article as the koala bear is associated with Australia and the image being of him looking at the koala bear shows that he is in Australia and the audience immediately gets an idea of what he is doing in Australia as he is in the music industry and travels all over the world. The use of the koala bear in the image is reflected in the first few lines of the article and links with the text.

   The clothes that John  Newman are wearing gives off a swerve look and reflects with the target audience as he dresses to impress his fans and  younger teenagers and to be in fashion. However the ‘hard’ look that comes across in the clothes that he is wearing and the image, juxtaposes to the idea of the famous artist looking at the koala bear engaged. The use of the animal in the image shows two sides to the music artist and the reader gets more of a feel for the artist as a person. The image shows him being soft and friendly thwards animals and this contrasts with the colour and clothing that he is wearing.

Font/colour:

The colours used in this magazine do not seem to be very distinctive and throughout the whole of the double page spread there do not seem to be a specific few colours that are used throughout the page. However two colours which stand out on the page and these are the colour black and the colour red. Although the colour red does not stand out as much as the black it catches the readers eye as it links with the branding idea and stands out the to reader as the brand is distinctive and carries through the magazine. The drop cap used, although will be mentioned later in more detail, is boxed in red with white writing linking to the brand as the ‘Q’ is placed in a red box with the ‘Q’ being white. The brand is also placed at the top of the page in bright red text. The brand is being continued throughout the rest of the magazine and this helps to link the magazine all together,

   The use of a lot of black used throughout the double page spread helps the article headline to stand out more. It also links with the image and the article text itself as the article is also written in black text and the image features John  Newman in a black jacket with black sunglasses. The black that the artists wears in the image shows that he is ‘hard’ and gives off a rough look, although the image shows him being soft and friendly. The use of black clothing, accessories and the bold black article title helps to link the pages together and shows that they are part of each other.

   The use of the font for the article headline is in bold, however the headline for ‘Q introduces’ is in thinner text. This helps to separate the headlines and show to the reader that they are introducing different things. The thinner headline introduces the article as a whole and brings the branding into it . It also shows that is a ‘Q’ special article as all of the article which have been specialised by ‘Q’ throughout the magazine, have featured the branding at the top of the page. I found this when researching through the magazine. Whereas the bolder headline introduces the article itself.

   The black and red colours used in the double page spread shows a sense of maturity as blacks and reds are more formal and this shows an older audience as the colours reflect maturity.

Drop Cap:

At the beginning of the article on this double page spread there is a drop cap, emphasising the first sentence of the article and introducing the article interestingly as a whole. It catches the readers eye immediately as it is bolder, bigger and boxed off in a square. The drop cap reflects in the branding and shows that the branding is tried to be carried out throughout the whole of the magazine. The use of the letter ‘J’ being in bold white text inside of the red boxed text, reflects with the branding because as you can see on the front cover the letter ‘Q’ is presented in the red box exactly the same as the letter ‘J’ has been here.

   Through research throughout the rest of the magazine I found that on every ‘Q’ special article the drop cap is presented in exactly the same way. The magazine try to carry the branding throughout the rest of the magazine as much as they can.

Article title:

This double page spread of ‘Q’ magazine features a headline on the page and then an article title. The headline on this page introduces the ‘Q’ special as a whole and shows to the reader that it is a special article from the magazine and the magazine have included it in the magazine for readers interest and to keep them buying the magazine with new, exciting stories. The article title which is featured on this double page spread is followed by a longer sentence briefly introducing the article. This is featured in red writing to make it stand out.

   The article title itself is featured in black bold writing. It is in san serif font being plain and the strokes of the letters have an even width. The use of sans serif text gives it formality for the article and makes it look more professional to the reader. Although the use of black for the filling of the lettering is plain and quite boring, it helps the article title to attract the reader easily and it stands out well on the page. The use of black helps to link the image and the article together. The two worded article title also helps to introduce the article quickly and sharply so that readers immediately know what they are about to read about. If the article title was long and in smaller text, it wouldn’t stand out as easily and it would be harder for readers to easily see what the article is about.

