Double Page Spread Research

Double Page Spread Research:

This is the first double page spread I looked at. There are very few features to be looked at on this double page spread. As highlighted by the yellow rectangles Q magazine have used this specific design feature which is of what looks like a deep red smoke effect. They use it on every double page spread for the Arctic Monkeys which represents a consistency throughout the article itself.

The green square highlights the use of two columns for the article. The majority of Double Page Spread articles written by Q magazine have 2 columns in them. They make use of another piece of text above which is an introduction to the bulk of the article written below. A technique I will look to use in my double page spread article.

They have a picture taking up a whole A4 side which is split into 4 as a grid with an image of each band member separate. This is used to show the 4 different members of the band because the contents page only shows Alex Turner the lead singer. The graphic in the middle of them is a pull quote and it looks to be in a sort of picture frame which is a design feature which appeals to me.

This next double page spread article is another of the Arctic Monkeys. There are 3 images on this double page spread one of which taking up over half of one side. This image has a huge impact on the page as it is an image of a live performance with 'AM' the bands initials but also the name of their new album in the background. The other two images is part of a side story to the main article. It shows the bands love for dressing up and the images represent another side to the band that fans of the band would be intrigued to know about.

The design feature of red smoke is being used on this double page spread similar to the other double page spreads on the Arctic Monkeys on the whole. This effect is used whenever drop cap is used which shows consistent house style which is also very effective.

They make use of two columns on both sides of the double page spread for the article which is used consistently by Q magazine. Other magazines often use three columns but Q magazine, particularly in these double page spreads for the Arctic Monkeys they use two columns.

There are two images on this second double page spread of Arctic Monkeys. The first image is of the whole band with a shadow effect in the background. This makes the image stand out significantly well on the page drawing the readers attention to the image. The second image is of Alex Turner on a motorbike. This image highlights Alex Turner as the lead because they have singled him out form the other members giving him a separate photo.

The red smoke effects have been used again on this double page spread signifying that it is the Arctic Monkeys being interviewed or reviewed on. They have yet again used this effect at the start of each paragraph to good effect when using 'Drop Cap'. This effect gives a consistent house style and colour scheme representing the colours of Q magazine at the same time.

They have used two columns yet again for the article as shown on the right hand side of the double page spread. This is commonly used by Q magazine where as other magazines like to use three columns.

This double page spread is of Robbie Williams from Q magazine. There is one extremely large image taking up one side of A4 on this double page spread. It is as if he is shouting the quote which is used on the right hand side of the double page spread. The image is very striking almost enticing us as the reader to read the quote beside it but then this makes us want to read on further into the article to find out what else he has to say. The image also shows Robbie Williams personality which is what the target audience would want to see.

The large speech bubble beside the image is very eye catching too which makes us notice it and we therefore read the quote inside. This design feature follows from that of the front page which shows consistency in house style. We read the quote and this entices us to want to find out more making us read on. This makes the design feature to be very effective. The two other design features highlighted by the blue rectangles above also make the page stand out. They add a punch to the page making the reader want to read more.  

This is the second double page spread on Robbie Williams. Similar to that of the first one there is one large image taking up one of the A4 sides of the double page spread. This image shows a different more happy and joyful side of Robbie Williams and each image of Robbie Williams shows a different side to his personality which is what the target audience of the magazine would want.

They have made use of two columns in this article which seems to be evident on all of Q magazines double page spreads when articles are written. Drop cap has also been used another design feature used by Q magazine in their articles. This consistency is well shown and as a result I will look to use drop cap in my article.

The two design features highlighted by the yellow rectangle in the image above are extremely eye catching. The speech bubble is used yet again for consistent house style being used and the feature on the left is similar to a speech bubble but it gives a 3D effect similar to that of the speech bubble. These features make the page more exciting and eye catching for the reader.

This double page spread is of the band The Smiths. The first thing you notice is the large image that covers the whole double page spread. Although text does cover the image it still takes up the whole DPS. The image has been desaturated (black and white) which gives the impression that it is old which it is since the band are an old band. The image is of them performing too which gives a greater impact on the page on the whole. It is the only image on this double page spread.

There are a few design features in this double page spread but they are all very basic. They have 2 rectangles on either page which give small pieces of information. The writing 'The Holy Appliance' is a strong bold font and the colour scheme of black and pink follows from the front page resulting in a consistent colour scheme for this issue of magazine.

