Below I have researched the latest issue of Q Magazine, and analysed the front cover and contents page. I am then going to create a collage of all the front covers I like that Q magazine has published.
Originally named “Cue”, Q The Music Magazine changed its name for the fear that readers may get confused with the popular snooker magazine. Q Is published widely throughout the UK by Bauer Media, and is the most popular music magazine published monthly. First published in October 1986, the magazine has a large readership of 339,000. It has a typical genre of rock and pop music, which are the main types of popular music today, which would increase the readership even more as it would affect more people. Published on a monthly basis, Q costs £4.99, which we cannot see on the image above, but on the actual magazine it says it at the bottom along with the magazine’s web address and the issue number and date saying “December 2014”. Not only does Q have a magazine, but it is also well known for its Radio Station and TV Channel, broadcasting throughout the UK. Annually, Q Magazine also hosts a range of awards called the Q Awards showcasing the talent of today and awarding them for their success.
When you first look at the front cover, we can see that it has a young look to it, and that the target audience is ranged between late teens and early thirties. Not only can we tell this from the style of the cover, but with a large image of the Foo Fighters we can tell that the audience would not be older in their fifties as they would not be interested in the Foo Fighters genre of music. The relationship with the reader from the mode of address is even, as Dave Grohl, who is the Foo Fighters front man is not looking down at the camera to make us feel intimidated, nor is he looking up at the camera from a high angle making us feel the stronger character. But he is looking at the camera at eye level, making the reader feel comfortable and drawing them into the magazine for them to read it.
The magazine’s appearance is well known as it has a signature masthead that never changes. The large “Q” and the top right hand corner is a symbol to all people as it stands out with its large white sans-serif font against the bold red background. The magazine has a typical house style which we can see when researching different images of front covers from previous issues. The main colours in every issue of q are red, white and black. These colours are significant to q, with two of them situated in the mast head. The colours are not used to have an effect on the reader, but they are colours that are sophisticated and formal for a music magazine. For example, a teenage girls magazine would have girly colours such as pink and purple, while a boys football magazine would have green and blue, which are quite masculine colours. In this issue there are a range of different cover lines in different sizes but what is very noticeable is the fact that they are all in bold writing and capital letters. The Cover lines are very noticeable and easy to read, in some there are coloured background which makes them easier and more eye-catching to the reader. On the right hand side, there are four cover lines that include additional information below them, with one in italics to emphasise to the reader if Noel Gallagher is really talking to his brother Liam. A strap line at the very top of the issue about Prince is also very eye-catching as it has a puff in purple saying “20 Page Special” and Prince’s symbol. This stands out as purple is not a usual colour for Q Magazine, and it attracts the reader. The reason that Q has used the colour purple for the puff is significant as Prince’s most famous single is called “Purple Rain”.
The image itself is taken of the band the Foo Fighters. The front man Dave Grohl, and standing behind him are his band members Taylor Hawkins, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jafee and Pat Smear. The left hand side Cover Line is the cover line that focuses mainly on the band, “I had another life 25 years ago, it was turned upside down...” This entices the reader in even further to the magazine, as from this pull quote we can see that the feature inside isn’t just going to be about their career in music, but what their life was like before they hit the big time, and what it was like during it. I clearly shows that Q is not just a magazine about music, but a magazine about the artists. With the picture of the band-mates slightly overlapping the title Q, the fact that the magazine is obviously well established and recognised by fans is conveyed – they will have no problem distinguishing it on the shelf even though the corner of it is covered. In this issue the slogan of the magazine is not shown under the masthead, which is unusual because you would usually expect to see the term “Discover Great Music”.
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