Captions:

The caption presented on the double page spread is placed in the top left hand corner on the left hand page of the spread. It is in small black, bold writing standing out from the background colours of the large image. The small caption briefly explains what is going on in the image and the article as a whole as well. The caption is hardly noticeable and tucked away in the top left hand corner underneath another piece of branding for the magazine. The branding also in the top left hand corner is the eye attraction for the readers and the captions ‘lime light’ is taken away by the branding. The branding overtakes the caption as makes it more subtle.

Layout:

The layout of this double page spread of ‘Q’ magazine includes the image being on the left hand page and slightly on to the right hand page. The image fills the whole of the left hand page with only a branding and advertising flasher in top left hand corner of the page. The rest of the image which goes onto the right hand page fills half of the page and so only leaves a limited space for the article itself. The main headline which ‘Q’ have put in place is right at the top of the right hand page with the article title underneath the headline. Underneath the article title is a small amount of text in larger writing that the article itself briefly explaining what will be included in the article and is a short introduction to the article. Underneath this is the article itself and then to the left of the article is a smaller box filled in yellow explaining the northern soul’s guide to northern soul and peoples opinions on songs. The layout of this magazine is the typical layout of a general with the main image being on either of the main pages and then having less space for the text. The little space that is left for the text reflects in the target audience as teenagers and younger adults will not wasn’t to read longer articles. If they see the first double page spread with the text on they are more likely to read the article. Then when they get to the end of the article at the end of the page and they turn over to see more text, they are more likely to read the read the rest of the article as they are already engaged. The use of large image is effective within this magazine as readers are immediately drawn into the image.

Eye flow:

The eye flow for this double page spread goes from the left hand page with the image on, to the rest of the image on the right hand page. It then goes to the headline with the branding to it and then to the article title and the article. The yellow box which is at the bottom of the right hand page attracts the readers also along with the large image as they are both brightly coloured compared to the text and headlines and so these features on the page stand out  more and attract the reader before the reader is attracted by the article itself. These features are the features which attract readers into reading the article and can act as persuasive devices within the magazine to help draw the readers in.

Double page spread 2 (Vibe magazine)- format research

I have chosen to do Vibe double page spread as i have also analysed Vibe's contents page and so i can link all this information together.

Image:

On this double page spread of ‘vibe magazine’ there are a variety of images bannering across the top of the pages and one image which is enlarged  on the right hand page in the left third. All of the images feature the same woman, just in a different standing position and different position on the page. The images along the top of the page are featured in black and white with the one large image in colour. The use of the one large image in colour helps to emphasises the importance of this woman in the music industry and the genre of music in which this magazine focuses on. It also shows the reader that she is the main focus of the article they are about to read.

   The use of many images of the same woman in different positions shows that this woman is quite glamorous and confident within her image. The use of the black and white images bannering across the top of the page is effective as it helps link to the rest of the double page spread by sticking to the colour theme as the text in the article itself is also black/grey colour with a white background. The white background helps to bring out the main image of the artist in colour and also gives off a calm and sophisticated atmosphere as the double page spread is not too busy and is relaxed with little going on at once.

   The layout of the images defies convention of a typical magazine double page spread layout  as usually you would find one of the pages contains the main image and the other a small amount of text describing the article. However on this magazine you have a number of images bannered across the top of the double page spread with a large image on the right hand side of the page but to the left of the page in colour. Although this goes against the typical layout of a magazine for music, it is effective as it gives off an older target audience, with a more formal and sophisticated look to the double page spread and also a large amount of text. This is effective for its target audience as the smaller images allow more text to be conveyed and a more formal look to the magazine attracting older readers as they are more likely to be attracted to a magazine which looks more professional and with more text.

Font/colour:

The reader is immediately drawn in to the magazine through the use of distinctive colours. The colours of grey, black, white and blue are presented as the house style in this double page spread as the colours are repeated and shown throughout the article.  The use of the grey text over the white background makes the text stand out more and easy for the reader to read. The use of blue text helps to highlight certain important words that the article heading contains and this helps these to stand out to the reader and help them to take in the most important information easier. The use of blue also adds colour to the double page spread as the colours used could be seen as quite dull as they aren't very bright at all. The use of red used for the main image also gives the magazine colour but also helps the artist to stand out in the image as the brightly colours used In her dress contrast with the rest of the colours on the magazine and help her to show importance easier, The use of red also shows a sign of sexiness in the artist as red is associated with sexy clothing and the way she is positioned in the image  gives off a seductive look. The use of red links with the position she has been put in and makes her look seductive and sexy for the article.

Drop caps:

 Unlike the typical double page spread of a magazine, this magazine does not have a drop cap for the beginning letter of the article. This defies convention and goes against the norms of a typical magazine. However, although the drop cap is not used, the article and double page spread show that a drop cap is not needed as the first line of the magazine does not need to be emphasised. The article title helps to emphasise what the article is going to be about and so there is no need for the emphasization through drop cap.

Article title:

The article title of vibe magazine is placed underneath the banner of images gong along the top of the page, on the left hand page and on the left of the page. This goes against the norms of the placing of an article title on a double page spread as they are usually placed at the top of the page above the pictures on either the left or right hand page. Although this goes against the norms, it is effective as it the images above draw the reader in more and also the article title is quite long. The article title being long means that if it was printed across the top of the page, then the whole title wouldn't be able to fit in. They have placed the article title in this position on the page so that they can fit all of the title in on the page. The use of the grey and the blue font used in the article title is effective as the grey writing helps to link with the rest of the article as the text in the rest of the article is also in grey. The use of blue text helps to bring put the most important information in the text and this makes it easier for the reader to view instantly what the article is mainly about. It draws the reader in immediately as the bright blue text gives the article title dramatic effect.

   The short sentence in the article title followed by the longer sentence emphasises the short sentence. The short sentence 'Forget her sister' emphasises and makes the reader wonder what the 'sister' has done so wrong for the article to be saying to forget her. The powerful word forget emphasises the wrong that the sister may have done and means that someone is better than her as people are wanting her to be forgotten. The article title explains two siblings in rivalry in the music industry and through the use of chosen language of 'Outspoken, forget and The years best' shows that one sibling is better than the other and this can create tension as the reader feels the build in rivalry.

Layout:

The layout of this double page spread is different to the normal set up of a double page spread, and Vibe seems to go against convention by doing this. The set up consist of a banner of images across the top of the page in black and white. The images contain the same woman standing in different positions. Underneath the banner of images there are 5 black lines with spaces in between them. This separates the images from the text and this is effective as it shows a clear separation and formality about the magazine. On the left hand page, there is the article title followed by the article and a lot of text describing what the article is about. Moving on to the right hand page there is a large image of the woman to the left of the page. This time she is presented in colour. To the right of the girl at the bottom of the page there is a pull quote and then to the right of the image there is more text which is from the article. 

  On a typical magazine the layout would be different on the double page spread. The typical magazine would consist of the article title being at the top of the page above the images, showing importance and advertising the article immediately with the headline standing out and catching the readers eye. Although this set up has not been used for this magazines double page spread, the use of images at the top of the page is also effective as it draws the reader in immediately with the different use of images and the different use of the same person standing in different positions. 

Captions:

The caption used to the left, in the corner of the main image does not explain what the image is of, like a typical caption would do. This caption give information about the clothing that the woman is wearing, designers of the clothing and the brand that the clothing may come from. This helps to advertise clothing in this double page spread, as well as give information about music and so has a multi-purpose. It uses the image and the clothing that she is wearing as an advantage and helps to advertise as well as give off other information.

Eye flow:

The eye flow of this magazine goes from the top of the page, to the large image and then to the article headline and the article itself. The eye flow goes this way as the images stand out immediately as they are large and in unusual places than for a typical magazine. The use of the lines for to separate the images from the article itself help the images to stand out more and attract the readers eyes to the images first because of the contrasting colours, black and white used for the lines of separation. The lines of separation emphasise the split between image and article and also emphasise where the eye line starts. 

