Gramophone Magazine double page spread analysis

I really enjoyed looking at this double page spread from Gramophone magazine.

I noticed that it is all in grey scale, which suits the article for the composer it is focusing on.  The font styles also suit the running theme of a classical composer, it being in a very classical looking serif for which is used though out the double page spread. All of the text has be written in a medium shad of grey which is also pleasing for the eye. The text grabs the readers attention because of the choice of language used:

The page heading has Alliteration in it and there are also two oxymoron's in the sub heading. The drop cap at the beginning of the first paragraph gives the dense text a bit of order and clarity as to when the main article is starting. It is also an interesting design feature. This also helps with the 'grid lines' when the page is being produced and spacing out the columns.

I prefer this double page spread because it is really clearly broken up into different stages, which the two large columns in the right hand page, with another image of the composer ,with his wife at the piano, breaking up the text into more manageable units. Thus making it less daunting, but interesting to the reader.

The full page photograph of Oliver Massiaen (composer and subject of the double page spread) is very personal and you can by the way he is looking at 'us' what his personality might be like and this can give us an instant insight into what this article is going to be based on.

Onto the layout of this double page spread, we clearly see how everything has been broken up to maximum effect. Stereotypically I was expecting a more dense looking Article with 'broadsheet' like qualities. Instead we get a nicely presented, well spaced and refreshing presentation. As you can see there is an invisible grid line along the top of the page for the header of the page where the title is but nothing else giving it space. Next down we have the gird lines for the sub heading, again only used for the sub heading.

Then there are two more lines for the beginning of the text columns and the Massiaen section of text, broken up by the photograph of Massiaen's wife at the piano. And then finally the last grid lines for the footer of the page.

running vertically, there are only 3 grid lines. One for the left hand margin, on to break the two text columns and place the small photo and one for the right hand margin.

The editor has left the page boarder grid lines in the final print. This gives the double page spread even more definition and emphasizes everything in its place. It also gives a solid design feature, being sort of a 'modernistic classical' look.