‘NME’ Magazine Case Study Magazines
Aug 21, 2015
‘NME’ MagazineCase Study Magazines
‘NME’ Magazine
‘The ultimate guide to the week in music’ Associated with people who have an interest in the punk rock genre It includes interviews with artists, the first ever chart list, gossip on latest music artists and tour dates.
‘NME’ Magazine: The Facts
Publishing Company: IPC Media (Time Inc.)
Editors Name: Mike Williams
Date Of First Publication: 7th March 1952
Frequency Of Publication: Weekly
Price: £2.20
Distribution: WHSmith, HMV, Paper-shops, Online Newsletter, Music shops.
‘NME’ Magazine: Front Cover Analysis
The masthead is placed in the top left hand corner of the cover. The plain, bold red font shows an element of a rock genre of music. . The masthead
is partially hidden by the main image; this is common to most magazine and
shows the house style because features like this prove that the
magazine is popular and recognisable.
A banner is used in the top left hand corner as an alternate way of making
a title stand out. Thus overlaps the masthead as well which makes it
stand out more and makes the cover look quite good, rather than simple
and boring.
The white background makes the cover look less messy and crowded
and makes it easier to read each heading. The main focus is on the band so a plain background makes
them stand out more and also makes it look more tidy.
The main image is of Paramore and they are the only image on the front
cover. This shows that they s the main feature of the magazine and shows
that they are quite popular. They are all showing direct contact with the
reader which is a way of communicating with the reader and
luring you in to buy it. There are many other headlines surrounding them but the one with the biggest font relates
to them.
Certain headings are highlighted to make them stand out more, including a more bolder font which shows the importance of that piece of text and
makes them stand out more.
Paramore are dressed all in black, so they are all matching. The black
connotes quite a dark, rock genre theme which fits in well with the
main genre of the magazine.
‘Paramore’ is highlighted in a bigger bolder coloured font and is the same
size to the actual masthead which shows its importance. This shows that they are the main selling point of this individual magazine and are the most
interesting feature of the magazine which will encourage people to buy it.
A barcode is used in the bottom right hand corner which is another
common convention of magazine covers.
The main colours scheme is red, white, pink and black. These are colours that look good together and are consistent on the cover of this magazine. They fit well with the rock-
punk genre of the magazine as a whole
A puff is used at the top right hand corner, which is a way of making
something stand out. It also makes the cover look less repetitive and
gives it a bit of edginess and also adds more colour to it.
‘NME’ Magazine: Contents Page Analysis
‘NME THIS WEEK’ is the name of this page, which basically means the contents page of that individual
magazine.
The larger image at the top of the page, shows an article that may be the most popular, most interesting feature in the magazine. This often links to the front cover as well, with
the main heading on there, again showing the unique selling point of
that individual magazine.
Page numbers are commonly found next to each title of the page, to show you which page to go to. This makes
navigation easier.
The contents page is separated into different sections depending on
relevance. All of these have separate sub-headings which stand out on
the black background in a bold font.
Although it looks like a lot of writing, it is a pretty simple writing
style, with a page number and a title, with a brief description of it.
The text is written in relation to its image. A bigger description is written under the main image and main title.,
which shows the importance of the feature. Other small articles are
written next to their subheading and page numbers to give a little more information about what is on that
page.
There is only one image on this page, proving that this is what the attention
should be focused most on.
The title linked to this is also written in a larger font showing a clear
relation to the topic and also the importance of that feature within the
individual magazine.
The main colours scheme is white, black and red, which
links to the front cover of the magazine so is consistent
throughout.
There is branding at the top of the magazine, which names the magazine again, this will be
consistent in every NME magazine that you buy.
A puff is used at the bottom right hand corner, in an arrow shape. This is showing what is on the next page
and also advertising it an emphasised , eye catching way. It
also sticks to the colour scheme, so it does not look out of place.
A ‘Band index’ is used on the left hand corner of every NME contents page. This has a list of the artists in this magazine and also what page
number they are on. This is useful to the reader as it is easy to navigate to
the artists that they most like. An advertisement is used at the bottom of this page, to
subscribe to getting the monthly magazine. This includes a price in a large font which makes it stand out as a great
offer that people should be interested in.
‘NME’ Magazine: Double Page Spread Analysis
There is a main image on the top left hand side, which is significantly bigger
than the other images.
There is a heading below this image, that is also significantly bigger than
other writing on this page. This shows that it is the most interesting feature
as it stands out more. It also connects the picture and article together, to
show they are all related.
A section at the bottom has a blue background. This sticks to the
consistent colour scheme throughout the magazine. It also makes it look
more organised. The blue box stands out on the page. It advertises gigs
which is a common feature found in music magazines.
The images appear quite organised on this page and sit next to the
article they relate to. One image has a border around it and is tilted
slightly, this makes it look more creating. The fact that it overlaps
another image as well makes it look better on the page.
Smaller images are being used next to each article that relate to that certain
feature. This adds colour and also makes it appear more interesting, rather than having block writing all
the time.
Articles below the images are written in a small, easily readable font. It is written in columns which spreads it
out across the page more evenly and makes it easier to look at.
Quotes within the article are sometimes emphasised by repeating them using a
bigger font. The reader could look at this to get an idea of what the article is about and
whether it is worth reading.
Another block is used down the left hand side of this mage. Again this makes it
more organised and helps it to stand out a little. Here, there is a subheading, mini article and image all of which are linked
together within similar content.
At the end of each article, in a smaller font, it gives the source or person to which this article came
from.
To begin an article, the first letter of the first word are typed in a larger,
bolder font. This is a common convention found on all pages within
the magazine. This helps you recognise the start and end of an
individual article.
The name of the magazine is mentioned on this page as well.
‘NME’ Magazine: What I Intend To Use Imitate In My Magazine
© I like the idea of the ‘Band Index’ written down the left hand side of the contents page, which is used consistently in every NME magazine.
© I like the puff arrow on the contents page that tells you to flick the page with a brief heading/description of what is going to be on it.
© I am going to use the ‘subscribe to the magazine’ advertisement as well on my contents page
© The puffs used on the cover page also stand out, and look good and professional so i will use some of these on my final design as well.
© On my contents page, i will use a darker background to determine the separation between each category. This makes it easier for navigation and also looks quite effective when matching with the colour scheme.
© I like the ‘NME This Week’ as a title rather than ‘contents’ as it seems more appropriate and well-fitting.