Detailed analysis of

my chosen music magazine :

The Q magazine

The colour scheme is bold red,

The Q magazine is of the rock
black and yellow. This connotes to
music genre magazine
the target audience being more
because of the rock band, U2,
male because stereotypically bold
used for the main image.
colours are associated with men.
However, the use of the
Whereas, calmer colours such as
secondary image of 50 cent
pinks and purples are more
connotes the magazine is not
female. In addition, the colour
completely rock as he is a rap
scheme shows that the genre is
artist. This means the
rock because the bold , shocking
magazine expands its
colours are similar to the music of
possible target audience.
the rock genre.
The main cover line World exclusive
U2: On the roadand into battle. The
main cover line is designed like a
stamp which has mark the main
image. The main cover line is used as
an anchorage to advertise the main
article of this edition about U2. the
stamp design is a reference to stamps
people going to converts get when
entering the gig. Therefore, this
further shows that the article is fixed
around U2 world tour.
The bottom stripe uses the buzzword
PLUS! in a red font to attract
attention to it as it refers to other
articles included.
The barcode is unconventional located
by the main image to the left in the
middle. The barcode is normally
positioned where the red puff is. This
shows that Q is an established brand
as it is willing to take risks and go
against the conventions.

The masthead is only one letter Q so it

can not run across the top of the front
cover which mastheads conventional do.
The selling line The worlds greatest
music magazine is located above the
masthead to attract the target audience.
The selling line uses the buzz word
Greatest to attract the audience as it
creates a representation of the
magazine to be important. The genre is
detonated by the selling line above the
masthead
as it says music magazine. this further
promotes
the
brand is
ofinformal
Q magazine
to
The
mode of
address
through
become
more
recognisable.
out
the front
cover
expect for the phrase
Your guide to the month in music. This
direct address is located in the puff, which
makes the audience imply that magazine
is aimed with them directly in mind and it
is not just a collection of information
about the music world. This will make the
target audience believe that is important
for them to buy the magazine as it is their
personal guide to recent music.
The cover lines are located along the
centre of the page towards the bottom in
bright yellow. This breaks the convention
that the cover lines are usually over to
the sides of the page. This is a creative
use of cover lines and connotes to the
rock genre. As the bright yellow with the
black is a Sharpe contrast of colours and
is stereotypically used on rock albums.

The main image is of the famous

iconic rock band U2 and the main
image is a long shot of all the
groups members. The two
members of the group that are
positioned in the middle of the
picture are looking down the lens.
This is direct address which gives
the impression to the audience the
band is directly talking to them.
Also, the image is front of the
masthead as two members of U2
are slightly covering the Q logo.
This shows that the band is the
main focus of this edition because
they even bring attention away
from the masthead. This is a
breaking of conventions as usually
the top part of the main image is
The target audience of this edition
covered by the masthead.
of Q magazine is a focus on U2
fans. Therefore, working class men
in their late 30s to mid 50s. They
would probably have manual work
such as building. They could be
married and have a few children.
For their spare time they would go
done to the local pub on weekends
with friends and go to concerts of
their favourite rock band when
they are touring.

The layout is different from many

conventional magazine front covers.
However, this is because Q magazine is an
established brand so they can break
conventions and know they with have a
large readership. The rule of thirds is used
on the page as the two middle members of
the band are use in hotspots. This attracts
attention to all the faces of the members of
the band, which means that the audiences
eyes will be guided to the main selling
point. Therefore, the fans of U2 will know
that the edition is about something that
The mise en scene of the magazine
interests them.
is like a make shift sign as the U2
stamp and the cover lines are in a
banner format. This layout is almost
overwhelming to the eyes but works
the rock theme because it look like a
sign from a concerts.
The layout uses squares there is no
rounded edges. This connotes to the
rock genre as all the music is harsh
and not soft.
The colour scheme is a black back
ground with red and yellow. This use of
colour is effective as the black contrast
the bright colours. Also, this connotes
to a male target audience as dark
colours and bright reds are associated
with masculinity. In addition, they are
colours frequently used in the rock
genre so they are stereotypical of rock
music. This makes the audience aware
that a rock band is the main focus of
this edition.

The mise en scene

is like a scrap book
as the some of the
pictures are shaped
like polaroids. This
use of a hand make
layout makes the
magazine feel more
personal so the
audience feel more
invited to read the
magazine. The
colour scheme is a
white background
with small bursts of
colour with the
page numbers. The
page numbers are
in small bubbles
each a different
colour. This is so the
audience can find
the page numbers
easily.
This layout is not a
stereotypical layout
for a rock magazine
but this shows that
magazine is not just
interested in rock
music. The rap star

The house style is shown by the

same font used. The smooth
squared font is used through the
magazine to show the Q brand.
The Q from the masthead is used
in the contents title to show to
reinforce the Q brand. This is so
the audience will recognise when
they look for magazines.

The main image is the

picture of U2 as they are
the cover story. The shot is
a long shot as all the band
is visible and eye level as
the camera is in line with
their eye line. This creates
a mode of address to the
audience as it will feel the
band is looking directly at
the reader. This creates a
personal feel to the
magazine. In addition, all
the articles have pictures
linked to them and most
of the music artists are
directly looking at the
audience so for example
50 cent.
This of use of picture helps
the reader to recognise
the music artists so the
the article titles are the names of the audience know which
music artists names. This is not a
articles
want to
Thethey
datewill
is above
the
stereotypical feature of music
read.contents so the
contents page but it is useful for the
reader knows that the
target audience , of music lovers, as
information is
they will know the bands. This helps
relevant.
the audience to be directed to the
articles they will want to read. As their
main focus will be on the music

Double Page Spreads

This first double
page spread on the
rock band U2
includes an
introductory
paragraph to the
article and a grab
quote. The use of
the large picture to
start the article is
visually attractive
to the audience as
they are not
greeted with large
amounts of text.
Instead the first
article has a large
main image of the
band. I will be
analysing the
second double page
spread but I have

The layout is conventional article layout with the main article and the
text are separated. The text surrounds the main image which is
position towards the top left corner. This makes the main image a
larger focal point on the page as it is by itself.
The colours are large and the text is no the small font commonly used
in magazines, it is larger. All the space in the page is used so the page
looks filled with information for fans if U2 to read. The colour scheme
used is plain white with red. The red is used on the drop cap and the
page number to attract attention to those two things. The colour are
used on the contents page as well creating a house style for the
magazine.
The overall impression is a welcoming article aimed at fans shown by
the picture as it of the band with their fans. The main image is of an
U2 concert with one of band members singing to the fans. This
appeals to the target audience of U2 fan it creates a relationship
between the fans and U2. The image shows that U2 tries to include
fans in their image. A personal mode of address is created from the
band to the fans as the article is shown to be about the relationship
between the music artist U2 and their loyal fan base.