Since NME and Q magazine is aimed at those interested in stylish, successful artists, they always make sure they bring out their cover stars in a unique and positive light. For example, this Gorillaz edition and the Arctic Monkeys edition both use different and interesting ways to attract their audience and never fail to disappoint them.
Firstly, I love how the NME magazine incorporated the cover star characters of Gorillaz into a photograph of Damon who's interviewing them. The way they positioned Damon and 'photoshopped' the characters in the picture works so well, you really see their interaction as if they really exist. It also links to the main cover line 'reality blurs' as if to say he's now seeing cartoon characters in reality (as well as linking to the fact that the one who started Gorillaz used to be in Blur). I love the house style-of colours that compliment the characters as well as Damon-mainly of reds and browns. The rustic background reflects on the house style and on the impression Gorillaz usually gives off, rugged, cool and different.
The double page spread for this edition is also stunning in terms of it's simplicity but it's so unique and effective. The way Damon and the Gorillaz character, Murdoc, face each other on either side of the double page with the text in the centre gives a great sense of to and fro dialogue. I just love the charm and familiarity the two characters have with one another; their friendly nature towards each other welcomes the reader into the conversation as well. By there only being a simple white background shows how you don't need too much to set off whats most important; the coverstars and article.
The second magazine cover of 'Q' magazine is great in terms of the lighting and blocking of the Arctic Monkeys members, I love the simple colour scheme they all have and the layout of the cover lines reflect Arctic Monkeys' smooth sense of style. The fact that the main singer, Alex Turner gives direct address and other members don't can show how the audience tend to be more familiar with him than the rest of the band. It can also reflect on the mystery behind them (enhanced by the house style of black and white) and the mystery behind their main story.
I didn't go for the typical rock magazine KERRANG! because I'm not fond of their over the top style, though they do have some great qualities. I prefer the versatility of Q and NME; and rock is a very versatile genre too which stretches out to many different artist types.
I think my initial ideas for the layout of my magazine has been totally changed from having been inspired by these covers and the double page spread. Going along with the 'group' idea, I'll use Photoshop's lasso/magic wand to pull one 'character' out of one photo, and incorporate it into the other. The cover like with Q and NME, will be limited and purposefully places around the cover stars to wrap the whole magazine cover as a greater whole. With the double page spread, using a plain background will help keep the focus equally distributed between cover stars and text. The target audience of NME and Q would be used to this sense of simplicity, purposefulness and attention to detail; in order to attain the same audience attention, I ought to do the same. But I'll stay open and look at different areas to make sure my rock magazine is as effective and well thought out as possible.
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