Annotating TV listing magazines

double page spreads

Main imageThis is located in the centre and takes up the majority of space. Thus drawing the readers attention to it. Moreover the figures, setting of the image as well as the ‘tardis’ prominently placed in the middle, capture the main features of the programme, making it instantly recognisable to readers familiar with ‘Doctor Who’.

Main headlineWitty pun on title of programme, eye catching and draws reader’s attention. This also captures the essence of the article that is focused on the introduction of a new ‘Doctor Who’, Matt smith.

Stand firstA very condensed summary of the article in order to give the reader a brief idea insight as to what will follow.

Further images These supplement the article, providing a source of visual imagery to further engage the reader.

By-lines

With regards to my own personal response to this TV Times article, I find it both visually engaging and a good source of information. The main focus of the article is certainly that concerning imagery, which dominates both pages of the spread with text intertwined throughout. Combined with the almost chaotic layout, this feature is both eye catching and visually appealing to the reader. However I do feel that there could be slightly more emphasis on the text and further information included, simply to balance out the feature so that it is not so heavily directed towards images.

Something that I thought proved most effective within this article is the use of puns and the play on words used throughout the headline and its by- lines. This makes the feature feel both light hearted and endearing whilst also capturing the attention of the reader and persuading them to read on.

Sub-sectionThis small panel featuring “four famous TV ‘fracas’”, helps to break down the main bulk of text for the reader, making the article appear far less daunting to read, whilst also making the page more visually diverse and adding a light-hearted element to the feature. Moreover this proves an appropriate method of incorporating a series of images to add more diversity, without overpowering or distracting from the body of the article.

Main HeadlineAgain, a pun has been used here to set the tone of the article. It is a clever play on words relating to the nature of the feature, as well as engaging and capturing the attention of the reader.

Main body of textThe layout is simple but also visually pleasing, despite their being a rather large volume of text, due to the way in which it created an almost boarder effect surrounding the main image, as well as the smaller ones.

CaptionThe caption for the main image follows the play on words/pun demonstrated in the main headline, in keeping with the lighthearted approach to the feature

I definitely prefer the layout and effects of this double page spread to the Doctor Who one. Although they both incorporate a variety of images to avoid presenting an overwhelming volume of text to the reader, I feel as thought the Top Gear article does so far more successfully. There is exactly the appropriate ratio of text to images, providing the feature with a balance between the two, whilst maintaining enough substance and information. Moreover having the smaller images confined within the subsection and arranged in an orderly manner, prevents the layout from seeming chaotic, which was the impression I was given by the Doctor Who feature.

I will certainly be taking inspiration from this to enhance my own product. I feel as though visually engaging, whilst sophisticated layout, also providing a sufficient body of text, is exactly the effect that I wish to achieve.