Here, I am analysing the NME music magazine. The NME magazine is of an alternative, indie genre and follows different conventions than that of a pop music magazine.
The masthead is big and bold and is bright red. This creates a house style as the red is used elsewhere on the cover. Red connotes danger and arrogance, which relates to the genre of the NME magazine as it is aimed at audiences who enjoy rock and indie music. It also reflects the magazines ideology as it aims to be alternative to the mainstream 'popular' music genre.
The red could also connote passion and the love for new music, hence the name of the magazine, the New Musical Express.
As the masthead is the first thing the readers notice, the magazine has included a conventional banner surrounding the masthead. The banner reads "The Top 50 Albums of 2008". This will draw more readers to the magazine as it is something that will intrigue them to find out more.
The main image is very conventional and the eyes are the main focus. The image is in black and white which contrasts with the rest of the house style. This could relate to the main article "BLUR REUNITED!" by making a statement against the rest of the housestyle and the colour scheme. The black and white image also gives a classic touch, and this impacts that Blur are coming back from time ago. The clothes in the picture also relect the genre as we can see leather and dark clothing. This connotes rock/indie genres and relates to the NME magazine.
We can see that the magazine has a specific audience because of the genre and theme, but this cover also suggests that it is for a younger generation. On the banner at the top it reads "Wot No AXL?", the use of the slang "wot" creates appeal to a younger audience as they are most likely to recognise this use of language. The cost of the magazine may also suggest a younger audience as it is priced quite cheap at £2.30. This is much more affordable than Q music magazine.
The contents page is divided into two sections. The bigger section on the left side features the main story "Noel Quits Oasis" and the right side is separated into several headings for example, radar, reviews and live! This sets a clear structure to the readers so it is easy to find what the are looking for. Above the headings, it also has a special feature for Reading and Leeds festival. This is located at the top half of the contents page and is one of the most noticeable things on the page. This is because people interested in NME magazine are generally people who attend festivals of the indie/rock genre.
Although the contents page is very structural and doesn't have the same style of the front cover, it still fits in with the housestyle of the magazine. The NME logo is placed at the top left corner, which is the same as the front cover. The contents page generally sticks to black, red and yellow which is common on the NME magazine. The contents continues to be clear and structural by using the colours to indicate different stories. The colour red stands out to the black and white, and they have used this colour to indicate page numbers.
The main story takes away the strict order/structure of the contents page and makes it less boring. Oasis are one of the most well known and prestigious bands in Britain so this story will most likely appeal to most of the readers of NME. It gives a preview of what the magazine is like and the stories that it includes. The story also relates to their special feature of Reading and Leeds festival so it ties the whole thing together. The main story also promotes the whole Oasis article as you can see in the short article it ends with a question "Is this just the latest in a long line of Gallagher spats, or really the end?" This makes the readers want to read the full article to find out more.
Also included on the contents page is their subscription offer. The heading, "SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE" is big and bold and in yellow which is one of the brightest colours on the whole page. This immediatlely grabs the readers attention and promotes their magazine.
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