2. Cover
Colour- Lots of red, white
and blue, this can link to the
fact that Taylor Swift is from
the USA. There are lots of
colours on her jacket, pop
music is normally associated
with colour.
Design- The cover doesn’t have
many cover lines, this looks
mature and brings more focus
onto the image and Taylor Swift’s
name. The title is over her hair,
this is so you can see the colours
used on this issue and because
it’s a very famous magazine. The
puff clearly shows what is inside
without taking up much room.
Images- There is only one image
on the NME cover which makes it
look more mature and professional
than Hip-Hop Weekly. The image
uses direct address to draw people
into the magazine. She is very large
on the cover which shows that the
main story is about her, this will
attract fans.
Pose, style, hair, make-
up- Swift seems very natural in
this image suggesting that she
will be quite revealing in the
article. She is dressed in a very
stylish way suggesting that the
article will not only be about her
music but also her style, this will
attract a lot of people.How are words used?-
The main cover line is just the
name Taylor Swift which
shows how famous and
popular she is and suggests
that anything about her will
attract people, it suggests this
because it doesn’t even
mention the subject of her
story. The word exclusive is
used, this is a very powerful
word because most people
like to be the first to know
about something.
Language- The
language on this
magazine cover is
mature and formal
making the magazine
attractive to people
who want to be
taken seriously as
well as seeming
more professional
and stylish.
Overall impression- I
think that this is a very
effective cover because it will
easily attract fans of Swift
because it is very clear that
she is going to be in a large
story. It is laid out very well
and is very mature, I like this
as most people prefer a
mature magazine and want to
be taken seriously.
Institution/distribution
- NME is distributed by Time
Inc. Time Inc. also publish lots
of sports magazines
suggesting they mainly focus
on hobby based magazines
e.g. sports and music.
This magazine is distributed
in HMV and is free.
4. Contents
Colour- Lots of white but it is
used in a way that makes it
seem very mature and
professional. Red and blue are
carried through from the cover.
‘Sections’ have colourful titles
making them stand out on the
page and seem more
attractive.
Design- Contents cover the bottom
of the image making them connected,
this seems very professional. Contents
are ordered very well making them
look mature and making things easy to
find. Flannel panel fills space and
makes the amount of contents look
larger. An advertisement fills empty
space.
Images- The image is large
showing that the people are
important, this means that they
will attract fans which is good for
the magazine. The image is a
performance shot which makes
them seem like they have a lot of
fans. There is a close up of the
Editor-in-Chief’s face making the
magazine seem more relatable
and letting people know who
created the magazine.
Pose, style, hair, make-up- The
image is a long shot but the bottom is
covered making it seem like a mid-shot.
The person in the image looks sweaty
and worn-out, this has connotations
that they have a lot of energy and are
quite an exiting band. The person
singing has his eyes closed suggesting
that he is very passionate about his
music and therefore will give a good
story.
How are words used?- ‘Hello…’ is used as a hook to draw people into the
Editor’s introduction, the ellipsis is attractive because people will be intrigued
to find out what he will say. ‘Cover Story’ is reversed out, this makes it stand
out and seems very professional. Bold titles to draw people in, large folios in
red stand out because there is little red on the page. A rhetorical question is
used, this could draw people in because it creates curiosity. Abbreviations used
to attract younger people, the magazine is mature but this inclusion makes it
seem like it isn’t too serious suggesting younger people will enjoy it.
Language- Mainly mature language but some abbreviations used to seem attractive to teenagers and seem fun. Lots of very famous
people are mentioned in the Editor’s introduction, this makes the magazine more attractive to the fans of those artists as there will be a
chance of finding them in the magazine. Language techniques such as rhetorical questions attract people by causing curiosity. The magazine
says ‘p*ss’ which suggests that it is mainly aimed at teenagers and adults but the censorship suggests that younger people can read it, this
wide audience means that the magazine will gain a lot of popularity.
Overall impression- The photographers are credited, this is
very mature and looks very good. Great use of a consistent house
style, they carry through fonts and colours. The use of the magazine
title on the second page is good as it seems more professional and
clearly shows you what you’re reading as well as showing that it
must be a high quality magazine to have stories about the people
mentioned on the page.
6. Double Page Spread
Colour- Lots of red and blue carried through from the other pages.
There are some black & white images on the page which seem very
mature and artistic. Swift wears a colourful jacket suggesting that she is
a happy person and that she expresses herself well like she does in her
music. The drop cap uses the colour from her jacket, this seems very
professional and is good attention to detail. Large red box surrounded
by white attracts people very well because it stands out a lot.
Design- The blue box and the red box stand out very well making
them attractive and clearly showing that they are not part of the main
story but that they do relate to Swift. On the coloured boxes the text is
white instead of the usual black further reinforcing that they are not
part of the main story. Coloured boxes and text slightly cover parts of
the images, this makes the page flow better as the text isn’t cut up.
There is use of reversed out text on the caption for a group of images,
this clearly shows what the images are representing.
Images- The collection of black & white images show Taylor Swift
preparing for her show and performing, this shows that she is very
popular because she seems relaxed and because people are
interested in her life and not just her music. There are also images of
very famous artists saying what they think of Swift, this shows that
she has a large fan base and that she must be very respected for
famous people to take time to talk about her.
Pose, style, hair, make-up- Taylor Swift looks very natural in the images
suggesting that she has been in lots of photoshoots, seeming relaxed would
draw fans in because she will be more likely to talk about interesting things if
she is relaxed and isn’t nervous. She has a lot of skin showing in the images
which further shows how comfortable she is but could also be used to attract
people who think she is good looking. The largest image uses direct address
which is very good at drawing people into the story and making them
intrigued. Her clothes could attract people who are interested in fashion as
they are very stylish, this means that the story can attract people for many
different reasons therefore attracting a bigger audience into choosing the
magazine.
How are words used?- There are multiple pull quotes that are used
very effectively to attract people to the article and make people want to
know what she has to say. There are words in a larger typeface at the start
of some of the paragraphs indicating that this Is where a new section
starts, it also breaks up the text slightly making the article seem easier to
read. The use of reversed out text with the black & white images is clever
as it makes the text seem like it is one of the images.
7. Language- The language is quite formal for the main text but when Swift speaks the exact words are quoted, for example “Nah”, making her seem
cooler and more connected with the younger audience. Lots of very famous people are mentioned which suggests she is very respected and deserves
to be associated with legendary musicians. The links with other musicians are very good as they may encourage fans of those artists to read the story.
Overall impression- I think this double page spread is very good because it successfully uses multiple pull quotes as well as other techniques
to attract a large audience and to make people curious to know what the story says. I really like the fact that the drop capuses the colours from
her jacket, I think this is a very good idea because it adds style to the magazine and makes it seem more interesting. Drop caps are very effective
normally which means that this one with the added detail is even more effective and is very likely to intrigue people. I think that the layout of the
text and the other lapping onto the images are very professional and makes the article extremely easy to read by making it flow well. I am very
impressed with the use of reversed out text because it look very interesting and stands out, it works especially well with the black and white
images. I really like the large section of an image on the far right of the double page spread because it makes the page moreinteresting by filling
some white space as well as looking professional and keeping the style of her jacket running through the page. I like the fact that the house style
is carried through successfully and I think that a serif font was the correct type to use for the main article as there is alot of text and this typeface
is easy to read. I think the separate sections with the red and blue boxes are very good as they add more depth to the storyby adding facts and
quotes from other people.
Double Page Spread
