Uprising on Facebook

I put my second concept idea for Uprising on Facebook.com to getsome feedback on people's thoughts who hadn't completed a questionnaire. I was pleased with the feedback, some posotive and some negative. I hope touse this feedback to help progress my front cover.

Classic Rock Front Cover Review

I am reviewing the front cover as you would see it if you were buying it in the shops. This means that the free Cd is still on the cover.

The large masthead is probably the first thing that catches your eye when you see the front cover. The R and K and bigger in proportion than the O and C which means it is a really eye catching word. This means it can easily attract people from the niche market of Rock music because it's in big bold letters at the top. The word Classic might be ahead of it in the name but the fact it is much smaller and almost perched in the top of the masthead means it's more extra information, to then add the edge that it's older Rock. Being called Classic Rock and having it in big letters it can appeal to the older generation, instead of current Rock bands like Shinedown you are looking at things like Black Sabbath or ZZ Top.

Just above the masthead is a small red bubble mentioning a free Cd. Free is in big capital white letters, people are often drawn into something if it is free so this is an important thing to have on the front.

The free Cd is risen off the page slightly so it immediately makes you grab that part of the magazine. The design on the album cover is important to keep in with the music theme else not it loses the design that the cover already tries to portray. Apart from black there are 3 main colours used on this cover, green, blue and red. These all are different from the colours on the rather simplistic main cover. They are eye catching because Classic Rock's selling point can often be the free gift. The colours work well together and with a picture of a skull being central and then green leaves round the outside it reminds you of death. The colours take away the sadness death usually holds with people and just makes you think of proper hard Rock 'n' Roll.

The main feature on the cover is unsual for a magazine as it doesn't contain a picture of any artist within the magazine. Instead it features a gold computerised symbol which is there to show the greatest 150 debut albums. Gold is a key colour because it often means; class, wealth or style, which goes hand in hand with being great or classic. The black behind the main focal point makes the gold stand out even more. The gloss effect of the cover also makes the gold shimmer in the light. This magazine cover tries to actually make itself seem classic and classy.

The only extra information is tucked away at the bottom, this means it doesn't affect any of the focal point on the main image but you still get left with the important information.

This cover is rather simple but contains everything you need to know without the cover become overloaded and looking too busy to read.

"Contents October 2010 Issue 150" - Classic Rock Contents Page Analysis

When you look at this page it is very bright colours and a vibrant picture of Ozzy Osbourne is very noticeable next to a white column filled with red and black text.

The picture is very vintage but it has vibrant colours and Ozzy's skin tone is very rosy pink which shows a lot of life in this picture. This portayal of life also goes well in connection he is 'living life' and at the same time giving himself a tattoo in the image. Ozzy has very open eyes and his jaw is wide open too, it really shows experience and makes the picture feel more alive than just being a vintage shot. There is a small caption at the right of the shot which talks about Ozzy's greatest album to date, this makes you want to read on and then discuss your own opinion compared to theirs. The image really sums up Classic Rock because Ozzy is often called the 'Godfather of Heavy Metal' but many recognise him with the Rock world so it is a perfect first image to use in the magazine to keep the audience interested.

The information for the contents is actually split into 2 pages, this contents page gives the details of the more key features that you will only find in this issue. There are 6 main chunks of texts that all give detail on what is in the main magazine with the numbers in red and then the title of the paragraph in bold black. The information isn't too necessary as the bold text can be enough for someone to then read on, but it gives you that extra bit of information you might wish to know.

At the bottom there is then a special mention for the cover story. It is already discussed up the top of the page but that feels more formal than this piece at the bottom. It seems more like a headline but within the contents page so even there, the front cover has an impact upon the audience.

"Greatest Debuts" - Classic Rock Double Page Spread Analysis

With this double page spread you notice that there is 3 main sections; a small column to the left with great debut albums, a Jimi Hendrix article and then an article on the album "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds.

