NME Magazine AnalysisBy Ben Matthews

Front cover magazine analysisMasthead

-As seen on the cover the “NME magazine” The masthead is positioned in the top left corner as is general convention. This position allows the magazine to draw the target audience in, as it is the first thing they see of the magazine, This allows them to recognise the brand quicker. Furthermore the font, colour and size of the masthead is different to the rest of the text. With these changes it further draw the reader into the magazine as it catches the eye very easily. This is important because the masthead is one of the main vocal points of the cover and is one of the things the creators want audience to see so they remember the brand, which may evoke repeat purchase. The NME logo is help with branding the magazine as it is the image in which the creators want the audience to remember so by continuously using the NME logo it can make the logo easily recognisable and can create a strong brand.

Header- The header of this magazine is one of the first things the reader sees when looking down the magazine, so the header tries its best to sum up what is on the magazine including special features or USP’s . This is so the reader is interested on rendering the whole cover and eventually buying it. This further sells the magazine to the target audience.

Puff- The point of a puff is just to give the reader a quick taster of the content inside, giving not much detail on the content itself. By surrounding it with bright colours which fits with the colour scheme it attracts the target audience. By giving them a sneak preview like this it allows them to become intrigued and tempted to buy the magazine and read on.

Main Coverline-This main coverline does follow most of the major conventions of other magazines. The first convention it follows is the positioning of the image, this is because the position at the bottom of the page is general convention. The text itself follows convention as it is bigger, bolder and in a different font to any of the text on the page. This is because as it is the main attraction to the magazine for the readers it needs to stand out to maximise its potential to be seen by the target audience. The colour also follows the general colour scheme created by the main image. As the main coverline anchors the main image as it has a snap quote from the coverstar Dizzee Rascal, the main image also influences the text colour. This is because the main image has a large proportion of white in the background but also in the mise-en-sen through the models clothing. This further informs the reader that the snap quote is from the coverstar with common associations with the main image, for example colour. The slanted text of the main coverline further stands out to the audience but also by slanting this text gives the magazine an informal look which fits with the pop music genre which is naturally informal. This informality can appeal to the target audience, which is likely targeted at young people.

Footer -The footer is one of the final things that the reader sees when scanning down the page. The features of this footer are similar to the main coverline in terms of colour scheme as it to follows the colour scheme set by the main image which in this case is black and white. The content of the footer is similar to the header as it just informs the target audience of the content which in this case for this magazine is the bands/artists involved in this issue. These are put on the cover as one of these artists may peak the interest of the target audience which could convince them to buy the magazine.

Main image-The main image on this magazine follows all the usual codes and conventions of every other magazine. This magazines main image does develop convention as the main image doesn’t fill up the whole of the page unlike other magazines. This is because at the top to the page there is a white segment for the masthead, coverlines and header. By doing this it allows the text to become more illuminated, so its more visible to the reader. The main image has medium close-up image but in the case of this magazine the pose from the coverstar includes his whole body. By doing this it increases the area in which the model covers. By doing this it makes the front cover stand out more as there's more of a focus on the model. Furthermore the pose which is being made is one which that the reader can connote is an excited. This pose also match's the facial expression of the Dizzie Rascal. This is because his facial expression is excited, this could put the reader in a good mood and creates general intrigue into what's happening with this particular artist. As the main coverline also anchors the main image, the descriptive word “Joy” is used. This matches both the facial expression and pose as that is how the audience would describe the models mood from that image. So the magazine has used these 3 to complement one another to draw the reader in. The magazine also followed convention by having the model looking directly at the camera (Reader) By addressing the reader like this it makes them more incline to buy this particular magazine as it relates directly to them. This magazine also has an incredibly brightly coloured background. This background grabs the audiences attention which makes it more likely for them to pick up that particular magazine as it stands out from the competitors better. This bright colour is created by graffiti in the background of the image, this may relate to the genre of music in which the articles about as the music in which Dizzie produces is generally urban style music, so this graffiti image can be naturally associated with this genre of music.

Contents page magazine analysis

Masthead- As is normal convention with most magazine contents pages, the masthead from the front cover also features on the contents page. The main reason for this is to get the brand into the readers. This promotes brand recognition from the reader/audience, which may lead to repeat purchase. This mag also follows convention in its properties and positions. First in this particular magazine the masthead is smaller than the one on the front. This is general convention due to the fact that the contents page has much more text and a larger varety of pictures taking up the space on the page. The general position of the masthead on this page is similar to the masthead on the cover. This is because the brand name of the magazine normally titles the page, which is the same in this case with the title “NME Contents” Putting at the top of the page like this is normal convention for most magazines.

Advertisement- Having an advertisement on the contents page is not generally a code nor convention as having an advertisement on the contents page is subject to the magazine. Normally the contents page will include some contact details or social media details on the contents page to inspire reader- producer interaction. In this case it is an advertisement for a subscription for the NME magazine itself, which does contain contact details to get in touch with the creators of the magazine. The positioning of the ad is significant as well, this is because it is in the corner. This is because it is not the main features of the page so, by putting it in the corner, the reader is more than likely going to see it later after they have read what is in the magazine.

Date line-This is a code for every magazine contents page and cover. This allows the reader to see how up to date the information is within this magazine. The positioning of the dateline is also convention as by having it at the top of the page allows the reader to instantly see how recent the magazine is.