In this double page spread they use 3 columns as highlighted by the blue rectangle and this shows that Q magazine use different layouts for different articles. 

This is the second double page spread for The Smiths and like the other DPS the image takes up the whole thing. This image has colour though and they are outside. The lead singer Morrisey is holding flowers, this shows a different side to the band which was not previously shown on the other double page spread. There are no other images on this double page spread, having one large image seems to be the common theme for most Q magazine double page spreads.

Q magazine take up one side of A4 with a picture and the other with text. This layout is one which I in particular like and will look to implement this into my magazine. The colour scheme remains from the previous double page spread and from the front page with the pink and blue coming through. The large blue box on the right stands out more significantly because of the difference in colour and because the whole box is filled. The text below this has no columns because this is a special part of the magazine outlining the bands 30th anniversary. Overall this double page spread is good due to the large amounts of colour as well as the large image and difference in layout.

Comparison of Front Page, Contents Page and DPS

Comparison of Front Page, Contents and DPS:

Firstly, the Masthead carries from both the front page to the contents page outlining a consistent house style to be present. The magazine's identity is present on each page and even on the double page spread there is a small Q in the left hand corner.These are highlighted by the blue squares in the image.

The three images that carry across from the front page, contents page and DPS are shown here. The image on the front page is of the whole band with Alex Turner situated at the forefront of the image.As highlighted by the yellow square the image on the contents page is of Alex Turner only and then on the double page spread each band member is shown again in a separate picture in a square grid. This differentiation of image choice is used effectively by Q magazine to illustrate the importance that Alex Turner has in the band but also to show variation of images.

There are a few design features highlighted in green squares which are used on a few double page spreads by Q magazine on this particular article of the Arctic Monkeys. It follows the colour scheme of red and this red smoke effect is a design feature which stands out on the page.

In this second comparison of another issue of Q magazine the Masthead carries from both the front page to the contents page similar to that of the first comparison outlining a consistent house style to be present. The magazine's identity is present on each page and even on the double page spread there is a small Q in the left hand corner.These are highlighted by the yellow squares in the image.

The three images that carry across from the front page, contents page and DPS are shown here. The first image on the front cover is of Robbie Williams covering his mouth as if he has done something or said something wrong. He looks vulnerable and as if he is trying to cover something up. The contents page image isn't the main image even though he is the main part of this issue. He is taking up a boxing stance which is a change to the front page stance he is taking up. The double page spread image is as if he is shouting the information in the speech bubble on the right. The difference in the three images is good for variation but it also highlights Robbie Williams personality on the whole. 

The design feature which stands out on the front page and one which carries on to the double page spread is the use of the speech bubbles. This is used instead of just writing the quote on the front page and it makes it more eye catching and more appealing to the reader.

In this third comparison of another issue of Q magazine the Masthead carries from both the front page to the contents page similar to that of the first and second comparison however as you can see highlighted by the yellow squares, the 'Q' is red and the background is black. Although they have changed the colour scheme here it still shows consistency with the identity of the magazine.

As you can see this issue of Q magazine has two contents pages with lots of images on both. The front page image of The Smiths has two members of the band in the picture and they have also desaturated the image removing colour. The image on the contents page and double page spread as highlighted by the blue square are of the whole band this time and so variation of image is used effectively. These images have colour and are very vibrant making them more appealing to the reader.

This issue of Q magazine has a change of colour scheme and they make excellent use of pink but only when they associate it with the band The Smiths. The front cover uses this colour scheme well and on each double page spread in the magazine to do with The Smiths this colour scheme is used. They don't use this colour scheme in any other issue of magazine and it is a unique feature for this issue.

Audience Expectations

Audience Expectations:

Here is a video of members of my target audience talking about their expectations for an indie/indie rock music magazine and they list some bands or artists that they would expect to see along with some of the features they would expect to see in a music magazine itself:

As a result, my target audience expects to see bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, The 1975, Kodaline, Ben Howard, Imagine Dragons, You Me At Six, The Wombats, Mumford and Sons, Foals, Crystal Fighters, HAIM, Jake Bugg, Deaf Havana and The Killers. They would also expect to see various features such as interviews of these bands and artists along with reviews of albums, singles and live performances within the magazine.

Contents Page Research

Contents Page analysis':

Pricing

Pricing of Music Magazines

It is evident from the mind map shown below that the more pages in a magazine, the more expensive the magazine will be. Also if there are more pages then the magazine will be released monthly or less times in a year. Q magazine has a large number of pages and is a monthly magazine where as NME and Kerrang have far less pages and are weekly magazines. As a result of these findings, my magazine will have a larger amount of pages and it will therefore cost more money at around £4.00 and it will be a monthly magazine.

