Double Page Spread Analysis: MOJO Magazine (The Doves)

In order to gain a better understanding of magazine articles, and in particular double page spreads, I will be analysing a couple of articles to find out why they have made the decisions they did when it come to the layout of the article.  This could include the colour, placement etc of the elements that make up the article.

The first article that I will be looking at is an double page spread article from the music magazine MOJO and it is about the band 'The Doves'.  I will continue to break the article down and discuss the different elements on the page below.

Main Image

The main image is positioned in the the top left of the page and it takes up a quarter of the page.  The photography is taken at a low angle that which gives the bass player seem like the one in control.  The guitar player is also off centre, on the two left hand focal point as of the rule of thirds and this gives the feeling that the viewer is in the crowd watching the band live.  Also, the caption of the image is placed in an unusual position in between two columns at the bottom of the page.

Sub-Images

The 3 sub images are located in the top right hand of the page.  They are all close up's of the band members faces and have been post-processed into black and white.  This makes them look like mugshots/E-fit pictures which relates fairly dark park of the article below in which they talk about music being their life and saying that without music, they are nothing.  The white border also makes the pictures look like polaroids and their slightly off-centre rotation makes them look like the have been scattered on the page which emphasizes the informal look of the page and seems to be in line with the bands attitutde of how they are normal (or informal) guys even though they are in a band.

Puff

There is one puff in the article and it is placed in the top right of the two pages just below the sub images.  The puff is a bright red colour with yellow writing which stands out from the rest of the article, especially against the black and white of the sub images above.
It quotes "If I don't create music, I'm nothing" which as a quote on it's own sound it dark and serious, although within the article, the quote seems nowhere near as serious.  "If you've still got songs within you, you need to get them out.  I'm happiest when I'm writing music. If I don't create music, I'm nothing!"  The quote has been purposely thrown out of contents for dramatic effect.

Article Layout

The main article starts off with the main title that says 'Two Nights In Bird Land', this is a pun of the bands name, The Doves.  The background colour of the title is a bright yellow colour which stands out against the blacks and whites of the rest of the page.  The yellow matches with the yellows of the main images in cluding the stage lights and the drum kits which give the page a consistent colour scheme and makes it look professional.  The title is also slightly textured, which makes it look weathered and old, like the members of the band especially as shown in the sub-images.

Article Contents

All thought out the article, there are several hints to how the band are just normal, down to earth guys with their humour shown in the parts of the article where there interview is used.  For examples when Jez says "But he his shirts from Anges B".  During the interview sections of the article, their accents and colloquialism shows through and this adds to the articles informal tone.  The way the interview if presented, it makes you feel close to the band like you are there at the interview and listening to their responses first hand.  This relates to the main image where the angle of the shot makes the viewer feel like they are standing in the crowd at one of their gigs.  Their are also several journalistic comments on the interview, like "That it has" after they were talking about their appearance, which  makes it feel like you are talking to the interview as well.  Although there is a lot of humour shown throughout the article, a more serious side is shown towards to the end where the band are talking about their music and how if they did not make music they would be nothing.

The article is not all interview though.  It starts off as a review of the concert the band played in Manchester then moves into the interview with the band.  It then gives some detailed information about the bands background their discography before talking about their current going on and ends with a look to the future.