TEXTUAL ANALYSIS.LOIS BEARE

Q MAGAZINE AND NME MAGAZINE.

Circulation

64,596

Circulation

23,924Readership

371,000

Readership

289,000

Mission statementTo Provide up to date and new

information, reviews and listings of the best new music. Their

slogan is "first for music news”

Mission statementWe draw together the most exciting phenomena, the new artists that matter to create an unmissable widescreen picture of what’s really happening in rock and roll right now.

Gender Ratio

67% Male33% Female

Gender Ratio

Unknown

Q MAGAZINE READER PROFILE.

Chris is 29 years old and lives in Leeds. Music is more important to him than anything else. It’s at the centre of his social life. It soundtracks all the best moments in his life. It’s his identity, his social currency and his world.Chris lives for gigs, festivals, and those electrifying moments of togetherness that only music can provide. He is the one who sorts out gig tickets for his friends, turns them on to new bands and sets up the big festival weekend. His tastes are “mainstream eclectic” – the big stadium acts like Muse or Noel Gallagher mixed with the best of genres spanning rock and electronica, plus the finest discoveries from music’s past.Chris works in a professional job and finally has the money and time to indulge his music habit to the full. He lives with a partner (no kids yet) who is similarly music- mad. He is “discovering quality” in all areas, from sound systems to deluxe reissues to cars, travel and clothes.Chris loves technology – he was first with the iPod, iPhone, iPad and now streaming music services. He downloads music but still prefers to own CDs. And he spends more on music than anything else: a big-ticket gig every week or so, six albums a month plus a Spotify subscription and countless on-the-go downloads.

NME MAGAZINEREADER PROFILE.

Going out and spending is all part of the new music scene. They spend a lot of money on clothes – 45%Its important to be well informed about things – 92%Its worth paying for extra quality goods – 71%They like to try new drinks – 75%Its important to them to look well dressed – 71%

NME readers spend £152 on footwear per year £532 on clothes per year

£1229 on audio equipment per year52% own a digital camera £170 on digital cameras per year Buy an average of 5 DVDs per year Spend £66 on DVDs per year 94% use the Internet 76% have Broadband£197 spent on consoles in the past £108 spent on games 84% receive digital TV or satellite channels

ABOUT THE PUBLISHERS.Bauer MediaBauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.

Bauer Media joined the Bauer Media Group in January 2008 following acquisition of Emap plc’s consumer and specialist magazines, radio, TV, online and digital businesses. Collectively, the Group employs some 6,400 people.

IPC PublishingWith more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across print,

online, mobile, tablets and events.  As the UK's leading

consumer magazine publisher we engage with 26m UK adults -

almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men.

IPC Media is committed to working in partnership with its

consumers, advertisers, business partners and employees to

deliver exceptional value, service, innovation and creativity.

Q MAGAZINEFRONT COVER. ISSUE MARCH 2012

ColourThe colours used on this particular front cover are copper, a sky blue and white. The extensive use of copper and sky blue would have been used as they contrast well against each other. The white and blue are used mainly for the cover lines and inserts included on the front cover. The white has been used because it symbolizes cleanliness, purity and innocence. Sky blue would have been used as it represents peace, calm, freedom and serenity. These two colours would have been used as a contrast to her apparent mental state; ‘I feel so alone’ and ‘A woman on the edge.’ White and blue may also have been used as this is the

image Florence and the Machine portrays to her fans through her music which would be a contrast to how she really feels. The main colour of the front cover is copper. The colour copper symbolizes wealth and fieriness which would have been used to represent her success as a singer and her vibrant personality.

Q MAGAZINEANALYSIS.Layout and designThe main image featured on the front cover is directly in the centre of the page which suggests that this is what they want you to notice and look at first. The cover lines have been placed around the edge of the page ensuring that no text or inserts are covering her skin. This also emphasizes that she is the centre of attention and is seen as the most important feature on the page. I feel that the words and images fit well together as the shape of the inserts and text seem to match the shape of certain features on her. For example the circle insert is positioned where a circular shape formed in her hair.

