General
- Which company produces the magazine?
- What is the target audience according to the publisher's website?
- How much does it cost?
- How often is it published?
- What is its circulation?
- What data is available about it on the NRS website?
Front Cover Analysis
- The magazine name is Q, this represents the word 'cue' used in the music industry (particularly radio) as in the sense of cueing a record ready to play.
- The masthead is bold; the loud colour scheme immediately snatches the reader's attention. The logo is situated in the top left-hand corner of the cover, taking up approximately one-eighth of the page. It takes the form of a red square consisting of a large white serif script 'Q' inside of it. The square has no border as this would segregate it from the remains of the cover. The typeface sued for the masthead is serif; generally speaking, serif typefaces are used informally. The font colour is very important within this masthead as using white upon a bright colour makes it seem pertinent. Red has many connotations with love, danger, passion, anger and celebration. Therefore red is a colour often used to accent objects of importance. The combination of using red and white could potentially show relevance to the national flag of England, showing patriotism.
- This magazine has no strapline.
- The main image portrays the band 'Arctic Monkeys'. Their facial expressions are all quite sombre and serious. Each of the four members of the band are gazing directly into the camera, connecting not only with the lens, but more importantly the audience. Their body language and stance (with their hands in their pockets) shows an unspoken confidence and casual approach towards such an important photoshoot. Maybe this could reflect into some naivety and obliviousness to their fame and success. Each of the members are dressed informally, wearing jeans and plimsolls. The photo is in black & white, so their attire fits accordingly- mainly monochrome. In the hand of the lead singer is a 'Q Award', prizes given in a ceremony organised by Q. This shows their success in winning one, yet this further contrasts with their expressionless faces. Their apparel connects with the target audience- "open minded experience seekers" as they cover a broad range of styles as opposed to dressing key to one definite trend.
- There are no other images on the front cover, as they would detract from the emphasis that 'Arctic Monkeys' have.
- The cover lines promote the acts that won this year's 'Q Awards'. A list of the winners is written in a golden banner horizontally across the page. These not only promote the award ceremony in conjunction with the magazine, but also give the acts recognition and publicity amongst the readers. One coverline: '50 Best Albums of 2009' promotes the magaine as it was an independent poll. This will attract a higher readership due to a natural curiosity towards knowing who has been listed as having the best album of 2009. The coverline 'ARCTIC MONKEYS on growing up the hard way' strongly promotes the article written on them as once again it will attract potential readers as people will have be inquisitive about their childhood. Knowing that they have had a difficult upbringing provokes the natural emotion of morbid curiosity. The two remaining coverlines are written using the same font size, punctuation and alignment. This shows that they appear to be equally as important and significant as each other. 'Oasis' last days: The inside story', depending on the reader's taste in music could be classified as a major event in music history. Oasis were debatably one of the most successful bands throughout the 1990s and their breaking up could be devastating for some. 'Robbie Williams: Album Verdict' is the review of a comeback album, Q is giving their opinion and distributing it to all of their readers. This could attract custom as the public will be intrigued as to read just how successful the album could become. These coverlines are used as hooks for grasping potential buyers, therefore they must be short, to the point, and interesting.
There are two remaining typefaces used on the front cover- one being a serif font normally in upper case, and the other being a bold heavy sans-serif font. Used in conjunction, these fonts add real excitement to the cover. The difference between them is so dramatic that it enthuses the reader.
The colour scheme of the various typefaces consists of the colours black, red, gold and white. In my opinion gold and white dominate, however all of these colours are certainly apparent immediately. Gold exerts wealth and class whilst white symbolises truth and peace. The grouping of these two colours creates a dramatic and attention snatching effect upon the reader.
The language used is simplistic; minimal wording to get maximum impact. Due to its informal attitude, the text "talks" to its reader on a level that they will understand. The vocabulary isn't challenging and the mode of address casual making the magazine completely unintimidating and therefore reaching out to its audience. - I think in a sense that mainstream music magazines tend to follow a loose uniformity. So I would agree that Q has definite similarities to rival magazines, however its lack of text and focus on the featured band really make it distinctive.
Inside
- How many pages are there?
- How many pages are adverts?
- Categorise the products advertised into types:
Car manufacturers,
Men's grooming products,
DVD retailers,
DVD releases,
Alcohol- beers and spirits,
Men's watches,
Blackberry phones,
Headphones,
Royal Air Force,
Band tours and gig dates,
Clothing boutiques.
- Make a list of the features/articles topics in the magazine.
- Categorise the features/articles into types.
- How many double page spreads are there? What are they about?
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