Front cover analysis 1

Magazine Front cover 1

Q Magazine

This magazine’s target group is aimed at teenagers aged 15+. The use of well known younger bands such as Girls aloud and the Kaiser Chiefs is a very effective technique to use to draw a younger demographic in. I believe this is why Q magazine is so, successful as it uses popular celebrities that a younger audience would want to read about. Yet the younger bands contrast with Madonna who has been a popular celebrity for about thirty odd years, yet she is still popular among today’s younger demographic. Q cleverly targets a wide range of demographic by its use of celebrities which works very well.

The colour scheme used works very well as the colours all stand out against another. Also I like the way the page is displayed for example the medium close up of Madonna draw’s the audience in. Also the use of her black glove and her clutching a hooded jacket suggests this magazine is gritty and mysterious which creates interest for the audience. Another major factor about the image of Madonna is her facial expression it looks harsh and mystifying which again adds to mysterious impression the magazine is going for. Also the industrial lighting that lights up her face makes her contrast with her black costume and makes her look innocent yet mysterious which is what I want to use in my magazine as I think using industrial lighting will make my picture stand out more and look more polished. In my magazine I would like to use a main image (a medium close up) to draw the audience in as this in my opinion is more effective than a group shot, long shot and two shot etc.

The way the name Q isn’t completely on show, shows the audience that this magazine is confident and doesn’t need to make its title extremely clear. This is another great aspect as it shows this magazine has a strong personality. Also the bold red font of the name Madonna in capital letters is almost as big as the title Q itself again shows confidence and I think confidence is a major selling factor in music magazines as it shows there more established. Also I like the way the fonts are all different sizes and fonts but link together by the colour scheme I think it works really effectively and stands out and is what I would like to do on my front cover.

The badge like image with the English flag in the background of it works well as it immediately draws your attention to it as it stands out against the black background and also the caption ‘The 50 best British albums voted by you.’ Makes this magazine more personalised which is a major factor.