2. Main Image
Half of the double page spread is taken up by the image. It is brightly lit on
the artists face and the pose conveys attitude that links to the genre of the
magazine. Sometimes the image does not have a direct address like the
front cover does as this conveys attitude. The image is taken in a studio
setting as it is easier to control the lighting. It uses a simple background
and lighting. This makes identifying the artist or band easy and not
distracting. The main image is usually the largest thing on the page as this
points out to the audience exactly who the article they are about to read is
about.
Headline
The headline has the largest font size of the paper as this makes it catch
attention. The headline has a different font, colour and effect to the rest of
the text on the page. This makes it eye appealing. The headline is used to
grab attention of the audience visually and grammatically via puns and
alliteration. The head line is vague and creates atmosphere or a vibe.
Regulars in the magazine rarely use headlines.
Stand first
The stand first is a short introduction to the article that is positioned to the
left below the headline. The stand first is vague but has more information
than the headline but less than the article. The stand first acts like a teaser
to the rest of the article. It is usually a sentence or two long and doesn’t give
anything away but is still to the point.
Drop caps
The first letter of the article is a drop caps and the purpose is to make the
audience know where to look and where to start reading. It is usually bigger
and bolder than the rest of the body and uses a different colour so it stands
out. A drop caps can be used to make line breaks and can be used at the
start of new paragraphs.
Insert
An insert is usually facts, competitions or something relevant to the band or
artists. If the insert is a quote it usually is not from a band member
themselves or an artists but usually someone involved such as a family
member or even a fan. Quotes are usually not used other than from an
outside source. Inserts have a different colour and usually are sectioned off
by a box which once again is a different colour.
3. Bleeding
Bleeding is where text spills over to the next page. Bleeding can make a
double page spread look like one whole image. Bleeding involves
headlines, image or stand first but sometimes a magazine double page
spread may use a mix of the three.
Body (Main Article)
The text is never any smaller than 11 pts and the text starts at the top left.
The body starts under the heading and the stand first but still near the
top. The language and opinions used in the article are those of the
journalist but all facts and figures have to be accurate and 100% true.
Artist name
The artist or bands name, if not in the body, is bigger so that it stands
out. It is usually a different font, colour and effect once again so that it
stands out and is unique.
Captions
Captions are used on the bottom right of photos and give a brief
description of what the picture is. This gives the reader extra information
if they don’t know who the band or artist is.
Line Breaks
When separating paragraphs a line is dropped and in cases where this
isn’t relevant indentation is used on the left.
Columns
Double page spreads use 3-4 columns in the body as this makes the text a
lot easier to read for the audience. Also using columns gives the illusion
that there is less text so gives the impression on the audience they don’t
need to put in a lot of effort to read the article and so makes the audience
interested.
Page Numbers
Outside bottom corner. Title of the magazine usually appears next to it to
remind the reader what magazine they are reading.
4. Colour Scheme
Double page spreads keep to the 3-4 colours colour scheme
created by the magazine company. Usually the artists or band
are dressed in the according colours to fit in with the scheme. 2
colour are already taken up by the black and white used for the
text.
By-line
Credit is given to the journalist and photographer near the end
of the article through by-lines.