 

Pull quote:

Unlike the typical layout of a magazine with pull quotes and them being in a circle and projected within the middle of the text to emphasise them, this magazine sets their pull quote out differently and has a different layout to the typical magazine set up. The pull quote is placed at the bottom of the right hand page in the corner, next to the image of the girl and to side of the last piece of text. It is in the middle third of the page. The pull quote enlarges s piece of text which is dialect and this emphasises the words being said by the person. Usually it is a famous person, or an important quote in what they are saying. In this quote one of the young girls describes their feelings about the  music and how she doesn't want to feel like she has to  audition for everyone and she just wants people to fall back and enjoy the music. Her words are quite passionate and emotional and this could be the reason for the pull quote as it emphasises the emotion that the girl is feeling and the passion in her words. She explains how she doesn't do things for attention in the industry and doesn't try to be different, she just wants people to enjoy her music and not to judge her by the way she looks. The reason for the pull quote comes across as an overemphasis for how she feels within the industry and it emphasises the stereotypical views of artists in the music industry today, as people are always judging others and assuming that artists do things for attention and to be different. This links with society today and the pull quote helps to bring across lots of different views not just within music but emotions themselves that you don't usually hear from music artists.

Article:
The article itself is mainly positioned on the left hand page with part of it continuing onto the right hand page. The text takes up quite a lot of the space on the page and only it it on the right hand page that it allows space for a larger image to be seen. The use of the large amount of text can link with the target audience as it is aimed at a higher age group and one of which is engages by a larger amount of text on the page. This is effective as it carries its target audience throughout the magazine and is constantly considering what may attract the target audience in the double page spread to keep them interested in what they are reading. 

Kerrang! format research - double page spread

Kerrang double page spread:

Image:

On this double page spread of Kerrang magazine there are a variety of images used, one main image filling the left hand page and three smaller images placed at the bottom of the left hand and the right hand page. The image on the left hand page is large and fills the majority of the page. The use of large image placed on the left hand page of the magazine defies convention as usually in a typical magazine you would find that the main image would be on the right hand page with the text on the left. The use of image on the left hand page attracts and draws the reader in immediately as it is unusual and so the reader is shocked by the image that they first see when they turn the page to this double page spread. The placing of the artist on the page in the picture is slightly to the left of the page and not directly in the middle. However as the artist is slightly slanted his head moves into the middle of the page slightly. The use of image being to the left of the page makes room for other images to be included on the double page spread and this will drag the reader in more as the target audience is typically known for liking to view images on a magazine and not lots of text. The image also conveys a lot of emotion through the positioning of the artist and shows that he is passionate about his music and the job that he has. The emotion is shown through the bowing of the head, the clenching of the microphone and the body positioning. The use of the bowing of the head shows emotion as it is usually associated with people who are either fed up, upset or unhappy. His eyes facing the floor shows a deep emotion of sadness. However these emotions can be associated with passionate feelings about music. Artists and some people can become very emotional about music as it is inspirational and the words within a song can be upsetting, inspirational and can relate to others lives. The bowing of the head in this image shows that the artist is conveying and meaning the words that he is singing giving a passionate performance meaning every lyric that he sings.

Font/colour: 

The colours used within this double page spread are mainly, Red and white for headings and article titles and white writing also for text of the magazine. The images seem to all have a sepia effect to them and they are all the same kinds of colours depending on lighting within the image and this changed the amounts of lighter shades of browns and whites are used. The images all being in a sepia effect link the images together with the article and it makes the double page look professional. The white writing links with the images as parts of the colours in the images are white due to the lighting. The choices of font and text colours have been picked due to the image colours.

   The use of sepia is also very effective on this magazine as the images are trying to convey emotion and passion within their article and happiness for the band as they are in the recording studio. The sepia lets off an emotional feel to the reader as they are dull colours and not bright. Bright colours connotate to happy atmospheres and so for the opposite dull colours conmnotate to upsetting and unhappy atmospheres. The use of sepia is also effective as it give off a professional look as it views the artists in the recording studio. The sepia look emphasises the concentration on the artists faces as they are engaged in their song and the job that they are doing.

Drop Caps: 

The drop cap used at the beginning of the text emphasises the first word used in the article and draws the readers attention immediately as this piece of lettering stands out bolder and bigger than the rest of the text. The use of the dark red used for this lettering helps to link it to the article heading as it is the same colour. This helps the text in the article to link to the whole page as a whole and to stick to the house theme of this double page spread in the magazine. The red colouring is also effective as the rest of the text is in a white font. The dark  red colour of the drop cap stands out against the white text as these colours are opposite sides of the colour wheel.

