Deconstruction of Double Page Spreads

This is 3 deconstruction of a double page spread.

There are four main columns in the whole article however there are 5 actual paragraphs as there is a little paragraph at the beginning which describes on what to expect in the story and this makes it looks as though there isn’t a lot f text as it spread out and I think this makes it look more appealing to the reader.

There is only one image in the double page spread an even though because it is the only image in the double page spread I still feel that the text on the beginning stands out further that the actual main image and I think this because not only do you read from left to right but the text is in bold and the text had different sizes to attract the reader.

The anchor is not placed in the normal conventions as it is under the pull quote.

There is a pull quote used and this is a very significant part to the spread as this is the main part that draws the audience in. The pull quotes is in different sizes, in bold and it is highlighted in black with white text.

There isn’t really an actual article title however they have use a pull quote and I think they have done this to intrigue the reader as this is a quote form the person in the story. They have also tried to intrigue the audience by using visual impact as they have used a block text with black highlight and they have used white on black on white to make it stand out.

They have used a short strap-line under the pull-quote so that it gives some explanation into what to expect to the next story and I think they have done this well as they have used different text for the person’s name in the strap-line and they have done this to entice all the fans in and they have also made the strap-line sound like it is something exclusive as it stated ‘NME dodges the paparazzi and attempts to get behind the headlines’. They have done this to entice the reader as who wouldn’t want to find out the truth behind the headlines?

The kicker has not been used in this double page spread as the title itself is enough to entice the reader.

The introduction to the beginning of the story has a big bold letter I and this is known as the drop caps and this is to not only show the reader where the article starts but to also let your eye be drawn to the bigger and bolder features on the double page spread.

There is a lot of text element as the pull quote is located so that the text is all jilted as the text is not all on the same page and the way it has been put together makes it looks as though it has been cut out of a magazine. There is also some in the little strap-line as Lily Allen’s name has got a different colour to the rest and it is all slanted as if it floating around and this is the same for the bit of text beside the strap-line ‘WORD JAMES McMAHON’. This gives an edge to the magazine and these features entice the reader as they attract the reader to the key features of the magazine. 

The page layout is quite effective as if the reader notices the image your eyes are going to be led back to the text and vice versa. But the readers’ eyes are being led straight to the strap-line but as I said you eyes follow around the page and then back again as your eyes will pick the individual features like the colours used in the strap-line.

The colour palette is limited as they use white, black and grey and they use a bold red for things they want the reader to notice for example the Celebrities name ‘Lilly Allen’. They use this bold red as this links into what the celebrity is wearing in the image that is beside.

The beginning of the article is more descriptive of the singers home and it’s not really anything exciting as it doesn’t give that much in sight of the singer as the title states. The tone is quite informal even though it is descriptive as she is talking about the setting as if as a child walking through a strangers house for the first time and is trying to list as many things that they find interesting.

The text used is quite unusual for a magazine as it looks as though the strap-line has been cut out from a newspaper rather than from that particular magazine.

The background is grey which matches the colour palette used in the rest of the double page spread (image and text).

There are 2 columns on this double page spread and I think they have done minimal columns so it would appeal to the audience as too much writing can make the reader disinterested as too much writing can start to bore the reader. There are 3 main paragraph however there is many little paragraphs in the second columns.

There is only one image used in the double page spread and so this makes this the dominant image. The reason why they have used only one image for this spread is so that it does not distract the eye from the person in the article. The only image in the double page spread does take over most of the spread and this fits in with the normal conventions of a double page spread.

Her clothing is very minimal in colour as I think they want the reader to look more at the person to get the reader interested rather than what she looks like however they have also appealed to both as she is wearing a short black dress and some pointy leather for the curves over some satin material.

The pull quote for the double page spread is the big letters beside the image ‘you got the love’. This does not reveal anything but the is a lyric from a song that might appeal to the reader.

In the article it describes what the singer was doing and saying when she first entered the room and they have done this to make the reader feel more involved with the interview. The article includes past experiences that the reader might not know as she talks about her hectic lifestyle: going to Halloween parties, ghost experiences and television experiences.

