Magazine analysis
- 3. Masthead – Uses a large font and bright background to draw the audience’s eye to the magazine. The white on red helps the Q stand out making it obvious what magazine it is. Puff – This is used to outline which issue the magazine is and to inform the audience on what will be inside. Splash feature – Shows the main story of the magazine and explains who is on the front cover. It also attracts his fans meaning they will buy the magazine because an article on him is inside. The red font links to the masthead creating a colour scheme that catches the audiences eye. Barcode, price, date – this is a convention of all magazines. It is very small because the publisher/editor does not want the audience to focus on the £3.99 price because this could deter people from buying it. Anchorage – This outlines the main point of the main article. It draws in the audience and make them curious to what Ed Sheeran’s story is and what the article contains. The ellipsis indicates that the story continues inside and suggests there is much more to the story also intriguing to audience and making them want to purchase the magazine to read the article.
- 4. Splash image– Ed Sheeran is not looking at the camera which may not help draw the audience in but he is looking at the buzz word which may draw the audience to that area of the cover possibly persuading them to buy the magazine. Also because he is looking away (into the distance) it makes him look reflective which references to his music which is very reflective and deep. His guitar references to the anchorage of his article and also shows what type of music he makes. The placement of the subheading and anchorage of his feature article makes it easy for the audience to work out that he is Ed Sheeran and the anchorage is referring to him. The background, although not black, is dark and then Ed Sheeran is brought out by key lighting making him stand out more. He doesn’t obstruct any of the other cover lines therefore the audience can still see them and that helps to persuade the audience to buy the magazine. Puff on bottom strip – This also attracts the reader and shows there is more in the magazine than there is just on the cover. Also it is on the left side so it is visible and the audience will be more likely to see it Buzz word – The word essential makes the audience feel more involved. It is a persuasive word trying to get the audience to feel like they must buy the magazine to find what is essential to them.
- 5. Cover lines – The names of the artists/bands larger than the anchorage so people who are fans of that artist/band will see the name and be drawn to then magazine and possibly buy the magazine because that band/artist is in the magazine. Bigger stories on left side because that is where the audience normally looks first. Plug – This is here to explain what is inside the magazine whilst catching the attention of the audience. It could be exaggerated making the audience more engaged.
- 6. Plug – Draws the audiences attention to find out about ‘50 albums of 2014’ because it stands out because of the size of the font and the background colour attracting the eye of the audience. Splash feature– the font is different to the other fonts used of the cover making it stand out more and because it is the name of the artist it could catch the eye of the artist ‘s fans making them buy the magazine because Ed Sheeran is in the magazine. The colour of the font stands out from the background therefore it also helps catch the audiences eye.
- 8. Subheading – Outlines what is on the page obviously so the reader knows what it is on the page. The colour makes it stand out and makes it the first thing the reader sees. Section subheading – Shows what is exclusive to this issue. The special one of articles and sections. They put this first so the reader sees this. Issue No. – This is a normal convention of all magazines. This could be here because people may like to collect magazines. It will also help them organise them and keep track of the amount of magazines they have done. Page number – These are a normal convention of all magazines. They are used so people know what page they are on and if they want to go to a specific page they can find it easily. The date being next to the number can help collectors so they know what month and year this magazine is from. The logo being there also helps to remind the reader what magazine they are reading.
- 9. Contents list – This shows the contents of the magazine. It states what page the article is on who it is about and outlines briefly what the article is talking about. Main article feature – The large picture and number help show that he is the main feature article of the magazine. He takes up the majority of the space in comparison to the other feature articles also showing the reader he is the big article in the magazine. The way he is posed makes him look quite confident and showing attitude which reflects the style and sound of his music. The big ‘72’ grabs the readers eye which makes them want to go to his article first because it is the first page number they will probably see.
- 10. Picture – this shows a picture of the band that is on the stated page number. This helps the reader know who the band is if they didn’t know from just the name. The previews of double page spreads may make the reader want to go to that article because they attracted by the picture or style of the article. These double page spread previews reference to one of the contents on the page next to them. This is a short outline of all the reviews in the magazine so people know who is being reviewed and will go to that page if they are interested. The range of artists being reviewed reflects the broad amount of music genres Q magazine covers.
