NME double page spread analysis

Hey Everyone,

For my next few blog posts I am going to be analysis 5 double page spreads.

I am starting with a double page spread from NME. This double page spread is fairly simple but I think that that is what makes the article so eye catching. A typical convention of a double page spread is to have one page with a picture of the artist or band and then the other page with the title and article of the double page spread and this double page spread has done just that. I chose this double page spread as it was from the same issue as the front cover I analysed with Haim on the front, as well as the fact that I really like the style and layout of the page. I think the thing that strikes you the most about this page is the picture; it has been cut out so that it is just the three girls on the plain white background making them stand out from the page. The image is also quite unusually in the way that with a band there is usually a front singer or star of the band which is put at the front of the image showing that they are more important or are the main star but with this image they are standing next to each other and no one is standing in front of this others. This suggests that they are all quite equal which is backed up by the fact that they are all sisters. There pose is also relevant to the idea that they are a close band as they are leaning on each other showing that they depend on each other. When I take my photo for my double page spread I will make sure to think about the positioning and the pose of the person or people I choose to photograph so I can try and get across the message I want to portray. Although I like the idea of having the artist cut out from the background of the image and placed on a plain background I think for my magazine I would rather have the artist at a location to give the page some depth as I think that would look slightly more professional and be more appropriate for my magazine. The next thing I noticed which I really liked was how the splashes of colour that have been used within the article. The drop capital has been made bright pink as well as the names of the writer and a quote which have been written in blue and pink when the rest of the writing is black. I really like the way this has been done as it draws you straight in to those bits of information and makes you read them as they stand out from the rest so you automatically assume they are important and need to be read. Again because of the plain background and the rest of the writing being black the use of the colour really does stand out, it makes the page a bit brighter as well as gives a bit of an edge. I really like the idea of using colour for certain words or parts of the page to make sure that bit of information stands out from the rest. I think if I end up having a blank background with black writing this would defiantly be something I would do but as I want to have a picture with a background this idea may not fit in with the rest of the page unless the setting of my image is quite dull so it all depends on my image and the other colours on the page as to whether I use this idea. Finally the main thing that stands out on this page is the title. They have made it big black and bold. The title is simple and short and also contains the name of the band. They have made the title big enough that it has taken up half of that page which really draws your attention. Since it is black and bold it stands out from the white background and catches your eye straight away which is the main purpose of a title. When I create me title I am going to make sure that it is short and catchy and most probably involves or is related to the name of the artist. I am also going to take on the idea of making the title really big and bold although I have had the idea of stretching my title across the two pages to show its importance but if that doesn’t if in with my image I will try this idea.