Double page spread mock up

Here is my double page spread mock up for 'Rampage' magazine. I have gone for an article which interviews a band because in my questionnaire it was found that my target audience where most interested in interview articles.

Questionnaire evaluation

I deliberately gave my questionnaire's to people whom are into the rock/metal scene because I knew from the start, that I wanted to create a magazine that celebrates this sort of music.
My results came through with metal with the highest vote, and rock and electronic music came joint second. Using this information I have created a magazine purely based around heavy metal, however there is one or two rock bands featured inside. I also managed to include a electro-heavy metal band in my magazine (as seen on the front cover) so I have satisfied everyone's needs from the questionnaire.
Another interesting thing I found out is that people like to receive free posters in their magazine and it WOULD encourage them to buy a magazine. This is a perfect opportunity to advertise and promote my magazine on the front cover to draw in a bigger target audience, so I will advertise this in my magazines masthead, as it may encourage someone to buy a magazine for the posters, it may not be the idealistic reason I would like someone to buy the magazine, however it will generate more money for the magazine, and the person may be interested in the magazine afterwards. 
My research also found out that on average, for a weekly magazine people would pay £2.50 for a top quality magazine, filling all their needs.
Other information I found out were peoples favorite bands, this was simply so I could include them inside my magazine, to enhance promotion of the magazine, make the magazine look more interesting and invite a wide range of people to buy the magazine.

Evaluation

Evaluation of music magazine:

“Rampage” music magazine is a good example of a music magazine that follows typical codes and conventions that you expect to find on music magazines. All of my three pieces (Front cover, contents page and double page spread) follow codes and conventions of music magazines. I have chosen to stick to conventions because I wanted to make my magazine look professional and something you would expect to see on the shop shelf, I want it to be in competition with major music magazines that would be my competitors such as “Kerrang!”

On my front cover I have used a range of different conventions that are typically found on a front cover, my front cover includes:

·         A masthead; this is an effective convention to use on a front cover because it gives a brief insight into your magazine and it is a place to list a few big bands that feature inside that people will want to go and check out. I have used the masthead to advertise my posters and what bands will be on the posters; I did this because in my questionnaire I found out that everyone wanted posters in the magazine, so I have included it on the front cover to ensure to my audience that posters are definitely included in the magazine.

·         The title of my magazine is “Rampage” is written in big, bold and capitalized font, this makes it easy to read, it makes it stand out and it makes the text seem strong, manly and powerful. I have noticed how on other magazines, they ensure that their font is the biggest and boldest font on the whole front cover, it is the most recognizable text and this is why I have made my text the way I have. As well as this, my font has a broken up effect, this is to symbolize rebellion, as metal music is about rebellion! 

·         Banner; this is an effective way in advertising special offers that come included in a magazine. These are not featured in every magazine, but I have decided to use a banner on my magazine front cover so I could advertise that my magazine is giving away free festival tickets, I have not gone into detail how they get the free tickets, because I want them to buy the magazine to find out, the text is enough to lure people who want to go to that festival. Also, I think a banner looks a piece look more professional and I think they look great to include, and it gives the front cover more personality and colour, as well as making it look less boring.

·         Sell lines; these are vital for any successful magazine because a sell line is what will attract the audience into buying the magazine. I have placed my sell lines in places which are easy to read, and I have made them in a big enough font that it is notable to read from a slight distance. I put some sell lines about big bands which are very popular in heavy metal which means it will attract a large number of people, I have also included how my magazine is the UK’s best gig guide, and this is because when people think that, they will buy the magazine because it is the best. Some of my sell lines have words which are in a different colour, this is because that is the key word to the phrase and it also makes the sell line more visible and nicer to look at.

·         Use of images; I have made sure that I have used a big, main image that dominates the page, because I want this image to be something that drags in the audience, and I want the text that is placed upon the big image to help lure in people’s attention, using an image and a band name will most definitely draw in fans of that band and if they are dedicated fans they will want to find out what is going on with their favourite band. I have placed the model on a plain background because I want them to be the focus and center of attention, I don’t want the audience to get distracted by something in the background. 

