2. Q Double Page Spread
The title of this page is ‘Cheryl Cole’ written in black in two different
fonts for the separate words. The size of this text isn’t very big which
would imply that it isn’t important however as it’s at the top of the
page it’s the first thing the reader sees when they look at the page.
The main artist image is a mid shot of Cheryl Cole
standing with her apart and one arm above her head.
Her facial expression is blank and she is looking away
from the camera. She is wearing a black dress with
studs on it along with ripped leather trousers and black
leather gloves. Her heavy makeup and outfit represent
the rock music genre as they are both very dark and
make her look serious. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze
theory links to this image as Cheryl is standing in a
specific way that would appeal to the male eye. This
theory implies that women are only around for men to
admire their physical appearance as though they are
an object like a statue or a painting. I think Q included
this image to appeal to their male readers rather than
the female ones as females may find her pose too
much.
The mid-shot of Cheryl on the first page breaks up the text,
allowing the reader to have a break from reading rather than
getting bored and skipping the article. The image also has a
small white box on the right hand corner of it which has text in
it that explains who is in the picture and where it is. This
allows any reader that is visually impaired and can’t see the
image clearly to have a description of it to read.
The large amount of black text stands out from red C of the
background. All the text on the page makes is easy to tell that
this is an article about an artist and the pictures and title of
Cheryl Cole emphasise that the text will all link to either her
life or an interview that Q had with her.
The colour scheme of this page is mainly: red, white and black.
These three colours are very simple yet effective. The vibrant red
shade adds splashes of colour around the page and allows the
white and black to stand out more. Additionally, the black text and
the white background are very eye-catching. The rock music genre
is usually associated with the colours red and black as they are
bold but dark. I believe the main image being mainly black and
white is a nice contrast from the text as it makes it bolder and
allows the reader to see that Cheryl Cole is the main artist of this
page. Moreover, the red and white is a constant colour scheme
throughout different issues of Q as the masthead on every copy is
a red square with a white Q.
For this content page I believe it is clear on the genre of music
due to the outfits of the artist, the colour scheme and the images
included. Red and black are the two main colours associated with
rock. Moreover, the dark clothes, heavy makeup and the serious
facial expressions featured in the images highlight the rock genre
as these are typical things you associate with rock music.
In the background of the left hand page there is a
large red C. This adds colour to the page and links
to the initial of the main artist, Cheryl Cole. Also, the
colour red links to the masthead of Q magazine as
it’s on a red background. The overall colour scheme
of Q magazine seems to be black, white and red
which are three colours that compliment each other
well.
The other piece of colour on this page (minus the
images) is the quote in the bottom left corner of the
left page. The vibrant colour allows the audience to
notice it quickly meaning that it has some
significance to the page and the writer of the article
wants the reader to notice it early on.
3. Kerrang! Double Page Spread
The title of this page is ‘Wild Child’ which is located near
the top of the right hand page. The word ‘Wild’ is written in
a thin pink font that look like crayon writing whereas the
word ‘Child’ is written in a bold white font that looks
professional. The chosen fonts and colours contrast nicely
from each other and link to the genre of music this
magazine represents/
The main image of the artist is of Taylor Momsen
who isn’t a very well known singer which highlights
that this magazine is only for people that enjoy this
genre of music. The image is very dark apart from
her bright blonde hair which contrasts from her black
leather jacket which implies this article is all about
her. Her serious facial expression explains that this
article isn’t going to include any aspects of comedy.
At the bottom right hand side of the page there is a small
box with a line of text on it which is a quote from the artist
herself. I believe this makes this page seem more friendly
to the reader as it adds a personal touch from the singer.
The colour scheme of this page is mainly:
pink, black and white. The colours both
contrast and compliment one another and
make the text and image stand out well from
the background. The colour pink links to the
female gender possibly implying that this
articles primary audience is girls. The colours
black and white make the page more
sophisticated and make it clear for the reader
what genre of music this page is about.
