Analysis into similar magazine genres - Q

Cover - Q

Mode of address
The mode of address is very formal for this magazine as they state the full names of the artists and singers. They also have lots of text to do with very well known people from many years ago and so we can assume that the mode of address has adult audiences as they would be the only people who were around during their time.

Content
Last pictures of John Lennon
Letters to the editor
Diary - the month in music
Bands gigs
Brawl between bands
Interview with Elvis Costello
Questions to different bands
CD advertisements
Interviews with rock and indie bands

Conventions
The conventions for this magazine are to do with rock and indie bands. For example there is a cover line that relates to kings of Leon’s new album which links in well with the genre of the magazine as it relates to an indie band. There is an image of John Lennon in the middle which relates to the genre also as he was a member of a rock band. There is also an interview and information on the Glastonbury festival which also relates to the convention of rock and indie as the festival contains a lot of these bands. Another convention of this magazine genre is the fact that the colours are red and black which is very rock and masculine.

Layout
The layout for this front cover is very basic and organised to connote formal. The route of the eye for this front cover starts at the masthead which is just the letter Q. Then it goes across the top to see the cover line “John Lennon’s 70th birthday”. This is the first thing that the reader will see and is also the main cover line and so they have put this here so that they can relate the cover line to the image in the middle and then want to read more. Then it goes onto a cover line about the kings of Leon. This is there as it is in the readers eye line and if they look at this cover line and see that it is an indie band then they are going to want to read about there album and therefore want to buy the magazine. Then it shows an image of John Lennon. He is an idol and therefore he is easily recognisable and by seeing the image they can relate it to the magazine and understand that he is going to be in the magazine and therefore want to buy it to read on. It then shows some kind of information about collecting four covers to do with John Lennon and how they all link. They have put this after the image of John Lennon so that the reader can link these together and therefore want to buy the magazine and then the four to follow so that they have the collection. Then at the end it shows the price and the other bands and singers to be in the magazine. They have done this to link the bands with the magazine and therefore if the reader sees any of the bands they recognise and therefore like, they will want to buy it but have put it at the end as it is not as important as seeing the other cover lines. The four hot spots of this cover are all sections of the main image which is John Lennon. They have done this because they want to make all of the attention go onto this main image as the main story of this magazine is of John Lennon’s birthday and so they want the reader to understand that there is a lot of information and images about him and will therefore be encouraged to buy it. The primary optical area is the top left hand corner where the masthead is. They have put this there as it is the first thing the reader sees when they see the magazine and so to acknowledge this with the magazine means that they will want to read it.

Fonts
The masthead is very basic yet large so it is the first bit of text to be seen. This connotes that the reader should see the name of the magazine to remember it and familiarise themselves with it. The cover line for the main story is a serif font to show that it is very formal and important which will make the reader want to read about it as they can therefore understand that it is going to be very sophisticated. The description underneath is also a serif font to make it look attractive enough that the reader will want to buy it to read the article. Whereas the rest of the cover lines and pull quotes are in a sans serif font so that it does not draw as much attention to it and so it is easy to read and therefore the reader will see it and want to buy it.

Colours
The colours for this cover are pretty basic and follow a strict indie colour scheme. It consists of whites, blacks and reds. These are all very indie colours. The masthead is in a white font with a red background to make the masthead stand out more as the general background is white also. Also, the cover lines are all red to stand out against the bland background and so this connotes that they are supposed to stand out and be read first to draw the reader in as they play a big part in the magazine. Whereas the description of John Lennon is in gold to symbolise power and that he is an important person and that people should buy this magazine to read this article as it has important information in it. The cover has a gold outline which symbolises also that the magazine has a lot of power and that can connote that a lot of famous bands are in this magazine. Therefore the text about John Lennon’s birthday is in white to stand out and contrast between the white and the gold. The text underneath the cover lines are all black to stand out against the white background but it does not stand out enough to be seen first. Whereas the main image in the middle is black to promote darkness and to show a contrast between the white background.

Images
The main image for this magazine is an image of John Lennon. He is a black image as it can stand out against the white background and so he looks powerful. It is a mid shot to show him and his clothes rather than what he is doing or where he is. He is not smiling which shows dominance and that the magazine is not as bright and happy magazine to read but has depth and intellect. There is three small images in the bottom left corner which are all covers linked with John Lennon. They have put this on to show the collection and that this is a one off and that people should buy it as it is exclusive. Yet it is only seen after they have seen the main image to link the two together.