My contents page also follows conventions of typical music magazines however I have taken an inverted approach to the contents page, basically meaning I followed codes and conventions however I made it look unique, something that isn’t very usual to be seen. In my opinion, the contents page was the hardest piece to develop because it is so plain, yet has to be so descriptive. Here are the conventions that I have used for my contents page:

·        

Image; Again I have used a large image, it doesn’t dominate the page, however it is the largest piece on the contents page and it is the first thing that catches your eyes. I have also placed the model on the left side, because that is where the western eye travels too first, and I want the audience to know about the exclusive story to the magazine. Also, I have used the same model from the front cover, to keep continuity and to give a story to the magazine.

·         Text; the heading of the contents page is very large like the front cover; I have done this because I want the reader to know that that is the contents page instantly without having to think. The sub-headings divide the column up, the sub-headings are very large, bold and in a different colour to the rest of the writing, making it easier for the audience to find what they are looking for and making reading it easier in general. I have also placed page numbers just like a real magazine would, and I have tried to keep it realistic enough.

·         I have noticed in other magazines, that on their contents page they use it to advertise their own subscription to the magazine, or they advertise something on the contents page. So I have decided to use this myself by adding in a subscription box offering the audience to subscribe to the magazine for the magazine to be delivered to their door every week, I think this is a professional touch because every major magazine has a subscription.

·        
Colour; I have kept the same colour scheme as on the front cover, especially on the background, I have done this simply to keep continuity and so it looks like one magazine, if it changes too much then it looks messy and un-professional.

I have used a different image for the contents page to their front page, this is so I do not repeat features and become boring.

The double page spread was the most fun to make for me, because I had a clear idea right from the start of what I wanted it to look like, and I knew what the story was going to be, so it was very easy for me to develop. For my double page spread I have tried to make it look as professional as possible because I love the professional look in magazines, I think it adds a lot of personality to the page and they look better. I have followed basic conventions of a double page spread, but I have made them large because I want it to be easy for the audience to engage with and I aim for it to be easy to read, and nice to look at.

·         Image; the image dominates the page on my double page spread. It takes up one page and a bit more, the image is one of a whole band and, I have on purpose given the models all different poses, to give a different personality to each of the members of the band, and to make the image more interesting to look at. When the audience reads this magazine, they will instantly recognize the image and who they are; they will not need to find a title/heading to know what they are reading.

·         Just like magazines such as “Kerrang!” and “NME” I have kept the writing in column’s because it is a news article, and this is how the news is presented, I have made the font sit on a black column because then I could use a white font, which is easier to read, and the colours match the image very well, ensuring a easy, nice read for the audience.

·         Font; I have kept the heading in a black rectangular box, just like with the main text, so it matches with each other and looks more professional. I have used many different fonts on the double page spread, to make the page more eye catching, and to give a “Rock/metal” theme to it. Some of the font looks shattered and broken, and the rest looks very bold and standing out. Also, the reason I have used a script, handwriting font for the word ‘member’ is because the new member is female, and this font is associated with females, and it also tells you something about the new member. As well as this, it gives a more soft and calm effect to the page, so it isn’t all so bold and ‘in your face’ effect.

·         I have also used two boxes on the double page spread, one saying ‘news’ and the other saying ‘exclusive to rampage’ this is because I have noticed that magazines always have a box or sub-section where they say what sub-heading it comes under from the contents page, and the ‘exclusive to rampage’ part tells the audience that they are the only ones who will know about this article because they have brought this magazine, and may prompt them to buy it again in the future.  

The models have false tattoos drawn on them, because this is a typical convention to heavy metal music.