All font used is a sans-serif font, very simple and basic with a rounded affect to it which makes it feel more feminine. The only use of a serif font is on a quote which she herself has said. The masthead of the magazine is positioned in front of the image of her which suggest that the title of the magazine is more important than the main image as it identifies the magazine. However the title is positioned in front of the main image for each issue of Q magazine and is part of their house style.

Q MAGAZINEANALYSIS.

ImagesThe main image is a medium close up of Florence and the Machine, a current artist featured highly in the charts. As the target audience for Q magazine is Males aged 15 to 24, the main image would have been used to attract the male readers. In 1975, Laura Mulvey stated that women were only used in media products to be looked at by males. This is known as the male gaze. I agree with this theory to some extent as the image of Florence would have been used to attract the male readers of Q magazine, however, I feel that nowadays females would also be attracted to this magazine because of the image as they would aspire to be like Florence, therefore wanting to purchase the magazine to read the double page spread article about her. As a majority of Florence and the Machine fans are female, I feel that by featuring her on the front cover, even her fans who do not read Q magazine would be tempted to by this particular issue as she is seen as an inspirational artist.

Q MAGAZINEANALYSIS.

The poses featured in these images suggest that she is defensive of herself. This is symbolized by her having her arms almost cross across her body and her hands placed up to her chin. In one image she is seen as having quite bright vibrant make-up for example the metallic blue eyeliner with heavy mascara suggests that she is a vibrant and outgoing person. This is backed up by her bright, bold volumized hair which also is a contrast in colour to her make up and skin tone which is very pale. However, the image of her on the contents page is very different. She has very minimalistic make-up on, a very small amount of eye make-up is worn with a natural skin tone. She has very tamed simple hair which is tied back to show her face more clearly. This represents her innocence and purity which is reinforced by the use of white text on the front cover. However, her outfit in the image is quite vibrant and bold; the gold represents her wealth which again reinforces her success. For each image, there is no background which again supports that she is the centre of attention.

Q MAGAZINEANALYSIS.

Written codesThe cover lines tend to leave the reader questioning or wondering about something, for example, ‘meet the new Simon Cowell’ will leave the reader wondering who this person is. The cover lines give very little away about what is inside the magazine, often only revealing who is featured or a summary of what will be covered e.g. ‘Gig blow out’ only tells the reader that there will be something about gig included. I feel that or this particular issue, the cover lines don’t fit in with the genre of the magazine which is indie. The inclusion of Simon Cowell and Skrillex, a drum and bass artist wouldn’t be in the interests of indie rock fans. The cover lines I feel are readable from a distance and can clearly be seen due to the contrast in colours used against the background. The use of the blue will make the magazine stand out against others on a shelf as I feel it isn’t a common colour to be used on a front cover. Also the size of the Q magazine logo will also be a key feature that will enable the magazine to stand out on a shelf.

Q MAGAZINECONTENTS PAGEThe contents page has a very simple colour scheme or red and white which is sued as it relates to the Q logo. The main source of colours outside of red and white comes from the images, however these are very minimalistic as well. The contents page doesn’t give much away as to what is included in the magazine due to the few features mentioned only having a basic summary of what they include. The basic layout and colour scheme I feel works to their advantage as it ensures that the main features stand out and can easily be read. I feel this page doesn’t include eye grabbing features except the images and bright red page numbers. The language used on this page is simple and basic sentences. This is so that the magazine can be understood by the lowest common denominator to maximize its appeal to all members of the target audience.

