Textual Analysis of Q magazine Front Cover

This is a textual analysis of existing magazine Q.

Here is the Front Cover.

                   Q Magazine Front Cover Analysis

Colour Scheme:The colours used are red, gold, black and white. These are typical colours you would find in an indie music style magazine as they have a unique connotation and also appeals to both males and females. Red, gold, black and white are also "British" colours as they seem royal and reflect the Union Jack flag. Q is a British magazine so they choses these colours to reflect that. People who buy this magazine could also feel pride that they are from Britain when they choose this magazine.

Photography:The style of the photography used is fun and playful. They have used a long shot, which shows the full body of both the artists. They have used this for a reason, to show their feet. This is the main part of the shot which gives away the effect of the magazine and draws the audience's attention to the magazine. The man in the photo is stood in a very masculine pose, as though he is on edge. His feet are not firmly on the ground and looks as if he is about to jump, the way his arms are slightly lifted at his sides looks as though he is defensive against himself, like he is going to start a fight. His facial expression is quite aggressive, looking directly at the camera with a straight expression. The woman in the photograph is jumping and has her head tipped back with a big smile on her face. This pose looks playful and like she is enjoying herself. Her feet show she is jumping because one of her legs is bent and the other is only slightly bent. Both the artist's feet have different angles on them which sets the photo apart from any other magazines front cover photography. The way she has her hand on the man's waist as she is jumping seems as though she is trying to get him to have fun too and join her. The facial expression she has is happy and carefree. This connotes she isn't posing for the camera, it is a candid shot as though she is ignoring it. They both have a very natural pose and looks as though the photographer has caught them off guard.

Writing Style: On the front cover they have used shortened titles, just using key words so that it gives just enough information for the audience to know what is in the magazine. It gives them a quick preview into what they could read about. In the language on the cover they have used hyperbole. Words liek "huge", "massive" and "of the year" makes the magazine seem bigger and better than any other magazine and gets the audience excited to read that one instead of the others.

Overall Look:The overall impression given by this magazine is professional because of the use of the same colour scheme so it doesn't look too busy and doesn't distract the reader's attention. The look is also simplistic because there is a plain white background then a use of bright colours in different sections on the front cover. The main photograph on the cover takes over the whole page which really makes the magazine what it is. The photography suggests a fun and spontaneous lifestyle. When the audience see this they think that if the cover looks fun and carefree then the rest of the magazine will be that way too, and will have the same style of music. The clothes worn on the photo are unique and connote a cool and "indie" life, which links to the type of music that is featured in the magazine.

Text/Picture Ratio: On the cover there is more picture than text, as too much text on the front would bore the audience and it wouldn't persuade them to read it. Throughout the rest of the magazine there are equal amounts of text and picture on each page. This creates a balance and caters to the audience that like to read and the audience that like to see pictures.

Fonts: The fonts used on the front cover vary but still manage to look professional and not too fussy. The main titles of the features in the magazine are bold, thick and square font. Then the extra bits of information added to those titles are thin and are in a simple black font. The titles use the colours red, gold and black mostly. Where the titles are white, they have done a red background around it, as this is the only way you would be able to see it because the background is white too. The way this is done makes it look as though it had been cut out of a magazine and makes it look rebellious. Another font on the front cover used to give us extra information, is an italic style font in black this gives variety and makes the cover look different and stand out against the other magazines.