One out of the many good things about this page is that the genre of
music is clear. The colour scheme makes me think that it’s for the
genre of rock and aimed at teenage girls due to the pink. Also, the
black and white link to the rock genre which would consist with the
normal style of Kerrang! magazine as it’s a music magazine for rock.
The outfit of the singer in the main artist image is a black
leather jacket along with a black chocker with a gold ring
on the middle of it. Her heavy makeup and outfit both link to
the title ‘Wild Child’ as this outfit would be associated with
someone that is pretty rebellious or with a biker as they
usually wear leather jackets. This reinforces the rock genre
and how the girl isn’t the typical girly girl.
The subheading is in the same font as the word
‘Child’ in the title. The 5 words that are in pink are
‘Taylor Momsen’ and ‘The Pretty Reckless.’
Because these words are in pink and not white
like the rest of the paragraph it implies that these
are the most important bits that link the artist and
what the article is about.
In the articles sub-heading you learn that this girl is
only 17 which is shocking due to the heavy makeup
and grown up clothes. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze
theory is all about how women are only around to be
viewed by men due to their physical appearance. I
believe that this isn’t the correct way to represent a 17
year old girl as she should look her age not 20 years
old.
You can tell that this page is going to be an
interview with the artist before you even read
any of the information due to the layout. The
pink sentence before each paragraph of
white text implies that they are the questions
the interviewer asks and the white text are
the answers that Taylor Momsen responds
with.
4. Vibe Double Page Spread
The main artist image is a full body shot of a girl in a
bright red/orange dress with purple shoes and a denim
jacket over the top. Her legs are positioned inwards and
her hands are on her hips. The way she is standing
links to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory as she is
using her physical appearance and stance to please the
male readers.
The page doesn’t have a title which is unique as in a
magazine there would normally be a title located at
the top of the page. This emphasises the originality of
this magazine and how it will be good to read due to
the individuality of it. Also, this allows the main artist
image to be the first thing the readers see which
relates to the article.
In the background of the page there are seven
more images of this girl in the same outfit just in
different poses each time. These add more than
just text to the article and makes it more interesting
for the reader as the text is broken up and isn’t the
only thing found on the page. The way in which
she is standing in these images is more of a sexual
manner to please the male audience however it
slightly would annoy the feminist readers as she
backs up the lie that women are just for men's
pleasure.
The massive black and white lines in the
background adds some more pattern to the
page. Even though the lines are half hidden
by the main artist image you can still see
them. Even though the lines are black and
white they still add colour to the background
and act as a separator between the
information on the artist and the images of
her at the top.
The bold text located by the right leg of the
main artist image is in a bold black font
which contrasts from the rest of the grey or
blue text featured on the page. This implies
that this is meant to be an relevant
quote/sentence that the main artist has once
said due to it’s location and the colour we
can tell it’s meant to be important.
The clothing Kanye is wearing are fashionable in the
modern world which leads me to believe that this
magazine is very modern and is based on any popular
artist that is big in the charts. Also, this implies that Vibe
isn’t just about music but it’s about other things like
fashion, culture and love.
The writing on the page doesn’t have any
subheadings which highlights that this isn’t
going to be an interview with the artist it’ll
just be about her career or life in general
there won’t be any specific questions asked
by fans or an interviewer. Therefore, this
magazine is more of a general magazine
rather than having any personal aspects in
it.
One problem with this page is that the genre of music is
unclear. The greyscale coloured images make me think of
old fashioned things whereas the singer looks young and
her bright clothes connote more of a pop genre. Moreover,
Vibe magazine usually features R&B artists which is why the
outfit choice of the artist is an odd choice. As a person who
doesn’t know the artist I would have to read the article to find
out what genre of music it is.
The page has a greyscale colour theme The page
has a greyscale colour theme along with the
main artist image being in colour and some of the
text in blue and black. Seeing as her dress is the
boldest colour on the page, our eyes are
automatically drawn to it. The bright dress
connotes girlyness implying that the article is
about the girl aspects of the singers life.
