Music Magazine Double Page Spread Deconstruction

I will now provide deconstructions for existing double page spreads of music magazine articles.

For this first double page spread, there is an image on the entire right-hand side page, yet the article is located entirely on the left-hand side of the page. There is also a pull quote which spreads across both pages, allowing the reader to associate the image with the main article. The pull quote is centred in the middle of the double page spread, and appears to split the article into two sections. This appears to be used to give the reader a break from the article halfway through, yet the pull quote is also large enough to draw the reader's attention directly to the quote when they arrive on that page, as well as the picture. A drop cap is is used at the beginning of the article on the letter 'D' to alert the reader that the article does indeed start there. It also helps to minimise the effect of looking at large chunks of text - much like the pull quote, it makes the article look more manageable than it would be were the whole thing unformatted and in plan columns with unchanging font sizes. The colours of the image do not match the colour of the article text or background, yet the red text does stand out rather well against the light background of the picture.

This article, similar to the previous, also features a large, dominant image on the left-hand side page of the subject of the article. Unlike the previous magazine, there is no text which covers the dominant image. Unlike the previous article, this one has a clear title 'USA got the love' (a pun of one of the article's subject's songs). The 'USA' text is placed behind the singer this time, which still allows an association between the picture and the article. Unlike the previous double-page spread, there is no pull quote. It is rather rare for a double page spread to not have a pull quote, however it is not necessarily compulsory, but does help add additional emphasis onto the magazine. Similar to the previous double page spread, a drop cap is also used to mark the beginning of the article. The drop cap font matches the font of the title, being a very 'posh' and 'elegant' font, which perhaps relates to the image of the singer, posing in a very elegant manner with an elegant surrounding. The drop cap also helps draw the attention away from the large chunks of text, and even though it does not make a big difference, convinces the reader into thinking there is less text than there actually is. The spread goes for a very monochromatic colour scheme, with black, white and grey being prominent throughout the spread. The only exception to this is the read cloth which the singer is sitting on. This bright, vibrant colour helps add to the elegant theme which had already been featured via the title font and the drop cap.

For the final image, there is also a large, dominant article title, situated at the top of the article. The title is not covering or behind the subject of the article, and merely overlaps on the pages, which is similar to how the previous two double-page spreads presented the prominent text. A pull quote is present in this double-page spread, much like the first one. Unlike the first spread, there are instances of both a pull quote and an article title. Much like the previous two double page spreads, a drop cap has been used to signify the beginning of the article. It is clear to the reader that the large 'S' is where the beginning of the article will start. The drop cap font matches the font used in the article title (the pull quote also does this). Having the same font run through the majority of the article creates a sense of consistency and helps the article as a whole maintain focus and keep the reader's attention, and does not drag their attention to one specific section of the double page spread. Finally, the colour scheme is a very strange one, being a brown/beige/black colour scheme. This strange colour scheme relates to the article itself, discussing the 'power' of Simon Cowell. In the image, Simon Cowell is relatively calm, relating to the use of the lighter colours such as beige and white, while the black and brown colours still help to emphasise this feeling of importance or power.