Looking at the first column you notice that the background colour is a pale green with the album's name being in red and everything else in a black font. There are small pictures of the different album covers and then a small chunk of information on them. There are only 5 to the column which means it's not a long list and are small little bits of text to read away from the main articles. I think these work well because if you have just read an entire article you want some short text to break up the long haul of words so you don't get bored. The fonts work well to separate out the different bits of text, both the artist's name and the album name are in capitals so you can tell them apart. The album's name is in red as for this article it is more important. The other nice thing about these are that you can think, "Oh I had that album." This then makes you think about listening to the music mentioned so it really gets you thinking.

The middle chunk spreads out of both pages, the article being on the right page and an image of Jimi Hendrix on the left. The image is a black and white one but is very detailed. The entire image isn't shown but due to his fame and the small captions at the bottom it is easy to recognise who it is. The picture looks very innocent and an honest man. There is also half a vinyl disc at the bottom with a quote from Pete Townshend, this adds to the picture to back up how important Jimi Hendrix is. As there is a big image and a couple of quotes and notes surrounding the image you can already tell that Classic Rock believe this to be an important debut album as he has the majority of the double page spread.

You are caught to the text with a big capital B which is there to make sure you look at the article and don't skim past it. The text is in a long column but easily broke up into paragraphs, each adding to the one before it. The paragraphs detail a small history surrounding the time period that the album was released, the information isn't too in depth and gives you enough to be intrigued with the album. I think the style is good as it also includes some personal opinions from the writer but there's a good chunk of interesting history about the album and how it set Jimi Hendrix on the path to fame.

The last article has a pale green background like the first and a black and white image at the top. The album cover is shown to the right and immediately you pick up on the quote in the middle which is in a crimson font and also the 'Did you know?' bubble to the side of the page. These catch your eyes straight away so you go to read them and are immediately in the centre of the article and eager to read on.

The article's text starts like the Hendrix one with a big capital B to also catch attention but the article is slightly different. This one is set out like an interview but without any questions, instead the interview tells the story and then after bits of speech there are small bits of history which don't over analyse the text which has gone before it.

I think this is a good double page spread because of the colours, the 2 pale green pieces don't look fixed to the page so it doesn't seem to bogged down, and if you could imagine it as reality the page would be light and airy. There might be a lot of text but the spacing out and colours don't make it a daunting task to read it all.

NME Front Cover Analysis

This cover seems to have a lot going on when you look at it, the front cover seems busy with a mixture of coloured fonts, a masthead and a sadistic looking man in the background.

The fonts and colours stand out a lot on this front cover, a use of Red, Light Blue and White stand out well against the dark background. These colours are quite innocent, with the line reading; "I've got a right to tell my story" as though this person has been silenced for a period of time. A main use of the colours on this cover would be to really catch your eye. The words Carl Barat are in big capital letters and have a light shadow behind them. This helps to bring the letters out into the foreground more and show that NME have an important interview inside. These 2 words also stretch across the entire page meaning they are very hard to miss. The text seems very unorganised and different things are thrust across the page with fonts that don't seem to keep in any type of pattern. Bits of the stories at the side cover Carl Barât's hair which also makes the cover seem messy.

The image behind the text is very bold, you are drawn into Carl Barât's face immediately and especially his eyes which seem to have an angry glazed look on them. The background of the image is fazed out and so too is his jumper and neck, with his face being the only part of the picture not distorted in some way. His skin tone is very dull which helps draw you into his blue eyes which are in some ways mesmorising. The fact the eyes are at eye level when you look at the magazine could have a sort of hypnotic effect where you then want to have a look and see what is in this issue. Or this is what NME hope for, the cover is overloaded with text and a blurry picture which distorts your eyes. The cover might draw you in but when you actually try to look at the information it is rather hard to concentrate on one specific area as there is so much on the cover.

I personally don't really like this cover as I find it is very jammed with information and if it was a bit simpler would be more effective at making me want to read inside. The cover might have eyes that draw you in but the surroundings are too full with text which makes the cover seem overloaded.

