Review of three double page spreads

I had to undergo the task of reviewing three different double page spread from music magazines of my choice. The images of the double page spreads and reviews can be seen below.

Florence and the Machine

     This double page spread was extracted from NME magazine. It features the international recording artist, Florence, from the popular British group Florence and the Machine. Florence can be seen as the feature image. The simplistic white background contrasts massively to Florence’s bright red hair, black leather dress, black shoes, and the red and white cloth that she sits on. The white background holds the purpose to draw attention to the feature image, i.e. Florence. The medium close up image is situated on the left of the page, whilst the main body text sits neatly on the right. This neat and tidy layout results in the reading audience to instantly acknowledge what the article is about and avoid any confusion. The font selection in the main body text is a small, simplistic font that is easy to read.

     The first paragraph kicks off with a classy drop cap to liven up the text and make it look more interesting. Also, there are a few ‘gutters’ within the text to clearly segment it, and in doing so, make the main body text more digestible for the reading audience. The title of the double page spread clearly states “USA got the love”, this header is a pun on one of the singer’s most famous hits “You’ve Got the Love” – due to the songs popularity the audience will become familiar with some of the artist’s work. Also, “got the love” is in italics which make the page look elegant and adds to the classy feel. The kicker which lies just underneath the header is a small taster as to what the text is about and also aims to provoke the audience to carry on and read the main body text.

     The brand page and number is located at the bottom-right of the article. This would run throughout the magazine and make it much more efficient for the reader to quickly search for their desired page. Also, the fact it is out of the way and small has the outcome of a professional and tidy feel. A connotation of the text could be that the red and white sheet that the middle aged woman is sat on could signify the colours of the United States of America flag. Also, the provocative pose may also suggest that a connotation of the article is that it is more or less for male readers; the fact that the double page spread is extracted from an NME magazine reinforces this.

     Furthermore, Florence is sitting on top of the object that is covered in the cloth; this could be a connotation as it may signify how Florence has gone from the bottom of the music industry to the top, and is now successful across the pond as well as nationally – a difficult feat for any European artist to achieve. This magazine spread could have been created via adobe Photoshop with ease. Florence’s face has undoubtedly been edited and tweaked to make her face and body look ‘flawless’. This is a common thing with all magazine photos today. This could have been achieved by using the healing brush tool which allows the user to correct imperfections and causes them to disappear, for example, wrinkles. The spot healing brush tool also does this, but serves the function of making spots invisible. 

The Teenagers

     This double page spread has also been taken from the popular music magazine NME, but takes on a completely different roll. The classy and elegant look of Florence’s article has been completely abolished and this one takes on a more cluttered look, resulting in a more informal atmosphere. The featured article promotes the all-American rock band, The Teenagers. The feature image takes up a vast amount of the page – almost a half. The image contains three young men relaxing on a bed whilst gazing into the camera with a myriad of images behind them, mainly consisting of half naked women.

     The colour scheme of the article is blue, and could connote the calm and collected look of the band members. One of the most prominent features of the article is the side bar, which compromises of three different bands which relate to the article in some way. This takes up a lot of room and results in only about a quarter of the page accommodating the main body text. The rather small amount of text would be an advantage for ‘lazy’ readers who don’t have much time to read a large article; this could signify the ‘lazy’ look of the band members on the feature image.

     The text is bold and the header and titles are all in capital letters – this helps the magazine to tie in with fellow competitors, and gives the articles a more commercial and mainstream vibe. A filler image can be seen just underneath the header and caption which was most probably added to make the page look like it had ‘more going on’ and avoiding having any empty space. The filler image also has a caption present, which includes a small bit of information to entice the audience as to what the article’s content holds.

     A connotation could be that the lexis used in the kicker “Young, dumb and full of… filthy tunes”, suggests that the article is targeted at the male market, and the sexually provocative images of females adjacent to the back also reinforces this statement. Again, this double page spread could be produced with the help of Photoshop. There is an obvious use of layering throughout the article. For example, the feature image is placed behind everything else, whilst the puff that states “NME LOVES” and the fact box are allocated in front. This is done by viewing the ‘layers’ table at the bottom-right of Photoshop, and then clicking the desired layer and moving it to the destination which you require.

     In addition to this, the filler image has a white stroke present, and is also shadowed to the bottom-right to create a 3d effect. By right clicking on this image, and then advancing on to “Blending options…”, click the “stroke” table that is visible underneath the header “styles”. Then one must click the desired size, position and colour. In this case, the colour chosen is white, with the position sitting on the inside (this is known due to its sharp edges as opposed to curved), and a small to medium size – somewhere at about 25%. 

The Black Eyed Peas

     This double page spread features one of the globe’s biggest R&B/pop groups, The Black Eyed Peas. It features the members occupying about three quarters of the double page spread, with the main body text sitting firmly to the right. The header and kicker are layered in front of feature image. It has a colour scheme of black, white and gold, of which the gold becomes instantly notable. This could signify the bands rich and famous lifestyle, and the colour gold could also have the connotation of the band’s wealth, good health, success and personal power.

     Another connotation of this double page spread could be that will.I.am is more important than the other members. This is because he is standing in front of the other members, whilst the other members stand behind him, slightly faded. He has the most successful solo career, after collaborating with many successful, multi-platinum artists such as Cheryl Cole, Britney Spears, Usher and The Pussycat Dolls. 

     The header and pull quote have a very ‘futuristic’ feel due to the gold and the chrome colours. These colours contrast massively with the plain white text box that caresses it. Also, the pull quote has a highly robotic appearance and further reflects the futuristic look. The plain white background gives the page a simplistic and quite ‘empty’ feel, which further adds to the futuristic look on things. However, the plain white background could also be a denotation; the colour white symbolises purity and the Black Eyed Peas’ material is always written and produced by their selves (in particular will.i.am, who is at the front of the feature image) and hence, is ‘pure’ as everything the group sing is true to themselves.

     This double page spread could be achieved on Photoshop. The way the members have been cut out from their original background image and placed onto the plain white background can be pursued in a number of ways. One of these ways is by using the magic wand tool; select the unwanted background image and simply press delete. This will delete all of the unwanted background. Also, the lasso tool can be used – however, this would require a very steady hand. For Photoshop users who aren’t as advanced in this area, the polygonal lasso tool will offer a much easier and tidier option; this is much better for getting into all the nooks and crannies that the magic wand tool and the regular lasso tool may not be able to reach. In addition to this, you may also use the eraser to abolish any unneeded image. 

     Also, another technique that is possible with the help of Photoshop is the opacity. It is clear opacity has been used on the members (apart from will.I.am), as they have all been faded into the background. This means that the opacity has been reduced.