Conventions of Magazines: NME
Transcript of Conventions of Magazines: NME
Most of their magazines position the title in the top left corner, a trait readers can instantly recognise when purchasing.In contrast to many other music magazines, NME presents itself as much more professional with this being consistent throughout.
Front Cover
Masthead: ‘NME’ is an abbreviation of New Musical Express and gives the magazine an aspect of professionalism to appeal to a wider audience
Font: Sans serif font with a red, white, and black colour palette – use of colours that are perhaps conventional to a male dominated audience, however maintains a professional look that could be aimed at a variety of readers
As opposed to other music magazines in the industry, NME is titled with bold, simplistic fonts, instead of using punctuation and fancy fonts that would make it look less formal. These features aim for an audience that is perhaps older. It also works for recognisable brand identity, consistent throughout the entirety of their magazines
Front Cover
Font: The bold, red lettering of the title with black and white borders contrasts with the light background, making it stand out more to grab your attention and ensuring easier read
Musicians take up the majority of the space on the cover, intended to be one of the first things a buyer will see in an attempt to convince them to buy it.Conventional of magazine covers, the use of a mid-shot is a consistent element of most of their magazines.Choosing a photo in which they are dressed in black also adds to the professional look of the magazine, and their facial expressions make them look serious which reflects them as indie artists
Front Cover
Pull Quote: Provocative – exists to pull something out of context from an interview or event to make people want to read further
Front Cover
Statistical Figures: For persuasive purposes
Pug: A generic feature of magazines, pugs exist to advertise
Repetition
Buzz Words: “Exclusive”
Rhetorical Questions
Bar Code: Generic convention of magazines
Contents Page
Caption: Anticipation building – explains upcoming events in regards to the image
Central Image: Photo of band members at one of their concertsShows them in the setting you would expect them to be inText underneath is less formal and conversational, which makes it more personal
Contents Menu: Headings are used to organise content – sub-headings are more specific and provide more informationCapital letters indicate importance and make the contents stand outThe contents menu features page numbers to navigate through the magazine
Consistent house style: Colours used are the same colours seen on the front cover for consistency
Contents Page
Main feature article has larger font to connote importance
The use of rhetorical questions are for persuasive purposes and to generate interest within a reader
Colloquialisms: The use of a young demographic model of address develops a relationship between magazine and reader, presenting itself as a more informal way of communication, speaking to you the same way you would speak to a friend
Opportunity for magazine subscription – Features an offer to generate revenue and audience
PagesCentral Image: Images are fitted together and spread across the double page to look like a mood boardImages have variety and range from colour to black and whiteArranging the colours in this way is less formal and is pleasing to look at
PagesRule of Thirds: For strength and clarity purposes, this image attracts the attention of a viewer and maintains their interest.Drop Cap: Conventional of double page spreads, it indicates where the article starts.