The document analyzes the house style features of three different magazines - NME, Q, and Classic FM. For each magazine, it summarizes the graphics, colors, layout, fonts, target audience, and how these elements appeal to and reflect the intended readership. Across all three magazines, a consistent house style is maintained from the cover to interior pages through the use of similar graphics, colors, fonts, and stylistic elements tailored to the appropriate age group and music genre of the target audience.
Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
House Style Features Across Graphics, Layout, and Photography
1. House style features: graphics, colours, layout, layout fonts, and
the look of photography and mode of address – all similar to one
another.
Graphics – Bold and patriotic (linking to the main article) USA
theme throughout, page layout same throughout.
Layout font – all of the titles are big and bold, they also all have
the same font style.
Colours – Same colours show throughout (red, white, blue) ß
American colours.
Font throughout – san serif is used throughout, as apposed to serif
which is more traditionally used for an older audience and the font
used (san serif) which is generally used for a younger audience.
masthead
Skyline
Bar
code
Pull
quote
Lead article
Main image
Main cells
Cover
lines
NME front cover.
2. -The colours in the contents page are
not very similar to the front cover,
there are no American style colours,
but what does continue is the
pictures of musicians and quotes that
make you want to read on, from
articles within the magazine, as
featured on the front cover.
-This magazine, I think is aimed at
16-25 year olds, so relatively young.
NME contents page.
-The contents pages layout is very interesting, all the
images are placed in a circle, possibly making it more
approachable to look at and read.
-most people enjoy to read
about something that full of
scandal and gore, in a
magazine, so putting a ‘pull
quote’ underneath every
photo is good pulling
technique.
3. NME double page spread. - This particular double page spread is no from the
original NME magazine I started to analyse using the
front cover and the contents page, I was unable to
find it, but I used another NME magazine because
they will harbour the same characteristics.
-lead image,
bold/indie/quirky, to
fit the target
audience.
-The stand first is the piece of
information the introduces the article. In
this stand first the writer has been clever
with the wording, because it asked a
rhetorical question, therefore making the
reader want to read on.
- The title to the article is
bold and original, I think
this fits with the band they
are talking about because
they are new to the music
industry and are original.
-The pull quote has been extracted from the
article is again language that appeals to the
target audience.
-the font for the pull quote is the same as
the title for the article (house style)
Drop
cap
-This is sort of a ‘flash’ technique, this is very
useful for making the page more interesting
and for this relatively young target audience,
for the readers to actually want to carry on
reading both the article at hand and the rest
of the magazine.
- The tone and register of the wording in this double page spread
relates again to the target audience (relatively young) it uses in
formal language and a lot of it is in speech marks, meaning a lot of it
is what the band members have said, this can make the readers feel
more comfortable whilst reading it and not like they are reading
something very formal and relatively boring.
-The layout of the writing
is laid out in small columns,
making it easier to read .
4. Main image
skyline
Left third
Bar code
Pull quote
Mast head
-Muse is a rock band so a powerful front cover would be
needed. Matt Bellamy the lead singer of Muse is featured
smashing a guitar through the ‘Q’ logo, symbolising rebellion,
which rock is generally about.
-The graphics again are supporting the main image and
the lead article, they are all in monotones that are
therefore bold and harsh; supporting the bold image
that rock gives.
Lead article
-The skyline is carrying on with the ‘bold’ theme; boldly
claiming something quite big.
Q front cover.
5. -The contents page is a good
example of house style; it
keeps the same colours from
the front cover (bold), it also
keeps the same way of drawing
people in; with a bold image and
a small pull quote, making you
want to read more.
-this magazine, I think is aimed
at round about the same ages
as NME but a bit older, more
around the 18-30/35 range.
-Listed in a friendly readable way.
-Constant reflection to the
front cover and the main logo.
-In this particular NME issue, there
are two contents pages, this is unusual.
But the house style from the front
cover to this contents page. There is an
obvious house style, for example the
lead singing from muse, who features as
the main picture on the front cover,
(Matt Bellamy) This contents page
features all the same point as the
above contents page.
Q contents pages.
6. -Continuing the house style of MUSE,.
The way the photo is taken was not by
accident, they were placed to show that
same ‘rock vibe’ that they support, it’s a
very bold, strong picture.
-It’s laid out in three simple columns,
this makes it more readable and
reader friendly.
-The text is worded in such as way
that reflects the age that the
magazine is aimed at. It’s not formal
language and there are no parts
that may put you off and make you
want to turn the page; it’s
entertaining.