Q MAGAZINEDOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

The double page spread is about a day in that Florence spent in New York whilst on her world tour. The article is linked to the headline and quote featured on the front cover; ‘I feel so alone’ and ‘woman on the edge’ as it explains why she is feeling the way she does. The article is written in third person and in the style of a ghost written biography account. The language used it quite complex compared to the contents page and front cover due to the use of long

sentences and some words that some readers may not understand. In this case, this article is not understandable by the lowest common denominator. I feel that the title and the over-sized ‘T’ mid way through the article attracts the readers attention well, and fits with the genre of both the magazine and the artist at the font used is minimalistic. Overall I feel that as a Florence and the machine fan, I would be disappointed with this double page spread; not due to the complexity of it, but due to the content of it. I feel that the image should be different to the main image used on the front cover to provide a variety to keep the reader interested. I feel that article was based on a topic that wouldn’t appeal to the target audience as it felt more of a biography or fictional book aimed at young adult females.

Q MAGAZINEANALYSIS.Overall I feel that this magazine is effective as a whole. The front cover of the magazine is constructed well and achieves its purpose of attracting potential readers to the magazine. I feel that the colours used for the front cover are unusual and therefore are partly why the front cover stands out as much as it does. I feel that the contents page is effective, however the page needs something that will help grabs the readers attention to certain things such as the main articles and corresponding pages as the page as a whole looks rather bland and empty. The double page spread I feel works well in terms of layout and appearance, however I feel that the article that was included wasn’t suited to the target audience.

In my magazine, I will include a similar font style and size as I feel that it is sleek and modern as well as being easy to read. I feel that the enlarged font for a title on the double page spread has an affective overall appearance and works well with the rest of the page. I will also include high contrasted images as they grab the readers attention and stand out from the other features on the page.

NMEFRONT COVER. ISSUE AUGUST 2011.

ColourThe main colours used on this particular front cover are grey, yellow and white with red as a feature colour. The use of white red and yellow has been used as they contrast highly with the grey background. Grey would have been used as it represents wisdom, cool, and conservative. In relation to Muse, this colour may have been used to show that they has wisdom within the music industry as they are a respected and well known band. Yellow would have been chosen as the main contrast to grey as It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy which again

suggests that they have intellect in terms of the music business and have great passion and energy when performing or recording. I feel that the colours work well together; its and unusual combination which will therefore attract potential readers due to unusual colour scheme. However, I feel that NME should be in a bolder or brighter colour to stand out from the rest of the page.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS,Layout and designThe main image on the front cover is positioned to the right to allow adequate space for the cover lines. I feel that this positioning is better than having the image positioned in the centre as the cover lines aren't covering the image, and therefore can be read easier due to the higher contrast between colours. I feel that the strapline is in a good position; it can easily be read from afar due to its size and colour which contrast against his black top. I feel that the image and text work well together in terms of space. The cover lines have clearly been placed around the main image to insure that they don’t overlap his face which suggests that they want him to be the centre of attention in terms of features. The title has been paced over the top of him which shows that NME consider their title to be more important that his image, however I feel that this should be in a bolder or brighter colour to have a better affect.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS.ImagesI main image on the front cover is a medium close up of Matthew Bellamy; the lead singer and guitarist of Muse, a band which fits the genre of NME magazine. As the target audience of NME magazine is 23 year old males, the image applies to the updated version of ‘The Male Gaze’ which suggests that nowadays, by using a male in a media product, It will allow for the same sex to aspire to be like the male featured. In this case, male readers will aspire to be a member of a successful band known worldwide. I feel that NME have used images better on their double page spread than Q magazine did as they have an alternative image to the front cover which almost shows a different side to Matthew Bellamy as well as including smaller images which look like polaroid images to show snippets of previous gigs and experiences. The allows the reader to have a better overall feel about the band and their gigs. The images on the double page spread are more muted and realistic compared to the main image on the front cover which I feel fits the target audience.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS.ImagesI main image on the front cover is a medium close up of Matthew Bellamy; the lead singer and guitarist of Muse, a band which fits the genre of NME magazine. As the target audience of NME magazine is 23 year old males, the image applies to the updated version of ‘The Male Gaze’ which suggests that nowadays, by using a male in a media product, It will allow for the same sex to aspire to be like the male featured. In this case, male readers will aspire to be a member of a successful band known worldwide. I feel that NME have used images better on their double page spread than Q magazine did as they have an alternative image to the front cover which almost shows a different side to Matthew Bellamy as well as including smaller images which look like polaroid images to show snippets of previous gigs and experiences. The allows the reader to have a better overall feel about the band and their gigs. The images on the double page spread are more muted and realistic compared to the main image on the front cover which I feel fits the target audience.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS.The two images I feel are very similar in terms of what they portray and represent to the reader. I get the impression that they are trying to show that he is a powerful and extremely influential individual in the music world, and is looked up to by males. The two poses are very serious; his facial expression in both is quite stern and serious. The fact his eyes are looking down to the reader shows that he is seen as having a certain level of power. Again this is reinforced by the type of shot used which is a low angle which positions his to look like he is dominant. In both images it is made to look like he has dark eyes which connotes mystery.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS.Written codesWhereas Q magazine left the reader questioning what had been said in the cover lines, NME magazine tends to give a short summary of the main articles however not giving too much away to ensure that they buy the magazine and read the inside articles. For example, “Florence returns. Exclusive first interview” tells the reader that there is an interview with Florence Welch, however not telling the reader what it will be about. Similarly, with the special preview of the Reading and Leeds festival, it names the best known artists who will appeal most to the NME readers, however the ‘Tons more’ suggests that there will be more artists revealed inside the article, which means that the potential reader will need to buy the magazine to read it and find out who else will be at the festivals. I feel that NME don’t have as many written codes as Q magazine which I feel is a disadvantage to them as Q magazine readers are left wanting to know the answers to the cover lines due to the use of rhetorical questions.

