Layout Research

Layouts Research

I have researched into the top three magazines my target audience chose; NME, Kerrang and Classic Rock. The layouts used by these magazines work well with appealing to audiences judging by their popularity with my own.

COVERS

I have looked at the covers of Kerrang but I find the layout is too complicated for my rock genre as they have too many colours, fonts and images, I would rather have a simpler cover.

I like the layout of this magazine as the image and title are the main factors rather than the cover lines. The title stands out and is easy to read and the pose of the models is fun, this is the style I want to create with my own magazine.

 
I find there to be too much negative space on these covers as the image takes up most of it but is not carried with text either, personally I would like more text.

CONTENTS

Again I do not like the layout as it is too complicated though I do like the large image at the top. The colours are too bright and over packed with the text harder to read. 

I like the use of image but the colour is too dull and there is too little text for what my audience wants. They  want to be properly informed on the content of the product they have bought, so I will not be using this layout.

I like the contents page for NME as the layout is easy to navigate and the main article is easy to find. The use of a large header saying "Inside this Week" works well as the audience learns it is a weekly magazine. I like the use of the few main colours and the amount of informative text versus amount of image.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

I like the double page spread of Kerrang for the large amount of image and text. As it is an article it is expected to be packed with image and information. I like the large headers as they link to the colours of the rest of the page and the text is easy to find and read. The images are gritty and realistic and showcase all of the band members and at least one colour of their costume is seen in the title. Therefore I shall use this layout.

The layout is too simple and will not catch the eye of my audience as the colours are not bright and the headers are not punchy enough. The text is too small and long to keep the attention of my target audience and the amount of negative space is overwhelming.

Though I like the cinematography and mise-en-scene used I feel the rest of the colours is lacking. The main article should be bright and worth the money spent but the colours used in NME are lacklustre. There is not a lot of text in comparison to the images as the images take over more than half the page, I do not want this for my own.

Therefore for my inspiration I have chosen the following...

Inspiration

I got my inspiration for my product from these magazines as my questionnaire results proved these to be my target audiences favourites. This will help me decide on layout and style as well as appeal to my audience directly. My product will sell more and be a success as my target audience has identified the mode of address and house image they like. 

The cover of Classic Rock. The layout and colour is ideal.

The use of text of NME's contents page is the preferred layout of Rocket Ship.

The layout of the text and pictures is perfect for my product as it showcases the information and visuals.

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Eleanor Wemyss