Chris Briant WGSB AS Media Studies
Page Furniture Analysis
To be able to create an eye-catching and powerful double-page spread for my magazine, I need to familiarise msyelf with the layout of other double-page spreads in well-known magazines. This will help me to know what graphics, what text and most importantly what "page furniture" is used, so I can make my magazine look as aesthetically as possible. So below I have analysed 10 double-page spreads to get a grasp at what makes a double-page spread successful.
There is a large "L" behind all of the text, which is most likely a way of telling people this article is about Lady Gaga, as the first letter of her stage name is an "L". This helps to make the double page spread seem eye-catching, as the use of red strengthens the importance of the page as a whole. It is also a sign of how well known the artist is, as the magazine doesn't need to emphasise the name of the artist, as the readers will be aware of such artists, who are world renowned. This also tells me that "Q" is an established magaine on the market.
Large drops cap "S" takes up five lines, and illustrates where the start of the article is, so you can read from there. Its size and that it looks bold, catches the readers eye. The same is also done at the bottom right of the double page spread to highlight to the reader that there is another part of the article that is of importance. another large drops caps, taking up 5 lines is used, but the letter "I" has been used instead.
The photot doesn't overlap onto both pages, seperating Lady Gaga from the text, which in turn makes her seem more prominent to the reader. However, it makes the article feel less personal to the reader, as the two parts to this page don't seemingly go together. This is something I will try not to do, as I want the people who read my magazine to feel some sort of connection when reading the articles I will include.
Provocative image expressing Lady Gaga somewhat as a sex symbol. She is staring intensely into the camera suggesting she is posing, this makes the shot appear to be more of a studio shot which is what is being aimed at here. Also, the uncertainty of the facial expression leave interpretaion open to the reader, in turn making the picture more interesting. Barely any clothing, suggests a wild persona, which links well to Lady Gaga's style as a music artist.
Rihanna's name is written is a different colour to the rest of the text in the article, which makes it stand out from the other bits of text. This examplifies how she is of high importance, as it has been made clear to the reader that this article focuses on her. The colour used also makes the name seem more prominent, which again helps attract attention.
Strong image that says "bad" to the reader. Rihanna's red hair makes the image eye catching and helps the article to seem interesting at first glance. Staring straight at the camera in a serious manner which gives the impression that she is making a statement of innt. She is wearinf fashionable clothes which gives the article a more modern feel.
This graphic which is banner-like tells us ??????
The red used for the background matches to Rihanna's hair, which helps us identify that it is some information about her. The colour used doesn't continue the house style of the whole article which gives this double page spread a less professional look.
There is a huge drops cap "R" to signify where the article starts. The questions being asked in the interview are in bold so that the reader can realise this, and interestingly the names of the people who asked the questions are in a different colour, which highlights their importance. This makes it feel more personal, as actual Rihanna fans have asked these questions. The house style is continuous throughout the whole double page, apart from the banner, which makes the magazine look neat and tidy. This will be appealing to the readers of this magazine.
The image and text are apart from each other which accentuates how Rihanna is the focal point of the magazine. This helps to show the reader the fierce look Rihanna has as a global superstar. Then the text being aside from the image helps to give two interpretations of Rihanna, as the article is fairly open and laid back.
An expletive is used in the article summary which attracts the readers attention, making them more interested to read the article. This reveals that this is an open Q&A, and that Rihanna is a confident and truthful person. The text is in bold to emphasise its significance to the reader. The text is in the same font as the other text so that it doesn't feel divided. This may have been done to tie in all of the aspects of this article, which compels the reader to read on.
Pull quote in italics to suggest how it is an important statement and that the reder should take notice of this. The text is bigger than the other text in the article to appear significant. There are two of these on the double page spread, and both of the quotes are interesting and revealing which makes it more peronal to the reader.
Drops cap "I" is bigger than the other text in the article to show the reader where to start reading from. It is in a serif font which gives the double page spread a more sophisticated feeling. There is a graphic of Ed Sheeran's album cover next to the drops cap. This exhibits what the article is about, and this is also implied at the top of the page where it says "Review NEW ALBUMS".
Small banner in the top left corner of the image of Ed Sheeran which summarises what the image is about.
The image is calm and open, almost as if Ed is about to have some casual conversation. It is a messy image because of the scene it is in, but it suits the artist well and gives the magazine a more modern and laid back feel. It is a long, low-angled shot of Ed. Ed's name is in a serif, bold font, at the bottom left of the image, and by separating it from the image it makes Ed stand out as the focus is on the image because people know who he is. By doing this, it has emphasised his importance.
