Music magazine research Double page spread analysis #1+2

I decided to analysis 2 dps  to get ideas for my own music magazine and the best way to lay it out to make it as attractive and interesting as I can. I analysed Hot Press and Q magazine.

Hot Press DPS analysis

Image:

A long shot of all the members of u2, is shown whilst they are going down an escalator. It fills up about 50% of the page; it overlaps onto the second page and if it was rotated it would fill 1 full page of the double page spread. It’s set in black and white showing them in quite a casual pose. Their dark glasses, golden neck chains and monkey hats are all part of their image and they are well known for this look. The image is bursting with an old school look appealing to the fans who listened to their music from the beginning. The fact that ‘Hot press’ got an interview from them called “THE BIG INTERVIEW” and being such a popular band, this shows they are in touch with their target audience who look for information on their favourite artists. The image was taken from a high angle appealing to its audience as they feel they are watching them which will draw the readers in and also attract more readers so that people can read about their favourite artists in great detail.

Layout:

The layout itself is very simplistic, it’s very fitting with its usual housestyle, its very clean and is laid out in such a simple form and the magazines usual readers have become accustomed to this style therefore they expect it as its such a well known music magazine throughout Ireland. 

Housestyle:

Excluding the image fonts and colour scheme, it’s still clear they have stuck to their usual housestyle with their three digit page number along the bottom and it’s easy to follow the layout and the housestyle makes this magazine an easy read for its audience.

Colour scheme:

The colour scheme in these pages is completely reflective of HP’s housestyle. The black and white image of u2 is keep with the white background with its usual plain black font throughout the double page. Also each paragraph has its own embolden title making it easy for readers to follow. All these black and white colours give and old time feel to it attracting its older audience. The colour scheme also reflects that they are a professional and serious high quality magazine and it keeps readers wanting more.

Text:

This article centres completely around u2, which is obvious as their photo takes up a majority of the page. It discusses everything about their new album like “why did you decide to look back”, “you co-wrote the lyrics with bono this time” and “you only finished it a week before the iTunes giveaway”. All this implied and informal tone throughout and all the information is included, which their readers would find of some interest because they expect a serious discussion of their favourite artists history an success, whilst also being kept interested and entertained. The lanuage used is formal, yet talks to its readers as a friend and this is very appealing to its readers as the lanuage is formal yet friendly and is written in a very clear way so everyone can understand.

Q magazine DPS analysis

Images:

This double page spread uses a lot of different images that are all related to the one topic (Foo Fighters). This is important as this article is about the foo fighter’s tour and gives the readers an idea of what their concerts are like which might attract people to buy the magazine and buy tickets for the concert. There are a lot of pictures in this article but they don’t give everything away, which keeps the readers reading. The use of images makes the DPS more inviting without the rows and rows of writing that can be off putting, this helps the readers to connect with the band.

Main image:

The main image is of course the foo fighters, the photo takes up to thirds of the page. We can tell it’s the main image by the size of the image when compared with the other images. The photo is a medium long shot that shows the band giving a performance; this could be a past performance which goes with the theme of their new album “haunted by the past”. The instruments in the photo emphasis that they are a rock band with the electric guitars etc. We are able to see the whole band as the photo is taken through Dave Grohl’s legs showing the drummer. It is a low angle shot making the readers feel like they’re in the audience.

Text:

The article begins with ‘its 10 o’clock on a Monday’. This text almost puts it across as being a story of the foo fighter’s life. The helps attract readers and keep them interested. Q’s text seems to be informal which is why I think it’s so liked because its relatable no one want to read something that’s too professional they just wouldn't enjoy it, q aims to attract readers with their casual text.

Layout:

Like most other magazine its laid out in three columns per page, which means it stick to conventional layouts but still puts its own twist on it. The article also has drop caps which attracts the reader’s attention towards it.

Colour scheme:
The colours of Qs magazine DPS are reflective the white background along with the plain black writing, this is used very cleverly because of the very neutral background this makes the photos on the page which are brightly coloured stand out and give the page an overall very professional and attractive look to it, whilst drawing the readers to the photos which makes it more enjoyable to read.
all in all the white background with black text and the very colourful photos give it a very good look.