Double Page Spread Collage

This is my montage of music magazine double page spreads. I created this by gathering ten different double page spreads from various music magazines and presenting them in collage form. I decided to do this research so that I can understand what should be included in my double page spread and learn about the different features of these professional magazines articles. This will help me when I start to plan and design this part of my magazine. Especially when I think about images, text and layout.

I have looked at each double page spread separately and compared them to find out about the most popular features. By looking at these images I have learnt about how many images they tend to use. Eight out of the ten use from 1-3 images, two use from 4-6 images and none of them use 7 or more. This helps guide me into knowing how many images to include on my double page spread, I have decided to not use any more than three. Then I looked into the types of shots they have used of the artists. Three use close ups, eight used mid-shots and three use long shots. I have decided that the best shot to use would be mid-shots because they are most popular and you get a recognisable and detailed image as it isn't taken too far away.
The next observation was the text and the way that it has been layed out. All the double page spreads use columns for their articles or interviews. Many of them use boxes or the columns are sectioned- I like the way that the bottom left double page spread on 'Shakira' has creatively made their text look like a separate magazine that someone is reading. I also looked at the amount of columns that the magazines use and found that all of them apart from one use 1-5 columns. This helps me to know that generally music magazines use from one to five columns across a double page spread. When creating my magazine I will have no more than five columns because otherwise it can look like too much information which could be time consuming. Having fewer than six could make the article or interview look more interesting and something for the reader to read for fun rather than an overload of information.
The last thing that I discovered from looking at these magazine pages are the six out of the ten have clearly enlarged a quote from the text. In some cases they have used a quote as the title of the article also. I like the way that it intrigues the reader into reading the text and therefore I will try to create the same effect when designing and writing my double page spread for my music magazine. 

Content Page Collage

This is my my music magazine content page collage, I have chosen a range of content pages from various music magazines. I did this so that I have a better understanding into specific features of each individual contents page. This research will help me when I start to plan features for my own music magazine contents page and when designing. This includes aspects such as the text, the layout, type of images I use, the amount of images I include and the colour scheme.

From looking at these images that I have collected, I have learnt about the use of colour in this type of page. I found that out of these twelve music magazine contents pages, seven of them have included red in their colour schemes. I can also see that eleven out of twelve of them have used white as a main colour, and eleven out of the twelve have included black The reason why I think these colours in particular are used more frequently than others, like green or blue, is because they are bold and eye-catching, making the page more interesting in appearance. They also tend to stick to only a few main colours, this makes the page less confusing and easier to digest- making it quick to find information that the reader would need i.e a page number for an article.
Another observation that I have made from these content pages is the amount of images that they use. I found that seven used 1-4 images, four used 5-9 images and one used ten or more images. This tells me that the most common number of images used for this page is from one to four. I will take this into account when designing my contents page and will not use more than four images.
The next feature I looked into was how many of the magazines had put their name or their logo on this page. All twelve of the selected magazines above have included their brand identities on this page. This could be
an advertising technique where the consumer is constantly reminded of the product, so next time they go to purchase a magazine they will be more attracted to it. This research is useful for me because when I create my contents page, I have decided that I will add the name of my magazine to the page also.
Another factor I have noticed from these content pages is that ten out of the twelve use layering of some form. This makes the layout look more linked together and less formal. It also gives the images and text depth- giving a more interesting appearance. I will use layering when I create my contents page for a similar effect.

Textual Analysis of Spin Contents Page

Below is my textual analysis of an issue of Spin magazine's content page. I chose it from the selection of content pages from my contents page collage as it was a bit more unique and different than the others. I have looked into the different features of this contents page- the text, image, colours and layout. This will inspire and expand my knowledge into what should be included on a contents page of a magazine. I like the way they have used titles of articles and have written a small paragraph detailing what it is about. I also like the way they have placed the 'Spin' logo on the contents page as well as the cover to carry on the identity of the magazine throughout. I chose this magazine specifically as it is of a similar genre of what I hope my own will be. 



