Feature Page Analysis
For this post I will be analysing two feature articles from two music magazines of the same genre and target audience as my music magazine will have/be. I chose magazine's of the same genre with the same target audience of my magazine, this will allow me to identify and use certain conventions so the target audience recognises the product. As Bentley said in 1997 'The creative process is rearranging the old to create the new' and that is what I will do with the conventions I see on the magazines I analyse.
NME Magazine Feature Page:
This feature page is written about a well known band called 'The Vaccines' focusing on the history of the band.
This feature page is written about a well known band called 'The Vaccines' focusing on the history of the band.
The masthead takes up a medium sized space on the page which contains the writing and says the name of the band that the Feature Page is about allowing the audience to see a recognisable name and become interested. The typography style of the masthead is a very conventional one conflicting Stanley Hall's theory that youths are criminals and therefore rebel against conventions.
The font is very plain and simple making it clear to read and allowing the readers attention to not be drawn from the main image on the opposite page. The colour of the masthead is plain back, contrasting against the white background making the title easily readable and clear to the audience. The black colour connotes death and depression, supporting Hall's theory that all youths are depressed.
The double page includes a main image with a masthead, an introductory sentence followed by the feature article, a very conventional layout you would see in most magazines, but it's a very effective layout with the simplicity. I really like the use of abstract shapes placed randomly on the page, they give a hint of colour and make the page less boring and pleasing to the eye. The random shapes connote uniqueness and vibrancy and helps bring the text forward to catch the readers eye and helping them read.
The colour pallet of the feature page consists of blue, black and white. The page had a white background and black writing with highlighted words in a pleasant medium shade of blue. The colour blue is a cold colour that connotes peace, intelligence and strength. The colour blue represents the target audience because blue is usually seen as a more masculine colour but it is a gender neutral colour that can be enjoyed by both females and males, this means that both genders will find the page appealing, blue is also a very clean colour which contrasts the dirty vintage look you can see in the image and the off white background.
I think the layout and colour pallet of the page both conflict and support Stanley Hall and Dick Hebdige's theories. Hall said that the 'Common mood in teenagers was depressed' supported by the plain layout and black and white in the colour pallet, but Hebdige said that 'Youths are fun' supported by the fun shapes and pop of blue across the page.
The main image of the page is of the band that the article is written about, it shows all four band members staring into the camera with emotionless faces. The depressed look on their faces might appeal to the target audience if you go by Hall's theory that all teenagers are depressed because the audience might feel like they have something in common with the band. The image is a medium close up of the band members who are positioned in a diamond shape which is quite conventional of a photo of a band with four members. The star vehicles are addressing the audience directly by looking directly into the camera, this gives a personal feeling from the article to the reader. The image takes up about 2/3 of which is a conventional size for the double page article. The clothing the stars are wearing is clothes which look quite vintage and are neutral and dirty colours which works alongside the back drop they used which is a white/cream backdrop with stains on it to look vintage and used.
The typography of the page is very clear and consistent. I like the clear columns you can see and the hierarchy of the page allows the reader to read down the page clearly. The article also uses initials at the beginning of each paragraph in a blue colour so the reader can clearly work out the writing and it also gives a book feel to the writing. The use of initials at the beginning of the paragraph is quite conventional with magazines with a more retro feel as it has been used for centuries. The whole article uses language which represents the target audience and address the audience personally. The language used is formal and very factual but not so formal that it is boring to the audience.
Kerrang! Magazine Feature Page:
The page I took from Kerrang! is about a band called AFI's lead singer and "Frontman".
The masthead takes up just under a quarter of the double page and is a bannered style due to the black rectangles behind the contrasting white and pink writing. The masthead is written in quite a classical font style which gives an easy to read, more conventional look. I think the masthead conflicts with Stuart Hall's 1904 theory and Dick Hebdige's 1988 theory because they both say that youth's are trouble makers, excited, fun and criminals but the masthead is a quote from the article and is the 'Rockstar' saying that he has casual Fridays, when it is stereotypical of youths and rockstars to party lots and live spontaneously, but this may relate to the audience well because it shows that it is normal to not always go to parties and live an exciting life which is often what youths that are students do. The splash of colour in the masthead may link to Hebdige's theory that youths are fun because it is different from just being black and white and is a bit more fun and exciting than just plain monochrome colours.
I personally really like the layout of this article, I think it is very clear and conventional but works really well. The layout is sophisticated and not cluttered which is different for Kerrang but conventional for all magazines of the genre that I have looked at. I like the layered look that this page has, where the small box in the top left is layered over the white circles/lights, and the photo of Davey Havok is also layered over the circles/lights. The pages have one image of the star vehicle, one article laid out in 3 columns which is very conventional and a masthead about the article and beside the photo which is a layout I've seen lots. I think the layout appeals to both genders because it looks quite gender neutral and doesn't represent a specific gender. The pages use a border around them made with white circles that look like the lights around a mirror you would typically see in the dressing room of a performer/entertainer, I think this makes the page more interesting and borders it well.
The colours used are grey, black, white, red and pink. The colours Black and White give a clean, retro look and follow Barthe’s idea of “Binary Oppositions” because they connote light and dark, good versus evil or purity versus sin which all works to represent youths as it links to Stanley Hall’s 1904 theory that stereotypes youths as reckless thrill seeking criminal rule breakers who are obsessed with sex, drinking and drugs. The use of black and white also connotes Hebdige’s mixed metaphor of; “Youth as trouble and fun.” The colour Red connotes power, anger and love making it a very strong colour; that ties into Hall’s arguments concerning young people being more prone to violence and sexual behaviour. It is also quite gender neutral colour because males may see violence while females may see in the connotations. The colour pink is usually seen as feminine and connotes romance, beauty and love but I think the colour has been used mostly to keep the page looking unique and not for it's connotations which links to Hebdige's theory of youths being fun.
