Mia's AS Media Coursework

This is NME magazine and is an issue from January 2009. NME is an indie/rock genre magazine which i will be analysing for my media research.

Colour

The colours used on the magazine consist of red, white, black and yellow representing to the buyers that this is a unisex magazine as it is not targeting a specific gender audience. Also the colours black white and red are normally associated with the rock/indie genre yet the yellow used helps to make a more exciting front cover allowing it to stand out from other magazines. The NME masthead is in bright red following the tradition allowing it to stand out and be recognized by traditional fans.

Design and Layout

The masthead is situated in the top left hand corner conventional of a magazine yet it is not top of the page like most magazines. Above the masthead is the banner where 'The Killers' a very successful rock/indie band in the UK are in white bold writing almost as big as the masthead. This implies to the audience that the magazine will feature a story on 'The Killers' appealing to a large audience of rock/indie fans (traditional audience of NME)as they are very well liked in the UK. The masthead is on a white background with red lettering so it stands out to the audience. There is a bright yellow banner across the page that has a teared edges proposing the idea that it has been teared out form a page. This creates a an edgy feel to the front cover again appealing to a young audience who would find the teared edge effect quirky. Bold black lettering is used against the yellow background stating 'the new music issue' highlighting to readers that this is new and up to date music magazine appealing to an audience who are interested in the newest music. The layout of the magazine is quite messy targeting teenagers again as it reflects there lifestyle. It also creates an exciting image as there is lots going on on the page connoting that the magazine content will also be exciting.

Images

The main image on the front cover is a medium long shot of Florence from Florence and the machine. At the time in 2009 when this magazine was made the band was new to the UK charts and were very successful so the magazine were targeting a broad audience of teens who would want to buy the magazine as the main feature is based on the newest craze in music. There are other images on the front page which are pictures of the other artists featured in the magazine, this allows the buyer to receive a good incite of what is in the magazine just by a quick glance of the front cover. The pictures are at an angle creating more of an edgy look to the magazine making it appealing to young teens.

Pose Hairstyle Make Up

The pose on the front cover is sultry and the way in which the things on the magazine are positioned her tattoo clearly stands out and looks as-if she is showing it off to the buyers. By making her tattoo clearly shown on the front page it adds to rock image of the magazine and attracts a young audience as they would think that it is cool and want one, yet the older generation stereotypically don't approve of tattoos and therefore would not want to buy the magazine. The artist is wearing bright red lipstick to maintain the colour scheme of the front page and also as at the time it was very fashionable. Her hair is red and reasonably messy adding to the wild rock genre of the magazine. This image of the artist on the front cover attracts the traditional audience of NME, young adults/teenagers who are interested in rock/indie as her image is typical of an indie/rock genre artist.

Language

Simple language is used all over the front page to appeal to an everyday audience, mainly young adults/teenagers as they would easily understand and identify with the magazine. By using the phrase 'rock n roll' on the magazine in bold red writing, it is targeting a rock audience as that phrase is stereotypically associated with rock artists and rock fans.

Words used on cover

The artists names on the front cover are in reasonably large bold writing that have contrasting colour backgrounds. This allows the text to stand out allowing the buyer to be able to read from a distance and gain an instant incite to what is in the magazine, without giving too much away. It also allows the fact that artist such as 'kid cudi' and 'little boots' are unconventional artists to be featured in a rock/indie music magazine, yet by making the artists' name stand out the NME magazine is establishing itself from competitions as it is suggesting that there magazine has more versatility then other rock/indie music magazines. With the *********** saying 'the new music issue NMES 10 tips for 2009' the magazine is emphasizing the fact that the magazine is new at the start of the new year 2009, and conveys a new fresh image of the magazine that will appeal to readers. It will also appeal to the target audience of young adults/teens as it connotes that only the newest music will be featured in the magazine.

Overall impression

The magazine is clearly aimed at a young audience of young adults/teenagers due to the rebellious hectic image on the front page. It successfully attracts an audience of indie rock music with the use of an indie rock artist on the front page, yet the magazine also manages to attract one off buyers by featuring r'n'b artists and a special motown tribu te which would attract a more mature audience. The magazine gives the buyer a good incite as to what is in the magazine by a quick glance through the use of the bold fonts used and due to colours and layout used on the front page the magazine looks exciting, resulting in a more appealing front cover for the buyers.