Contents Page

Layout
The layout for this contents page is organised yet full of information and images. The page numbers and titles are all in a vertical line which is very organised. Yet it is covered with images to do with certain aspects of the magazine. The route of the eye starts at the top with the masthead Q contents. This is clearly shown and is therefore the first thing the readers see so that they understand what the page is and if they see what is it in then it will make them want to buy the magazine. It then shows the four different covers of the John Lennon saga and will therefore remind them of what they saw on the cover and remind them of why they wanted to buy it. It then goes past images if various bands and this relates to what is in the magazine and the genre as they are all rock and indie bands and so the reader can familiarise themselves with them and then want to read on. It then shows an image of John Lennon to then familiarise themselves with why they wanted to buy the magazine and this was because the magazine was based around their idol of rock. It then shows more images taken from the actual magazine which means that it is less to read and that they can see for themselves what is in the actual magazine before buying it. The four hot spots for this magazine are all sections from images of John Lennon and so we can assume that the magazine contains a lot of information about this man and so it is perfect for someone who sees him as an idol and so it will make them want to buy it as he is dead and this is a one off opportunity. The dead areas are the sections around the outside which are plain and contain no information so that nothing vital can be missed by the reader because they do not look there.

Fonts
The font of the masthead is a serif font, as it the page headings and the ‘Q Review’. This is so it stands out against all of the sans serif fonts and connotes that it is formal and sophisticated as it looks fancy and will make the older target audience want to buy it. Whereas the rest of the fonts such as the descriptions underneath the page headings are also serif yet they are smaller and more basic so it does not draw attention to them and so it is easier to read as it is smaller and more basic. Whereas the page numbers are larger and in a fancy style so that they can be seen against the images.

Colours
The colours for this contents page are the same as the cover. However this has more colour as it shows different images. However these images are all dark to go with the rock and indie genre of the magazine and so by not focusing on the image but the colour allows the reader to understand the theme already.

Images
The main images for this is John Lennon and his band. The image on the left hand side is a very serious man on a chair and so this is a long shot. He is sitting on this chair with posture to show dominance. As he is alone we can assume that the information in the magazine is going to be based around him and his life rather than the band although they may mention some of it. Other images are from other bands. One of them is a violent mid shot of a man ripping a pigs head. This connotes violence and so we can associate this magazine with violence. The other images are of pages in the magazine. This connotes that if the reader does not want to read about what is in the magazine, they can look at the images and see that the information is going to be about rock and indie bands and therefore want to buy it.

Two page spread

Layout
The organisation for this magazine is very basic and neat. It consists of a basic image spreading across two pages and then a small amount of text in the bottom left hand corner. The route of the eye goes from the top corner with the masthead which consists of the cover masthead but with ‘New to’ added to the first which therefore allows the reader to familiarise themselves with the logo for next time. It then goes down through the image of the four people playing tug of war. This is there so that it is the first thing they see after the logo to they can link new to this band and assume it is about them and allow the reader to want to get to know them. It then shows the article which tells us that after seeing the band, the reader will want to know more about them than what they look like and so they will read the article and know more about them but only after becoming interested by the reader. The dead areas are all areas that have no information in them and no images so the reader cannot miss any information and so the dead areas are all of the red sections. Around the text and images. The hot spots are all parts of the image so we can assume that the article is based on attracting the band and then reading the article and so the image is there in the middle and spreading so that it can lure the reader in before learning more in depth.

Fonts
The masthead, sub heading and the slogan are all in a large serif font. This connotes formal and sophistication so that we can assume that the audience for this magazine is adults and so they will not want informal language due to their age. Whereas the masthead is largest and therefore the first text to be seen, the slogan is next as it is the second down in font size. Whereas the title of the band is only seen after the masthead so it does not draw attention away from the masthead. The article itself is also in a serif font which connotes that it is easy to read and not as large but it still makes the article formal.

Colours
The colour scheme for this magazine is the same throughout the cover and contents page, which is red black and white. The background for this article is red and so the image is black to stand out against the background. The masthead and heading is white to show a contrast between the white and also allow it to stand out. Whereas the article also is white to stand out against the background. These colours are all dark and dull which represents the genre of indie/rock.

Images
There is only one image in this article. It is a wide shot of four people playing tug of war. They are all dressed in black to stand out form the background yet stick with the genre of rock/indie. They are playing tug of war to connote anger and a love for winning and so they though this was the best way to represent themselves as they are new and need to make a lasting impression.