                           

My three pieces of media are definitely a good representation of youth, and especially youth who are into the heavy metal scene and image. As the models are all youths themselves, posing to be adults, but very young adults, who a youth may look up to as a role model, the way that they fit the image of a heavy metal image, is that one of the models wears heavy makeup and has long dark hair, which gives a slight gothic look about her, the other model is wearing dark clothes, and messed up hair and the other has tattoos, piercings, black hair but is not wearing dark clothes, and this is because I am trying to slightly move away from the typical stereotype of heavy metal image, but I don’t want to move away from it completely because I want to keep the image original and traditional. As I have been a listener to heavy metal my whole life I have noticed how the fan base has changed, and I have noticed how females are starting to be included in the heavy metal industry a lot more now, and they are starting to join bands, and this was un-heard of at one point, this is the reason why I have used a female model on the front cover. The magazine is aimed at males, but I want to bring a new side to the metal industry and start getting females more recognized. This is also why I have put the female model with male models, so people can see that females can be included in big bands.

My representation of metal in my magazine is a very good example of present day heavy metal rather than old school heavy metal; I have shown these 3 different ways with three different models. I have based my models on the look of other metal stars that are all very different with their look:

                                                           

My inspiration for a lot of my magazine was taken from Kerrang! Because it is my favourite music magazine, I read a lot of the issues and I do think it reflects in my own work, for example:

KERRANG:

RAMPAGE:

Of course I have made my own magazine unique and have my own ideas, but I have taken inspiration from other magazines such as this, and I think this reflects.

The company that will distribute my magazine will be “Bauer media group”. I have chosen this distributer because they are a major magazine distributer and they are in charge of over 70 different media distributions. I have also chosen them because the magazines they distribute are all professional and that is the aim that I have gone for with my magazine.

Bauer media group also distributes my favourite magazine Kerrang, and since this is where my inspiration came from to design my magazine, that is why I think Bauer media group would be perfect to distribute my magazine.

Bauer media group will ensure that my magazine gets delivered to its correct target audience for a couple of reasons:

1.       It is a very big company so it is very reliable and can get magazines to be sold all over the country, in big and little shops ensuring that all my target audience have access to go and buy the magazine.

2.       It is based in London, where my magazine is made.

3.       It already distributes magazines with a similar target audience to my own.

My target audience are between the ages of 15 and 25. They are lovers of heavy metal and they are very open about who they are, they love having a good time, and their main priority is their friends, family and partner. They will most likely be in education or just starting their career. They are extremely passionate about music and it is a huge part of their life, they may like other genres of music however heavy metal is their preference. They will like to party and have a good time but they also are dedicated to having the best future they can get and they will work hard to achieve that goal. They have a nice personality and are optimistic and set themselves high goals, they are always there for friends and loved ones, and they love music that they can relate to.

My magazine is suitable for my target audience because it focuses on modern day bands that the young generation are into, the models look young so it is easier for the audience to relate to. I think that all heavy metal fans would enjoy my magazine because it features such a big range of stuff for everyone, and everyone can enjoy everything and get into new bands and meet new people through it. Also, some heavy metal kids are pushed away and considered outcasts in modern society, so I think that my magazine is a great thing they can go and read if they’ve had a hard day, because it addresses and speaks about everything they love, and can cheer them up.

Audience feedback:

I uploaded the front cover to Facebook for some feedback off of friends.

 

I agree with the constructive criticism, especially the comment that Michal left about the hair needing more editing work, if I was to go back and re-make this then I would spend more time making the hair look better. Also, I do agree with Rebecca’s comment about the text, I didn’t realise until now, however I think that it is still readable for the audience, so it is not a huge concern.

The reader will buy this magazine because it will satisfy their needs of what they are looking for when they are buying a music magazine. It will feature their favourite bands and articles that will please and satisfy them, my magazine will make them want to read more and more and want to buy the next issue next week!

Since starting this project, I have gained a few extra technological skills. I have learned how to make a good looking music magazine for starts, as my preliminary task magazine was quite poor in my opinion, I think that I have gotten a lot better since then and I am proud of what I have produced.  I haven’t learned much new things on Photoshop because I have used it many times before, the main technological skills that I have learned is how to use blogger, before this project I had never used blogger before so it was a completely new experience for me, I have learned how to create blogs, post photos and create a nice background with nice effects, and make my blog fit a design that I want.

