Q magazine analysis

Q music magazine

This front cover appears to be pristine having a precise layout with a complete emphasis on the cover artist as the image fills the whole page. The colour scheme of red, white and gold  gives connotations of high status and wealth which adds to that pristine look.

The image itself is posed photo shoot photography using the common band same look costume however the actual composition of the photography used is made to look natural. The way in which the photographer has played with the personalities of the band instead of having them standing like a typical group photo of the pop genre would insinuate, which shows that Q as a magazine don’t want to just stick to one genre.  As well as the happy facial expressions expressed the positioning of Robbie on the bottom of the pile emphasize that they aren’t letting him get away this time and he is here to stay. The shadowing of the band still there shows that they are now men despite the boyish characteristics which they will always carry through.

The fact that the magazine only has the magazine headline and brief information about the band show that the magazine editor was proud that they got the ‘only cover’ and ‘world exclusive’. It also shows that the band is so well known that they can sell the magazine by themselves.  

The way that the issue number, date of issue, price and website are added to the barcode keeping it need and tidy as if the layout is used for every issue making it professional. The minimulistic textual content found on the front cover is all in sharp font which doesnt use all capital letters. expept for the band name and "THE WORLD EXCLUSIVE" because it is something they want to shout about, a world exclusive is a big deal in the world of media, it can put you on the map.       

The contents page has the colour scheme continuing through and is usually set out over 2 pages with the ‘features’ on one page and the ‘regular’ articles on the other which is well used jargon in Q. however when i produce my product it will only be over 1 page.

The banner at the top of the page shows a semi border starting off the layout of the pages. The way that Q is written more than 4 times on the page shows that they are overly proud of their work or just like reminding people what they are reading.  The layout as a whole is blocky but the image still holds an importance on the page as it takes over more than half of the page and is of the cover artist.

The interesting thing about the main image of the contents is that isn’t completely a reused image. The same pose as the front cover photo and most likely taken at the same time as the front cover photo however the main difference is the image is taken from a 45 degree angle and was shot in black and white. I think that even though they haven’t used a completely different image the message you get from it is different, it seems to develop the idea that the magazine will look at every angle of the band within the double page spread article.

 The other image used on the page is a graphically produced mock up of the Q awards themselves as it is a recognised image to a regular reader or subscriber and gives the contents pages image diversity. Also by not being a photographical image it draws attention the article because its different, and people always want to know why things are different.

The way the text is presented broken up by a heading combined with the page number underlined by what seems to becoming the colour of the magazine, red, is very tidy and easy to navigate. The textual descriptions or written incentives persuading readers to read that article differ depending on genre and artist: factual content, quotations, cleverly incorporated lyrical references, a mini insight into what the band is like at a gig, witty puns, metaphors and reference to legends in the art of music.

The double page spread shows that the colour sche,e of red, white and red still continues through the magazine and the pages of text have kept their border like lines at the top and at the bottom to line up the text and keep the space organised. the pages being split as one page has the main image and the second page as the interview.

The image is still playing about with creative band photos which demonstrate the boyish humour of the band members especially as the photo is in . The band members heads create a line of focus into the photo therefore strategicly positioning Robbie at the front of the line tells the reader what the direct focus of the interview is.  It also makes an ironic joke that Mark is at the back when he is well known to be the smallest member of the ‘man band’ and he is strategicly placed at the back of the focus line so he is next to the quotation positioned in the top left hand corner of the image page.

The second page is layed out like you would expect a magazine article to be, in collumns and the writing is broken up in to small manageable paragraphs. The size of the writing sugests that the target audience of the magazine is high however the form in which the article takes, a question and answer article, develops that it is more for an easy read.  It allows the artist to have more of a voice and control over what is said as long as they respond to the questions answered therefore making it more of a relaxed interview script and a bit of a gossip article. By the artist getting the majority of control of the voice within the article allows an understanding of respect in which they have aspired over years of performing, but also basicly reflects how interested the audience in the unanswered questions from the comback.  The drop capitals make the text easier to navigate and provide extra pieces information to break up the question answer article however appart from the large drop letter in bold font the extra information looks as if it is fully part of the question answer section of the article.

The fact that the band name is simply the title of the article shows how highly thought of they are  in the music world they are and because of that their fans will simply see there name and want to read the rest of the article.

As well as the colour scheme being a continuous thing brought through the magazine the reference to Q at the top right hand corner and bottom of the page reminds the readers who brought them the ‘world exclusive’ of Take That. As well as the very helpful page number in the bottom right to the left of the magazine logo which appears like a vintage electronic number cruncher which adds to the all inclusive and professional feel of the magazine.