Q magazine textual analysis

Matthew Lathlean

Q front page November 2016 edition

Here is the mast head a large bold ‘Q’ to grab the readers attention straightaway with the bright colours. The masthead is placed in the top left corner is because we are taught to read top left to bottom right so it is the first thing that we see ,so the most important stuff is placed here. Additionally the red colour that has been used connotes passion ,it could show about the passion for music.

The cover all follows the same colour scheme of red , white and blue and keeps in matching the masthead and makes it stand out to a reader because of the dark nature of the splash photo.

Bottom strip is less important than over parts of the cover due to its position and size of text but is there to show potential buyers of the magazine what else they can expect in the magazine.

A medium two shot splash image taking up the whole of the front page and in the centre is focussing on the artists faces while the rest of the photo is being used as a background for different cover lines.

The main cover line is far larger and red compared to the smaller blue cover lines below, this shows the reader that this is the most important band. This large bold writing makes the reader see who's on the magazine first because this is the most important part and then they read the line to make sense of it.

The thirds rule is used here as the front man in the splash image is perfectly placed into the centre third and cover lines are placed evenly in the 1st and 3rd thirds of the cover. Additionally the strapline is in the 1st third as motioned before this is where the reader first looks.

The pratongist in the photo are dressed in very dark clothing that matches the background of the photo. This suggests how the artists are very dark and that they are hard-core rockers and making the readers instantly know this issue of the magazine is going to be about rock.

Silver cover lines are indicating the two articles value as a very precious colour compared to other cover lines.

A plug with a sticker effect has been used here. It attracts the views attention because it is in a unique format to all the other text on the front cover and the use of the colour silver reinforces how precious it is a seen below

Q contents p1November 2016 editionThe Title is aligned nicely in a bold font to make it stand out. And

keeps continuity by pacing the masthead in the same position as on the front cover.

A keeps a clear and bold colour scheme of red, blacks and whites to keep the page clean , different colours such as the blues and reds are used to make specific bits of information stand out such as the page numbers and new features. This keeps the theme carrying on from the front cover.

Each Colum has been organised to fit with the rule of thirds so that in the left third and centre third there is writing ,and in the right third there is a photo.

A large long shot taking up roughly two thirds on the page is catching the readers attention to one of the main stars of the magazine. The long shot shows a background of an empty large old fashioned room to reinforce his image as a rock star but the camera angle is a low shot so draws more attention to the guitar at first than the artists due to the guitar being in the centre of the page. It also gives the impression that the artist has power over the reader.

The first page of the contents has been dedicated to the story “how to survive Rock’n’roll which was the main cover line to attract readers on the front page.

Q contents p2November 2016 editionThe second page of the Q magazine contents is less focused around a single story and more around a number of different artists and stories.To show these different stories the rule of thirds has clearly been used here to organise and group different parts of the magazine fort example as shown be the thirds I have roughly lined on the bottom third is used to show the review section. Also the top and middle thirds have been used mostly for pictures.

This plug image stands out because it doesn’t follow the same pattern as the over images and stands out because it is unique and doesn't look right.

The photo is well lighted with the background being a light coloured pink wall, this shoes that Q have the whole story about the band and there is no mystery or secrets.

Quotes are used under the title of the article to give the reader an insight into the article to try and attract them to try and read it. Also the contents uses a hierarchy to put the more important information in bold writing like the title and the quotes in smaller writing below.The font used is very bold and snazzy making it stand out and look unique while also being reasonable easy to read.Silver numbers have been used apposed to red and blue numbers to show how precious and the high value those particular set of articles.

Q Double page spread p1November 2016 edition

It fits the typical conventions of a magazine by splitting the typography up into columns , this means its easier for the reader to read as its split up into chunks.

The language and font used is very formal , this shows Q magazines audience is well educated and will be reading the magazine to learn things and not just for gossip. It also can show that there readers may be older than say mixmag and NME that use less complex language.

A pull quote has been used to try and pull readers into reading the article by using an interesting quote that stands out to give an insight into the article. It is placed in a black box with white writing to contrast to the black writing and white background around it so it stands out.

The colours scheme used throughout the double page spread consist of blacks and white with red used to highlight important information such as names and questions. These sort of colours are persuade as being typical rock and role.

A letter form has been used here so that larger paragraphs of text have more as a visual impact and make it look more interesting.

The photos dominating the top fifth of the page are all very similar showing how they are typical Rockstar's in the way they dress and how they walk and act. They are also showing the fans that adore them (photos on the right) and how popular they are , this implies on the reader that they should know who the blossoms are and how popular they are.

Q Double page spread p2November 2016 edition

A fact file type format has been used her to present information in a different way by providing short sharp facts about the band instead of just paragraphs to retain the readers interest. This is accompanied by a close up shot of each of the bands members.

A large photograph of the band at a concert that takes up roughly half of the page is very dark to make it stand out against the white background. The picture has been taken as an extreme long shot to show the whole band and how popular they are. The photo is showing the reader how exiting and entertaining the concerts are so persuading them to buy tickets to the bands concerts.The text used is more old fashioned as it uses serifs which make the text look more attractive but are harder to read as a result. The use of a older fashioned text suggests that the genre of music that is being written about is not as modern as say the genre written about in mixmag .Finally the style of text also tells us information about the reader that they are slightly older than those who read mixmag or NME.The page has been set out in a very organised and boxed in fashion this carries on a theme from the contents page and the front page and is a general theme through many issues of the q magazine.

Going back to the main theme of the q magazine is as seen in this article they use a busy layout with a very small amount of white space what is the complete is the opposite to mixmags minimalists theme showing it may have modern content but the designs are still very much like when the magazine first started.