By doing this textual analysis of a Spin contents page,  I have learnt about the use of colour, the text featured, the bold image and the layout. I like the way that the contents page is simple and easy to look at, they have created this by using a single, bold statement image and a list of features on the left hand side. They have used a box shape for cover information and linked the colour blue with the page numbers of the articles. I think the box shape is effective here, as it looks neat and sophisticated. I also like the use of the quote from the featured artist, which intrigues the reader into reading the article. I will try to take forward some of these features when creating my magazine's contents page.

Front Cover Mood Board Conclusion

This is the conclusion to my Front Cover moodboard. It includes what I did and what I found out.

Comparative Analysis

I have looked at a 1986 front cover and a 2010 front cover of Q magazine. I have compared their features such as their layout, images, effects, colour schemes and the text. I also looked at how the magazine has developed over the years. I chose to make a comparative analysis so that I know how to modernise my cover and make it current. Also, I can avoid making it look dated and unedited so that it has a sharper look.

From this comparative analysis research, I have gathered knowledge into how to make my front cover of my magazine look modern and relevant. I know now that modern day magazines have a single image one the front page rather than multiple ones, that they link colours from images and text together- by making them the same colour, they edit the cover image to make it look more exciting, interesting and eye-catching and the main image is who is featured as their main article. I will try to keep these features in mind when making my magazine pages to ensure that they look professional and modern.

Drawn & Written Story Board of Lamb

Here we drew and annotated a story board of the film Lamb. Then took still shots of each frame and uploaded them  into StopMotionPro V7. Then by using 'vimeo' I have uploaded the animation.  

Drawn & Written Story Board of Lamb from Phoebe Atkinson on Vimeo.

Textual Analysis of NME Front Cover

Below is my textual analysis of a NME magazine front cover. I have done this second front cover textual analysis so that I can compare and note the differences of the two music genre types. I created this analysis to also help me to learn about the layout, text, image and advertising on the front cover of this style and type of magazine, to inspire and give me insight into what this professional music magazine cover includes and features. I chose NME magazine because it is very well known and popular with the public and would therefore be the ideal magazine for me to look at due to it's successfulness.

By doing this textual analysis of an NME magazine cover, I have learnt about the use of colour, the layout, the text and the image on the front cover. I like the way this cover uses a restriced pallete of primary colours which in my opinion makes it stand out. I could try and create this same effect when designing my front cover so that it is more eye-catching. I also like the way that the front cover uses simple, modern writing fonts which are all relatively similar and bold.

Textual Analysis of Kerrang! Front Cover

Below is my textual analysis of a Kerrang! magazine front cover. I made this to help me learn about the layout, text, image and advertising on the cover of this type of magazine, to inspire and give me insight into what professional music magazine covers include and feature.

This textual analysis research has taught me about what this type of magazine (rock genre) features on the front cover of their magazine. I like the way that the font and text types, the image and the edgy layout links with the genre and associates with the target audience. I will try and create this type of effect on my cover by taking a photograph which links with my genre of music, I could do this by changing the outfit of the artist. I can also use modern writing fonts to portray the style of magazine that I want to create.

Genre Research

Here I have made a mind map of the different music genre types which could be used for a music magazine. Coming off the main genres I have added sub genres of that music style, so that I have more choice when choosing the genre of my music magazine.


This mind map has extended my knowledge about all the different genres of music. This is helpful to me when choosing the genre type of music magazine because I now know the options that I have.

Front Cover Mood Board

I have collected a range of various front page covers and put them into a collage form so that it is easier to analysis and compare their features. I created this collage to help me when designing and putting together my own magazine front cover.



From this research I have gathered an increased amount of knowledge of the apperance and content of music magazine covers. It has helped me with my own design and layout. (for more detail on factors that I will now use from this research- see moodboard conclusion)

Generic Conventions Research

My first task was to look at a range of music magazines to work out what they all had in common. The magazines I looked at included NME, MOJO,Kerrang!, Hip-Hop Connection and M8.

From this research I now know that I need to include a selection of these features from above, such as interviews, exclusive photoshoots, reviews and concert information. In my music magazine I could also include offers, giveaways or advertising.