-a pull quote is very visible,
(colours in red; keeping the
house style from the front
cover) This pull quote suggests
that the band is ‘rebelish’,
possibly making you want to read
more, it makes it more friendly
to read an it’s using everyday,
approachable language.
-Although ‘Q’ is a more relaxed magazine against the likes of
‘Classic fm’, it is more of a serious music magazine, meaning the
readers are probably very serious about their music and bands.
-Linking to the paragraph
below, the use of guitars
in his image is key,
because for someone who
may read this magazine
who is in to guitars. This
would be a key pulling
point.
Q double page spread.
-drop cap
7. Classic Fm front cover.
Skyline flash
masthead
Lead article
There isn’t just one pain image which is
unusual for a music magazine, there are
a lot more which may suggest there is a
lot in the magazine.
Advertising.
Bar code.
-This particular magazine is not one for the younger generation. It is aimed at a
certain type of older person, maybe 50 onwards, but not all over 50’s, ones that
are generally middle class, and enjoy reading intellectual things, and listening to
classical music.
-The graphics are bold and especially the lead article stands out.
-The mast head is in serif font, which is generally aimed for older readers.
-From the historical faces on the front, from both the music industry the film
industry, you get a sense that there is a lot of older timed things to read and
look, from a generation that would recognise the faces.
8. Classic Fm contents page.
-House style is obvious in the
contents page; it keeps the same font
style (serif as apposed to sans serif)
-It also continues the same colours
(gold)
-Also on the front cover among the
small pictures there is a picture from
‘The Lord of the Rings’, which is
featured in this contents page.
-listed in an approachable way (readable) but it is
worded in a slightly more formal way, this reflects the
ages that the magazine is aimed at.
-Another feature that reflects the age that it’s aimed at, is
the layout. It’s laid out in a structured way, with no flashing
colours or scandal pull quotes, it’s very formal.
9. Classic Fm double page spread.
-Keeping house style to the whole magazine, this
piece of clipart is a ‘clapper board’ that features
in the making of films, which this magazine is
partly about.
-Again the font is in serif (more formal)
possibly supporting the target audience.
-The lead image on this page again, supports the
target audience, it is a collage of film and music
stars, but not just any, the people featured are of
an older generation, for example and older person
would recognise more easily all the faces.
-This extract shows a difference
between this type of magazine and
other music magazines such as NME. It
shows a difference because in NME
magazine they would have had this
interview as the whole double page
spread, where as because of the
formality of this magazine it is only
used as a extra piece of information to
read.
-The by line
-A piece of
simple
clipart that
relates
back to the
theme of
the
magazine.
-The tone and register in the writing in this double
page spread is very formal, and unlike music
magazines such as the NME, it doesn’t use fun
playful words, it generally uses more intelligent
language and keeps to a very ‘straight’ formal
approach to appealing the readers, who in this case
are of an older generation.
-drop cap
-Vertigo is a 1958 American psychological
thriller film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock,
this also shows that the magazine is for an
older generation because of how old the film
is, and for people to know what this is they
may have to be of an older generation. This
’flash’ type technique is very useful, because
this would draw in the buyer’s that the
magazine is aimed at; it would have a lot of
appeal.
10. Classic Fm double page spread.
-Keeping house style to the whole magazine, this
piece of clipart is a ‘clapper board’ that features
in the making of films, which this magazine is
partly about.
-Again the font is in serif (more formal)
possibly supporting the target audience.
-The lead image on this page again, supports the
target audience, it is a collage of film and music
stars, but not just any, the people featured are of
an older generation, for example and older person
would recognise more easily all the faces.
-This extract shows a difference
between this type of magazine and
other music magazines such as NME. It
shows a difference because in NME
magazine they would have had this
interview as the whole double page
spread, where as because of the
formality of this magazine it is only
used as a extra piece of information to
read.
-The by line
-A piece of
simple
clipart that
relates
back to the
theme of
the
magazine.
-The tone and register in the writing in this double
page spread is very formal, and unlike music
magazines such as the NME, it doesn’t use fun
playful words, it generally uses more intelligent
language and keeps to a very ‘straight’ formal
approach to appealing the readers, who in this case
are of an older generation.
-drop cap
-Vertigo is a 1958 American psychological
thriller film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock,
this also shows that the magazine is for an
older generation because of how old the film
is, and for people to know what this is they
may have to be of an older generation. This
’flash’ type technique is very useful, because
this would draw in the buyer’s that the
magazine is aimed at; it would have a lot of
appeal.