Article title: 

The article title is placed on the right hand page at the top of the page slightly slanted in white and red writing. The middle line of the article title is projected in  larger text in white writing with the red writing used for the line above and below. The use of the larger, white, bolder text for the middle line of the article title emphasizes the positive effect of the headline and projects to the reader that the article is positive as the word ‘Best’ is not only positive word, showing that the rest of the article is going to be positive, but it is also projected in bigger, bolder, white writing which emphasizes the word and helps to show the reader that the article is positive. The use of the red font used for the first and third line of the article title and the white font used for the middle line of the title emphasizes the middle line showing that it is the most important part of the article title and this is the main information that the reader should take from the title. The use of three lines used for the article title, although is not part of a typical double page spread magazine, it is effective within this magazine as it makes space for the main image on the left hand page and it makes room for more images as the title is not spread across the page like the typical magazines title would do on a double page spread. The use of red writing links to the rest of the text as the drop cap is in red bold writing. The use of white writing links to the article itself also as the article is printed in white font. The headline sets the house style for the rest of the article, hence why the article is presented in the same colours of the article headline as it sticks to the colour themes.

Captions: 

The captions presented on the images on this double page spread are boxed in black with whit text. They are featured in the corners of the images with a small, brief explanation of what the picture shows. The captions are small and tucked away not getting in the way of the image. The colour of the text links with the rest of the house style and sticks with the theme of the double page spread. The black box which the text is printed in is effective as it hides the caption and doesn’t stand out as much for the reader. This is effective as it shows that this information isn't very important if you read the article.

Eye flow:

This double page spread does not follow the typical eye flow as usually you would have the main image on the right hand page. In this double page spread, the main image is projected across the left hand page and this defies convention. They have done this as the images are quite striking and the images show  a lot of passion that the artists show through their music and this attracts the readers eye immediately as the images stand out well. The eye line goes from the left hand page, along the bottom of the right hand page to the middle of the right hand page where the text is printed.

Article:

The article itself is presented in the middle of the right hand page in two columns. The lack of writing presented in the article reflects in the target audience and the amount of space taken up by images on the double page spread also shows this. The article consists of a small amount of writing. However the text that is used are a variety of complex and long sentences each with lots of detail and information all into one sentence. There is a lack of sentence variety, however there are only a couple of shorter sentences. The longer sentences used give off lots of information within one sentence rather than in lots of short sentences.

   

Contents page - format research 3

'Q' Magazine:

Image:

On the contents page there are three large images. The largest image is placed in the middle of the page with the second largest image underneath to the left of the page and the last image directly underneath the first image but smaller. The largest image is placed in the middle of the page showing that it is the most important image in the magazine and is the main story. This is also given away by the puff which is placed overlapping the pictures saying ‘Cover story’. This picture is shown to be important through the magazine as it is featured on the front page and also on the contents page. The picture shows an artist looking to the side with sunglasses ion and his hair styled to perfection. The use of his head facing to the side could imply that he has attitude and gives off emotion to the audience as the way he is facing shows that he is trying to be cool. The serious face could show cockiness as he knows that he is a famous artist and he doesn't need to face the camera in the image to be noticed by people.

    The second image on the left hand side of the page shows that it is also quite important as it is a large image and there is also a rectangular puff overlapping the picture in the right hand corner. The size of the image and the use of bright green puff show that it is important and reveals to the reader that it is a 17 page special. This image is aimed at collectors mainly and people who are fans of ‘Q’ magazine as it state that it is a ‘Collectors special’. This immediately alienates other readers as people who do not collect the magazine will not know that this is not normal for the magazine as they do not collect the magazine and would not know what is usually included.