- 11. This shows the regular parts of the magazine and what pages they are on. This is useful for the regular readers who like to read the regular articles. This is on the right side and the features are on the left side so people read the features first. The pictures show who is on the stated pages. The pictures help show who the artist is and intrigue the reader if they like the appearance of the person. The numbers being this colour helps them stand out so they are easy to see for the reader so they can find the page easily.
- 13. Main article picture – the picture represents what he started out doing, busking, showing he has come far from how he started out in music. They background of London shows where he lives and helps relate to readers because they may live in London, visited London or simply know of London. The use of a famous London landmark also helps the reader understand that the picture was taken in London. His stance and clothing reflects his style of laid back, reflective music subtly helping readers who may not of heard of him understand what type of music he makes without reading the article. His guitar at his side also demonstrates what type of music he makes. He is lit up with key lighting so he is the eye focus. This textbox does not seem to have any relevance to the contents of the magazine meaning it could just be a quirk of the magazine or just this part of the magazine. It is trying to connect with the reader with humour referring to what he is doing in the main picture and making it humorous. The colours link to the colour scheme of the magazine.
- 14. Section header – this is a quote from Ed showing this article is direct from him. The emphasis and enlargement of the words ‘I’m Back’ indicate that he may have not been doing music for a while and he is now back with new music. The quote also shows his humour and he is open on making fun of himself. This header outlines what type of person Ed is preparing people for the article and the type of style the article will be. Anchorage – The rhetorical question engages the reader and intrigues them making them want to read the article and find out the answer. There is alliteration which is a persuasive technique engaging the reader. The artist’s name is in red outline showing the article is about him. The name of the writer and photographer is a convention of many magazines. This is there so the reader knows who wrote the article and who took the pictures in the article
- 15. The large ‘I’ indicates the start of the text helping the reader find where to start reading from. The graphology links the magazine masthead as well as the background because the mast head is a white q on a red background. This emphasises the magazines colour scheme. This header outlines what the actual article is about. This could mean it is a normal part of the magazine. Putting this here helps a reader who enjoys this section find and identify. Putting ‘hot’ in red indicates the artist in the article is popular or good. The colours are part of the magazines colour scheme linking the whole magazine together. This section, ‘The Lowdown’ is a quick small overview of the album that is being talked about in the article so if the reader doesn’t want to read the article they still get the main information that is trying to be promoted in the album. The header of the section is in keeping with the magazine’s colour scheme because it white text on a background which links to many other parts of the magazine. The header also stands out because of the colours drawing the readers helping promote the artist’s album. The page number, graphic art and date are common conventions of magazines. It helps the reader navigate the magazine easily and helps collectors so they know what magazine issue they have. The graphic magazine is there to remind the reader of what magazine they are reading. These appear on every page of the magazine
- 16. There are 2 columns so the text is easy to read and the reader doesn’t get lost easily. The graphology is quite simple times new roman font. This font is easy to read and quite simple so the page look to intimidating to the reader
- 18. Masthead – The masthead is large and contrasts to the background making it stand out. Because the people in the splash image are over the masthead. This could mean that the editor assumes the audience knows what the magazine is just from the parts of masthead that is visible. This suggests that the magazine has a regular audience who buy the magazine monthly. The font relates to the genre of music the magazine is about. It relates to the stereotype of rock where the artists like to break things (stereotypically guitars). Puff – The attracts the audiences eye and persuades them to buy the magazine. It will help promote the magazine because the band will promote the competition meaning their fans will buy it. It will also attract the bands fan meaning more people will buy the magazine. Top strip – the large ‘Green Day’ will attract the eye of the audience if they are fans of Green Day. The anchorage ‘lost year revealed’ sparks the audiences interest and intrigue making them want to find out about the lost year therefore making them buy the magazine. The black background makes the strip stand out more because it contrasts with the blue, red and yellow on the rest of the cover.
- 19. Plug – the large six and word ‘posters’ catches the eye of the audience even if they do not see the play on words ‘ink- redible’. The play on words indicates what the common feature of all the posters is (artists/band members with tattoos) and it also describes what the posters are at the same time. This is a persuasive feature. This feature is on the left side which means the audience will see it first meaning the magazine editor thinks the posters will attract more people to buy the magazine. Cover Line – The word ‘confesses’ attracts the audience because it sounds exclusive and like he has been hiding something. It intrigues the audience because they will want to know what he is confessing. It makes it sound like this is the only magazine that has it. Fans of him will also be attracted to this because it is information about him. Anchorage – This outlines what will be in the article but also attracts the audience because such things as ‘who saved his life?’ is a big, interesting story that will intrigue most people. This gives of a sense of danger and drama that many people like therefore attracting them to buy the magazine.