The text in the article is in a serif font which gives the magazine an elegant feel. The font used is also simple and plain which insinuates how the article and interview with Ed Sheeran is laid back and open. The writing is split up intpo two sections. The first section is an article on Ed Sheeran by the journalist situated at the bottom of the double page spread, which gives an in depth and interesting view on Ed, and makes it seem intriguing to the reader. The second section is situated on the right hand side of the double page spread, and it is a Q&A with Ed, where he makes it personal to his fans by answering honestly some questions they have. The questions are coloured red and are in italics to distinguish between what Ed responds with and what his fans are asking.
There a few advertisments on the double page spread which gives the reader something to look into once they have finished reading this article. The graphics link to Ed Sheeran and other artists. It isn't directly linked to the article itself, bu it adds extra bits of colour, and provides little chunks of extra informtation for the reader.
The house style of the double page spread is consistent throughout with the use of mainly red, black and white. It helps the article to appear professional and modern at the same time, as the design is simple.
The title and image on this double page spread makes Rita Ora seem prominent. This is because of the size of the title on the page, as well as the striking image that has been taken and used for this article. This gives off the impression to the reader that Rita Ora is at the top of her game, and that she means business. The font her name is written in is bold and conspicuous, which catches the eye of the reader, not just because of the striking colour of red that has been used.
The text is in a plain serif font , which insinuates to the reader that the article is going to be relaxed. The layout of the text box's makes the double page spread feel more modern and will appeal to the younger viewership of the magazine. The questions in this article, which is a Q&A with Rita Ora, are in a funky and italic font and are coloured in red to differentiate the questions from the answers. This draws the reader i due to the vibrant colour used. The article on the left side of the double page spread has a summary which is coloured in red, like the questions on the other page. This tells the reader that this is a passage of importance, and that it is a must read.
The photo that has been taken for this double page spread is imposing to the reader because of the position Rita Ora is sitting in. Her legs are crossed and she is glaring straught at the camera, which is eye-catching in a number of ways. The clothes she is wearing speaks volumes of the type of the R&B music she writes. Her clothes are modern and indie, which uncovers a slightly "bad girl" image, along with what she has said about hanging out with her "Roc family".
This double page spread is laid out across both pages. The image is spread across the two pages, which can look unprofessional and messy, but this article has been managed weel as it looks well finished overall. The text has been divided up so the reader can distinguish what each bit of text is to do with. On the left, the text is about Rita Ora and explaining her rise to fame. On the right, the text is a Q&A with Rita Ora.
Stand out graphic in the top left hand corner tells the reader what band this article is about. The font used, which has a youthful feel to it gives this double page a modern touch.
The artist emulates the dinosaurs stance which gives the page a childish theme, along with the crazy facial expression of Mark Hoppus. Claw graphic links to the childish theme as well as the dinosaur at the bottom of the page. The use of a studio shot, messy hair and casual, black clothes, all link to the house style of black, red and white of the whole article.
Huge drops caps "J" and "P" both taking up eight lines of text to highlighting clearly where the reader should start reading. The use of red for the drops caps letters makes them eye-catching and make them stick out from the mass of text.
There are two graphics used, sticking to the house style of the double page spread. These graphics are used to compre teh height of Mark and the dinosaur next to him. Due to him being a lot bigger than the dinosaur, this implies that he is a big star in the music industry.
"My Dinosaur Life" written in a childish font, almost as if it has been scratched on, and the word "Dinosaur" has been emphasised by being coloured in red. The text has been pushed over two pages which helps to bring the double page spread together and leave nothing separated. It takes up a lot of the space on the whole page and it is big enough to ensure that the reader won't miss it. It also brings meaning and sense the the image, as otherwise the dinosaur at the bottom of the page wouldn't make sense.
Close up, striking image of Lana Del Rey in dim lighting which expresses a cold feeling towards the reader. This may be symbolic of the emotional music she produces. The close up shot may have been used to attract the readers eyes, so that people can realise who she is just from the image. The image used takes up half of the double page spread which represents how important she is.
Large drops cap "A" used to signify where the reader should start reading from. In this case though, this doesn'y signify the start of the whole article, but the start of a passage describing the journalists experience when meeting Lana Del rey.
There is a huge "S" on the right hand side of this double page spread which is interesting as it doesn't seem to have any meaning or add anything to the article. All it does is fill up an empty space so that the design doesn't look bland or uninteresting.
