NME double page spread analysis

Colour
This double page spread has used several main colours - black, white, green and grey. The majority of the text is simply black and is shown on a white background. There are however a few exceptions, for example, the artists name (Maya Arulpragasam), is in a sort of olive green. Also, her first name Mia is again shown in a different colour - white this time - spreading across the image. Roughly 2 thirds of the double page is taken up by the image. The image incudes many other colours, the ones that stand out the most being the bright pink on MIA's lips, and the luminous green outlining her sunglasses. The rest of the colours on the image are relatively dull and plain. These 2 particular colours (bright pink and luminous green) are often associated with nightclubs and therefore loud, upbeat music. These vibrant colours draw the eye to MIA's face and give the impression that the article is going to be fun, interesting and as expected musically focused. They also give the page a cool, modern feel, attracting the target audience - young people interested in current artists.


Design
The text and image are kept seperate from each other but we know they are connected as the image takes up more than the whole page and spills over to where the text is stiuated. A simple times new roman font has been used for the main story in the style of a newspaper article. However the artists name on the image is huge with the colour green highlighted the first letter of the name. As i said previously this is another feature to draw the readers eye to the image first before reader the article so we can see who we are reading about. Similar to Q magazine There is a quote in larger black text on the bottom of the left hand page. This shows that this piece of text is more important than other pieces of the story.


Images
The chrome grey/silver which is seen in much of the photo portrays a modern, classy image. Using MIA in the image will help the page to relate to the target audience as many audience members are likley to aspire to be like her, as she is currently a successful artist. The different shapes of the objects in the photo make it look more interesting and give a greater sense of depth. The cylinder shape surrounding MIA in particular gives a 3D illusion.


Pose, Hair style, Make-up
The pose of the artist is casual but yet completly different to other poses i have seen. The hand placed on her sunglasses makes the image seem as though there is movement. The singer is also at an angle as though she is falling of the chair making the reader work out what she is doing. As the clothing colour is dark it blends in with the hair colour and therfore the hair is almost unseen, although the hair is down no work has been done to it as it is swept back of the face and the bright green glasses are the focus. The pink lipstick clashes with the green glasses and make the artists face stand out from the dark image. Again this make the reader see who the artist is before they begin reading about her.


How are words used on the double pages?
The main text is packed neatly into 2 columns that run down almost the full length of the page, making it look formal and professional. There is no obvious bold title, instead there is a brief caption above the 2 columns that vaguely summarises what the article is about. This font is slightly larger than the font of the main text, so that it stands out in comparison, as a summary usually should. It is positioned at the top primarily because it should be the first thing that the audience reads. The same font size is used for a quote at the bottom, below the columns. Both the summary and bottom quote appear to act as sort of 'book ends', neatly containing the main text. There is a heading in the top right hand corner; 'ALBUMS OF 2010', that reminds the reader of the focus of the magazine and suggests what the article is going to be about.
Across the image is the word 'MIA' in huge font, this acts as a sort of title informing the reader of who the artist in the photo is. There is a green circle around the letter M which is also seen around the number 2 of 2010. This links the 2 together, helping the page to flow.


Language
The Green 'M' is used on the image and this colour corrosponds to the green writting on the opposite page. This gives the artists real name and not her stage name, this makes the reader feel like they know the artist better and that my reading the article they can learn more about her and her music.

Overall impression
Overall i think it has a funky stylish vibe to it. It represent the taget audiance well, by having a young modern fell.