Genesis of the NME

How the style and layout of the NME has changed over the
years...
 1952
The NME announces its arrival by
publishing the first singles chart. Items
of interest are generally ‘boxed off’ and
head profiles are the favoured graphic
imagery. Fonts are very varied to
match the context.
1956
The occasional action shots are used
along with stylised text (in Zambesi).
Note how the background is often
erased from photographs to maintain a
clean black and white ‘message board’
look.
 1961 1965 1969
The 60s maintains the interest in the ‘celebrities’ by using continuous close-up shots of the artists. It experiments
in the mid-sixties with a large broadsheet landscape format as opposed to its traditional portrait format and
develops its style accordingly by using banners resembling those pasted above music halls to announce the arrival
of the latest talent. Even at this stage, it is becoming involved in ‘poll-winner’ events to make contacts in the music
industry. However, in the late sixties, the ‘hippy era’ brings in more artistic styles as the NME struggles to
compete with the Melody Maker’s continued dominance in taking a more ‘hippy-friendly’ approach.
 1972 1974 1977
The 70s sees a revised version of the masthead as it enters a tri-colour stage (including red) yet the design
remains in doubt as it struggles to find a formula that matches its identity as a magazine, from the billboard red
style to the ‘electric’ look of the joined up writing in ‘77. It begins by taking a very newspaper-like approach in ‘72
before relying on powerful, stark, iconic photography that helps to finally give it the edge over the Melody Maker.
This rapidly becomes NME’s heyday as it focuses on a clear ‘underground’ sub-culture and gives it a voice. The
new layout confirms this.
 1980 1981 1982
The 80s brings in more full-colour content but note how it does not abandon the stark black-and-white approach
to reinforce the effect of being iconic. The messy ‘cut-up’ techniques shown in the cover from ‘81 belongs to a
continued interest in the punk and post-punk scene, reflecting Vivienne Westwood’s influence on punk fashion.
The photography remains powerful even when dipping into the electro-pop scene until, in ‘82 graphic impact is
achieved powerfully by using images and text in ‘layers’. Note how the masthead has finally found the classic red
logo format as a result of the work of Barney Bubbles, a highly-influential record sleeve artist of the time.
 1988 1989 1991
In the late 80s to early 90s the NME goes full-colour but is still printed on low-quality newspaper-style paper to
allow for the costs of coloured ink. Inset shots and secondary leads become more common and the masthead
becomes more flexible to allow the house style some flexibility. The menu strip at the top is now a fully established
convention and much more attention is paid to the left third to help the magazine stand out on the shelves.
Colour use becomes very adaptable as the photo shoots become more ambitious but lively and exciting as opposed
to the darkly serious, iconic images of the early 80s and late 70s.
 1995 1998 2000
The rapid surge of a variety of music scenes causes NME to shift focus between Britpop, Hip-Hop, Grunge, rave,
jungle, electronic music and other forms of cross-over and it struggles to find a look to appeal to them all but
experiments wildly with a range of different styles that, to just choose some examples, use inter-textuality to
mimic other media (see ‘95 cover which mimics a boxing billboard), use photographic manipulation for effect and
adjusting its font range to suit the scene (‘98 cover) or maximise the use of direct mode of address with big close-
ups of the iconic stars which is more a development of its earlier styles.
 2005 2006 2006
In the early to mid-noughties, the NME uses the full range of conventions that we sometimes see today, sometimes
with lavish use of colour. Since the 90s the style has been known as postmodern with the ‘05 cover showing how
the NME now laughs at itself, using images to refer to itself and the way it normally does things in order to
decrease the distance between the magazine and its consumers. Special issues become more frequent including
the ‘NME Originals’ range which began in 2002 (see next slide) and made maximum use of the growing interest in
‘retro’ music by taking inspiration from its own past. Meanwhile, it begins asking readers themselves about their
views on issues affecting the music industry. Could this be a symptom of the arrival of its website and Web 2.0?
 2008 2009 2011
The sudden mass availability of highly advanced digital technology such as Photoshop allows for many more
effects to be applied and a wide variety of graphic styles to be employed that both fit with the subject in hand but
also work within an adaptable format. Note how the masthead, barring an indecision whether to ditch the slogan,
has remained the same until 2010. Note also how the visual impact of the new media has been partnered with
often shocking and visually arresting subject matter that reflects a more in-yer-face approach normally adopted
by the metal magazines such as Kerrang! However, note the many sudden differences in 2011......
 NME
Design
Rules
1 – Remain iconic. Even Conde Nast, the publishers of Vogue, has mimicked NME’s bold
photographic style in dealing with its icons (see above).
2 – Adopt, adapt and improve. The NME remains where it is today because it is a chameleon that
has changed itself according to the music environment it finds itself in. Its indecision over content in
the 80s led to establishing a very adaptable house style.
3 – Brand Power. Since 1978, the NME has kept its ‘Barney Bubbles’ logo in the top-left third. As an
online brand, the masthead is crucial in ‘stamping’ online content to gain ownership and recognition.
4 – Keep it edgy. Always known originally for its scathing criticism and sharp edge, the NME has
always worked best when it pulled no punches and went for maximum impact.
 2000

Rival Design
Having been known as the leading music
1993 publication in the 60s, the Melody Maker does
have a reputation for having been THE hippy
publication at the time. It has always tended to
follow the more popular and less niche music
scenes than the NME and, despite producing
some serious articles on suicide (see pics below
left), it has appeared less likely to break with its
standard conventions. On the whole, it has
been seen by some as lighter reading and more
colourful with perhaps less seriousness and a
more fun approach, as shown in its choice of
photography. Its most renowned cross-page
1995 masthead never had the official, iconic ‘stamp’
effect of the NME.
By the time it was ‘merged’ with the NME in the
year 2000, it had lost its trademark masthead
and taken on a more pulp look that resembles
some of the cheap gossip and lads mags that
were set to make a big impact on the industry
NME - 1986 e.g. Heat and Nuts.
 One step too far...?
Since Krissi Murison, the NME’s first-ever female editor, took over in July 2009, it
has meant a radical overhaul of the NME and this has been reflected in the
design. Note, first of all, how the NMEs above reflect the sort of style conventions
normally associated with female magazines and other music magazines with a
large female following e.g. R n’ B.
Note how the clean look of the likes of Vogue has been integrated to allow for both
a sophisticated, mature look and to also maintain some edginess. Gone are the
box-outs, secondary leads, busy look and focus on language techniques and in
comes a choice selection of the most vital, high-impact elements to create more of
an adapted poster-style with simple but lush use of colour and digital
photography. Note how the masthead colour is determined by colour in the
photo.
Most significantly, note the loss of the original Barney Bubbles logo as noted in
this blog: Has the NME blundered? If branding is so important, is this a mistake?
Or is it simply aiming to become more authoritative and less ‘indie-guitar-based’
in order to fend off the challenge of bloggers and other sites focusing on niche