"Inside This Week" 25/09/2010 - NME Contents Analysis

When you look straight away at the contents page you notice that there are many different colours and these all come from sperate images on the contents page. The images are all the same size except one image which is noticeably larger which is because it is a main story in the magazine, this is good for NME because what they want to be key focus of the reader's time can be because they have a large image publiscing it. Everything is noticeably spread out and incomplete boxes help to also seperate stories so nothing is overlapping or too confusing to the reader. This is a good method to use because it means you know which picture relates to which piece of text.

The text itself is split up with different fonts that relate to the pictures on the contents page. They all have their very own quote with them and then the quote is in a more stand out font that the writing below which gives extra information about the article that the image relates to. The quotes give the audience a small isnite into the kind of article it will probably be, about how the artist talks and what kind of artist it is that NME are chatting to.

A feature I really like from this contents page is the fact there is no numerical order to the contents, NME order the images to their importance, then put their page number in a white box in the bottom right handside. This makes the contents feel more open and less like a list, meaning there is more chance you will read it, thereby making sure you read more articles.

In a small gap in the bottom is a very small column labelled, 'Plus' which contains a maximum of 3 words per line and a page number relating to it. This is because this is regular stuff to magazine, this is helpful to save space and it also reduces any kind of long list you oftenly see in a contents page.

On and ending note NME manage to sneak in a cheeky little advert for themselves in the bottom right corner. The background colour of this is red, which is a very eyecatchign colour meaning people will more than likely look at this after looking at the images. The writing is large and white so it stands out. The slogan reads; "WANT TO GET NME FOR THE BEST PRICE POSSIBLE?" This is brilliant way to advertise as people start to think of money they will be saving on this £2.30 magazine. Then in much smaller font it offers a subscribtion. I think the advert in the corner is very well done because when a magazine has a subscription on an entire page you often skim past it if you aren't interested.

"Carl Takes Aim" - NME Double Page Spread Analysis

As soon as you look at this double page spread you are straight away drawn into the larger than life picture of Carl Barât holding a gun. This picture really sets the tone for the double page spread on offer, something trying to be rebelious and edgey.

The picture of Carl Barât is taken at such an angle that the gun is distorted and you immediately catch hold of a set of demonic and possesive eyes just behind the gun. The picture is also accompanied by a small quote, which without reading the rest of the article you have to presume comes from Carl Barât. The quote reads; "IT WOULDN'T WORK IF THERE WEREN'T FRICTIONS - IT'S THE FUCKING LIBERTINES". This quote helps to back up the image NME are trying to portray with the image of Carl Barât being all rebelious and a bit of an anarchist. Even in writing "fucking" is still pretty strong language that shows to the reader that this guy has some attitude.

The colours of the picture are rather bland, the black on the leather jacket Carl wheres isn't a dark black so it makes the whole picture seemed very chilled out, and Barât kind of looks like he is on drugs. White often means purity and though there is a cream in this picture it works in a total irony of the fact he is carrying a pistol in a gangster style way. The picture is really quite important for the double page spread and relating articles as it gives you an idea of the kind of man Carl Barât is even if you don't know anything about him.

The opposite page has over half the page taken up with a massive title that just says; "CARL TAKES AIM". This obviousley has more meaning to the fact that Carl Barât has a gun in the picture opposite but relates to the fact he has just completed a solo album.

Before reading into the article there is a sub-headline which gives a small bit of detail about what the article will be about. Then you notice 2 capital letters, a W and a T which show the start of new paragraphs or a lead on in the story of Carl Barât. I think these are good because it helps to break up the article meaning people won't feel too sufficated with the length of the article.

When you get into the actual article is starts in the middle of a story that Carl Barât is telling. I find the article to be rather dull as after Carl says something there seems to be a narational piece where it is then described about what Carl's just said. I find this to be rather boring as there aren't really questions asked it's just someone putting everything into an explanatory list which is disguised within a paragraph.

I like the picture idea, though the actual picture I would have differently but I don't think the article is that great.