Music magazine research

1. Music magazines:
Double page spread analysis

2. Kerrang! The layout of these 2 pages is messy yet organised, separating the opening
quote and main photo of band member on one page from main section of
the article. As more attention is focused on the opening quote from the
interview with the large background photo of the band member, the reader
will know that the quote, photo and article, are all linked. The main focus on
in the background is the main vocalist in the band, as she is sat in the front
of the setting in the main light, with quite a plain and boring background behind.
This is the main quote that is used from the interview as the reader can relate and empathize with the well known band member, making
her seem just as human as the person reading, and allowing the reader to connect with her. This also applies to the second biggest quote
that has been pulled from the interview, “I’m excited about life.”, already showing that this will be an emotional interview with a positive
outcome. In the photograph, she is knelt down on the floor and eye level, looking directly into the camera. She seems in a slightly
vulnerable position as her body is scrunched up and her shirt is loose and hanging slightly off her shoulder, suggesting she is willing to
open up and discuss her true emotions as she feels no need to hide behind a screen or in the media anymore.
The colour scheme throughout
this double page spread is green,
yellow and white. The mixture of
shades of green in the
background match the green in
the band members hair and shirt,
suggesting that the theme of the
article reflects the band
personally and their type of
music. The shadows in the
background show the darker
points in the article, which
contrasts with the bright yellow
that is used to emphasize some of
the more effective words in the
speech and the drop capitals,
keeping the article appealing to
the eye whilst being read.
The second page of this spread is
a lot more filled than the first, as
by then the attention of readers
has already been caught. Other
fillers on the page include a photo
of the whole and a “Dear me,
from me” section. The photo of
the band can enlighten new
viewers of the band and may
inspire them to check out their
music, and pre-existing fans can
enjoy seeing the full band and not
feel like they have been forgotten
about. The “dear me, from me”
section is shown as if it was
written on an old piece of paper,
making it feel more personal to
the readers. This band member
may be an idol to many fans, and
this advice section to her younger
self may be advice that her fans
listen to and take on themselves.

3. NME
The colour scheme
throughout the four pages
that this feature takes up,
keeps a consistency of
neutral tones and pastel
colours. This suggests that
his music is calm and
relaxed, like the colours,
not loud and bright. This
could also just reflect the
singers personality instead
of just specifically just his
music. In the photos used in
the feature, the musician
seems to have a quite laid
back style, and appear to
have a retro edit on them,
suggesting that his music
today reflects music from a
decade or two ago, maybe
because this is the type of
music that the singer is
interested in.
The layout of these two pages is set in a messy and disorganised fashion. A deliberate style has been made to look like lines and columns
have been cut from a newspaper and stuck on to the page, and overlapping other photos and columns in the process. This appears to be
another thing the singer is laid back about, along with his language. Bigger quotes on the page advertise strong language that the singer
uses, to support and go alongside the point he is making in the quote about modern rubbish trending in the media.
Mac DeMarco grew up as a 90’s
kid, which may explain the 90’s
theme in the clothing, photo edits
and use of older technology and
might still be holding onto, and
reflecting what music was like for
him while he was growing up.
The font of the text and style of
the columns is continuous
throughout the article, consisting
of a simple black and white colour
scheme. The old fashioned
newspaper-like format is easy for
the audience to read, but is still
kept interesting with the unusual
mix and match of shapes and
sizes.
The added extra at the end of this feature is the ‘chamber of reflection’, which is a timeline of the
singers year. Using the brightest colour on the page to highlight the text, it may be used there to
make sure readers do not skip over a part of the page that some might, as it is only a small strip
compared to the article. A good handful of small photos are also used on this timeline to
accompany the points made, which attracts the reader and keeps the page looking a bit more
interesting among the neutral colours.

4. Q Magazine A contrasting puff is used in top, left hand corner of the page to advertise that fact that this is a special feature that will
not be found in any other magazine. This text is shown in a white arrow pointing into the page, to confirm that this is
where the feature starts. The words ‘Prince’ and ‘special’ are in two different block colours, which are the colours which
are used throughout the two pages, maybe to show that the artist ‘Prince’ needs to have a separate colour to show his
importance. The word ‘special’ is in a different colour to show what kind of feature this is.The opening line on the first
page, which over laps the back-
ground photo, takes up the
majority of the page, and
overlaps onto the next, but does
not cover the upper body of the
singer. ‘His Name Is Prince...’, this
leaves the subject of the 20-page
tribute very open and
mysterious, as it sound as if it’s
the beginning of a story. The
ellipsis makes the audience want
to read on as it suggests that the
article will explain who he is. The
size and boldness of the text on
this page allows the text to have
a pattern of it’s own, which is
mainly white, but towards the
bottom there are pink swirls,
mixing with the white as if it
could be ink. The first couple of
words are bold and attention
catching, where as it starts to
fade out towards the bottom.
The layout of the pages is quite neat and organised, showing a clear separation
between the headline image and the article. This is a ‘20-page tribute, so the text
on the artist one this one page is quite small, as it is just the beginning, but this is
why the powerful image on the left is so large, taking up almost one and a half
pages to point out that this is a significant feature to the reader.
The main colour scheme throughout
is quite simple; Pink, purple, black
and white. The main photograph of
him on stage has set this colour
scheme, as this is a tribute feature,
suggesting that he used/wore these
colours frequently. The colours pink
and purple are featured the most in
different ways. For example, the
pink in the opening text, the dip-dye
block capital and words that are
highlighted. These colours represent
that not only the singer, but the
music is also young, and full of soul.
The shades of the colours express
rich emotion and deeper meanings,
along with the types of majestic
fabrics and clothing that he is
wearing in the photograph. White is
used to contrast against the pink
and purple, and vice versa.