Music Magazine Covers - Analysis: Q

Music Magazine Covers - Analysis: Q

Q

The masthead is written in an iconic style as presented on each ‘Q’ magazine cover (with a red background and in a white font so that the title stands out in contrast to the vibrant background colour). This makes the masthead recognisable and noticeable to the reader. The masthead is also monolithic as it is simply one word. Therefore, it is simple and eye catching which is further emphasised as it is the largest letter on the cover.

Plugs are used present enticing and intriguing articles from within the magazine to make people wish to read the content to discover more. For instance, it states “2010 previewed – the best new acts”; people will wish to gain an understanding of who the best new acts are.

The colour scheme consists of red, white and grey. Red is the brightest colour which stands out in contrast to the darker colours. Therefore, it is used to portray the more intriguing parts on the cover so that they are the most noticeable features. They are powerful colours to imply the power of the artist presented. Furthermore, using a colour scheme allows for consistency throughout the magazine and it becomes an iconic feature of each ‘Q’ magazine.

The slogan is the same on each ‘Q’ magazine and it states “The UK’s biggest music magazine”. This is a memorable slogan and it is also enticing; if it is the biggest, the public will wish to read it to discover what makes it so good. It is also written in a banner at the top of the page so it is noticeable to the reader.

All of the writing on the magazine cover is written in a simple sans serif font. It doesn’t appear to be too formal and will, therefore, appeal to the younger intended audience.

In terms of language, it takes advantage of the reader’s knowledge as it states “3 words… Cheryl Cole Rocks”. This was the name of one of Cheryl Cole’s singles which would allow her fans to relate to this language pun and encourage them to purchase the magazine. Furthermore, the genre of the magazine appears to be rock which is emphasised by the statement “Cheryl Cole ROCKS” to tie in with the rest of the magazine cover.

The image presents the pop icon; Cheryl Cole, dressed in black with dark eye makeup and bright red lipstick which ties in with the colour scheme. The mise en scene of the image suggests that the image is related to rock, perhaps a route which Cheryl Cole wishes to go. This will intrigue the audience to discover more about this. It is a close-up shot from a straight angle as she is looking directly into the camera. This could act as a personal pronoun as she is looking towards the reader to entice them to buy the magazine.