Title-As is convention with magazines the contents page title which is usual like here “Contents” this magazine follows most of the characteristics in which a title like this would have in a professional magazine. As is with most magazines the magazine is positioned at the top of the page, this is because it is the one of the first things that the reader says so it is clear to them what the page is. Furthermore this contents title follows general convention as it is bigger, bolder and in a different font to the other text on the page. This is done so it stands out to the reader further so it is clear to them that this is the contents page, furthermore setting it out like this makes the magazine look more professional.

Page numbers and descriptions- In this column the subheadings follow convention as like the title they are bigger than the actual page descriptions and numbers of the magazines. This is so if the reader has a particular section of the magazine they want to look at (eg- Reviews in this case) then they are able to see the sections and articles which fall under that sub category. By doing this it makes for easier navigation of the magazine for the reader. In this particular magazine the main features have been put on the right with larger font than the page titles on the left. This is probably because the reader is more likely to be looking for the main stories of the magazine rather than the other stories, so by making them clearer than the others on the left it means they will be able to find the main features quicker.

Page numbers and titles.- The page numbers of the contents page are simply there to help navigate the reader around the magazine to what they want to see. On this particular cover there are 2 columns in which page numbers and descriptions are put. But on the column on the right the page numbers and description is larger than the left column. As the target audience will go to the main stories first, they are bigger to attract attention whereas the left stories are smaller as they aren't necessary as important to the readers so they don’t need to find as many page numbers to these pages. Furthermore the format of this section means that it allows the reader to find a band or artists that peaks their particular interest and allows to find where they are in the magazine. This makes navigation for the reader easier as they can quickly identify what they want from the magazine. This may appeal to the reader as it saves them time and its convenient.

3 Column style- This set out of contents page is normal convention for most magazines of this type. By using this style it makes the page look more professional and less crowded which makes the text clearer to the reader. This page has developed convention by dedicating a whole column to a particular story which is not common for normal magazines. This gives the contents page a USP different from others.

Double page spread Main Image- In this article of the magazine is the story

which featured on the front cover. This story was the focus of the main coverline and consequentially the main image. The mise-en-sen of this image is the same as the main image on the cover. This includes the model Dizzie Rascals clothes and also the background of the image. The mise-en-sen is appropriate to this article some of the objects relate to the story in which the article portrays. For example the presentation of him doing graffiti on a wall can be associated to a “troubled past” or a “humble beginnings”. This image gives us a visual representation of his story from his troubled background of crimes such as vandalism to the successful superstar he is today. The symbolism of graffiti also has significance to the title of this article. The word “Tags” is a slang word known and used by the young target audience of this magazine. The word “Tags” means the hallmark or mark of a graffiti artist on a wall. By directly associating the image to the title it gives the reader a better idea of how the article starts… with him making mischief but also how it ends with him becoming successful. This idea is obvious from the word “riches” in the title but is also complimented by the clothing he wears in the image. This is because the word “riches” assumes a prestigious lifestyle, which is presented by his clothes which are expensive and desirable. Because of this the word and image are able to compliment each other as “tags” does with the graffiti imagery.

- The contrast between these 2 symbols presented by the image allows the reader to assume what Dizzie Rascal’s personality is like. An example of these assumptions is that he is now successful but he is still has the trouble maker background he grew up with when he was creating “Tags”. You can also make these assumptions from other things in the image like his facial expression….

Main Image continued –… this is because he gives an expression of him looking over his shoulder as if looking for people who appose vandalism which he's doing such as the police. In this pose of him “looking for the police” cannotes that he has done something wrong in his past but also this symbolism could be connoted by the reader as him looking back on his past, which is the main focus of the article as it is a reflection piece on how he rose to his current star. Furthermore this pose is reminiscent of the title of the article which the words “from” connotes that he is talking about himself when he was creating “Tags”.

Main Title-The appearance of this title on the right side of the page really reflects the naughty, trouble making tone of the article. First of all the font of the title follows very irregular letters next to each other. By doing this it gives the page an informal look as it looks as if the letters have been drawn by a young person in quite a casual informal fashion. This suits the article as the it is a look back at the childhood of Dizzie. The font is almost reminiscent of the style of writing which is adopted by graffiti artists, which uses quite irregular shapes to present letters, which is also similar to the irregular nature of the font. Because of this the font, the title directly associated with other graffiti symbolism on the page. The main image best presents this symbol as it shows the model actually performing graffiti. The font is also linked to the title itself as it mentions the word “Tags” which as mentioned before is slang used for describing the mark left by a graffiti artist. The positioning of the title also echoes the informal message which is given. This is done by making the words in the title overlap and not done parallel to one another in a formal manor. By doing this It creates the child like effect created by the irregular lettering which as said before is reminiscent of the main page image and the article itself. The title of the article does give the target audience the general theme of the article. The wording of this title allows us to understand that the article is a look back at the past of the start Dizzie Rascal. “From tags to riches” shows the reader that the article talks about the rise of the star as you can connote that “Tags” makes reference to a low social class (bad quality of life). Then there is a progression to riches which can be assumed means a higher social standing in society (better quality of life).

Title codes and conventions–The title of this article follows convention by its size and position. This is because general convention for titles is that it is the biggest text on the page. NME have followed this convention by making the text of the title much bigger than the article text. This is so the title stands out to the reader and help draw them into the article. The positioning of the title both follows and develops convention, it follows convention because it is over the article text so it is the first thing they see. The title also develops convention as it is not above the main image which is on the other side of the double page spread. As normal convention suggests that the page title should be above everything on the page.