How are words used?

Pose, Style, hair and

make-up-

The main cover line itself is in a very large font making it stand
out, and helping make the contents identifiable from a
distance. Due to the bright colours the magazine also stands
out on a shelf, which will help attract more readers. A
competition is also included on the cover, which provides
another incentive for the reader to buy, this competition
stands out on the cover as it is the only bit of text in a yellow
font, which contrasts with the rest of the colour scheme. The
use of words like Sicko! and Drama Queen on the cover
represent the attitudes of the target audience, with them
being quite rebellious.

The band on the cover

are deliberately posed
to look like they dont
care, which is achieved
by having none of the
band members stood
up straight, with each
member slightly
slouched and looking
like their hands are in
their pockets. This
helps strengthen the
cool and dangerous
vibe that the magazine
tries to create.

How is colour used?The primary colour on the magazine cover is red. This is firstly
used to attract the readers attention in stores, as red is a
bright colour which is easy to read, however it serves other
purposes on the magazine as well as being an attractive colour.
For example it is also used to strengthen the intended
representation of the Arctic Monkeys, who are the main band
on the cover of the magazine, this is achieved by using the
colour red to connote danger, which strengthens the image of
the band that the magazine is creating. Red also matches the
NME masthead, giving the magazine cover a coherent style.
LanguageWords are used effectively on the cover of the magazine, for
example the cover line uses language like New-Look which
makes the magazine seem new to the audience, which might
make them want to buy the magazine more as it seems newer.
The cover line also seems to challenge the reader, asking Are
you ready for us then? which gives a sense of attitude to the
magazine, which helps appeal to the target audience. There is
also a puff box on the cover, which helps to entice the reader
to the magazine by promising them something, in this case
promising them the 20 best new dance acts on the planet
which provides more incentive for the reader to buy.

ImagesThe cover image of the magazine consists of the band

Arctic Monkeys wearing casual clothing, with the lead
singer also wearing sunglasses. It is a medium close up
and each band member has direct gaze with the reader.
The reason the band are wearing casual clothes and the
lead wearing sunglasses is to give the band a cool, edgy,
feel, which is what the target audience aspire to be.
Therefore the casual clothing and sunglasses help to
represent the target audience. The cover image also links
the main cover line, with it stating on the road and on
the run with the new-look Arctic Monkeys. This links to
the cover image because the band look very stylish,
which links to the New-look and the text On the run
links to the fact that the band have been positioned to
look cool.

Overall
ImpressionOverall the
cover page
gives a good
indication of
what is inside,
by using
things like
colour and
language to
represent its
target
audience. It
stands out on
a shelf so is
more likely to
sell copies

DesignThe magazine cover is designed in

a very specific way to create a
representation of the target
audience. One way this is achieved
is by using a mixture of serif and
sans serif fonts, with the sans serif
font representing the modern and
new aspect of the audience whilst
the serif font represents the
familiarity that the target audience
want to enjoy with their music.
Another way the magazine is
designed to give off a certain
impression is by having the main
image on the cover be placed in
front of the masthead. This gives
the band a sense of importance, as
if the magazine is telling the
audience that these people are as,
if not more, important than the
magazine itself. The name of the
band is also in bigger font than
anything else on the page, even
bigger than the Masthead itself
which also helps contribute to the
band coming across as very
important. The magazine also
gives all the bands on the cover a
focus by making sure that they are
in a different colour to the
descriptive parts of the cover lines,
this helps strengthen the focus on
the acts themselves.

How are words used?-

Overall Impression-

Design-

Words are used effectively on this

contents page, one example of this is by
each image on the page having a quote
from the corresponding article, as well
as a description of what the article
contains. This is helpful because it allows
the reader to quickly identify what the
article is about. All of the folios on the
page are big enough to read without
having to look closely, which once again
helps the reader easily find articles.

Overall this is a very

strong contents page,
which is easy to read
and attracts the reader
to articles. It also uses
space wisely allowing it
to fit everything it
needs to onto the
page.

The design itself is very clean and

simple, which helps with the
readability. The simple and almost
classy nature of the contents page
also suits the genre, this is because
unlike normal Rock Indie Rock is
more calm, with less of a chaotic
vibe. The font used in the title also
helps to convey this as it is serif
and not sans serif, giving it more of
a clam impression. That being said,
the modern side of indie rock is
shown off in the fonts as well, as
some font used is Sans Serif. The
design also keeps the style
consistent with that of the cover,
by also using a mixture of Serif and
Sans Serif Fonts and using red and
white as the primary colours on
the page. The words and images
themselves fit together in a neat
pattern, which is another thing
that helps the contents page easily
readable, which is very important.
Another aspect of the design
which helps make this an effective
contents page is the fact that all
the images used have folios, which
help link the images to an article
and page, so if an image grabs the
readers attention then they know
where to look in the magazine.
Overall all of these aspects of
design help to make it an effective
contents page.