Page Furniture/Design

Page Furniture/Design

This is the first graphic i noticed which i really like from Q magazine. There is a picture of Robbie Williams and coming from it is this speech bubble. This is similar to using a pull quote however it has a speech bubble around it to make it look more appealing to the viewer.

 This image on the right shows the different size fonts being used effectively and different colours. They have 'exclusive!' in a silver colour and 'MUSE' in red with a much large font. This indicates them apart from the other writing and the black writing below is smaller putting more emphasis on which band is being mentioned.

There is one thing in particular that i like about the image on the left and it is the use of the black line and the '+' sign. It illustrates that there are different parts to the magazine and it is also very eye catching to the audience. Rather than using a column with everything down the side they have used this instead.

The image on the right is from one of Q magazines contents pages and it makes use of three columns. It also has the name of the artist in red. The number of the page in larger black writing so it is visible and smaller black writing below. I will be looking to use this in my contents page.

 The column on the right of the image on the left is another interesting graphic. In Q magazine they have the column under 'Q Review' which is a section of the magazine. This column is used to show what artists and bands etc. are being reviewed and the column makes the page look more ordered and structured and clearer for the reader.

 This image on the right has a red circle with cover story written inside it. Robbie Williams is the cover story within the magazine and this small graphic makes the reader aware that this is the case and so they can then be more entitled to read the article.

 This graphic was taken off one of NME's magazine front covers. It is a pull quote but the background is pix-elated like the girl on the cover has her hand pix-elated because she is swearing. This is an interesting graphic which i may think about using in my magazine.

 The image on the right is of one of NME's graphic on the contents page. They make use of the red and white combo like their masthead but they also let people know what can be seen in the magazine. It is simple but effective for the reader to understand what is going on.

Q magazine have used font size very effectively here. They have 'What has' and 'Said now?' in smaller font but 'ROBBIE' in large silver writing. This makes it obvious that it is Robbie Williams that they are talking about but also it shows to everyone buying the magazine in shops that the article inside is about Robbie Williams and so more people will buy the magazine as a result.

Type of shot used

Type of shot used

Long shot
Here we have usage of a long shot on this front cover and as you can see it has the whole body of Noel Gallagher in the shot. They have done this so that they can show the amplifier he is leaning on. It is rare that you have a long shot being used on the front cover but it has been utilised well by Q magazine here.









Close Up
Here we have usage of a close up. This is the most common type of shot used on front covers and is usually of one particular person like the lead singer of the band 'Foo Fighters' here. A close up allows more involvement for the audience and also it puts emphasis on that particular artists on show.

Mid Shot
Mid Shot is being used here because only their top half is in shot. All of these images however have more than one person in shot but it is still a mid shot.




















Group shots

Pictures of groups or bands are often similar to the ones presented below. The lead singer is usually positioned at the front followed by the guitarists and drummers behind. The shot type is usually a mid-long shot but it can vary.

My Chosen Genre - Bands/Artists

Bands/Artists within my genre

This is a video which I made of the various bands and artists within my chosen genre:
Sound required...

Here is a list of the various bands and artists within the genre Indie and Indie Rock. Many of these were listed in the video above and as you can tell they all have very different sounds to their music making them different and unique which is what the genre of indie/indie rock is all about.

• Arctic Monkeys
• Deaf Havana
• Bastille
• The Killers
• The 1975
• Of Monsters and Men
• Mumford and Sons
• The Kooks
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Tom Odell
• The Vaccines
• The Wombats
• Kodaline
• The Strokes
• Vampire Weekend
• Arcade Fire

House Style - How is it established

House Style

Target Audience Clothing

Target Audience Clothing:

Target audience member 1:

This is one outfit that a member of my target audience might wear:

This is a second outfit that a member of my target audience might wear:

This is a third outfit that a member of my target audience might wear:

Font/masthead/typography analysis

Font/masthead typography analysis:


Music Magazine Mastheads by Slidely Slideshow






'Q' magazine has this large white 'Q' with the red background and it represents the magazine of 'Q'. It is present on almost every single page of the magazine and the colour scheme of red and white are used also throughout the magazine. The writing is a serif font due to the flick on the Q etc. 







