FACTUAL PAGE LAYOUTTask 3

ANALYSIS This is a double page spread taken from the well known music magazine, ‘Q

Magazine’, the article is based around and written about the singer Lady Gaga. This particular article has a very interesting page layout, the fact that the left hand side page is filled with a medium close-up of Lady Gaga both anchors the text, letting the reader instantly know that the upcoming article is about the singer, therefore visually shows that the image is of great important with regards to the text. The image within itself is a stylized, black and white, controversial image which resembles the nature of Lady Gaga and what she is well know for.

The next direction that the eye is drawn to is the use of a large capital ‘L’ which fills the whole of the right hand side page and is set behind the copy, this engages the audience immediately, and corresponds with the first letter of Lady Gaga’s name, which people who are fans of her will know. The ‘L’ also corresponds with the first letter of the article, which means that technically the letter is being used as an extreme drop capital. The fact that the ‘L’ has been coloured red makes the whole page stand out and intrigues the audience because the colour red connotes urgency and importance, also paired with the black and white image of the singer, adds aesthetic contrast and draws the eye in, as well as reflecting the house colour of the ‘Q Magazine’.

There is no specific title given to the article, only the name of the singer situated to the right corner, which acts as a header to the copy. The fact that this is paired with the full page image of the famous singer almost makes t seem that the singer is so well known that she does not need a piece of text to be titled. The fact that there is no main header means that the audience will be intrigued and want to read on to find out what the article is covering with regards to Lady Gaga.

The copy has been sectioned off into three vertical columns placed over the top of the letter ‘L’ and no text wrapping has been used around the letter. The text : image ratio is completely even as each page of the double page spread is filled with one image and one page of text, this means that there is a potential for the text to look quite dense to the magazines audience, however this has been avoided with the use of the columns and the two drop capitals which help to break up the copy and add some interest to the copy itself, making it more appealing to the reader, and also makes it more pleasing to read. Pull lout quotes could have been used to break up the copy further and add more initial interest to the page for the audience.

ANALYSIS Here I have sourced a double page spread from the well known music magazine

‘Kerrang’, who have written an article on the well known band ‘My Chemical Romance’. Initially when you compare this spread to the article of Lady Gaga, the layout seems very different, first of all the imagery that has been used is one full colour shot of four subjects (the members of the band featured within the article) which are situated within the left hand page of the spread. The fact that the photograph is of the band means that the text is immediately being anchored by the image and helps the audience to know who the article is about before they have read any of the copy on the page. The colours of the photograph are very bold and eye-catching due to the clothing that the subjects are wearing, this makes the page look aesthetically intriguing and will draw in the correct audience for the article within the music magazine.

The colours red and blue featured within the jacket of the main subject of the photograph also coordinates with the colours red and blue used within the header, which is also a pull out quote from the article itself, and you can notice this as the title is within quotation marks and has a strap line referencing who said the quote, and because it is one of the band members who said the quote, this reinforces who the article is about for the audience. The use of a blob within the title has also been used in a very effective way as it is actually the logo of the band featured within the article, this anchors the header, photograph and article together and adds to the understanding of the subject of the copy.

Due to the text : image ratio being quite small, there is a considerable amount of white space surrounding the image and text, however this is disguised by the reverse backdrop to the copy, this is because the use of the black background creates a whole new shape/image instead of the text standing on its own. The black with white text also compliments the spread as it adds an ‘edgy’ look to the page which its in the genre of the alternative rock band. Also there is a large notice which has been added to the end of the copy which has been coloured and white, making it stand out and ties in with the rest of the colour theme. Having this creates anticipation for the reader as the article has not been ended and the next part of the article will be published within the next issue of the magazine, meaning that the reader will have to buy it to read the rest of the article. Also a number of different fonts and boldness have been used within this specific part of the copy, making it stand out more than anything else within the article, this is very effective as it means that the large image is not the only eye-catching part to the page and makes the actual article itself look more interesting and exciting.