NMECONTENTS PAGE.

The contents page again has a very simple colour scheme of black and white. However, I feel this works to NME’s advantage as they have quite bright vibrant images used. I particularly like the different styles of font used for different features, for example an Italic serif font is used for quotes. The use of alternative fonts allows NME to make certain things stand out from others that are maybe less important. I feel that NME’s contents page works better than Q magazines as its more busy and looks like they have a lot of features inside the magazine whereas Q magazines looked too empty and spacious. I also feel that

this design and layout ensures that all NME magazine readers will find something that will interest them on the contents page due to the wide variety of articles to choose from. The language used on this page is suited to be understood by the lowest denominator which means it will suit all potential NME magazine readers.

NME DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD.

As a double page spread, I feel that overall its fits and works well together. I feel that the smaller images compliment the larger image well and give a better over all feel to Muse. I feel that the layout of the text is easy to follow and the use of different colour fonts helps to distinguish between the questions asked and the responses. The large font used for the title stands out from

the rest of the page and grabs the readers attention. I feel that the topic covered in the double page spread article is relevant to the target audience as more likely than not, the reader will be attending Reading or Leeds festival in-which Muse are debating whether to bring back the ‘Origin of symmetry.’ Unlike Q magazine, I feel that this article is understandable by the lowest denominator which will make the article is understandable by all NME readers. The use of quotes and first person allows the reader to feel as if Muse are speaking directly to them instead of in second or third person, the reader would feel it was just an account or bibliographical article.

NME MAGAZINEANALYSIS.Overall, I feel that NME as a whole works well as a magazine. The front cover effectively attracts the attention of potential readers due to its vibrant and contrasted colour scheme along with the use of an image of a well-known popular band. I feel that its simple colour scheme for the contents page works to its advantage as it allows for readers to spot and notice articles that will interest them due to the bright highly contrasted images that stand out from the simple background.

I will include a similar layout and colour scheme for my contents page as I feel it appeals to this target audience. For the double page spread, I like the use of smaller images to support the main image as I feel the use of the polaroid design will appeal to the target audience as well as adding extra detail to the page. I will also include different fonts and sizes on my pages for certain features such as quotes etc. so that they will stand out from the rest of the page.