The colour palette used throughout the front cover is very earthy and not really bright, garish colours that most magazines have nowadays., this adds to the style of the magazine because it shows a direct approach of what music this type of magazine would be revolved around, especially with artists such as Daughter because they are definitely an indie/alternative band so their music fits well with the style of the magazine. The whiteness of the font on the page compliments the artist on the cover nicely because it is such a dark picture and the use of the bold and bright lettering revitalises the cover and makes it appear more eye catching to the reader.

The photography on the magazine is always very different on Clash magazines and their styling every month is almost polar opposite to what they did the month before. This seems very refreshing especially for a monthly magazine because normally they have the same style month in month out. Also the different photography methods used are very original and Clash especially seem to cater for the artist’s genre rather than the artist catering for the magazine. From this picture I can infer that Banks is a very soulful singer because of the dark, moody atmosphere that the photographer has seemed to make.

The masthead of this magazine is incredibly bold and bright compared to the rest of the magazine. This bold lettering adds a very eye catching look to the magazine and if it was saw in a magazine stand then it would stand out, however I think that the earthy colours used on the front cover also make it stand out compared to the other magazines that are produced in the same genre. The font used on the cover is very minimal and also the smaller coverlines are produced in the same font style, however the main cover line used on the cover is very dramatic and in keeping with the overall design of the front cover. The main colour palette again used throughout the magazine cover is very earthy and neutral which adds sophistication to the magazine and would make it appeal to a dignified audience that is interested in indie/alternative music. Also Clash is known for always having a white masthead and also the coverlines on the cover are usually white as well, this again adds a dignified and elegant feel to the magazine as a whole and you know when seeing this front cover that the rest of the magazine will be beautifully set out in the overall content, as the front cover looks so meticulously put together. The softness of the colour palette as well really compliments the close up of the photography shot because if the colours were too garish then that would affect the style of the magazine that obviously Clash are keen to showcase.

The puff on this magazine is put just above the masthead which tells you a lot about the contents of the magazine, it gives us more information about the magazine and also is what may give new readers the curiosity to actually buy the magazine for the first time.

The plugs are also included on the magazine front cover and this helps the reader to distinguish what type of genre this magazine focuses on. It tells you exactly what is inside however it does not elaborate and just keeps the names of the artists brief in hope that the right audience will purchase the magazine because they know who the artists are.

The simplicity of everything is really what catches the eyes of the readership the most because of the fact that everything looks as though it has a place on there. Nothing is out of place. However compared to magazines such as NME, judging by the cover it would look as though there is not much going on inside the magazine. Nevertheless NME is known for its outlandish design whereas Clash is known for its simplicity and elegance.

The barcode is also placed strategically on the front cover with both the issue number on the side of the barcode and the price at the bottom of the barcode. This again looks as though a lot of thought has gone into where this barcode may go and the simplicity of the design is not to obvious to the reader and it doesn’t distract from the main design of the cover.

The colour palette used on this contents page is very mono tonal and monochrome. This direction that the magazine Clash have decided to take is a very risky one because the design, because only the two colours are there, could easily look very boring however they have designed the page in such a way that makes the magazine look even more sophisticated because of this chic and simple layout.

The use of no pictures or models on the contents page yet again is incredibly risky. I think the fact that the creative team behind Clash have decided to do this it means that yet again they are pushing the boundaries of what normal magazines do for their contents pages; they normally at least have one picture. However I think that this also adds to the genre that Clash are trying to get across. They are appealing to the indie/alternative market and to do that they need to be individual (as the word ‘indie’ suggests) and this blatant stepping outside the box for the magazine would appeal to that market because they are keen to see things be challenged to what society normally shows us what magazines should be like.

The use of the font for the main title of this page, and its unusual piecing together also shows us the thinking about being different again with stepping outside the box of traditional magazines. It attracts the reader straight away because if its dramatic look and lets them know that this is where to find where everything is and the clear layout helps with that process also.

The big clear sub headings instantly attract the readers eyes after they have seen the main header and this is where their eyes should be diverted anyway because this tells them now exactly where to go in the magazine. This clear layout may be simple however I really love how it has been put together because it just gets straight to the point without distraction from other images and words.

The simple fonts used throughout this page also help with explaining everything as clearly as possible. The text is clear to read for everybody and the language used is just simple and straight to the point. This would attract the indie/alternative market because they just want to be able to find the articles that will inform them of the music and they would not be so worried about what the contents page was designed like, just so long they could find everything.

