The main image on the front cover is of Lily Allen (a British singer-songwriter that has had a lot of negative press recently). Lily Allen has probably been chosen to feature in the magazine because she has been in the press a lot as being rebellious which is what teenagers are stereotyped as being. She looks like the stereotypical image of an ‘emo’ with her black messy hair and dark eye shadow. Although the text next to the image which says “Lily Allen takes on the world” represents her as being a strong female (anchorage) so her appearance could be used to make her look more masculine (ideal self/ideal partner).
The masthead looks really simple, it has remained this similar style since the late 1990s, early 2000s, so people are familiar with it and would be able to find it easily on a shelf. NME stands for 'new musical express' which gives the impression that it supplies people with new music information and gossip. New Musical Express is written in a much smaller font underneath the masthead.
The main coverline is in a much larger font size than the other writing which appears on the front cover. It is written in a house style font. The letters aren’t the same size and they are not all straight. This makes the coverline look like it’s made up of letters cut out of newspaper headlines. It is also in black in white; white writing with a black background, these are also newspaper colours. This links in with the fact that NME used to be a newspaper.
A pull quote above the coverline also anchors the image. It’s in a similar font to the coverline so readers know that they are related.
At the bottom of the magazine, there is a list of band names; this is used to attract one off buyers. They are separated by yellow lines; this is part of the house style. The word ‘plus’ is written in an arrow pointing towards to the edge of the magazine, suggesting that the bands will be found inside.
Above the masthead is a black banner, the black stands out over the red of the masthead. In the banner is a picture of Alex Turner, a member of the famous British band, Arctic Monkeys. He is seen as being a fanciable male so he would be an ideal partner or self. It is anchored by text advertising new music.
Other coverlines are inside circles, making them stand out and to separate them from the main coverline.
The feature about ‘how David Bowie started the Credit Crunch’ has been used because it relates to real and major issues going on in the world.
NME has a simple colour scheme. It uses masculine colours such as red, blacks and white. They have used a white background so that that the text and the pictures don’t blend in with it and they stand out more.
Contents Page Analysis
The purpose of a contents page is to give the reader the bit of information about what is inside the magazine and where to find it. It needs to be simple and easy to read/follow. The colour scheme from the front cover remains consistent on the contents page. It splits it’s contents into sections so the readers can find what they are looking for easily. The white background is successful in which it allows the reader to not be distracted and to keep there attention on the text.
The big picture of Astoria shows it’s importance and that it’s one of the main features as it appears on the front cover too. It is anchored by the text underneath it
NME also has a ‘Band Index’ on the contents page, this again is for the convenience of the reader and for one off buyers that were attracted to the bands listed on the front cover.
There are also arrows next to some features which indicate to the reader that these appeared on the front cover.
The subscription information in the black banner stands out against the white background to attract readers into possible subscribing.The content inside the red arrow is telling the readers that they will find 'the UK's no1 gig guide' inside the magazine.
Double Page Spread Analysis
The feature’s head line is in the same style and font as the main coverline on the front cover, it’s also a pull quote from the text. This shows that it’s related. Lily Allen’s name is also in this style which makes it stand out from the surrounding text. The background is white and uncluttered so the readers attention is just on the text and the picture.
The picture of Lily Allen covers the whole of the right hand side of the page, leaving the left page for all of the text. The article is started off with a drop capital. The text is in four same sized columns separated by gutters. The lead is positioned above the four columns of text and is in a larger text size. the mode of address is peer to peer, again showing that this magazine is aimed at teenagers.
Lily Allen's clothes match the colour scheme of the feature, her tartan shirt shows masculinity and that she is more masculine than feminine. She's stood with her hands on her hips, however her wrists are pointing up to show the reader her tattoo. This shows her to be quite rebellious. She is looking directly at the reader connoting that she's strong and demanding attention.
At the bottom of each page is a the page number, the name of the magazine and the date. The name of the magazine is in the house style font and colour as it always is whilst the date is in a smaller font and is in italic. This helps to create a house style which is the magazine's design that distinguishes it from the other music magazines. The picutre credits are written in a small sized font, in bold at the side of the body copy. The by-line is written at the side of the head line in the same style as the main coverline and Lily Allen's name in the lead. Lily Allen's name is written in the top right hand corner of the page in a black box. This tells the reader who the article is about.