Since completing the preliminary task, I have gotten a lot better with my skills on creating magazines on Photoshop, and this is very visually apparent so:

	Preliminary task:

MAGAZINE TASK:

The way I position everything and the editing is visibly much better, my music magazine looks more professional, it is also more eye catching and the fonts are positioned much better. I think one of the reasons why my music magazine is better is because I spend a lot more time on the music magazine to the preliminary task, and I was much more committed to the music magazine one because I am dedicated to music, and I love music. It is a better interest for me, so I prefer making stuff to music because it plays a huge part in my own life.

My banner, sell lines and use of images are what make my music magazine better than my preliminary task. I have used contrasts between the two pieces however, like the banner is the same style; however I have used a better range of colours on the music magazine. I think the colours are a lot better used on the music magazine as well.

My favourite piece of media that I have created is my double page spread, this is because it was my most fun page to make, and everything came natural to me, I also think it looks the best and to me it does look professional.

Whilst creating this magazine I have learnt a lot of things, I have learnt what people look for in music magazines, I have learnt what they like the most and what makes them want to buy magazines, it’s made me appreciate music magazines a bit more, because whilst creating this I found out that it is not an easy job and it is hard. I have learnt what attracts people to music, and I have also learnt that even though that the music is important, but the image of the music and the way that it is presented is the most vital key in music, without magazines such as this then so many bands would go un-recognized. 

Introduction to rampage music magazine

Rampage is a brand new music magazine that is dedicated to modern day heavy metal music. It aims to sell it's magazine to the younger male generation. The magazine will deliver all the latest and up to date information in the heavy metal industry and it will be up to date with gigs, and new albums.
The magazine will also dedicate a page to new bands that need promotion. This is because we want the heavy metal industry to grow and get bigger, giving more artists a chance of a lifetime.
The magazine will be sold weekly so customers are always up to date with the latest news, and don't need to rely on other magazines to get their news. Rampage will give the best news of all heavy metal magazines and will be the most fun to read.

All practice shots!

I took my practice shots in a room with a white background. I did this, because I wanted to edit the background on Photoshop when creating the magazine, however on some of the practice shots I have kept the ambient lighting to create a darker look, I think this represents a darker side to the magazine, something commonly known to be a convention of heavy metal (darkness.) I wanted to keep the shots mainly to medium shots (both medium close ups and medium long shots as well) as I have examined music magazines, and these are the main sort of shots used for models in them. There are one or two long shots, as I wanted to experiment with different shots for my double page spread and I wanted variety in what I could choose from as I was still not completely sure what type of shot I wanted to use at the time. 

Music magazine Double page spread

This is the double page spread for 'Rampage'. The article features a new member joining the band 'Seven Days Of Dawn' and how they found the new member etc... The article also features interviews given by other band members and a section where the 'new band' is introduced. 

On my double page spread I have tried to maintain professionalism as much as possible. I have kept a lot of key conventions to double page spreads. I have used a big image which dominates at least one page and goes into the next. I have used columns for the text and added in an extra column at the end as add on information.
I have kept the title of the page very big, and put it on a banner sort of object so it stands out even more, i think this makes the page look more professional as well as the sub-title.

Music magazine Contents page

Here i have used big title fonts in a bold color, and also used a big image which again dominates the page. As well as this I have included a subscription part to my contents page, to add professionalism to the page. To maintain the symbiotic link, I have kept the background colors the same, as well as this, the fonts are kept the same as well. I have maintained colors as much as possible as well as well as fonts, so it should be easy to recognize that this contents page goes to my front cover. 