This method of using the image on the right hand side of the DPS seems to be the most traditional method of presenting an interview, however the image can also go on the left, it depends on the preference of the magazine editors. I personally really like this method as it showcases the talent in quite a large scale whilst also getting across the start of the interview as well without putting the reader off from having large volumes of text to read before actually seeing who the article is about.

The colour palette used throughout these pages are incredibly similar to the ones beforehand. Very dark and earthy, this also draws the reader in again especially because the pictures are of the same artist as the cover so the images are bound to be the same and that similarity of the pictures would interest the reader because they would remember the artist from the front cover.

These are the main headings of the article and even though they are not massively oversized, for the magazine they are definitely the right size because they create an eye catching design on the page. It is an understated design that I think would attract an indie/alternative audience because the use of the negative space in between the sub heading at the top and the main heading at the bottom, would attract a lot of people from the side of music. I think this is a really effective method of design on a magazine and I have seen a lot of indie magazines that use this method as well and I think that I would like to replicate that in my magazine

The use of the main part of the text being more so to the right of the left side of the DPS shows a real style has occurred during the making of this magazine. In Clash especially, the main style of their main interviews looks like this and I would really like to take inspiration from this way of designing because I think it really attracts the reader’s attention, especially the indie market because they like interesting things to look at.

The masthead of this magazine is incredibly bold and stands out on the front of the page. Dazed and Confused is known for always doing their masthead’s right in the centre top of the cover and they always make it match the colour scheme of the issue. On this issue as we can see, the colour palette is incredibly neutral and it is only Saorise Ronan’s eyebrows and eyes that really stand out on the cover. This would draw a lot of attention on a magazine stand because this limited colour palette is rarely seen throughout traditional magazines and especially the big name titles as well because they have their set colour ranges that they always use to ensure the same readers come back again and again.

The colour palette used on this cover is incredibly different to anything that has been seen before. The lack of any pigment in Saorise Ronan’s skin and hair creates a very dramatic effect and it almost makes her unrecognisable at first, however because of this it draws readers into the magazine more and they would become curious as to why this famous actress looks almost frail.

The coverlines on this cover blend into the photograph and create a unusual effect of there being almost no writing on the page. This is an ingenious plan by Dazed because they would know that because of this ‘lack of writing’ passers by in shops will investigate the magazine further to see whether there is any worthwhile content inside. To do this is quite risky especially in regards to people who may be short of money because Dazed is not a cheap magazine and to risk losing sales because they haven’t really made a traditional ‘stand out’ front cover may have had an impact on their profits. However I would say that because of this they have been able to generate more sales, more so out of curiosity than anything else. Dazed also has a loyal fan base which would provide them with the scope to be able to push the conventions of normal magazine design.

The photography used on the front cover of this magazine would be classed as an extreme close up. This adds an effect to the magazine that it draws the readership in more. Also because Saoirse Ronan is staring directly at the camera it creates a personal feel to the piece and will attract the audience because they will feel connected to the magazine and instinctively they will feel obliged to read it because it will feel personal to them.

The main coverline on the front cover stands out the most on the magazine, besides from the masthead as well. Dazed would want this to be one of the main features to the cover as they would want people to see the name and hopefully if they are a fan of the actress’ work then they will want to explore the magazine further if they have never read it before. This could be classed as a plug because they are using Saoirse Ronan’s name to generate readers.

The barcode on the front of the magazine is yet again very strategically placed. The white box that is put around it neatens the whole front cover up. The issue number and price of the magazine would also be included in there and that is more convenient for the customer because their eye goes exactly to this part where the crucial information would be held.

The colour palette used on this contents page is very neutral, which showcases the design of the page without distracting from the images actually being shown. This colour palette as well just subtlely makes sure that everything looks neat and organised.

I think the layout of the writing is different to what is normally seen and looks very beautiful when looking at it from afar. The clearly set out design helps the reader to find everything they need to find without it becoming impossible because there are too many distractions. This contents page is very concise and gets all the information in a very small space.

The photography used as well on the contents page isn’t too distracting and personally I love this effect from the camera and I would love to use this type of photographic effect on my magazine because I think it looks really simple yet effective. My audience that would be reading my magazine, which would be similar to this, would really appreciate this style because it fits into their market and because of its uniqueness it catches the eye of the reader.

Another aspect of this contents page that I really love is the fact that the writing goes across the photograph as I think this looks positively different to anything I have seen before. Also the way that the writing is enclosed in white boxes that fit to the size of the text, I like this design and I think I will add this to my magazine. As well the title of the magazine at the top draws my attention, like I think it will draw the attention of the readers. It looks incredibly classy and elegant sitting at the top and it’s something that I'm thinking of incorporating into my magazine.

