AS Foundation Portfolio In Media: October 2013

Kerrang

Front Cover:

Kerrang Cover

On the front cover the dominant colour is purple which usually has connotations with royalty, luxury and ambition. The main image for the issue is of Green Day which relates to the main article of their top 25 songs and they have themed the issue around them as they were due to perform at Reading Festival the same week as this magazine was released. To fit in with the Reading Festival theme there is even a banner saying all about the festival. All the members of the band are looking directly at the camera which creates eye contact with the reader which wi
ll entice the reader and makes it a more personal connection to the cover. Also rather than having long winded headlines about particular ar
ticles there are instead replaced with names of bands and then a small description of the article to do with them underneath so then if you only see the magazine for as brief amount of time then you can instantly see what band are being featured in the magazine.

Kerrang Contents Page

Contents Page:

The contents page has very little amount of images when compared to the other magazines I have analysed as there are only three images on this page while the other magazines tended to have at least 5. For some of the contents page headings there will be a really small description though this only is done for a few of them rather than all and the small description is quite pointess as they are far too small too read unless you have a microscope with you. Though this is layed out quite well and isn’t as random as NME it is still far too crowded and overall this magazine ends up coming off a bit amortize when compared to the other magazines.

Double Page Spread:

Kerrang Double Page Spread

The double spread I have chosen is of an interview of Blink 182 celebrating their 21^st anniversary. The main image takes up two of the pages yet allows a little bit of text at the bottom. This is clever as it makes you think there is more text than there is and that you are getting your value for money but realistically there isn’t much writing and it shows that they don’t have enough content to warrant a double spread as the main headline is far too big as well as the main image and the two pointless smaller images. This is by far the worst double page spread I have covered and overall this magazine not as well published as the other two and this probably explains why it is the cheapest of the bunch.

NME

Front Cover:

NME Cover

The primary colours for the front cover is red, white and blue from the union jack which is very British and has a retro feel to it. It also has a very basic design with very little text on the cover unlike the front cover to Kerrang which is rather cluttered and has too much going on. The main image for this issue if that of The Who which is the main feature for the magazine. The main image is of The Who and though this picture wasn’t taken specifically for the magazine as this is an older picture probably from the 60s but the band are in the exact same position as Green Day were on the front cover of Kerrang and they also are looking directly at the camera.

NME Contents Page

Contents Page:

The contents page for this is rather unorganized, the big articles are all accommodated with an image yet they are randomly placed and there is no reason for this layout for example an article for page 50 is on the top right corner where as for page 30 article it is on the bottom left.

Double Page Spread:

One of the double page spreads for the magazine focuses on the release of Kanye West’s new album Yeezus and goes in detail about his career up to that point will all the highs and all the lows. The main image is a medium close up shot of Kanye West himself looking directly at the camera. At the bottom of the page is a timeline which basically sums up his progression and gets straight to the point of all the main achievements he has accomplished.

NME Double Page Spread (Page 1)

NME Double Page Spread (Page 2)

Front Cover:

Q Cover

The front cover for this magazine is a fold out front cover of Beady Eye being posed as astronauts on the moon with the front cover unfolded clearly showing its front man Liam Gallagher posed holding a Union Jack flag. The whole band are looking at the camera just like the other pictures I’ve analysed. The reason that they are posed on the moon is because the main headline says ‘Liam’s on a mission’ and this can also imply that they are out of this world. The main colours for the cover are blacks, whites and golds which makes the r
ed logo for the magazine instantly jump out as well as the yellow puff which is about Depeche Mode. The price for the magazine is probably best of the three magazines as it is easiest to find at a quick glance unlike Kerrang who’s price is bold and is far too small and just ends up blending in with the the issue number.

Contents Page:

The contents page is a double page spread and it
contrasts the front cover as it has a whole page showing Noel Gallagher which contrasts to the front cover as both Liam and Noel hate each other and that they used to be the frontmen of Oasis. The contents page is a double page spread and is definitely ordered and layed out a lot better than NME.

Q Contents Page (Page 1)

Q Contents Page (Page 2)

Double Page Spread:

Q Double Page Spread

One of the double page spreads for the issue is of a review for Daft Punk’s new album Random Access Memories. The layout is rather similar to the Kanye West double page spread from NME as it has a medium close up shot of Daft Punk, and they are also posed looking at the camera but you can’t tell if their eyes are as they are both wearing helmets. There is also on the right a list of albums which inspired them for their new album which is accompanied with a brief description which is very reminiscent of the timeline of Kanye West in NME.