Nme analysis

Detailed Analysis of NME magazine.Front Cover

The masthead is a bright red colour making it stand out against the background. Red is seen as an ‘aggressive’ colour which means it would be more likely targeted to a stereotypically male audience because they are seen as ‘rougher’ than females who like calmer colours. The colour means that the audience can easily identify it and the placement in the top left corner means that it will be the first thing the buyer will see. This ensures that if it’s bright and recognisable people will remember it better and come back to it more often if they can quickly see it.

Target Audience:Gender: MaleAge: 13-25Social Class: Working ClassEthnicity: Everyone

The main image is a long shot of Dizzee Rascal. He is giving a direct mode of address to the audience by looking at the camera. This gives the audience a sense of intimacy and unity with him by him looking directly at them. He is wearing loose fitting clothing making him seem ‘hip’ and his pose and facial expression can present him as fun because he looks cool and happy to be in the photo. This will make people want to buy the magazine because Dizzee Rascal seems like someone they would like so they want to learn more about him. Using the rule of thirds, one of the hotspots is right on his face. This means that it’s a place where people who are looking at the magazine will concentrate on and their attention will be drawn once again to him looking happy and reinforce the idea of what sort of person Dizzee Rascal is.

The main coverline of ‘Dizzee Rascal “I'm spreading joy around the world, man!”’ is anchored to the main image because it shows him as someone who wants to make people happy and it links to him looking happy in the photo. The use of the word ‘man’ may also be linked to the target audience of men because it seems like they’re being spoken to directly even if it’s a figure of speech it still makes it very personal and friendlier so they are more likely to buy the magazine if they feel it is being tailored directly to them. Stereotypically, men are more likely to like music such as rap therefore the use of this artist will attract their target audience of men.

The mise-en-scene of the set and background being covered in graffiti suggests what sort of music Dizzee Rascal makes even if someone didn’t know before as things such as graffiti are usually associated with hip-hop therefore it will give a person an idea of what they are looking at. The clothing is the same; Dizzee Rascal is represented as a typical rapper so the audience knows what they’re buying.

The other coverlines discuss a variety of different artists and genres. This widens the potential market for NME from the niche market it would have with just coverlines about rap. It means that it will sell more and talking about bands such as Kasabian and Muse which are rock and alternative bands attracts people with more varied music tastes rather than people who are interested just in once genre. The bands mentioned are mostly rock bands which are stereotypically more liked by men due to being ‘louder’ and ‘rougher’. Most of the bands mentioned are mostly male anyway so the target audience of men are more likely to identify and see themselves in the people who are talked about so they’re more likely to buy it.

The colour scheme for the magazine is mostly red and white. Red can be seen as an ‘aggressive’ colour which is something more masculine therefore this is used to attract a male audience.

Contents Page

The contents page uses the same font but in different colours and sizes. This keeps the contents page clean and organised looking while at the same time drawing attention to where it’s meant to be.

The main image uses a direct mode of address. It keeps the audience interested and engaged because it gives the a feeling of privacy. Its anchored to the image as there's a tour bus in the background and the title of the main piece of writing is titled ‘Touring special’ showing what the main piece of writing will be about. The image is of a young female and as a magazine that’s marketed to men it’s quite unusual and her pose is quite opening and causal rather than sexual which might be expected.

The date is under the contents title. It’s in white and in contrast to the black but in a small font as it isn’t very important. It’s filling out white space which

would be empty otherwise. The white colour fits in with the colour scheme. The title for the contents page is bold and the largest writing on the page, next to the masthead for NME. This clearly indicated what the page is. It is also in black on a white background which gives it a contrast. The masthead is in red and is right next to the title and keeps the branding for the magazine.

There is only one image and it doesn’t have a caption but it isn’t linked directly to an article but to the writing below it which gives it more information and page numbers to the articles.

Contents PageThe page numbers are in red next to black writing which makes them stand out in contrast. This means that this is the first thing the reader will look at may just go straight there because they know these will be in main things in the magazine. The titles sub-titles are writer in bold writing in white against the black. This means that if the reader knows what they’re looking for they might just go straight there because it’s the boldest thing and doesn't need the extra information underneath.

Double Page SpreadThe double page spread is spread between a page with a main image and then a page with the article. The article is spread into four columns and isn’t too long. Which can once again indicate a younger audience because they don’t have the same attention span as an adult and won’t be bothered to read for as long.

The title is crooked and uneven which fits in with the theme of the issue and the artist that they're talking about as the artist is a rap artist and they’re not something that is seen as organised or neat.

The font for the main article is easy to read and follows conventions because it’s how the audience would expect the article to look. This means that the reader doesn’t have to struggle so they are more likely to read the article because its something that they are familiar with. The same fonts are used for the byline at the top but bigger so that it’s familiar and still easy to read but stands out.

The article uses a lot of informal language which is anchored by the causal poses in the image. There is a lot of slang and swearing used which shows that the magazine is targeted males because they're seen as more ‘crude’ and would feel better about that language being used. Swearing also has connotations to being informal and comfortable which can be linked to it being a conversation and making people feel more involved. This also fits into the genre of the magazine and the artist as it’s a rap artist and it would be expected to use informal language.

The drop cap is used at the start of article. This follows the code and conventions of magazines as most magazines use drop caps to distinguish the start of a magazine in an easy to find way.

Double Page SpreadThere is one main image. The image isn’t giving a direct mode of address which doesn’t follow the codes of conventions of a magazine, and is unusual because it can be seen as stand offish rather than inviting the people to carry on reading but fits in with the genre of the rap music which doesn’t follow musical conventions either. The pose however is casual which enforces the idea that this is a conversation and can attract the male audience because it makes them feel even with the person being interviewed rather then the celebrity being superior to them as they most likely wouldn’t like to be seen as they're being talked down to, so that may make them more compelled to carry on reading.

There is no white space on the double page spread. This means that the whole page is filled with different things and where the article isn’t writer there are secondary images. This keeps the magazine original and easy to read but not boring to look at and will keep the audience interested.

The branding of the magazine is kept through the font of the title which is the same as the contents page and NME but in a different layout. The jacket of the artist is red which can be seen to be kept in the colour scheme of the magazine through that as there isn’t much red anywhere else of the double page.

What do these have in common?All of these follow the same colour scheme of red, white and black. This means that the magazine keeps its brand throughout the whole issue and is easily recognisable.

The mise-en-scene of the front cover and the two page spread are the same with the graffiti background. This keeps the theme the same and the branding stays the same throughout the main features of the magazine.

The masthead is featured on the contents and the front cover. This keeps the branding recognisable throughout the magazine.