Analysis Of Existing Magazines

This double page spread only contains one photograph but is dominated by it. The image is a large black and white photograph of Bon Iver, the artist featured in the article. The photograph takes up one and half pages of the spread. He is standing alone with his hands on the back of his head suggesting he is relaxed and confident. In the background there is a white church/house and a cloudy sky. There is a caption on the photograph in the bottom right hand corner explaining who is in the photo, what it is, where it was taken and when. In the top of the left page there is a title - "American Gothic" and underneath this, before the article starts there is a paragraph explaining what and who the article is about. The first letter of the article is started with a drop capital and the first sentence of the article is also in capital letters.

The contents page from "Q" magazine is set out so that it is easy to read and easy to understand. The contents page is similar to the cover of the magazine by using the same sort of fonts and using the same sort of colour scheme to the one presented on the cover of the magazine, sticking to the black, white and red theme. There is a black strip title along the top of the page that says "Q Contents" and the issue date and number. The contents is split into 3 categories: Features, every month and Q review. This issue of "Q" magazine has an "oasis special" category. The main focus of the page is a large image that takes up over half of the entire contents page, of The Courteeners to show that they are an important feature in this issue of the magazine and there is another smaller image in the "Q" review category.

The title of this magazine is "Mojo - the music magazine". The word "mojo" is very big and in capital letters all the way across the top of the page and "the music magazine" is much smaller and in a different font going across the word "mojo" expressing the greater importance of the word. The main image is in front of the masthead and covering it a little bit. The word "mojo" is often used to identify someone as possessing a "magic touch/power" of creativity or charm. This is to make the magazine appear magic and creative and appeals to the target audience who feel it could affect their own "mojo" if they read this particular magazine.

The fonts used on the front of "Mojo" are all sans serif fonts and similar to "Q" magazine there about about 3 different fonts used to avoid over complicating the cover and making it look confusing. All of the fonts used are bold and stand out to attract people to the magazine and make it look modern. The sizes of the fonts on the magazine vary, the main flash being the largest and the main sells being smaller.

The colour scheme used on "mojo" magazine is even more limited than that used on the cover of "Q" magazine. They have only used one colour (peach - plus black and white). This, much like "Q" magazine, works with the black clothing worn by the cover stars - Led Zeppelin - and makes the peach colour stand out and attract the eye of the reader. The light grey/white background also contrasts the colours of the font which makes it more attractive to the reader.

"Mojo" uses less writing on the cover of the magazine than "Q". "Mojo" uses short sentences with lots of full stops and punctuation such as question marks to exclamation marks to give the magazine some "attitude" and make it seem exciting. They have also used artist and band names on the cover which suggests the reader of the magazine already has some knowledge on the subject. Also "Mojo" has used numbers ("10 more losers") to give the effect of a packed issue.

The main image on the front of the cover is of Led Zeppelin (who the main flash is about). They are posed in a triangle style and all have a serious look on their faces. This gives the magazine "attitude" and goes with the name "mojo". Their black clothes also contrast to the background and make them stand out.

There is less on the cover of "mojo" than the cover of "Q" but it looks just as good. "Mojo" also has the essential information such as bar code, magazine issue and price. However the barcode is in the top right hand corner and the price and issue is just above the mast head more to the left hand side at the top.

The title of this magazine cover is "Q" which is very simple, yet affective. The meaning behind the letter "Q" is not explained on the magazine itself, however I believe it is a play on words and represents the phonetic spelling of the letter and means the word cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play) as there were original plans to name the magazine this. The masthead of the magazine is always in the top left hand corner of the cover every month and is fundamentally always a white "Q" on a red square background. This gives recognisable elements to the magazine and brings familiarity to the readers.

There are about three different fonts on the cover of Q magazine. The fonts used on the cover of "Q" magazine are a mixture of sans serif and serif. The larger fonts (such as the ones used in the main flash and headings of the main sells) are mostly sans serif and bold and bring a modern vibe to the magazine and the smaller fonts next to the main sells and the strap line of the magazine are serif fonts and not bold and these bring a traditional vibe to the magazine. Both the modern and traditional feel to the magazine appeals to the target audience as it makes them feel like they are getting the best of both in this magazine - something vintage and something new. The size of the font varies, names of artists featured in the magazine - such as U2, Oasis and The Stone Roses - being the largest on the page, the main flash and main featuring artist (Lily Allen) being the largest in the middle of the cover. They have also used italic for quotes and for emphasizing emotive words such as "wicked" to attract the target audiences attention.

The colour scheme used on the cover of this issue of "Q" magazine is limited and simple but very bold. Only 2 colours have been used (red and blue - plus black and white). This matches the black hair and clothing worn by the cover feature Lily Allen and also the black panthers beside her and creates a contrast to the light grey/white background making everything stand out and attracting the reader.

"Q" uses language to attract the reader by using such as informal and familiar sayings such as"sexy beast" and "55-pint interview". This makes the reader feel more comfortable and likely to buy the magazine and also refers to the target audience they are aiming for and suggest men who like to go to the pub can read this with a pint. They have also used numbers on the cover to make the issue appear more packed to the reader. For example; "181 more reviews", "the 25 greatest rock movies" and "55 pint interview". This makes the reader believe they are getting the most out of the magazine for their money. The use of band names on the cover assumes that the reader of the magazine already has knowledge of the subject area and knows who the bands are.

The image used on the cover of this magazine is a posed photograph of Lily Allen (with two black panthers photoshopped in). This image is very suggestive as she is wearing no clothes on the top half of her body and uses the sexuality of the star to appeal to the target audience of mostly men and suggests she will be revealing lots of juicy details within the magazine. The pose is suggestive because she is looking back over her shoulder with her hand up to her mouth. The cover of "Q" magazine has a mixed variety of cover stars and is commonly more often a male artist or band.

The main sells of the magazine are mostly about interviews with bands and artists and the main flash is referring to the image on the cover of the magazine. The cover of the magazine also contains the essential information such as bar code, magazine issue and price all in the bottom right hand corner.