The layout of the text on this page for me is incredibly different. I think my readership would be interested in the design of this DPS because it looks as though it isn’t too much writing and therefore for a few members of the target market that are maybe put off from reading long articles; then this would be a simple solution because the writing is condensed down to fit both of the pages more.

The photography used is quite amateurish in some respects because of the fact that it is just a black and white photograph with not many effects used at all. However I do really like this photography and I think this could be quite effective for my magazine because of the fact that I am making an indie/alternative magazine, this type of photography could look quite interesting in my magazine.

The main heading on this article is very small which I think was added for effect to achieve a minimalistic feel to the article. Again I really like this style and it is something I am possibly thinking about incorporating into my magazine.

This article uses a pull quote from the text to showcase what is to come in the article, this is helpful for the reader because then they are more likely to read on if they thought the quote was interesting enough. Also there is the use of sub headings underneath the main heading which also give the reader a chance to see whether the article is worth their time.

The masthead of this magazine is incredibly different to anything that I have seen before. i-D magazine is known for always having models on the front with a winking face. This is replicated in the masthead as well because when tilted on the side as it is on this front cover it looks like a winking face. This is an ingenious way of creating a magazine because this continuing feature of the winking identifies itself very quickly amongst readers of the magazine and also very culturally orientated people which know about magazines and their emblems such as this.

The hair and makeup design on this cover also is very ethereal, and the flowers that are seemingly floating down Kate Moss’ face are conveniently covering one of her eyes which again is a symbol of i-D magazine and makes it easily recognisable with the readership.

Another feature of this magazine is the spine that seems to be going down the left hand side of the cover. This is where all the information about the issue is placed and it gives a clear indicator to what to expect in the issue. Because i-D is known for also never really going into detail on what is inside the issue on the cover using coverlines, just using one main cover line on the page somewhere. So it is almost necessary for i-D to give their readers even the smallest of indication to what is going on inside the magazine even if that means putting that information right at the furthest edge it can find. There is no barcode placed on the front of

the magazine which suggests that it is kept on the actual spine of the magazine. This would be so that the barcode doesn’t get in the way of the meticulously designed front cover.

The colour palette used on this front cover is for the most part incredibly soft and neutral. However with the addition of the bright, almost fluorescent, yellow it makes the magazine stand out more on a magazine stand. The aspect about i-D magazine that sets it apart from the rest is that they are not afraid to push the boundaries of what is supposedly traditional of a magazine, such as having the barcode on the front of the magazine. They have made no exceptions to the colour palette as well; with keeping the colours on Kate Moss incredibly neutral and soft and then just electrifying it with the bright yellow. It makes the magazine appear more fun, which when compared to Clash magazine even though it is not sophisticated in the same sense as that; it is sophisticated in its own way because of its colourful nature and the fact that it is not afraid to be different than all the magazines on the market already.

The main coverline on this magazine has a very unusual font. This again would also be used to show the uniqueness in the magazine and also the fact that this interesting font would capture the reader’s curiosity which would, if they haven’t bought it yet, make the decision for them by being so intrigued by the design.

This contents page is a lot more busy than the previous ones I have picked, however I don’t think this is something that I really want to go for because it is just too busy for my liking. Also the colours are not really organised and the colour palette just doesn’t really work for me. However in saying that, I do find that this magazine contents page does work for the target market it is setting out to reach, which is the same as mine.

The layout of the design is incredibly unique to anything I have seen before and because the other magazines have been more focussed on the minimalistic side of the scale; it is refreshing to see a difference in contents pages and I think this appeals more to the mainstream side of the spectrum and Q magazine is more popular and less expensive than say Dazed and Confused.

The columns are set out in a very concise way and even though there is a lot going on around the actual information, it is still clear where everything is in the magazine.

The main heading for this article really is something I’m incredibly inspired by. This article is from the magazine, Wire, which is mainly jazz based. However I think the style of it throughout stands out and catches the reader’s attention. Especially with pages like this where the photos used as well compliment the way the writing is set out on the article.

The colour palette as well used is very different to anything I have seen before. Because the photographs are not recent ones, more so archive material which means that the colour palette cant really be set because the colours in the pictures have already been taken. I think my target audience would really like this lay out in magazine though because it is very different to other magazines I have seen and the ‘indie’ conformists would probably appreciate a change to magazine style.

The layout is very eye catching and would definitely grab the reader’s attention. The layout however of the columns is not something that I feel as though is really what my readership would like to see. This is because the short, fat columns probably look too intimidating to read and they would prefer a more spread out and sophisticated style. The column gutter, the space in between the columns, may be too close together for my audience and I would probably prefer to do something different than this.