How is colour used?The main colour on the contents page is white, this helps the
page be clear and easy to read, which is ideal for a contents
page as it makes it easy for the reader to find articles they may
be looking for. The text itself is black, which directly contrasts
with the white, once again helping the contents page be clear.
The only part of the contents page that is not white is an
advert for a subscription to the magazine, which is in red to
help highlight it as it will both make money for the magazine,
but will also save money for the reader themselves.
.
LanguageThe contents page focuses on attracting the reader to certain articles. One way
it does this is with the language it uses, for example it uses phrases like Blur
exclusive which attracts the reader by promising them something they cannot
get elsewhere. Another example of how they attract the reader is by using
exclamation marks, as if the contents are exciting and important, which brings
attention to the articles. The contents page also uses a rhetorical question on
one of its articles, which intrigues the reader and makes them want to read the
article to find the full answer to the question being asked. The page also uses
quotes to attract the reader to articles, by using speech from the people
included in the articles the reader feels like they are being talked to themselves
instead of being told something, which helps to attract them to articles.

ImagesThe contents page has more images on it than both the

cover and double page spread. This is because the
contents page is more focused on giving a detailed
impression of what the magazine contains compared to
the cover, which is used to attract the readers attention,
and the double page spread which has a sole focus on
one particular thing. This means that none of the images
used are particularly large, instead being smaller so that
more can fit onto the page. The image with the band
Arctic Monkeys included is similar to the front cover
image, this is so that the reader knows that the image is
linked to the main article on the front cover so can
quickly identify where this article is.

Images-

How are words used?One example of words being used is with

a puff box on the left-hand page, the
puff box contains short snippets of an
interview, and the title in the box is The
Monkeybag which is a pun using the
name of the band Arctic Monkeys. This
helps to highlight the information in the
puff box by making It stand out from the
rest of the text on the page. The pun
itself also helps to highlight the fun
aspect of the intended audiences
personality. The right-hand page
includes a pull-quote, which talks about
being in a Rocknroll band, which links
to the personal image that the target
audience aspire to.

How is colour used? -

Design-

In this article the Arctic monkeys are being given a classy vibe,
this is linking to the main cover line about the New-look
Arctic monkeys, and colour is used to help convey this. Like the
cover the page uses a lot of red, however the red is a lot
darker on this page, as this is not a cover so does not need to
attract the reader. However, this darker red makes the band
seem classier as it is more of a Chilled colour than the red on
the front was. The article also uses greys to create this classy
image, and to help create a retro feel. The greys help to do this
as we associate greys with the past due to things like black and
white TV etc. This retro feel is solidified by the main image on
the page, which is in black and white, and we associate black
and white images with the past.

The design has a very clear layout, with the most of the
text being in the bottom third of the pages, and most of
the images being placed in the top two thirds of the
image. This layout makes the pages clear and easy to
read, and brings attention to each separate aspect of
the page. Although most of the text is in a specific area
of the page there is a puff box which breaks this rule, as
some of the text goes over the images in the top two
thirds of the page, which helps to bring attention to the
text in that box. There is also an image below the puff
box in the bottom third of the page, and as it is the only
image in this bottom third the readers attention is
drawn to it.

There are 7 images on the pages

altogether, and they have all been taken
with specific ideas in mind. The main
image takes up the whole top two thirds
of the first page, and is the biggest
image on the page. This image is in black
and white whilst all the other images are
in colour which helps to draw even more
attention to it than just the size of the
image alone does. It is because of these
reasons that we know that this image is
the most important on the page. This
image also represents what the target
audience aspire to, as all the band
members are looking casual and Cool
next to a retro looking car. This
represents what the target audience
aspire to as they want to be slightly
different from the norm, but not quite
as different as someone like a goth
would want to be. The rest of the images
are a lot smaller so draw the eye less but
give more context to the article if the
reader is interested. All of the images on
the right side of the page are quite
dynamic, with all the band members
being mid activity during the photos,
which helps to convey the energy in the
band and the type of reader the
magazine is aiming for.
Overall ImpressionOverall this double page spread represents the
reader very well, through the images, design and
use of colour. Each aspect helps the reader
identify with the article and be drawn to it.

How is colour used?-

Language

How are words used?

Images-

One way colour is used is by

making the photo on the cover
black and white. This helps the
band on the cover seem
cooler, which is a vibe they
want to give off. Colour is also
used well with the main cover
line, as along with the other
cover lines it is the only part of
the cover in pink. This draws
the readers attention to the
cover. Another use of colour is
on the puff box and pricing of
the magazine. Being bright
yellow it immediately draws
the readers eye to this part of
the image as it is against the
greyscale image. Overall this is
effective as it allows the
magazine to draw the readers
attention to specific areas.

One easily identifiable

language feature on the
cover is in the puff, and it is
the line Radiohead
Reviewed which is an
example of alliteration. This
is effective as a language
technique as it immediately
interests the reader. The
main cover line of the
magazine uses at the end
of the text Indies shot in
the arm which is effective
at interesting the reader as
they are now wondering
what the magazine will add
to the statement.