  The third main image which is placed underneath the biggest image is of 3 girls standing outside in which looks like some gardens. Next to the image states the page number of which the article is placed with a subheading and small amount of text underneath describing the article. From the image the three girls all look posed and do not look impressed or very happy with the girl standing at the back facing the floor and showing an upsetting emotion. The other two girls are also giving off the same emotion but with the direct mode of address, it attracts the reader as reader wants to find out why the girls look so depressed or whether it genuinely is just a posed picture. The use of a smaller image shows that this article isn't main in the magazine and isn't very important. It is just an article featured in the magazine. 

Heading and branding:

The heading on 'Q' magazine is placed at the top of the page. It is in a banner with a red background. The date is placed in white writing above the heading. Before the heading of 'contents' the branding is placed and is in bold white writing standing out against the red background. The branding being large and in capital letters at the beginning of the heading links the magazine all together carrying the brand through the magazine and reminding the reader what the magazine is that they are reading. The use of the red background carries part of the branding through the magazine and links the contents page with the branding itself. The branding itself includes a red square with a white 'Q' placed in the middle. With the banner on the contents page being in red, and the 'Q' still being carried out through onto the contents page, this makes the magazine flow and link all together, reminding the reader what the magazine is that they are reading once again. 

   The 'contents' heading itself is in a thin, dark text and banners across the rest of the width of the magazine. The lettering being in black contrasts with the white lettering of the branding and helps it to stand out more and black and white are opposite colours of the colour wheel. The black writing also helps to separate the brand from the actual heading itself making the branding more noticeable and catching the readers eye.

Subheadings:

On the contents page of 'Q' magazine there is very little writing. All subheadings have numbers before the text showing page numbers clearly as they are in bold, black writing. The subheadings are in bold red writing linking the text with the mast head and making the magazine flow as the whole page is links together with all of it's aspects. This shows that it is part of the magazine. Underneath each subheading is a short few sentences explaining what is inside each of he articles in the magazine. This give a short quickly over view of each article in the magazine helping the reader to decide after reading the few sentences whether they will want to read the whole article after the summary just read. 

  The subheading which are given on the page have, as mentioned already, got page numbers next to the subheading. The large page numbers make it easier for the reader to see around the magazine. However, not every single page number is featured in the contents page. For example it skips from page 10, to 14, to 32 and so on. It only features the most important articles in the magazine and the articles in which the creator thinks the audience will enjoy more.

Layout:

The layout of this contents page is quite similar to the last magazine I analyzed although this time on the right third of the page is the column of other information rather than in the left third. However, usually when you turn the front cover of a magazine, the contents page is the next page to be read. In this magazine there is a double page spread before the contents page of an advertisement. This is defying convention and going against the Norms of a typical magazine. This gives the magazine originality.

  The layout of the actual contents itself includes the headline being at the top of the page filling the width of the page and showing the reader immediately what they are about to read about. Just underneath the headline and slightly overlapping, in the middle of the page, is the first main image. To the left of this image are two subheadings and then underneath these subheadings is a mother image. Directly underneath the 1st main image is another smaller image with a subheading to the right of the picture. Underneath all of these images and at the bottom of the page are more subheadings with small amounts of text underneath. On the right third of the magazine there is a column for music lovers of the genre explaining the 'worlds finest music guide' for the particular genre or music. Along the bottom of the page there is just a plain white strip acting as a footer and in the bottom right hand cover is the date of release of magazine and the page number. 

Use of language:
The use of language in this magazine and contents page is adjusted for the target audience being teenagers and it adjusted so that is keeps them interested and engaged with the magazine. Underneath the subheadings are small sections of text, giving a short overview of the article stated in the subheading. The small sections of text are short and snappy making them quick and easy to read and the choice of language such as 'charge your glasses', and 'night full of fun' gives off a positive connotation boosting the readers interest and keeping them engaged with enjoyable choice of language.
To stick with the genre of music and the target audience with it being music lovers of the genre, the use of language within the small sections of text is chosen well for this purpose, however immediately alienates other readers as people who are not aware of what concepts mean within a genre of music. For example underneath the subheading 'Bill Bailey' there is a sentence written in the text saying 'Includes the reason you should always carry a clarinet about you'. If you are not a follower of Bill Bailey or do not know about him and the way that he speaks, or you are not familiar with the whole genre of music then you wouldn't completely understand what is going on. This links the text in the magazine in general with the genre of music and also with the target audience making the magazine flow well and link together well sticking to the main themes of the magazine and making it very professional.