Pull quote in poison-pen font which indicates the image associated to Lilly Allen, which is "Bad" when writing her music. The way the text is all dismilar is striking because of how messy it looks, but it is different meaning it draws the readers eyes to it.
The double page spread doesn't feel separated because the whole article spreads over both pages. This helps to conjoin all aspects - image, text and pullquote - of this article together, so that the reader will be intrigued when reading it.
The picture used reflects Lilly Allen's "bad girl" persona, especially because of the gold chain she is wearing. This helps to link with the pull quote, as her image perfectly expresses what she is trying to get across to her critics. Her clothing is casual which ties in with the personal and calm feel of the interview, which also emphasises the "but I'm just being honest" part of the quote. This gives the reader the sense that this is the genuine side of Lilly Allen.
Big drops caps "I" taking up 9 lines, catches the readers eye, and makes it apparent that this is where the article starts.
Both the journalist and Lilly Allen's names are written in poison-pen red. This helps the reader to identify the artist being talked about, and the journalist who is writing this article. However the journalist's name is situated away from Lilly Allen's to not be seen as important as the artist. There are also more small letters in the journalist's name to further demonstrate this.
The use of a white background helps the image to stand out more and makes the page feel more open to the reader. The use of vibrant colours for the phrase "The Summer Preview" which is written in a serif font, makes it eye-catching to the reader. This is because the red and orange represents summer, the green represents grass, and the blue represents the sea. This all ties together to give this double page spread a summer feel to it.
Drops cap "R" taking up five lines of text indicates where the article starts. It catches the readers' eye because of how bold the "R" is compared to the small text.
Studio shot photo of Adele represents her as a somewhat broken woman, which links to the emotionally heart-breaking music she writes. The paleness of her face and her dark clothes give a cold feeling to the article. The cigarette she is holding fills up some of the unused space on the page, and further suports the cold feeling of this double page spread.
Pull quote says "girl uninterrupted" with the word "girl" written in white, and the word "uninterrupted" in red. Both of the words are also in different fonts. The word "girl" is in a serif elegant font, which contrats to the word "uninterrupted" which is in a more sophisticated, simple serif font.
Adele's name is written in a different way to the rest of the text in the article. By putting her name in white, in capitals and in a red text box, it helps her name stand out on the page. This helps to make her seem more important, as her name isn't written in the same way as all of the other text. Also the use of a bleeped out expletive "a c***" will make the reader interested in the article, as they will want to find out why she used that word to describe someone.
The image used is a casual, fun picture that draws the reader in. A Hip-Hop feel is apparent with this picture because of the chain T.I. is wearing, and due to the minimal look to his clothing. This helps the reader to identify that this isn't a genre such as rock. The picture takes up half of the page which makes the artist look more prominent as a result, and it intrigues the reader, as they may want to know more about the artist, T.I.
The title says "SUMMER T.I.ME" in a large, sans serif font in the colour black. On top of a white background this helps it to stand out and catch the readers eye. The title is a play on words, as "T.I.ME" includes the artists name, which is a clever way to interest the reader. Around the title there are different coloured rings which add to the colourfulness of the whole double page spread. Having these on the page also help the reader realise what they should focus on. It helps as it means the reader will most likely be drawn to the title, and then they will read the article underneath.
Pull quote saying "Everyone trying to do something new is going to come up against a Noel Gallagher figure in their life" in a bold, red, serif font. This is striking, as the use of red for the font colour is vibrant, and will draw the readers eyes in.
The close-up image used on Jay-Z takes up half of the double page spread which makes the artist seem important to the reader. There is a sub-title under Jay-Z's head which tells the reader what genre of music Jay-Z is associated with. It is written in a modern, funky, serif font and it is a completely different design to eveything else to make it stand out, so that the reader knows that Jay-Z is a rapper. Half of Jay-Z's face has a red tint to it. This makes the image stand out and fraws the readers eyes to it. It also emphasises a sense of danger, so this may have been done as the genre of rap sometimnes reflects danger.
There is a red "J" behinf all of the text on the right hand side of the double page spread. This helps to emphasise who Jay-Z is, as his stage name starts with a "J". His name is coloured in red to highlight his importance as an artist to the reader. Lastly, there is a heading at the top of the page that reads "The most exciting people in music". This tells the reader that Jay-Z is an influencial artist in the music industry, and because of the use of the words "most excting" it expresses that this magazine is a pop music magazine.
There are two drops caps on the page, both taking up five lines. They are signifying where parts of the article start, so that the reader knows what parts of the article are important. The text is in a sophisticated serif font, which for Q is suitable, as the masthead itself is written in a serif font.