Music magazine Front cover

My front cover for my music magazine. I have kept key conventions on this front cover by including things such as:
-Masthead
-Banner
-Sell lines
-Big main image and smaller images around it
-Bar code

I have given my magazine a modern day look, as it is celebrating modern day heavy metal. I've kept the colors to a minimum, however there are some colors on there, this is because I do not want to color overload. Overall I wanted to give a heavy metal style, but I want to bring a new look to it, a look which looks more colorful and fun, not dark and dull and evil, which does go against stereotypes but that is my aim as I want to get rid of the stereotype of heavy metal and create my own style, but keeping key elements which people relate to heavy metal.

I have used a range of colors but I have kept it to a small amount to make the cover look more professional.

Contents page mock up

Front cover mock up

Mise en scene investigation

Danny Worsnop

In this image of Danny Worsnop, his image follows typical conventions of a metal artist, he has long hair and is wearing a black t-shirt, this shows off his look of a metal artist and it gives him a youthful look. Danny is making eye contact with the audience which does show confidence; however it draws our eyes to focus on him. This is a medium close up shot and I think this is used because we are meant to focus on his face rather than the rest of him and this gives the picture a more profile and personal look. The background looks is dark as well and the lighting fades from black out, making the image seem darker, and the background also shows lack of maturity, which links back into the youthful look about him.

Oliver Sykes

This image captures Oliver Syke’s uniqueness of a heavy metal artist, although he has long hair, he is not dressed darkly and it separates him from most metal artists because he loves to wear colour and look bright. His image captures a common look nowadays for people who love metal, and it is very modern. He wears a t-shirt to show off his tattoo’s as he is clearly very proud of them. His hair is straight and not over is eyes, so it gives a mature look to him, however his tattoo’s and t-shirt and his overall pose and facial expression gives a youthful look to him, which is a unique look. The lighting is bright and clearly taken in day time, however the back ground looks rough and abandoned, which could be linked to metal and wear their music videos tend to be taken, also it gives a ‘cool’ look to the photo, however Oliver still drags our attention to him. A medium shot has been used here so we can focus on his upper body, and I think that it gives a youthful look but makes metal music seem less aggressive and gives it a lighter side. 



Costume ideas

The people in my band will wear a costume that shouts out ‘heavy metal’ and it will show off their style, and reflect that they are fans of metal. Dark colours will be used to show signs of dark, heavy music, and wearing black will make them look more ‘extreme’ in their style. Looks like this create a band image that people can relate the band too. Every person in the band will have the same sort of style, therefore their costume will almost look like uniform for the band, as they wear the same style of clothes all the time, and in the picture their clothes will ‘match’ however they don’t wear the same clothes, and this is because they like to remain unique from the rest of the band, but they still like to look ‘whole’ and ‘one’.

Clothes that will feature in my main image is a band wearing band t-shirts, dark t-shirts and v-necks may feature too, however v-necks are usually worn to show off tattoos. Skinny jeans (maybe ripped skinny jeans). Shoes that will be worn are going to be of a converse or boot style shoe, this is a convention of many metal bands as they love the style, some however choose to wear plimsoll like shoes such as Vans.  

Hoodies and leather jackets are typical as well, not so much of a symbol of heavy metal however most metal bands choose to wear leather coats or hoodies. I will feature hoodies being worn to show off youth and rebelliousness. It will create a young look, and a ‘new look’, this will make the overall image look modern and attract my target audience. As well as this, it will give the band a personality and something that people will relate the band too, I want the band to look ‘awesome’ but I also want to give them an attitude that many fans will love and respect.

An example of bands in costume that I am interested in: 

In these photos, bands are wearing merchandise that is sold by other bands (clearly bands that influence them and their music) This effect of wearing band merchandise does make the bands look younger themselves, and gives them a youth like look. Also, the costumes are mainly dark colors, creating a dark, metal look which is something I want to enforce in my costume selection. I think these costumes are interesting because I like the style, and it's something I like to wear, so it relates to me a lot and has influenced my choice in making the costume choice for the models to be wearing in the photo shoot. 