'NME' have a very similar masthead to that of 'Q' magazine with white writing and a red background. The writing is what looks like an ARIAL font because it is more rectangular and it is in block capitals to make it stand out.





Here is the 'Kerrang' masthead and as you can see the writing is white with a black background. The writing is a special type of font which looks quite rough giving the impression that Kerrang is more of a rock music magazine. The exclamation mark also emphasises this.

Here is the 'Vibe' masthead and as you can see the writing is black which is uncommon for music magazines because as you can see from above all the other mastheads are white writing. The font for the 'vibe' logo seems to be a more vibrant font which is similar to the magazine itself.

Front Page Research

Front Cover Research

Q magazine front covers:
I have chosen Q magazine as one of the magazines to research front covers for because my chosen genre of Indie/Indie rock is represented by this magazine more so than others.


This first front cover has a picture of the band Coldplay. There are four members in the band and they are placed a different lengths behind each other, the lead singer being at the front with the other band members behind. There are various advertisements for other bands around the main image with a large cover line across the front outlining that it is a world exclusive interview with coldplay.












This next front cover is of the lead singer for Foo Fighters and a special effect has been used effectively as he has his mouth open the other three band members are shown in a sort of explosion inside his mouth. There are various advertisements for different bands around the page with the graphic on the right and the masthead on the left.









This front cover for Q magazine is slightly different with the front cover having a certain layout used. There is a one column table on the right with the list of elements within the magazine which as you can tell is different to the other magazine covers on show. The picture is of Noel Gallagher standing beside a large amplifier. This is a different shot to all the others and therefore it shows the different page layouts that Q magazine have done.









NME front covers:
I have chosen NME as a magazine to research for front covers because similar to that of Q magazine these magazines represent the genre I have chosen of Indie/Indie rock.

 This first front cover from NME is of Alex Turner, lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane, a solo artist. At the time of this magazine the two got together to form a band called 'The last shadow puppets' and they made an album together which is why they were being interviewed. The image has them back to back but also it is a medium shot of them both. There are various advertisements around the page mainly on the left and this layout is different to that of Q magazine. They make use of a pull quote to give an insight to what is included in the interview. 

This next front cover is a more recent front cover and it has a picture of the Arctic Monkeys on the front. The lead singer Alex Turner is at the front of the picture followed by the other band members behind. This photo is similar to that of the first front cover shown of Coldplay with the lead singer at the front and the other members behind. There is very little shown on this front cover because the story within the magazine is of such high importance with Arctic Monkeys very recently releasing their new album called 'AM'.

Here is another front cover and The Gallagher brothers are being shown as they are members of the band 'Oasis'. This cover has much more on the page than the previous cover shown and this illustrates that NME vary their front page layout depending on the story involved and the band on show. There is a cover line across the front in white writing and a black background which is different from all the other writing on the page and this makes the cover line stand out more effectively.

My Chosen Genre

My chosen genre - Indie/Indie Rock

Independent music (often shortened to indie music or indie) is music produced independently from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-yourself it-approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes also used to describe a genre (such as indie rock, indie metal or indie pop); as a genre term, "indie" may include music that is not independently produced, and most independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and usually create music that can be categorized into other genres.

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US, and then Britpop bands in the UK, broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, a number of indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.

The term indie rock, derived from "independent," describes the small and relatively low-budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences.

Above information gathered from wikipedia

Live Performances (Indie/Indie rock bands)

Live performance of Arctic Monkeys performing their single 'R U Mine?' at Glastonbury 2013. These are one of many indie rock bands and are currently one of the most well known Indie rock bands out there.








Live performance of 'Mumford and Sons' performing their single 'The Cave' at Glastonbury 2013. 'Mumford and Sons' are famous for their folk rock vibe which makes them particularly unique in the industry.









Live performance of 'The Killers' performing their single 'Mr Brightside' live at the Royal Albert Hall. 'The Killers' have been voted one of the best all time indie rock bands and continue to produce singles and performances like the one here at the Royal Albert Hall.

Target Audience - News Report

Questions to be asked:

• What genre of music do you like to listen to?
• Who are your favourite bands or artists currently?
• How much time do you  spend on the internet in a day?
• What is your favourite social networking site?
• What magazines do you often buy? In particular what music magazines do you read?
• Do you regularly listen to the radio and if so what radio stations do you consistently listen to and why?
• What does your typical weekend consist of?