- 20. Splash article – The large Reading and Leeds festival logo will attract people who enjoy that festival and people who are going to the festival. Also people who were fans of My Chemical Romance when they were a fan will be attracted to find out what Gerard Way has said about doing there songs meaning they will buy it. The word ultimate is a buzz word and attracts the eye of the reader and also attracts people who are going to that festival making them feel they need the magazine so they can have the guide. Splash image – The size of the people on the cover reflects the size of their cover line on the cover. Gerard Way is in the middle and is the biggest because his cover line is in the middle making his the splash feature. This shows the magazine see his article as the main one in the magazine and also the one that will attract a large audience this means they have put him as the main person on the cover to also catch the eye of people who know who he is and like him. Tom DeLonge (left) is on the cover because he was, at the time, a member of blink-182 who are listed as one of the 22 new interviews. That is also why Josh Franceschi (right) is on the cover. These people are also in the splash image because they have a large fanbase meaning there fans will buy the magazine. They are all looking straight at the camera which will attract the reader because of ‘eye contact’. It also makes them seem slightly confrontational which reflects their music and the magazine’s genre.
- 22. Page Title – This shows the reader what is on the page. The circle it is in and the colour of it make it easy to see and draws the eye first so the reader knows what this page is. A letter from the editor is a regular convention in many magazines. It puts across the editors feelings about the magazine and outline what he likes in the magazine. It may help the reader decide what they read first. The signature makes the letter seem more personal. The issue no and date are normal convention of every magazine. It helps identify the magazine. This is one of the main articles in the magazine. This is shown by it being the biggest section on the page. The page number is the biggest so the reader sees it first and is drawn to that page. The text is a different colour to nearly the rest of the page which makes it stand out more. The text is also outlining what the article is about. The picture shows who the article is about and also draws the readers eye.
- 23. This section draws the readers eye because it is on a yellow background. The logo for Reading and Leeds Festival also stands out. The logo will draw people who are going to the festival and make them want to read it. This section is on yellow because it is the features of the magazine and these were some of the parts on the cover, meaning they were things that drew the audience in. These pictures are also parts of the contents list. The large numbers outline what page the artist(s) in the pictures are on. The captions outline what the article is about. The picture also shows who the article is about.
- 24. This section helps the magazine credit people who helped with the magazine and tell the reader who helped also. The pictures at the bottom link to the text. Subheadings – These show what the contents are categorized as and help the reader if they like to read certain content to locate the articles. Contents list - The page number of the article is in red so the reader can see it easily. The focus of the article is in bold so the reader knows what the article is about. The outline of the article is in smaller font because it is not as important.
- 26. The article title is a play on words that reflects what the article is about (the season the festival takes place in) and the kind of genre/attitude Gerard Way puts across. The font of summer and monster are the same font used for the magazine masthead on the cover linking the whole magazine together. This text outlines what is in the article and the festival the article is talking about. This helps the reader understand what the article is about. The name of the artist stands out to help the reader understand who is being interviewed if they do not know from his image. The colour of the text helps it stand out because it is against black. This text also helps outline what the interview is about. It is an introduction to the article to outline what is being talked about.
- 27. The questions being asked in the article are red to show distinctly what the question is so the reader doesn’t get confused and can easily find the question that has been asked. It also helps demonstrate that the article is an interview. The festival logo at the top of the page shows this article is about the Reading and Leeds festival. This helps the reader if they are looking for the certain parts in the magazine that are about the festival. Page number – This is a normal convention of all magazines to help the reader know what page they are on and locate a certain page in the magazine. The main image for this article is of Gerard Way (the person being interviewed in the article). This is here so the reader can easily understand who is being interviewed if they know what Gerard Way looks like and if they don’t know they can find out what he looks like. The direct eye contact reflects the attitude and genre of the artists music and creates a confrontational feel. This is a direct quote from the interview. This is a quote the magazine wanted to highlight which means they think it is at a certain significance to the reader and if nothing else they want them to take this point from the interview. It is also here because the magazine may think it is something that will excite the reader.
