Foundation Portfolio Task- The Main Task

Analysis of the Double Page Spread in NME.

The double page spread which is in NME is set out with the actual interview on the left page and the picture on the right. The picture on the right page takes up the whole of the right page. And the article/interview takes up the whole of the left page. Compared to the double page spread in Kerrang! this layout looks more natural and not put on and not cheap.

Again I am also going to use the double page spread as inspiration for my music magazine.

The colors on the double page spread in NME blend together well. The main colors used on the double page spread are Black and White. On the Double Page Spread the pictures of dark trees and birds are used. On the picture is one of the band members from The Cure called Robert Smith. He also has silhouettes of trees behind him and down the right hand side of the page a thick Black tree trunk. Compared to the double page spread in Kerrang! more thought has been put into how it represents the band. The double page spread in NME is more planned out and blends well together and to me and I presume the audience’s eye it jumps out.

The font on the page differs throughout. I am going to start with the headline “BACK IN BLACK” the headline is in Black Capital Letters and is the largest font on the page. This is so it jumps out to the audience’s eye. Out the top of each of the letters there are trees, this also causes the letters to stand out. The background is a plain white so the black lettering will stand out from the White background and makes it more readable. Underneath the headline is a sub-headline, this is in a smaller black font and is not bold, however, a few of the names are in Black Bold lettering: “The Cure”, “Mark Beaumont” and "Robert Smith”. These are important names which need to be known so they stand out from the sub headline. The rest of the writing in the sub-headline is not in bold.

The interview is in the smallest font and is not in bold and is unfortunately hard to read.. The main letter which is in Bold Black is the letter “T”. There is also a quote “Do I ever feel Godlike? Rarely. I used to occasionally” Robert Smith. The quote is in a larger font from the interview so the quote can be noticed and is in speech marks and a question mark is used. Again the name Robert Smith is in bold black font. The subheading The legacy is in bold black lettering so it stands out from the rest of the interview and can be told as a sub heading.

The main photograph of Robert Smith looks natural. However, he does look like he has been told to pose. He stands out from the dark background of the silhouettes of the trees. He is dressed in mainly Black, his hair is Black and he is wearing black make up and has a pale white face. This makes him stand out and we can see all his emotions. The colors of his eyes stand out and creeps the reader out as if he is staring up at the reader. His hands cover his lips and part of his nose. He is peeping through his hand. It is a very dark picture with a very dark song artist on. This represents the band well.

In my opinion I do prefer this double page spread in NME. The double page spread in Kerrang! is very plain, however, the double page spread in NME has more character to it and uses more then one color and uses a natural background with the trees and the plain white background. The picture of Robert Smith is more polished and looks more professional. The layout is more arranged and jumps out to the reader. Although there is a lot to take in the reader is more attracted to this double page spread. On the other hand, it is a dark article and I guess it may not suit the whole audience and everyone may not like it. But I am very impressed with this double page spread in NME.