NMEAn Analysis Of NME Magazine

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.

Cover

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.

Contents

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.

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 cap uses 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 more interesting 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 a lot 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 story by adding facts and quotes from other people.

Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread