MAGAZINE ANALYSIS OF Q
FRONT COVER
Q is produced by Bauer Media Group and is a popular music magazine in the UK. Q magazines have a target audience of people between the ages of 30 and 40, individually cost £3.90 and are published monthly. Q was created because they felt it was a niche market as there was not a magazine for the older generation who were still buying CD's. The circulation of Q is 103,017, this represents the number of copies distributed for each issue.
The magazine was originally going to be called 'Cue', due to the cueing of a record in order for it to play, however was changed to 'Q' due to the possible confusion with it being a snooker magazine. Plus a single lettered title is thought to be more prominent on newstands. The white title stands out in comparison to the rest of the magazine, and due to it being much larger than any other text on the page, therefore coming across as very powerful and bold. In addition of this, the white text on the red background is very eyecatching, and due to it only being one letter, would be more prominent on newsstands. The colour scheme of red and white appears to have been continued throughout the front page of the magazine, making it also look very structured and professional. Even though the title of the magazine is very short and simplistic, it does not lose the effect that it is suppose to have on the reader, therefore fulfilling its purpose of drawing the attention of the reader in.
Another area that makes an impact is the large subheading that is placed at the top of the page. This overlaps the title which makes the reader feel that these words are more important than the name of the magazine. The bold statement that is made also makes the readers want to find out more, therefore fulfilling its purpose.
readers want to find out more, therefore fulfilling its purpose. Due to the subheading overlapping the title of the magazine, your attention is drawn here straight away, making the magazine look exciting and interesting. This is also the only thing that the reader is able to see whilst it is on the shelf, so it has to be captivating in order for them to pick it up.
The strapline for this magazine, it is a lot smaller in terms of font size this does not have a large impact on the reader however it does not stand
not stand out as much which may mean that the audience will loose the impact of its statement. By using punction such as the exclemation mark and ellipsis it draws the attention to the words for example by putting the exclemation mark after the 'PLUS' it makes the next statement sound even more important and exclusive and would draw the attention of the reader in. The colour scheme that is used throughout the whole front cover is also continued here, therefore makes the overall appearence of the page very attractive and professional.
The main image is of the award winning, extremely popular Ed Sheeran. Ed Sheeran is a musical role model for many people in the world. His background was made public to everyone when he started out his music career, this inspired people around the world to be like him. This image of him is a medium shot. The impact of a medium shot is that it grabs the audiences attention however it also allows the reader to look at his body language and the way he is standing. By displaying Ed Sheeran in the medium shot it allows them to include his instrument that everybody would relate to him. The guitar also represents the type of music displayed in this edition of the magazine, and could show the chart or ballard music that is out now, it can reperesent that the articles may be more subtle than others as this is the way a guitar is played. Another very large aspect of the image is the way that Ed Sheeran is looking. His eyes are looking up and are not the main vocal point of the image. He is not engaged with the camera and the position of his eyes looks as though he is thinking about something, but the reader is left with an open interpretation. His body language looks very relaxed, this makes the reader sense that he is content and that the artice featured in the magazine may be less intense and more casual due to the way we interpret him. He is also wearing slightly duller colours, they are more blue and balck colours, this makes the writing stand out as they do not blend in with the background. Overall, I think the image is a good representation for the magazine and will attract many members of the target audience.
These were additional pieces of text on the front cover advertising what was shown inside the magazine. The different sizes was very eyecatching and bold, making sure that the audience was drawn to the name. The colours that were used continued the theme of the colours, with the white text, and red line that seperated each subheading. The information that is given on the front cover does not go into depth about the different topics within the magazine, yet makes the audience intrigued and want to read more. The name of each artist is made bold as well as larger than the rest of the text. This ensures that it stands out against the dark background and fulfills its purpose of capturing the attention of the reader. The design is also very simplistic, making sure that the front cover of the magazine does not look too over the top and overpowering, resulting in a very profssional design.
CONTENTS PAGE
Next to the contents page title, the logo is also present ensuring that throughout the magazine, it is being advertised, reminding the reader of which magazine they are reading. The white text is placed on a black background like a banner on the top of the page. This makes it stand out and allows the reader to see exactly what the page is about. Within the banner there is a section that has the date and the website link for the online issues of Q. The colours used for the title are very minimalistic and allow the other colours on the magazine to stand out such as the red.
The house styile is the same as the cover of the magazine, red, white and black, ensuring that there is consistency throughout. This makes the overall appearence of the magazine come across really professional, yet simple and effective. The white sans-serif font contrasts with the background, making it much more eye-catching. The page numbers are all in red, which stands out against the white background. However, on the contents page, there is an 'Oasis Special!' section, where the title and page numbers are in gold. Gold connotates something special, which links well with what the section is about. By using a different colour font, the audiences eyes are immediately drawn to it. Throughout the contents page, each of the titles are in capital letters, this shows the importance and make it stand out in comparison to the rest of the text on the page.
Next to the contents page title, the logo is also present ensuring that throughout the magazine, it is being advertised, reminding the reader of which magazine they are reading. The white text is placed on a black background like a banner on the top of the page. This makes it stand out and allows the reader to see exactly what the page is about. Within the banner there is a section that has the date and the website link for the online issues of Q. The colours used for the title are very minimalistic and allow the other colours on the magazine to stand out such as the red.
The house styile is the same as the cover of the magazine, red, white and black, ensuring that there is consistency throughout. This makes the overall appearence of the magazine come across really professional, yet simple and effective. The white sans-serif font contrasts with the background, making it much more eye-catching. The page numbers are all in red, which stands out against the white background. However, on the contents page, there is an 'Oasis Special!' section, where the title and page numbers are in gold. Gold connotates something special, which links well with what the section is about. By using a different colour font, the audiences eyes are immediately drawn to it. Throughout the contents page, each of the titles are in capital letters, this shows the importance and make it stand out in comparison to the rest of the text on the page.
The contents page consists of several images featuring the main article artists. The largest image on the page is showing the artist 'The Courteeners', their stance looks very casual as they are standing with their hands in their pockets. In terms of where each member of the band is looking there is a variety. For the main member of the band he is placed in the centre and slightly more forward from the others. This means that he looks slightly more important than the others, he is also wearing glasses which adds a sense of mystery to the band. The two men placed either side of them are looking in the direction of the camera which makes them look slightly more formal than the other two. The fourth member of the band comes across as slightly abscent minded showing contrast in personalities. By having casual clothing on the top of a hill implies that they have gained authority and popularity in the music world through being themselves. At the bottom of the image there is a small text box that tells the reader who they are, as well as shows the page number that the full article can be found. This stands out in comparison to the other pieces of text because it is in red and is the most colourful thing in that part of the page. The bold font also stands out, and appears to be the most important piece of text, as it is the first thing you read when looking at the text box.
A lure is used on the contents page which says 'The Wolrld's biggest and best music guide.' This is used to entice the readers and make them want to buy the magazine, as it is the 'best'. The page is divided into thirds which is a popular way of making the page look organised. The main image takes up two columns, which suggests that the article about this artist is quite big and important. The larger image is the focal point of the page. The different headings within the contents page helps catergories the articles, making it easier for the reader to find pages.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
At the top of the right page there is a title stating lady GAGA which is the name of the artist on the left hand side of the double page spread. This is the only title within this double page spread aside from this there is a large red L placed behind the text, Q uses this technique with every double page spread, the first letter of the artist or the band is always placed behind the text in a different colour. This shows that the artist is so popular, a title is unecessary. Throughout these articles there are multiple drop caps. They are eyecatching and allows the audience to see where each new section was and this therefore looks very professional.
At the top of the right page there is a title stating lady GAGA which is the name of the artist on the left hand side of the double page spread. This is the only title within this double page spread aside from this there is a large red L placed behind the text, Q uses this technique with every double page spread, the first letter of the artist or the band is always placed behind the text in a different colour. This shows that the artist is so popular, a title is unecessary. Throughout these articles there are multiple drop caps. They are eyecatching and allows the audience to see where each new section was and this therefore looks very professional.
The main image on this double page spread is of Lady GAGA, it takes up the entire page of this double page spread which makes it the first thing that the reader sees when opening the page. The image on this double page spread is very revealing, there is minimal clothing which is very provocative however this is how multiple audiences see lady gaga. She is wearing minimal makup and her hair looks very natural, this means that the article is seen as more of a down to earth insite to Lady GAGA rather than a usual up to date article. Lady GAGA is looking directly at the camera and the way her head is positioned is slightly lifted portraying empowerment and confidence. It is an additional way of engaging with the reader, gaining their attention and keeping them interested.
The image is in black and white, which in some cases can make the double page spread more sophisticated. Due to this, the large red letter 'L' on the other page stands out much more, making the overall appearence of the page professional, unique and attractive. Whereas, if the image was in colour, the red text would not stand out as much and have such a dramatic impact.
Within the text the majority of the page is written in the same size font. However, at the beginning of different paragraphs there are drop caps made in bold. This draws the attention of the reader here straight away and suggests that the beginning part of the paragraph is more important than the rest. As there are only letters highlighted in a larger font other than words, this would continue the theme of only letters being used to symbolise things, similarly to the title of the magazine and large red 'L' in the background.