NMEANALYSIS

EYE FLOWThe eyeflow on the cover is designed to draw as

much attention to the cover model Jay-Z as

possible. The NME logo and badge next to it

guide the eye down towards Jay-Z’s face and

from there it trails off. There is a distinct absence

of kickers to emphasize the model. As this is one

of the first NME covers to feature a hip hop/Rap

artist they are making clear the importance by

leaving room around the model. Even the other

model is looking directly at Jay-Z so if you

happened to glance at him you would be re-

directed to Jay-Z.

MASTHEAD

The font is large and blocky

making it readable and

modern. The blocky

squared off edges and

points again associate it

with modern culture. The

lack of white space is

significant because it is a

modern feature, seeming to

reflect the business of youth

and popular culture.

The square shape of the

letters connotes pixels and

the television culture of

today. Where as the sharp

edges give the magazine a

grungy untamed feel, which

is important as NME prides

itself on being new and

fresh, which in the music

industry is usually indie

music, with a grungy feel.

The way the font is embossed

makes it feel as if it is on a

poster for a band or outside a

venue. It’s large block font and

multiple outlines make it stand

out from the background.

The colour red connotes danger,

which is something that indie

bands also associate

themselves with. It also makes

the magazine stand out on the

shelf.

The masthead is only 3

letters, despite the full title

being ‘new music

experience’ this is not only

catch but also easy to spot.

The masthead is

found to the side of

the cover and often

is overshadowed

by the model or a

kicker.

KICKERS

BADGES

The magazine itself only features one main coverline. And that relates

to the cover image. The addition of Jay-Z to the cover is a big change

to NME’s usual features of indie bands and so this cover was left bare

to emphasize this change. The kicker itself fits in between the two

models on the cover and features Jay-Z’s logo font, which lightly serif

but still bold. The order of the writing doesn’t fit to a grid, which is

something often found in indie magazines, words will be placed

seemingly randomly. The text is coloured the same red as the

masthead, which is unusual as often magazines will have a secondary

colour for kickers however in this case it is necessary to associate Jay-

Z with the institution to make the readers feel comfortable with this

diversion from their common features.

NME often put their kickers into badges that are placed over the cover.

This is not only space saving but adds to the grundgy feel of the

magazine. Badges came into fashion with the punk rock era in the late

70’s and have recently made a comeback through modern punk bands

such as my chemical romance. Musicians often wear badges as

accessories on their jackets and so by placing them on the cover Nme

is directly associating itself with these new indie bands. Similarly they

add to the chaotic nature of the cover by straying from the usual linear

square cover principals.

LANGUAGE

The NME cover is filled by ‘music slang’ words which

are often only understandable to fans of the indie genre.

‘Cribs’ is a word which was associated with the hip

hop/rap genre because of it’s common use in songs and

also the MTV television show ‘cribs.’ The word cribs also

connotes these overly extravagant dream houses, and

by featuring this on the cover NME is associating itself

with MTV and their large youth following as well as the

idea of luxury. ‘Smash’ again connotes this idea of

danger and rebellion which is a topic of indie music. By

putting this on their cover NME are associating with not

only indie music, but also the idea of music as a form of

rebellion. Similarly the idea of rebelling through music

and the noise of it is exploited in the badge describing it

as the ‘loudest’ collaboration. This again identifies with

the target audience as being outrageous and to an

extent appealing. The bands are also often referred to in

short hand, for example rock band Biffy Clyro are

labeled ‘biffy’ which means only an avid reader or music

fan would understand the coverline.

COLOUR SCHEME

NME has a unified colour scheme that is commonly found throughout

the music genre of black red and white. The masthead features all of

the primary colours of the homepage. The colours Red and Black

heavily connote this idea of rebellion through music and give the

magazine an edge to it. Similarly by having the serif text in red

shows an absence to conform, hence why they are flipping the

conventions of using Serif text on it’s head. The magazine uses

white for it’s background, which is mainly to emphasize and highlight

the darker colours and the red. Similarly if you look at the model Jay-

Z he is wearing black glasses. The colour black is important because

it is a symbol of Jay-Z’s musical heritage and the culture he so

proudly represents. As the blur between bootleg music and

commercial hits becomes more blurred This colour connotes not on

jay-Z’s heritage but also is significant in the punk band revival. Black

is a mysterious colour and hence why often bands will have dyed

black hair and even black eyeliner.

MODEL

Unusually for a music magazine the model is

wearing shades, this is because readers usually find

it easier to be more drawn to eyes. However again

NME is flipping these conventions around by directly

opposing them. It again enhances the institutions

image, but also connotes power. Jay-Z seems more

impressive because of his ability to hide away from

the reader. The glasses also connote Jay-Z’s

musical upbringing, whereby the colour black is seen

as being fashionable and a way of being apart from

the rest of society. Again the model is looking directly

at the reader which is in many respects to make

them feel connected with the institution and the

magazine. Jay-Z is smiling which is unusual in the

music magazine genre, as often artists have certain

personas to uphold. In the case however, as it is one

of NME’s first rap focused cover it could be perhaps

to make the consumer feel less unsettled by the

change. Similarly the clothes Jay-z wears are casual

and he looks more comfortable and at home. The

secondary model acts like more of a pointer towards

JAY-Z. he is facing directly to the side so that we

almost don’t see any of his face. The insignificance

of the secondary model is highlighted by the fact that

he is not only smaller that Jay-Z but also he is

masked by a lot of the coverlines and the masthead,

whereas Jay-Z is left untouched.