 For the text they have used 5 different fonts and they have done this to separate each section of the double page spread and even though five sound a lot for the amount of text fonts they are quite similar except the pull quote.

The strap-line explains what to expect in the article and it also gives a teaser a the end ‘So why is Florence Welch lying on the floor attacking herself’.

There isn’t really a kicker as the usual format for a kicker is to be above the image and the article however this kicker is located behind the image ‘USA’.

They have used a fancy drop-line to not only attracted the reader but also to show the reader where to start reading.

The image has text to the left of the image and I think they have done this so that the reader looks from the left to the right and so is interested in Florence Welch on the left and then wants to read the article on the right. They have also positioned the image in a way so that your eye either follows down and along her body or down along the red and white strip of the material.

The colour palette  is minimal as the colours used: red, black and a dark white and they have done this so that the minimal colour  will not detract from the detailing.

There is 2 columns in this double page spread magazine and in that double page spread there are  3 main paragraphs and inside them paragraphs there are several smaller paragraphs. The reason why the magazine people have done this is to attract the reader to the small amount of text as the layout has been done so that there is a lot more image on the double page spread than actual text and they have done this to entice the reader and this fits in with the conventions of a normal double page spread.

There is only one image which makes it the dominant image of the article however in its own right it is the dominant image as this is the biggest image as it takes up most of the spread.

There is not any pull quotes to entice the reader in however in the first column and paragraph the size of the text is much bigger than the rest of the spread and this is to entice the reader in the beginning of the article and even though the rest is in smaller writing there should have been enough information to entice the reader in that first paragraph.

There is no conventional article title however in the top right hand corner they have cleverly placed the singers name and the reason why they have placed this in the top right hand corner instead of the left is because if the reader didn’t recognise the person in the double page spread by the image their eye might be caught by her name as this would be the normal place where someone would turn the page. They have also made her name look more noticeable by adding two line on the top and the bottom of her name to give boxed effect so that the reader’s eye would look more at the more at her name.

There is not conventional strap-line as usually it is just a small paragraph which  consists of one or at the most 2 sentences about the article to tease the reader however in this spread they have decided not to do this however they have decided to have the whole first paragraph in bigger text as a strap-line to entice the reader.

The introduction starts as many do: a description of the interview and an in sight for the readers that they may not know about.

They have used a massive drop-cap for the beginning of the first paragraph to entice the reader to see what the beginning of the paragraph says and this takes up around a 1/5 of the spread and this will hopefully make them want to read the full article. They have also added another drop-cap at the start of the third paragraph and they have done this so that the reader will read on to see what that drop-cap will continue on to explain. The drop-cap uses different font styles to the rest of the spread and they have done this to not only entice the reader but to also give the reader a change from the same boring plain text.They have haven’t really used any quirky text elements in this double page spread except in the drop-caps and I think they have done this so that the effect of the drop-cap is more noticeable than if the there was some interesting and quirky text elements.

The way the layout has been presented is so that your eyes follow around the drop-cap as if you weren’t interested in the article and then you suddenly notice the singers name you then follow her name to the drop-cap and then around the s shape and to the text and then if you were not that interest in the article you would go back to the same spot where her name was again and your eyes would possibly back down the same route.

I think that the colour palette is quite dark and after reading the paragraphs it seems fitting as the singer even points out that ‘that is my life’ when looking at the picture and so I think they have used dark colour not only to show her life but also to match in with the colour scheme with the magazine as the magazine colour scheme is black, white and red and this is the colours used in the text and in the image.

This double page is quite formal in comparison to many other magazine spread I have seen previously as I feel that the person writing is a lot more serious and formal as she uses words in her career (magazine terminology).

There is minimal text styles used as there is only three and the reason why they have only used three as there is one for the actual text, another for the drop-caps and finally one for the singers name in the right hand corner.

For the background for the magazine they have used a dark white colour to keep in with the colour palette also they have used a light background colour so that all the darker colours stand out on it.