Contents page - format research 2

                                           
Billboard Magazine:

                                                       

Audience:

The target audience used for this magazine is shown to be aimed at teenagers of both sexes. The magazine shows that it is presented to both sexes through the use of colours and choice of images. The use of the light blue, white and grey represents both sexes as a lighter blue is associated with boys and girls and can be a girl and a boy’s favourite colour. The use of white is quite a neutral colour and can be used for both sexes. It isn’t really associated with any particular sex of people and this is the same with the use of Grey. The white helps the rest of the text to stand out more and this could be another purpose of the use of this colour. Another way which the magazine presents the audience of both sexes is through the image choice. There is a variety of images of men and women placed on the contents page.

   You can tell that the magazine is aimed at teenagers by the choice of images. The people featured in the pictures are all what look like young stars or models. The clothes that the models wear are all in fashion and the kind of clothes that teenagers wear in the modern day. Although there is a lot of text featured on the contents page, and this is not a norm for magazines aimed at this target audience, if is effective for this magazine as it is still clear who the target audience is aimed at. I would say that this type of magazine could be aimed at adults as well as there is quite a lot of text featured on the contents page. The use of the large amount of text opens up its target audience as older people are more likely to engage with the large amount of writing and although it looks as though its target audience is mainly aimed at teenagers through the images and colours, the magazine widens its target audience by the use of text.

 The genre of music presented through the contents page would be pop music as the artists used in the pictures are younger artists in the music industry and this reflects in the target audience of it being of a young age group. The artists being young attract a younger audience as the teenagers and audience can relate to the music being sung and can relate to the artists being at a similar age, or a little younger. Also the artist being young attracts a younger audience as the artists sing the type of music or create the type of music that they enjoy; meaning that other people of their age group will like the same music. Their age relates to the type of music as it is important that they sell their music by creating music that other people will enjoy and try to attract an audience of the same age group.

Image:

On this contents page, there isn’t really a use of main image, but there are four smaller images featured on the page. One image is slightly larger than the other and featured lower down on the right hand side of the page. The other three images are placed at the top of the page underneath the contents heading and could act as a banner of pictures. They are placed to the left of the left-hand column and fit to the rest of the width of the page.

   The larger image of the woman shows her kneeling down, wearing all black with her head slightly facing downwards but towards the front and facing the audience. She is smiling with her hair waving and her eyes facing towards the floor, but her head is facing the audience. The use of her head facing the front and to the audience gives a slight direct mode of address and engages the reader as she is facing the audience. Her eyes facing away from the audience could show her just being in her own world and doing her own thing. The use of her smiling engages the reader as it gives off a happy atmosphere and shows that she enjoys the music that she makes herself. This reflects with the target audience as if she enjoys her own music then others of a similar age will enjoy the music also.

    The images featured on the contents page show bands and singers within the genre of music being represented in the magazine. The use of bands and singers also show main stories within the magazine and they have relevance to the rest of the magazine. The larger image links with the magazine and could show that it is the main story in the magazine as it is larger than the others showing it is more important. The larger image of the woman shows stands out more than the other images as it doesn’t have a background or a filled background and it is just of the woman on the white background which is the backdrop for the rest of the magazine. The use of larger image without a background helps it to stand out and shows that it is the main image as it is different to the others; making it more important.

   The images acting as a banner at the top of the page are another use of showing articles in the magazine without using text. This is shown through the interesting choice of pictures and the page number featured in the bottom left hand corners of the pictures. This is a good way of attracting teenagers as it means less reading of writing on the page for them to engage with.

Heading and Branding:

The Contents heading is different to the one that is used for the masthead on the front page. The branding used on the front page is not carried out clearly through the rest of the magazine. Although the branding is featured on the contents page in smaller font and placed in the top left hand corner of the page, it is not clear to the reader particularly that the brand is being carried out through the rest of the magazine. The brand being smaller and not easily viewable by the audience could confuse viewers as they may not be convinced by the magazine that they are reading. The heading used for the contents is different to the brand as it is in bolder writing with lines going through the letters. The use of capital letters and it being in bold writing means that it is easily readable for the audience and therefore stands out well. The dark colours used and bold writing gives off a dramatic effect as it is bolder and bigger than the other text used on the page, giving it importance. With the house style of the magazine being a white background, this makes the headings easily readable for the audience and makes the headlines stand out making them a lot clearer for the audience to view and giving off dramatic effect once again.

