Competitor Magazine Analysis - The Fly

This is one of my competitors. ‘The Fly’ is an A5, free of charge publication which is distributed around record shops, bars and other venues.
The feature article photograph is a group shot of the band ‘Peace’, who are an independent band that is not too popular. The denotations of this picture are four young people, huddled together and all looking straight up into the camera. The proximity of the subjects of the photo suggests that they are very close, which in turn suggests that they do not have much of an interest in being famous, as they just appear to just be friends, with less interest in material gain. Each member of the band is wearing relaxed, ‘charity-shop-esque’ clothing. This suggests that the band are laid back, and fortifies the idea that they are not interested in the money, as they do not appear to be glamorous. The facial impressions vary between each band member, but none of them are at all intimidating. The connotations of this are, again, that the band is not interested in fame, and are just having a good time. This view can be reflected to the target audience of the magazine, which is young, independent people who have a real interest in music itself and the people who make it, not fame and the trappings attached, much like the band featured on this cover. The feature article photograph does not have much colour, and the colours in it are not loud and lively. This too, suggests the laid back attitude of the featured band, the magazine itself, and the reader. The faces of each member however are very bright, not naturally so. The brightness of the faces greatly contrasts the dark background, and the dark hair of the majority of the band. This contrast makes it so the focus of the feature article photograph is the faces of the band, which further conveys the more personal nature of the magazine. The photograph is also taken from a bird’s eye angle, which is not conventional, which communicates that the band is quirky. The angle that the picture is taken is also too harsh to make the audience feel superior, making them feel like an observer instead.

The masthead is blocky and rectangular, coloured in white. This colour contrasts the dark background and makes it appear crisp and smooth, which in turn, makes it more appealing to the eye. It is also very neat as it reaches across the entirety of the top of the page and does not overlap or interfere with the feature article photograph in any way. This neatness makes the masthead aesthetically pleasing. In addition, no other text on the cover looks at all like it, which makes it stand out and gives a stronger sense of brand identity.

The cover line: ‘Peace’ (Stylised ‘PEACE’), is written in the ‘band font’. This gives a case of brand identity so that people who know the band will instantly recognise it. It is also coloured yellow. This is a bright, friendly colour which is inviting, which suggests the band’s overall attitude. The yellow also greatly stands out on the page, as it is the only use of the colour present. In addition, it is located at the centre of the page. These two factors mean that great attention is drawn to the band’s name. The fact that it is the only cover line on the page also adds to the attention. The cover line is located within the centre of the ‘huddle’ of the band in the feature article photograph. The proximity of the band and their name suggests that their name and they themselves are an integral part of who they are as a band.

The plug is located along the bottom of the page. It is written in the same font as the cover line was, which is, in fact, the band’s trademark font. However, this is done because it is the house style of the magazine, and is the case on every issue of the magazine. The plug itself is simply just the names of new bands. This appeals to the magazine’s audience of people who like new music from new bands with new sounds.

Another detail that is worth mentioning is that this magazine is free. This affects the layout of the magazine in different ways. One way is that it can appeal to a smaller and more specific audience, as it does not need to focus on making sales. Another way is that it doesn’t have to follow convention in order to catch the eye of a potential buyer, as it does not need to be bought.

 

This is the contents page for the March 2013 issue of ‘The Fly’. The majority of the page is dominated by a large, blue tinted picture of a man in an odd pose. The strange pose and colour of the picture make it quite artsy, which would be appealing to this magazine’s audience. In addition, the picture features no caption or explanation of any kind (except the page number of the related article next to it). This, coupled with the limited colour of the picture and the fact that the man in the photograph’s face is partially covered by his hands, creates an air of mystery that makes the reader want to read the page. Additionally, the size of the picture suggests that the article in question is quite important and is worth a read.

At the top-left of the picture is the word ‘March’ and on the top-right is the number ‘2013’, together acting as the date of publication. They are both coloured blue (to match the colour of the photograph), are slightly transparent, and both slightly run off of the photograph. This, above all else, is appealing to look at as it looks very modern and sleek.

Beneath the picture is the list of all the content and articles within the magazine. There are unconventional and very basic (featuring only the page number in a large, bold, serif font), and the name of the artist featured on that page (in a smaller, sans serif font). This format is unconventional as it includes no description of who the artist is and what they do, and because of this, includes no sensationalist language to promote the artist. This is very suitable for the magazine’s audience, who only really care about the music that these artists create and who the artists really are as people, and not each artist’s popularity or social standing. The text is black, and stands on a white background. This contrast of colours makes the contents easy to read and appealing to look at. The page number’s and their respective artist names are genourously spaced out from each other, and each artist’s name is underlined. This underline acts as a sort of barrier between each listed article. These features make the contents very easy to read and therefore, aesthetically pleasing.