The following video is a news report on my specific target audience. I interviewed two different people to see the differences and similarities to their responses on the above questions:

As shown in the above video it is clear that the genre of music that they both listen to is indie and alternative and a bit of rock. These are in fact my chosen genres for my magazine. They both stated that they listen to indie/indie rock bands like Bastille, Arctic Monkeys, You Me at Six, Deaf Havana etc who are more than likely to be included in my magazine contents page. They both roughly spend a 1-2 hours on the internet per day with Instagram being a popular social networking site among them. Q magazine and NME magazine are the two music magazines they regularly buy which are the two magazines which I have chosen to base my music magazine around since these magazines best represent my chosen genre. They both listen to Radio 1 as this radio station provides a variety of different artists and bands from different genres and radio 1 is renowned for introducing new upcoming bands onto the scene. Finally they both enjoy hanging with friends in their spare time and listening to music which highlights them as people who like music and so are perfect for my target audience. 

Target Audience - UK Tribes

My Chosen Target audience

Indie Scenesters are dedicated to finding the newest music, exploring all avenues to get there – online, print, record shops, club nights and word of mouth. Staying ahead of the curve is a must, but it’s borne out of a genuine love for music – and this is what separates them from those more fickle dabblers and dilettantes, the Hipsters. For Indie Scenesters, there’s nothing better than discovering new artists and spreading the love.

Guitar music has seen its cool usurped by the rise in electronic-synth based music in recent years, and Indie Scenesters have broadened their musical tastes as a result. It’s no longer just about indie rock bands like Vampire Weekend, Indie Scenesters have embraced experimental, genre-blending artists like Four Tet. Yet, the Indie Scenester approach remains the same. It’s about championing independent artists rather than a specific genre, especially before the masses get in on the act.

Boys and girls are rocking similar looks – skinny jeans, vintage and Converse/Vans. Their high street staples focus around the functional and unisex – Uniqlo, Cheap Mondays and American Apparel.

Hipsters prefer to be recognised as the trendsetters often living life to the fullest. More affluent than indie scenesters and highly retailed fashion items are of great interest. Fashion is very important to them and they have a slightly retro mind set. They are also interested in gadgets and latest technology.

Trendies have got the cash to splash. They are early to mid 20s and very middle class. They likes shops like Urban Outfitters/Topshop. They are educated well with a like for reading on current/mainstream affairs.

I gathered all of this information from UK tribes official website.

Magazine Title Names

Possible magazine title names:
The genre for my magazine is going to be indie/indie rock and I have chosen this genre because this is the type of music I listen to on a regular basis.

These were some initial title names which i came up with.

I took some of my better magazine title names and took a tally from other people in my class and they decided which name they preferred. I chose people from my class as they are of a similar age to who my magazine is aimed at.

Possible magazine title names:
Unknown - I feel this ties in well with my genre because all indie bands are first unknown and they find their own way into the music industry and so i think this works well however I think it isn't enticing enough.

Undiscovered - Similar to the one above all indie bands are undiscovered at first and thy are independent making their own way into music before eventually becoming known.

Diverse - Indie bands have a different music style and so this makes them 'diverse' so i think this title works well however it doesn't have a music style to it making it unclear as to whether it is a music magazine or not.

Distinct - Indie bands have a unique and distinct sound to their music and so i think this fits the genre particularly well.

Modify - All music gets modified and although this is music related it can be applied to any music genre not just mine.

Desolate - This means to differ and indie bands are different so i think this works well but it can be mislead for desolate meaning destruction so people may think the magazine is a rock magazine only when it isn't.

Anonymous -This name is my least favourite out of all my titles but it still links in with my genre but lacks that musical touch.

These were my initial ideas and after conferring with my teacher she decided that they weren't catchy enough and they wouldn't entice the audience to buy the magazine if i were to put it up on sale. Also they didn't tie in well with my genre and so i had to rethink of some new title names.

I then decided to look up the definition for the word indie:

It is evident the independence is a particular importance within this genre and so i looked up some synonyms for the word 'independent':

I also thought that Indie bands are quite unique and have a unique sound so i looked up synonyms for the word 'unique':

After Having Researched all of these synonyms, I decided to change my approach and decide to choose a name that went against the idea of independence which Indie bands and artists represent and twist it round. 

I came across the word 'Standard' as one of my favourite magazine titles. I then did a survey to see what other people thought was the best name for a title of a magazine and here were my results:

The survey above shows that 'Standard' was chosen as the best name for my magazine and this was also one of my favourites so I have chosen this as my final name for my magazine.