- 29. Masthead – the masthead is obstructed by the splash images meaning the editor expects the audience to know what magazine is it from the bits of masthead visible. The colour links in with the colour scheme of the whole magazine cover. Splash article – The large graphic art links the article title to the splash images. The art style links the whole splash feature together e.g Alex Gaskarth pouring the ‘liquid’ on the title links it together and also the graphics of pop-punk give a soda/liquid feel and the can in his hand has the words ‘Dr Pop Punk’ which also links to the title. This box is a normal convention. It contains the barcode, price, issue number and date. This is here to assist the reader on the price and the barcode is needed when buying the magazine. The date and issue also helps the reader identify the magazine. Bottom strip – The list of many other artists can help more people because they may be fans of one of the bands listed meaning they will buy the magazine to read what is in the magazine about the band they are a fan of. The strip also links to the colour scheme helping to tie the whole cover together.
- 30. Splash image – The inclusion of more than one band/artist helps the magazine attract a larger audience. The artists link together because they are all included in the same article and they are also linked by the graphic art of the splash feature title has and the item each of them have. They are all doing quite funny, happy poses creating a friendly feel to the magazine. This is also helped by the pink and blue colour scheme which also creates a friendly feel because they are quite warm, nice colours. This may make the audience more likely to buy the magazine because of the welcoming feel. This section stands out because of the background colour. The yellow stands out because it is not used much on the cover and if it was blue or pink it would blend in with the rest of the magazine meaning the audience would be less likely to register that it is there. The classic pop-punk feature could be used to attract an older audience because the artists on the front are from newer pop-punk meaning they’d attract a younger audience so the magazine has older bands included to attract an older audience. The poster aspect can also attract people because posters are popular and fans of the bands in the posters will buy the magazine for the poster. Buzz word – This word attracts the readers because it makes it seem like there is a lot in the magazine. Also the exclamation point makes it seem more exciting and important than it probably actually is.
- 31. The name tags help the reader understand and identify the person. It also helps people who may like the bands music but doesn’t know what the members look like. It also helps attract their fans giving the magazine more buyers. They also tie in with the cover’s colour scheme. The background colour of this cover line contrasts to most of the other colours on the cover meaning the readers eye is attracted to this section. If the reader is a fan of the artist this means they are more likely to buy the magazine. The caption underneath the artists name addresses the reader and this will interest them because it is a personal connection and interaction with them The promotion will attract more people because it is free and the presentation of it makes it seem exciting and exclusive. The buzz word ‘free’ also attracts people because people like free things which means they may be more likely to purchase the magazine.
- 33. The contents dividers make it so the reader knows what the contents of the magazine are categorized into and if they enjoy certain types of articles they can easily identify them. It helps to clearly divide the contents. The contents page number is in red so the reader can easily see what page the article is on. The artists name is in bold and is bigger than the outline so it obvious who the article is about. There is an article outline so the reader can decide whether they want to read the article. The page number and magazine name in the corner of the page is a normal convention of magazines. This helps the reader locate certain pages in the magazine and also remind the reader what magazine they are reading. Page previews show the reader what certain spreads look like and helps them decide if they want to read that article. It also shows different sections of the magazine and shows the reader the different layouts. It can catch the readers eye meaning they want to read the articles.
- 35. The article image uses the whole spread which creates a sense of continuity through the two pages. The dark blue background links to the American flag in the back of the image and it also means the article when someone is flicking through the magazine meaning they will be attracted to read the article. The American flag in the background links to the title of the article (Americana) helping to link the image to the text. The artist is looking towards the reader drawing in the reader. She is not very confrontational meaning the reader will feel more comfortable and the setting (bed) is also quite relaxed and comfortable attracting the reader more than if she looked confrontational. The page number is a normal convention of magazines. This indicates to the reader what page they are on and helps them locate a certain page. The start of the article is indicated by the large first letter. This shows the reader where the article starts. It catches the readers eye meaning they are more likely to start reading the article. The name of the writer and photographer informs the reader of who created this article and also gives credits to the creators. It is small because it is not as important as the other parts on this spread.
- 36. The article title is big showing the reader that it is the title of the article and also it means the reader will read it first and move downwards. The graphic art of it gives of a classic Americana feel linking to what it says. This text outlines what/who the article is about and helps the reader decide if they want to read the magazine. The artists name is in red, this shows the reader that Halsey is the name of the artist featured in the magazine.