One way words are used is

through the use of a puff
box. This puff box helps to
attract the reader by giving
more of an incentive for
them to pick up the
magazine and read it. In this
case the puff box contains
the words Radiohead
reviewed which
immediately means that
anyone who sees it and is
interested in Radiohead will
be more interested in the
magazine, and also provides
more information on the
contents of the magazine.
Words are also used to
effect in the main cover
line. By calling the band of
the cover indies shot in
the arm the reader is
immediately interested as it
suggests that the band are
unique which is something
people who like indie rock
enjoy.

The image on the front cover is

an image showing the whole
band, which means that
immediately anyone who is a fan
of their music will be interested
by the magazine. The image also
helps represent the type of
reader the magazine is trying to
attract as each band member
looks serious, they are also
holding direct gaze with the
reader which will help attract
them to the magazine. All of the
band members are also wearing
relatively new clothing, which
helps to convey the line Indies
shot in the arm which is
included on the cover.

Pose, Style, Hair, make-upDesignDesign is also used to help represent the target audience, one
example of this I through the use of Sans Serif fonts. These
show off the modern aspect of the target audience as Sans Serif
fonts have become more prominent in recent years. Another
way design has been used is by having the main cover line be
very large, which allows the reader top quickly identify who the
main focus point of the magazine are. The cover lines take up
much less space than the main cover line and are only in place
on the bottom of the front cover in small text. This means that
no focus is taken away from the band and main cover line, but
anyone who is interested in the magazine can identify the
contents easily.

The bands pose on the cover helps to

show the reader what type of band they
are and will immediately attract the
specific audience that the magazine is
trying to attract, this is because is band
member is posed to look casual and
cool. This is achieved by having them all
have very serious faces but all being
stood in a relaxed pose. The style of the
band themselves is also used to achieve
a specific image, in this case they are
trying to make the band look cool by
having them wear modern, popular
clothing which is very heavily associated
with indie rock.

Overall impressionOverall this is a very

impressive cover as it
represents the target
audience through many
different techniques, it will
also stand out on the shelf
due to its use of contrasting
bright colours with
greyscale.

How is colour used? -

Design-

One way colour is used in this contents page is by

highlighting a specific article in a different colour to
the other articles, this draws attention to the article
which the reader can now easily identify as the main
feature of the magazine. It is also used in the title of
the page, with a bright blue, to highlight the date of
the magazine and to make the type of page it is easily
identifiable.

The design of the page is very clean, and allows the

reader to easily identify where each article in the
magazine is, this saves them from having to search
through the magazine itself. This also helps to
represent the music genre of the magazine as the
clean style is a lot like the music that comes from the
indie rock genre. It also has the main image as the
prominent feature on the contents page making it
stand out to the reader who likely picked up the
magazine because this band were on the cover

Images
The contents page only contains one image on it, in
which most of the main band are hanging onto a
railing whilst smiling., which helps to represent the
happy side of indie rock, whilst one band member
stands away from them, which helps to highlight the
fact that indie rock is different to normal rock by
having someone stand away from the others. The
image

Overall impressionThis contents page is less impressive than the last one
I looked at as it is very barebones and does not
contain good use of words and language and does not
entice the reader to the articles. That being said it
does represent its target audience well through the
use of colour and images

How is colour used? -

Images

The colours on this double page spread

are quite muted, which helps to convey
certain aspects of the band being shown.
The key aspect it represents is the laid
back nature of the band, the muted
colours help to represent this aspect of
the band as they are not noisy colours.
Colour is also used to highlight key
aspects of the text, it does this by
making these parts of the text a different
colour. An example of this is the authors
name which is highlighted in blue. The
pull quote used on the page is also
highlighted in blue and stands out
among the darker main text, this means
that the readers attention is
immediately drawn to it.

DesignThe title, pull quote and introduction paragraph all

use Sans Serif fonts, which is effective in highlighting
these bits of text against the body of text itself and
also helps to represent the target audience as they
are more of a modern audience and sans serif fonts
are modern. The design is also very clear, with the
image of the band being on the right hand page and
the text being on the left hand side. This is good
because it makes the page easy to read and clean,
which helps to link to the type of music the band
produce, which is clean and not messy.

There is only one image

used on this double page
spread and it is a large
image of the band being
interviewed. This is
effective at helping the
reader immediately
identify what the focus of
the article is. The image
being a prominent part of
both the pages also helps
create the idea that the
band are very important,
which links to the article as
they are described as the
Biggest guitar band of
2011.

Language
Words are largely used in this article to help
convey the importance of the band being
shown off. They do this by using very strong
words to describe the band, for example they
are described throughout with words such as
learned and their album is also described
positively. This gives a deliberately positive
image to the band, and will make the readers
more interested in the band.

Overall impression
Overall this double page spread is
very effective at showing the
readers interests through language,
images and much more. It is also
very easy to read helping how likely
a person is to read the article.