NME Front Cover Research Issue 1

The first magazine in which I will undertake research on is NME. I found a copy which was released in 2011. The magazine was released around the time of the royal wedding, this has created a theme for the issue. They have used the British color scheme for the issue, red, blue and white, which is ironic as an American artist is used for the front cover. They use this to mock the situation by giving him a rebellious look, by tilting the crown and adding another around his neck. This informs the reader about the type of person Tyler is. I will use the image to help construct a character for my artist, this will help the reader understand the artist. The purpose of the story is that Odd Future are in fact having an anarchy in the UK, forget about the royal wedding as it's all about Odd Future. This is reinforced with the positioning. On top of everything is 'TYLER,THE CREATOR ODD FUTURE ANARCHY HITS THE UK!' This creates an importance, as everyone is talking about the royal wedding they will see this standing out in front of it. To help my story appear as more appealing and significant for the viewer to read, I will use positioning in a similar way. Behind this they have included names of other artists featured and a quote from Tyler, The Creator. The quote reads, 'I DON'T GIVE A SH*T ABOUT A ROYAL WEDDING', the language used adds shock value to the story inside. The use of the swear word backs up the rebellious style and calling it 'a' royal wedding instead of 'the' takes all the importance away from it, this also helps to give the reader an idea of his personality. Again I will use this as it helps to give the viewer more information about the artist as well as adding shock value to infer a more interesting story. Next they have included the mid-shot of Tyler, it takes up 7 of the 9 thirds. Although they have used layers over his body, they have left his face clear. This allows people to recognize him instantly, especially fans who want to read on. It is also because this is one of the most important parts of the photo, it creates a focal point of attention on him. I will play with this idea on my own design as it helps my photography to stand out, it also attracts more attention to the double page spread about the artist inside. The back layer includes the NME logo. It is very simple but fits the house style of the magazine by using large capital red letter. They have made it a large size so it stands out, but Tyler's head covers part of the E. They are able to do this because they're easily recognized. However they still include the full name, 'New Musical Express', underneath the logo. I may do this as well as it makes the design look clever and adds more importance on the photography, as it covers the logo. They have included a gold border around the front page, at the top they have included some text 'GOD SAVE US FROM WILLS AND KATE COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE'. This pun reinforces the fact they are mocking the royal wedding. The lighting is also used to make the story stand out. The ironic bright lights, which are usually associated with weddings,  helps the image to stand out. I will play around with the lighting to add extra meaning to the image, lighting can be used to infer the semantics of the image. Additional features used are a guide to 2011 festivals, chance to win festival tickets, price of the magazine and a bar-code. They have included all these features out of the way of the story information. This means it won't get in the way as the main focus of the magazine is the story. I can use this to fill up the empty spaces and to show off that there is more to the magazine than just the story.