Analyses of double page spreads

1. Analyses of Two Page
Spreads
I initially knew very little about two page
spreads and what they generally consisted
of. To widen my knowledge I decided to
analyse some two page spreads from
different magazines and different music
genres.

2. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme is predominantly pink
which shows that the artist is very
feminine and enjoys all things girly. The
different shades of pink show a side of
Nicki the public are very aware of, she
enjoys anything girly and borderline
‘tacky’. The darker the shade of pink, the
more that area stands out. There are also
bright colours shown through her
jewellery which add some more fun to
the page. The zebra print of her outfit
connotes individuality, vulnerability and
standing out.
IMAGE
The main image is off-centre, mainly
situated on the right hand page. The
image stands before any of the pieces of
text which shows Nicki’s importance and
fame and suggests that she thinks highly
of herself. Her arm is raised in a
contorted manner to allow the camera to
read the word ‘icon’ on her ring. This
would suggest that Nicki sees herself as
iconic whilst in the public eye and an icon
to her fans. Her zebra print outfit shows
that she is daring and enjoys standing out
from the crowd. She is wearing a wig
through which she is infamous for
constantly changing her hair colour and
style this way. The thick fringe covers her
eyebrows and forces attention onto her
dark brown eyes which are wide open
and alert as if she didn’t realise the
picture was going to be taken. Her
posture is very upright which shows that
she is confident and powerful within
herself.
LAYOUT
This article is not a typical music magazine two
page spread. This is because the artist’s image
has been cut out and placed over the top of
some of the text. There is writing either side of
the image of Nicki and this makes her seem
more central than she really is. The magazine
does however follow the general rule for a
headline related to the artist which in this case is
her name and directly below this is an
introductory line which allows the reader to have
an insight as to what the article is about if the
photo and heading is not enough. The article is in
sub-sections which gives the article order and
makes it easier for the reader to find a part of
the article that they are interested in reading.
FONT CHOICES
‘Nicki Minaj’ is in very large font in a deep
pink colour. The size of the font draws the
eye of the reader to it instantly and this
introduces the topic of the article. Above her
name is ‘the gospel according to’ in fancy,
medieval writing which looks similar to that
on the front of a Bible. This shows that the
artist sees herself as superior to other artists
that have had similar articles about them. The
main chunk of text (the article itself) is split
into sub sections which are in a slightly bigger
size of font and are bold to make the words
stand out further. There is a quote to the
right hand side of Nicki which is outlined in a
light pink box. This will force the reader to
pay attention to it

3. COLOUR SCHEME
White, black and red. The grey
background connotes something impure
and dirty. The quote used is in white
with a black border to the letters which
allow the words to stand out. The red of
her shirt connotes danger, passion and
being different. This shirt is in contrast
to the grey background and allows Lily
to be the main focus.
IMAGE
The main image is to the right hand side
of the double page spread and it shows
Lily Allen leaning forward slightly whilst
standing. Her arms are on her hips and
she has slouched her shoulders forward
in a very relaxed manner. This shows
that she is very calm and composed
within the situation, as though she is
used to the environment she is in. her
tattoos are visible as her sleeves are
rolled up casually which suggests that
she is willing to express herself through
many forms of art. Her makeup is very
minimal base-wise, however her eyes
are extremely dark being the main focal
point of the look. She has black eye
shadow and eyeliner outlining the whole
eye and eye socket with a slight wing to
emphasise the look and make Lily look
feline-like. This would connote
independence and being unpredictable,
which would warn people to stay away.
Her hair is also black and styled in a
pixie-bob which shows that she is not
afraid to be herself and express herself
through her appearance.
FONT CHOICES
The quote used as the headline is
arranged in such a way that it looks like it
has been cut out of a magazine. This gives
an edgy vibe to the article as notes written
in this way are usually used to keep the
sender anonymous. The varying size of
each letter adds to this and also would
appeal to a younger audience as it looks
aesthetically pleasing. Key words within
the introductory line are in red to allow
them to stand out against the grey
background and in between the sea of
black text. This catches the reader’s eye
and lets them know what to expect.
LAYOUT
The layout of this double page spread is typical
for a music article. The main image is of the
artist and covering almost one whole page. A
quote from the artist has been used at the top
of the page and is in very large font size as well
as being a different font to the rest of the
article to ensure it stands out against the other
text. An introductory line has been used to
introduce the article to the reader and this is in
a slightly larger font than the main article is.
The main article starts off alike a newspaper
article with the first letter being a capital ‘I’ to
show sophistication and maturity. The article is
then in columns to give the page order and
make it easier to read.

4. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme of this double page spread is
completely neutral and an almost sepia tone has been
placed over the whole article. The colours are very
earthy (green, black, nude) with a splash of red
through the tartan lining of his jacket. This allows the
whole page to be brought together nicely and the
green font used forces the black around it to stand out
from the rest of the text because the background is a
dirty, sepia toned nude colour. The paleness of the
artist’s skin is emphasised by the background which
makes him looked washed out.
IMAGE
The image is an extreme close up of the artist’s face
with the top of his head cut off to allow part of his
chest to be displayed. He is looking directly into the
camera through his glasses as though he is looking into
the reader’s eyes. His expression is very sullen and he
looks sad or upset, though he is trying to show no
emotion whatsoever. His glasses are thickly rimmed
which can be seen as a bold statement because it
draws attention to his eyes. He is shown to be
unshaven which can connote manliness but also
suggest dirtiness and homelessness. His hair has been
badly cut, as though he has done so himself and this
adds to his grungy look. His necklace can be seen due
to his jacket being pushed back towards his shoulders.
This looks to be something handmade, leather or
string which would most likely have a charm or
pendant on the end. This shows once again that he is
indie and different to a generic music artist. His outfit
is very neutral from what I can see, he is wearing a
green t-shirt and a black bomber jacket which is
extremely causal and this shows that the artist is going
to be his everyday self throughout the article which
will appeal to the reader as readers don’t like the idea
of being lied to.
FONT CHOICES
The font used for the quote at the top
of the page is quite rounded whilst the
edges are still squared off. This makes
it seem mature but at the same time
has an element of fun. The size varies
for each different letter and word
which allows the writer to direct the
reader’s eye to the words and phrases
they want them to read first - these
are usually the most interesting words.
The font of the article is very simplistic
and basic, this gives a laid back feel to
the article and suggests that it’s the
meaning of the words that counts, not
the way they look. A large, capital ‘G’ is
used to start off a new section.
LAYOUT
The layout is very similar to most
other music magazines. An image of
the artist has taken up one whole
page and the other half of the page
has been filled with text. In this
article, the heading takes up a
quarter of the whole two page
spread which is unusual because it is
usually the article itself which takes
up the majority of the second page.
This shows that the heading must
include an important message to
convey to the audience. The text is
structured in columns to make it
easier to read and there is an
introductory line which introduces
the artist and the article.

5. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme in this article is very obviously red and
black with a hint of green. Half of the picture has a red
overcast and the other half the green overcast. These
overcasts could be interpreted as the reflection of lights
which then leads me to think of traffic lights. As if half of him
is stuck and the other half ready to move on, perhaps
reflecting the style of music he creates. It could also be
suggested that the red light is a representation of the red-
light district. This would suggest that he is some sort of pimp
and that he can get any woman he wants. The red of the ‘J’
stands out from the white background and the black text, this
also splits the vast white space behind the black text which
would be quite difficult to read.
IMAGE
In the image, Jay Z shows no emotion whatsoever. His face is
very straight and serious with a slight pout to his lips which
makes him seem uninterested and fed-up of the situation. He
is wearing all black sunglasses which cover a large proportion
of his face which suggests that he likes to hide his emotion
and keep himself to himself, or perhaps that he is hiding
something. He is dressed in a simple black t-shirt which is
very basic in terms of fashion and suggests that he does not
like to show his wealth through his clothing, however the
necklace he is wearing contradicts this as it is some sort of
gun-metal which appears to be a chain. This would
presumably have cost quite a lot of money and would be
designer which shows that he likes to buy his luxury items as
things that aren’t too flashy but still make a statement, this is
typical of a rapper as they tend to wear jewellery. This, along
with the serious face suggests that he is down to earth as he
isn’t putting anything on for the sake of the camera. The
separation of Jay Z by the colours green and red suggest that
there is a good and a bad side to him and one or both will be
conveyed in the article.
FONT CHOICES
The heading is very small in
comparison to other music magazines.
This is to emphasize the ‘J’ in the
centre of the page. The ‘J’ is in a bold,
curved font which looks rather fancy.
This suggests that Jay Z is important
and deserves the high quality font. The
beginning of each sub section is
started with a capital letter alike a
newspaper which adds a sense of
maturity and professionalism to the
article. The quote over the image is in
this same fancy font and it gives the
artist the importance he obviously
wants to have. The font of ‘rap radar’
is very racing-like and informal.
LAYOUT
The layout of this article is not as typical
as other music magazines. The image
takes up half of the page and the artist
is very central within the image. There is
a ‘J’ which stands for ‘Jay Z’ which is the
artist’s name and this covers the centre
of the second page, sitting beneath the
whole article. This shows his
importance and superiority. The article
itself is structured into columns which
makes it easier to read as a block of text
would perhaps over face some readers.
The heading is at the top of the page
which is typical to a music magazine as
it starts the article off.