Q magazine covers a wide range of media, from music, to television and radio. However as I am only making a music magazine I will only be looking at the music sections.
About the magazine:
· The magazines music genre includes pop, rock and indie, therefore making it a possible competitor in the print industry.
· The magazine is edited by Paul Rees and Published by Bauer Media Group.
o Bauer Media also publish Kerrang! & Mojo.
· Q Magazine is released monthly.
· Often promotions and gifts are given away with the magazine such as cover-mounted CD's or books
Codes and Conventions
Front cover:
· Image- the image on the front of the magazine is used as the background, they use well known artists that are easily recognised and give the reader eye contact.
· Colour scheme- The magazine usually sticks to the colours of red, white, black and grey/silver. However some issues have the colour gold instead of grey/silver.
· Text and its Layout- The artists name is in a large bold text that’s centralised over is situated the bottom of the artists, all the other text is laid out around the main image and sticks to the colour scheme, they have other artists names mentioned as some of the audience may not like Kasabian which is ensuring they target more potential customers. They also have a quote from an interview inside therefore attracting the audience to read on.
· Barcode- Normally Q place their barcode on the bottom right of the magazine, however like the magazine shown, they sometimes place it on the bottom left or even under the masthead as I have seen while researching.
· Images – There are many images on the contents page, all of different shapes and sizes.
o At the top right they have placed an image of the next issue of Q magazine.
o All the images on the contents have something to do with the magazines content inside and are numbered to what pages they are on.
o The images are all of well known celebrities and have them all smiling or performing in order to further attract the audience.
· Logo – The logo is situated in the same place that the mast head is on the front page but it is smaller and the red is extended across the top to hold the title.
· Colour Scheme – The contents have stuck to the colour scheme of red, white and black as on the front page.
· Text and its Layout
o On some of the images there is text as it is a smaller version of what’s inside the magazine.
o At the bottom there is “The Q Review” which has been sectioned off from the rest of the page. The writing which shows what’s inside the magazine is red which is the only writing on the contents page which is read, luring the audience to read it.
o The writing which tells the reader what’s to be found in the magazine is to the right. Instead of saying what’s on every page it tells the reader what on selected pages, leaving the other pages a mystery until the magazines opened.
o The number and name of the page is a bold black and has a red underlining, underneath the red line is quotes of what is on each page.
Double page spread:
· Image – Each image has Brandon Flowers in a studio to match the title of the article. The image is also used as the background. The images are large therefore making them more important to the audience as opposed to if they were small.
· Logo – The magazines logo has been places at the top of the page but as it is over the image, the red is slightly transparent.
· Colour Scheme – The double page sticks to the house style that each Q magazine sticks to, mostly the colours red, white and black.
· Text and its Layout
o The main text is laid out at the bottom of the page in columns. The first page has four columns and uses a drop cap to begin with. The second page has three columns.
o The title is centred on the first page and the artist name stands out from the other text. The text colour sticks to the house style and underneath the main title it states where the interview took place and what album and songs the interview is about.
o The quote stands out from the main text due to its size and colour. There’s also a red thick line above it that also attracts the audience’s attention.
· Features - It has an extensive review section, featuring: new music releases, reissues, music complications, live concert reviews and radio reviews.
o It uses a star rating system from one to five stars.
o The rating an album receives in Q is often added to the print and television advertising in the UK and Ireland.
· Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular and new musical artists.
· The magazine is well known for compiling lists ranging from “The 100 Greatest Albums” to the “100 Greatest Rock Lists” and “50 Bands to See Before You Die”