Codes and conventions of heavy metal

Codes and conventions of heavy metal

Instruments are one of the most important conventions of heavy metal, because that is what creates the music and fans of heavy metal will most likely play an instrument. The better make of instrument then the better the sound and this is why they are important because it will make the music better quality. This particular instrument, the electric guitar is VERY important in heavy metal music, as it is the main instrument the listener can hear, they are synonymous with heavy metal because of the noise that they generate, which is associated with heavy metal. A metal band will get a lot of recognition for a good guitarist, so this makes it a KEY convention in ANY heavy metal band.

The image of a band is also a typical convention. Heavy metal bands do have a wide range of looks, but here is a typical look of a modern day heavy metal band. They all have long, rock star hair. They are wearing dark colours (3 are wearing band t-shirts, which are also typical among the fans of the bands). Also, they have tattoo’s which is extremely common among heavy metal bands to have a lot of tattoos. Ripped clothes sometimes feature (in this picture the person in the middle has a ripped shirt) but this isn’t so much of a big convention. A lot of bands like to have crazy piercings as well, in this picture two of the members have stretched ears which is very popular in the heavy metal scene nowadays. Ripped clothes, crazy hairstyles, piercings and tattoos also show a sign of rebellion, which is what heavy metal is, rebelling against the mainstream music scene, so to do this, they must look the part and look rebellious. They need to make the statement that they are different and that they are metal and they want people to know that. 

Some metal bands like to use make up as one of their conventions. It is typical among some metal bands, and it helps a band be more unique, and more easily recognized. Some people will recognize this band because of their make-up and it helps make them be more unique and give themselves a band identity that people recognize. The make up will always be dark, and Gothic. Usually deep heavy black eye liner, with powder to make the face a lot more pale. This gives a sort of 'corpse look' which is more traditional towards the Gothic side to heavy metal.

Metal bands like to live the rock and roll lifestyle, and they show this by the way they dress and look, with the long hair, tight jeans, leather coats and dark shirts, They also show this through their attitude and their party life style.

Exotic band logo fonts are another typical feature, they want the font to be crazy and look cool and be something people find unique and have never seen before.

Conventions of heavy metal are also detailed well edited video’s that have a lot of meaning to them; here are some examples of heavy metal music videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi_GN1pHCVc&list=FLx1w0y-kYc4IjuQN4CHMLiw&index=32&feature=plpp_video – Avenged sevenfold – almost easy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2I0ulTZWXA&list=FLx1w0y-kYc4IjuQN4CHMLiw&index=52&feature=plpp_video – Bullet for my valentine – Waking the demon

Both of these videos contain a storyline and special effects, and are typical examples of heavy metal.


Both of these music videos, are typical sounding heavy metal songs, and this can be clearly represented by the guitar riffs, the fact that there is two guitar players playing as well. The music will usually sound 'heavy' or 'aggressive'. 


The majority of heavy metal bands are male, it is a very male sort of music to listen to because of how aggressive it is, and how heavy it is. Stereo-typically talking, this is what men like whereas women prefer a softer, less aggressive approach. 


Not many heavy metal bands get to be big enough to make it bigger than solo artists, however the older sort of 'old school' heavy metal bands are very successful, and more famous than quite a few solo artists, especially in the older generation. Bands such as 'Iron Maiden' and 'Metallica' are extremely famous and recognized, this is because they brought the heavy metal style into the U.K so they are a huge hit! They inspire many bands, and bands only wish to be as big as them!


Music videos for heavy metal songs are usually in a dark, horror sort of area. They usually inform a story line of some sort of pain, or death inflicting which shows the effects and consequences. Usually the lead singer will be the one going through the consequences, for example in the video "Bring Me The Horizon - It never ends" The area is set at night time, trying to rescue the lead actor (whom is also the lead singer) from death. And the video explains everything that holds him back in life, and how it is slowly killing him, and how he needs saving. Metal videos usually have a lot of meaning behind them, as they are reflected to what the band/singer is going through. This is what makes the message of a music video so powerful, because there is a lot to understand from it, even if the message isn't always obvious. 