The lack of variation in the colour scheme of this page is quite calming, and makes the reader feel as if they are reading this magazine only because they want to, and have not been intimidated into it, which is quite an appealing feature of this page.

At the very bottom of the page, on the inside side, is the magazine’s website ‘www.thefly.co.uk’. Also, on the outside side is the magazine’s name in the same form as the masthead on the front cover. Although there does not seem to be a specific house style established on this contents page, both of these feature on every page of the magazine.

Also at the top of the page, in a very small and plain font, is the word ‘contents’. This concludes that, although the page is functional, it is mainly designed to be a well designed and attractive page to look at. This is most likely due to the fact that it would be the first page the reader will see, and thus sets an example for the rest of the magazine, which means it is imperitive that it makes the good impression that it does.

 

 

This is one of the feature articles in the March 2013 issue of The Fly, focusing on the band ‘Peace’. The first page of this 5-page article is completely occupied by a full-page group shot of the band. The picture is appealing to the band’s audience as the band are looking very nonchalant and are dressed ironically. This picture has been edited to make certain colours more prominent. For example, the brightness and contrast of the picture have been increased in order to make the band’s faces stand out more and also complement the white colour of the text. Also in the image, the red background and the red of the rightmost individual’s shirt complement the red in the headline. The same is true for the yellowish colour of the clothing of the individual in the middle-right, which complements the yellow that also features in the headline.

The headline ‘Peace & Love’ is very appealing as it complements aspects of the image and the style of it is continued throughout the article. It also uses the same font as the one that was used for the cover line on the magazine’s front cover, which creates a strong sense of band identity. The word ‘Peace’ is written in pure, bright red; ‘&’ is written in white, and ‘Love’ is written in bright yellow. These colours complement each other well and all stand out on the pure black background. This makes them very aesthetically pleasing. The headline also takes up about a third of the page, is all capitalized, italicized and is relatively bold. The large size of the text is quite effective and nice to look at. The headline is also effective as it links to the text well, ‘Peace’ being the name of the band, and ‘love’ being the focus of their music.

The standfirst is located directly below the headline and uses the same font as the headline. It is mostly written in white, except for the word ‘Peace’ which is yellow, and the integrated byline of ‘Ben Homewood’ which is in red. These colours link the headline to the standfirst which, visually, is rather appealing. The standfirst is also, like the headline, all in capital letters and italicised, which sets it out from the main body of text. The standfirst is appealing as it prepares the reader for the article and entices them to read it, ending with an ellipsis, suggesting that the story has only just begun.

The dropcap is in the same font as the headline and standfirst and is also italicised. This allows for a stronger sense of band identity, which is visually appealing. The dropcap is also larger than the text in the standfirst, but considerably smaller than the Headline. This size is large enough to be effective and not distracting, which is very attractive. It is also coloured white, which matches the main body of text.

The main body of text is also written in the same font as the headline, standfirst and dropcap, although it is not large enough to have any specific impact. It is coloured white, in order to be very clearly seen against the black background. The text is organised into two columns, which fits nicely on the page and does not look like it would be too much to read, which is rather appealing.

At the end of each main body of text (where the text will continue on the next page), there are two arrows pointing to the right (much like a fast forward symbol). This signifies that the text does in fact continue over the page and does not abruptly end. This greater ease of use makes the magazine fool-proof, which is obviously rather appealing. Similarly, at the start of any main body of text, there are two arrows pointing to the left, signifying that the text has not abruptly started.

Turning the page, the background is now white, with the text in black. The main body of text is still mostly the same, being organised into two columns and using the same font; this consistency is quite appealing. The main body of text continues to be consistent throughout the remainder of the article.

At the bottom of the third page is a segment named 'Peace time', which details Ben Homewood's weekend with the band in 'bite-size' chunks. This is a rather interesting feature, as some people may not want to read the full article, but can still get the gist of it through reading this section. However, even if the reader does want to read the full article, this section is still rather fun and entertaining. It is set out clearly from the main body of text with a yellow banner. The font is also different, helping to more clearly show that this is a separate section. This segment is continued on the forth page, to the same effect.

On the final two pages of the article, pull quotes are used. One is located within the 'Peace time' banner, whilst the other is placed within the design on the fifth page. These pull quotes are unconventional as they feature the name of the person who said the words after the quote. This sort of format is often found in quotes, but not in magazines. This seems to give the quotes more purpose but also makes them feel more personal, which is appealing to the magazine’s audience.

On the fifth page is a collection of images, one of each band member. Each photograph is separated from the others using the lines of 'The Peace Sign' (☮). This is interesting as it is unconventional but also fits in with the band's name and the overall feel of the article.​