The main image is a medium shot of the star vehicle Davey Havok from a slightly lower angle to give the effect of him looking down which makes him seem impressive and powerful to the audience. The star vehicle is the lead singer of AFI which stands for 'A Fire Inside'. AFI is a rock band from America which relates to the target audience which like the genre of Alternative rock and Indie music. The star vehicle is wear and white tshirt with a black design on it, a silver necklace with a cross on it, and he has tattoos and stretched ears which are all common looks for people of the Alternative and Rock genres. His hair is very stylish and is styled shorter at the sides and longer at the top which is a very popular look, it is also dyed in place which you would normally see among youths and fans of the genre which ties in with the theories from Stanley Hall and Dick Hebdige because it shows a rebellious, fun, unique style. Havok is addressing the audience with his eyebrows raised and a straight face, this makes it seem like he is directly addressing the reader instead of the whole audience. The image takes up the whole left page of the double page and has the same background as the other page making it tie in well and look flush.
The typography of the page is quite conventional as the mast head is the largest, the introductory sentence is less large but larger than the main article's size meaning that the hierarchy of the page is clear. The masthead is on a slant which is not very conventional and does not convey a consistent alignment that you would see if the masthead was straight. The language in the article is quite personal to the reader and relates to the audience well because it is mainly an interview style article with questions and answers. The answers are from Davey Havok and he writes in a more informal interesting way that is more exciting to the reader than a full formal article. He also uses a lot of informal words that the audience would use alot and he seems to use punctuation to make the writing more interesting and exciting, linking in with the Dick Hebdige's 1988 theory that youths are fun.
The masthead takes up just under a quarter of the double page and is a bannered style due to the black rectangles behind the contrasting white and pink writing. The masthead is written in quite a classical font style which gives an easy to read, more conventional look. I think the masthead conflicts with Stuart Hall's 1904 theory and Dick Hebdige's 1988 theory because they both say that youth's are trouble makers, excited, fun and criminals but the masthead is a quote from the article and is the 'Rockstar' saying that he has casual Fridays, when it is stereotypical of youths and rockstars to party lots and live spontaneously, but this may relate to the audience well because it shows that it is normal to not always go to parties and live an exciting life which is often what youths that are students do. The splash of colour in the masthead may link to Hebdige's theory that youths are fun because it is different from just being black and white and is a bit more fun and exciting than just plain monochrome colours.
I personally really like the layout of this article, I think it is very clear and conventional but works really well. The layout is sophisticated and not cluttered which is different for Kerrang but conventional for all magazines of the genre that I have looked at. I like the layered look that this page has, where the small box in the top left is layered over the white circles/lights, and the photo of Davey Havok is also layered over the circles/lights. The pages have one image of the star vehicle, one article laid out in 3 columns which is very conventional and a masthead about the article and beside the photo which is a layout I've seen lots. I think the layout appeals to both genders because it looks quite gender neutral and doesn't represent a specific gender. The pages use a border around them made with white circles that look like the lights around a mirror you would typically see in the dressing room of a performer/entertainer, I think this makes the page more interesting and borders it well.
The colours used are grey, black, white, red and pink. The colours Black and White give a clean, retro look and follow Barthe’s idea of “Binary Oppositions” because they connote light and dark, good versus evil or purity versus sin which all works to represent youths as it links to Stanley Hall’s 1904 theory that stereotypes youths as reckless thrill seeking criminal rule breakers who are obsessed with sex, drinking and drugs. The use of black and white also connotes Hebdige’s mixed metaphor of; “Youth as trouble and fun.” The colour Red connotes power, anger and love making it a very strong colour; that ties into Hall’s arguments concerning young people being more prone to violence and sexual behaviour. It is also quite gender neutral colour because males may see violence while females may see in the connotations. The colour pink is usually seen as feminine and connotes romance, beauty and love but I think the colour has been used mostly to keep the page looking unique and not for it's connotations which links to Hebdige's theory of youths being fun.
The main image is a medium shot of the star vehicle Davey Havok from a slightly lower angle to give the effect of him looking down which makes him seem impressive and powerful to the audience. The star vehicle is the lead singer of AFI which stands for 'A Fire Inside'. AFI is a rock band from America which relates to the target audience which like the genre of Alternative rock and Indie music. The star vehicle is wear and white tshirt with a black design on it, a silver necklace with a cross on it, and he has tattoos and stretched ears which are all common looks for people of the Alternative and Rock genres. His hair is very stylish and is styled shorter at the sides and longer at the top which is a very popular look, it is also dyed in place which you would normally see among youths and fans of the genre which ties in with the theories from Stanley Hall and Dick Hebdige because it shows a rebellious, fun, unique style. Havok is addressing the audience with his eyebrows raised and a straight face, this makes it seem like he is directly addressing the reader instead of the whole audience. The image takes up the whole left page of the double page and has the same background as the other page making it tie in well and look flush.
The typography of the page is quite conventional as the mast head is the largest, the introductory sentence is less large but larger than the main article's size meaning that the hierarchy of the page is clear. The masthead is on a slant which is not very conventional and does not convey a consistent alignment that you would see if the masthead was straight. The language in the article is quite personal to the reader and relates to the audience well because it is mainly an interview style article with questions and answers. The answers are from Davey Havok and he writes in a more informal interesting way that is more exciting to the reader than a full formal article. He also uses a lot of informal words that the audience would use alot and he seems to use punctuation to make the writing more interesting and exciting, linking in with the Dick Hebdige's 1988 theory that youths are fun.
Proficient analysis of existing products.
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