  The heading ‘Contents’ links with the heading in the top left hand corner of the page ‘No.’ as the same type of text is used and this sticks to a house style for the contents page. Although the use of colours is different in the left third of the page, the font being the same helps to link the headings on the page together and helps the magazine to flow better as a whole and link the magazine all together. If the text was to stick with the same colours it could help the page to link together even better as this could stick to the house style of the magazine. However, in this example, the colour change is effective as it mixes the colours up, making the magazine more effective as more colours are used this is more eye catching for the reader, drawing them in and persuading them to read on.

Subheadings and Text:

Subheadings are used very often on this contents page and there is a lot of writing which is included on the page. On the left third of the page there is a list of the official chart list at the time of the release of the magazine. This is very effective as a lot of information is given off to the reader in such a short amount of space. It is also effective as the charts link with the genre being presented in the magazine attracting the reader and engaging them as they find out the number one hits at the moment. The use of placing this on the contents page, yet it not actually being a part of the contents is effective for the target audience as it engages them more into the magazine and although the page looks as though it may encounter a lot of writing, putting goff the reader (teenagers), the use of the charts being placed in the left third takes away this element of the reader not being interested as there is lots of writing because half of the text used on the page is for their interest only and for the genre of music they are interested in. In my research around the magazine, I found that on practically every issue that is release by Billboard magazine the No.1 charts is featured on the left third or on the page somewhere. This links all of its magazines together having a set layout for the magazines. The set layout starts to become recognisable for collectors of the magazine and so readers immediately know which magazine they are reading from the set layout. The colours used within the left third are simple with grey background and block colours and with black text in a clear font. The ‘No.1’ is in larger clearer writing, making the text more interesting and making sure that it gives the magazine more interest standing out for the reader.

 Within the text it is split into different subjects in which are within the rest of the magazine. These are ‘Features’, ‘Music’ and ‘In every issue’. This means that the font and colours are the same for all of these subheadings which is font that used capital letters. The names of each headline are the same colour as the blue border to highlight each subheading and attract the reader’s attention. This also helps to stick to the colour schemes of the magazine. A small description of each article is placed underneath the subheadings and gives a brief overview of what the article is going to be about. After all of the reference to an article, after the text there is a page number which makes it easy for readers to find the article they want to read about and it makes it easy for the reader to view the magazine. Text which is highlighted in bolder writing shows the reader that it is a famous artists name.

Language:

Comparing the use of language in this magazine with the use of language in the ‘Kerrang’ magazine you can see that there isn’t much difference in the word choices. The target audiences conveyed for both magazines are the same and hence why the language choice for the magazine is the same. The language comes across as informal with typical words used for teenagers and it uses words within the socialect of the audience of magazine. The short sentences used within the contents page are effective as they are short and sharp, getting the point over to the reader quickly and easily engaging the reader as being a teenager they will enjoy reading less on the contents page. Short sentences are used often on this magazine and it is very effective for their target audience.

Promotion, Branding and Further Subheadings:

Toward the bottom of the page underneath the blue border and heading of ‘Home Front’ there is a section with more text underneath. This is a section where Billboard use the magazine to promote other areas that the brand are involved in. There are two subheadings; ‘Online’ and ‘Events’. Underneath each of these two subheadings there is a small section of text which explains the subheadings in a small amount of detail, keeping the reader interested. The Subheadings are in the colour Green and this shows the reader the change in subject and the difference in what the magazine is trying to tell the reader.

    The use of promotion helps to advertise the brand throughout the magazine. Although the branding logo itself isn’t very clear on the contents page and isn’t very big it is still carried out through the magazine. The use of promotion helps to advertise the branding even more and carries out the brand through the rest of the magazine, linking the magazine all together and carrying the brand throughout the rest of the magazine.