Double page spread analysis

Kerrang double page spread:

The header tells the reader what sort of article they should expect to be reading. The headline is in a big font with colour so it stands out and is easy to see and read, this will draw in people and make them want to read the magazine. I think they have used these sort of fonts is because they are easy to read, they don't make the page look too text heavy which therefore makes it more appealing for the audience to read. The use of bold bright fonts for titles is made to be eye catching, and is meant to get us to read the magazine. The questions used in this article are highlighted in a white color, this is so the audience can distinguish which part is the questions and which part is the answers, the reader will read the questions before the answers and they may browse through each question first, so making them stand out makes it easy for the reader to find what they want to read. Under this there is the standfirst and this is there to give a very brief summery about what the article is about and who it is about, this is useful information that the reader always looks at after the headliner.

The main image very big and takes up nearly a whole page, the camera shot is a medium shot, which is typical to see in music magazines, as it does not reveal to much that we do not want to see, but it doesn't look to 'profile like'. The article does not look text heavy, this will make the article look more appealing to the reader, because it seems as if there is not much to read, remembering the target audience of Kerrang! are young, so they are not interested in reading a load of information which they most likely do not care about! They just want to know the straight facts, and Kerrang! has done this by making the article an interview, so the audience just gets the information that they want to know.


The grey background brings out the model more, because of the white t-shirt he is wearing. They have kept the background grey so they can use both black and white colored font, so it is easy to break up the interview. I think using a plain color like this is effective, because you do not want to distract people from the most important part of the article, which is the text. 

The body copy is sorted into columns to make it look more like an article or newspaper format. This makes it easier to read and we can read it in sections making it more comfortable for our eyes and not a ‘book-format’ which some people find boring. This will engage the audience more informally, and being a young audience, they will want to be addressed like this as it is how they like things.

There is also a caption on the image, this gives the reader more information on the image, but is often small as it is not relative and important, so they are usually small and out the way however still readable. 

Rock sound double page spread:

This double page spread is darker and gives a more dark or ‘gothic’ effect. The header states the band’s name, and the band’s name is in a font that looks damaged and tacky. The standfirst is above the header in this article, this could reflect the idea of breaking the rules and doing things differently to the crowd which is a philosophy associated with the goth movement BUT this does not matter because the bigger text will be more visible to the eye and will still be noticed first. The words 'Two's company' is the sub title, the language of this suggests that there is two members to the band? Or something in particular is happening to these two members, either way it will entice the readers about two members, and people will be reading the article about these two members in particular.

The main image is again very big and takes up a page, this image is bigger however. The image is a medium close up, this has been used to the audience can get to know the Muderdolls, it will make the article seem a lot more personal, as if that they have something to tell the world. In the shot, they are wearing black clothes, which is again a philosophy associated with the goth movement, and it does create an overall Gothic theme to the article. The affect of making the article Gothic is very important, as the band is a Gothic band, so to attract the correct audience the theme of the article must match the style of the band presented, the article have done this very well. The image matches the colour of the background and fonts well because it is dark and gothic, the people presented here do look gothic and they have typical looks of heavy metal artists. Both of the people in the main image are looking directly towards the audience which gives it a more personal look, and the image and the header are the first thing you notice on this double page spread.

There is a pull quote, and it is made to stand out from all the rest of the text, and to do this they have made the background white and the font black, this is completely opposite to the rest of the page and it stands out, and people would read this before the article. And this is because this quote will pull people in and make them want to read the article.

The body copy here is also in a column format to make it look better to read and doesn’t look boring. And there is a sub head-title on top of every new thing in the article in a bold font, to make it look more organized and less messy.


The layout is kept conventional to music magazines I.E. the image is dominating the majority of the article to make the article NOT look text heavy. The article's text is on the right hand page, I think this is done so when people look at the article, they will notice the image first as well as the standfirst and the header so they know what the article is about, and who it is about. After the audience has been locked in and is interested in the article, their eyes will move over to the right hand side where they will read the text. (Our western eyes look to the left first, before the right)