Nicky
Coales
Magazine Analysis - Q
Video Analysis
Written Analysis
General: Each copy of Q costs £4.50 per issue and is released monthly. It is published by Bauer Media Group, which is the same company that publish Kerrang! and MOJO. There were 64,596 copies sold last year and had a period to period change was -16.7%. The year to year change last year was -19.7% , which is a lot more than both Kerrang and MOJO.
Masthead: The title of the magazine is Q; which was originally meant to be cue, but it was changed to avoid the risk of the magazine being confused with snooker. But the simple yet large Q is thought to draw attention, and that is does, as well as displaying sophistication through the simplicity. The masthead takes up almost the whole of the top left corner, This makes it stand out and would attract those walking by the magazine, the presentation of the logo is easily recognizable when compared to Kerrang!; which is quite long and it difficult to figure out what the title says for new readers. It could also be located in the top left corner as it is connected to the spine, so it is less likely to become 'dogeared' when reading. The subtitle "The World's Greatest Music Magazine" shows sophistication and confidence, and also intrigues the reader as they may want to see what makes that magazine so great.
Strapline: There is not particularly a strapline, but a cover line that is pushed to the top. In both MOJO and Kerrang!, the strapline is in its own section or box of the magazine; this stops it from being on top of the main image. But this issue of Q does not have a box for the strapline, but this could be due to the addition of the store specific competition in the top right corner. The strapline (if it can be classed as that) used a famous singers name as well as a pull quote to gain readers and therefore increase circulation.
Main Image: The main image shows iconic and famous band all looking directly at the camera, and therefore looking directly at the reader. One of the members of the band is covering the logo slightly, but it is still recognizable, this connotes the importance of the band and how much of a place they will hold in this issue of Q. The direct mode of address could be used to connect to the reader on a personal level,
Cover Lines: The cover lines feature the names of famous music artists which could be used to draw people in, and make them buy the magazine as they are curious as to what could be inside regarding that particular famous person. 3 huge names in music are presented as the main cover line along with words such as "cautionary tales" and "revolutionary new interviews", this amplifies the mystery that is felt by the reader and can lure them into buying the magazine. Other music artists mentioned include The 1975 and Blossoms. The bottom of the cover is filled with names to get attention of fans of those particular bands or artists.
Other images: The fact that there are not any other images show that attention is meant to be drawn to the main image, as Bauer must believe Green Day will be enough to attract readers for this issue.
Typefaces: The colour scheme and style of the typefaces suggest a patriotic vibe due to the red white and blue and also the stars at the bottom. This could have been done because Green Day and Metallica are both big bands the originated in the US. The other type of font on the main cover line is a more elegant type face, which could be used to tie into the American theme as it is in the style of the Declaration of Independence. The other typefaces used are bold and large with the hope of catching attention of a passing customer.
Language: The language used is meant to interest the reader by using words like "cautionary tales" and "revolutionary new interviews" in order to make the reader curious and lure them into purchasing the magazine. The words "Rock's New Heroes" also create curiosity to find out who this new band is.
Similarities: There are a few similarities with regards to where some of the less important cover lines are placed, but it is different in the fact it has no other images in order to bring attention to the main image.
Inside: This issue of Q has 131 pages and is published monthly. There are 37 double page spreads which cover topics from interviews with bands and other musicians to tour information to new artist information and reviews. There are 20 pages that are dedicated to adverts, these adverts seem to be for male toiletries like razors, albums, Q subscriptions and gig information.