Research - Music Magazine Double Page Spread - Similar Product Research

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn

On this DPS all of the left page and two thirds of the right page are taken up by a full shot image of the band Muse. The 3 men are in the middle/ to the left of the image, with the dark but colourful background of lights at a stage set taking up the rest of the photo. The men themselves are all stood in casual poses and dressed in smart/casual dark clothes; with the background being dark and also their clothes being dark it suggests that the set of their gigs directly represent them and the style of their music, however the bright colours also represent their music and personalities. The magazine, similar to that of Clash and Q, focuses on the emotional and mental side to the men rather than their physical attributes, this representation is commonly seen through this genre of music magazine and we should definitely conform to this convention in our own production. All the men are in direct mode of address.

In the background there is what seems to be and upside down pyramid, which is a polysemous symbolic sign. Typically, a pyramid signifies power structures and knowledge, therefore by having an inverted pyramid the signified meaning changes slightly. Now, the representation is about the band’s personality and how they are intelligent but seem to portray themselves as breaking stereotypes by not conforming to traditional power structures.

In the top right of the image is a caption, in red and white, saying; ‘Three men and a little tour. Dom, Matt and Chris prepare Wembley.’ The red and white links to the main text. By saying ‘prepare’, this suggests that this gig will be huge as it is taking a lot to set up, further representing the band as hard-working people who enjoy their jobs.

Covering the image on the left page is a pulled quote; ‘It began as a sketch on a napkin…and evolved into ninja suits, a giant robot face and a shape-shifting pyramid that eats the band.’ This leads on to the anchorage text, ‘Muse give Tom Howard an exclusive behind-the scenes look at their maddest tour ever’. The pulled quote is in capitals and a large white sans serif font, the white contrasts against the dark background so it is very clear and eye-catching.  There are also signs in the pulled quote, according to Barthes theory of Semiotics, ‘napkin’ could signify the appeal to the western world as napkins aren’t commonly seen in more third world countries, and ‘sketch’ could signify how the band is artistic, spontaneous.

The start of the article is shown by a large red dropped capital. This looks quite sophisticated as it relates to the lead on the other page; this is a good technique to give the DPS consistency that we should consider using in our product. The red signifies danger, passion and love – these are all representations of the band and their music style.

The register of the text is casual and consultative, although it is an interview, colloquial language is used; ‘basically the whole thing looks f*cking amazing. ’ This makes the article more relatable and it appeals to the audience; older, middle class people.  Although there are colloquialisms, the tenor is still quite polite. 

This DPS is taken up mostly by a full shot image of Pete Doherty, with some text in the top right. The whole DPS is in monochrome and is looks slightly sepia in tone. This gives the whole image a feeling of nostalgia which represents Pete as quite traditional, perhaps old-fashioned, and that he is holding on to the past somewhat. Pete himself appears very dark; his clothes, hair and make-up are all black; this could be a direct representation of his music or his mental state. His pose is very casual; he is laying down and smoking. This portrays him as being rebellious but quite laid back. Similar to the other magazines, Clash have focused more on his personality and music than his physique by showing him fully clothed and also wearing make-up. Typically a more feminine product, the make-up helps present his personality. This is a convention of this genre of music magazine that we need to adhere to in our representations. The background is mostly cream/white which contrasts with the darkness of Pete himself, this could represent his purer and lighter side, by keeping it in the background it suggests that this isn't part of is personal image. You can see curtains in the background too which suggests secrecy and blocking things out.

In the image, signs are used to give subtle representations. The cigarette could signify his lack of caring for his health, it signifies addiction – a more subtle representation of his addiction to his music perhaps. His tattoos are also signifiers, they appear to be foreign symbols of some kind, this could signify ambiguity – how some people might not understand him.

On the left hand page there is a pulled quote; 'I'm still definitely finding my feet with the music. There's still a lot in there that's dying to get out and never has.' This anchorage text relates directly to the image as Pete looks like he could be dressed for a funeral or dressed as death itself. He also says 'finding my feet', in the image his feet are cropped out so this signifies how his fans won't understand him until he understands himself.

The typography is simple, the pulled quote is a serif font in white, while the main text is sans serif font. The register of the article is consultative and casual, this is a convention in this genre of magazine which we need to apply in our product. The tenor is also quite polite due to the consultative register and interview nature of the article. This is also a convention of these music magazines that need to be used in our magazine.