A level Media Magazine cover Analysis

1. Monthly Magazine Analysis
Masthead
Banner
Main image
Main Cover Line
Strap Line
Cover Line
Cover Line
Cover Line

2. Mast Head
• The masthead is in large, bright white, text and is presented on
a bright red background which contrasts with the white/grey
background used for the rest of the cover. This means that it
really stands out and draws attention so people know straight
away what magazine it is. The masthead is an iconic symbol
that is shown on all their magazines and other projects they are
involved in (like the Q awards)so is easily recognisable and
stands out on the shelf. The magazines simple, one word name
‘Q’ means that the red box surrounding it frames it perfectly,
making it appear neat and professional. The masthead is
placed in the top left hand corner of the page so that it does
not interfere with the main feature of the magazine that takes
up most of the cover.

3. Main Image
• The main image on the cover shows Lily Allen who is the focus of the main feature
of the magazine and ties in with the main cover line and strap line. In the image
shows Lily Allen is snapping a microphone stand in half over her leg and the
fragments of the shattered stand are all around her. When accompanied with her
all black, all leather outfit and bright red heals this helps create a ‘bad girl’ kind of
image. This would appeal to the magazines target audience as they would
typically be interested in alternative, rocky and edgy music, so would not be
attracted to an image of a ‘good girl’ or overly pop like image. So by
representing Lily Allen in this way they will be attracting their target audience and
appealing to their customers. The aggressive side to the image and the way her
leg is kicking out links the main cover line, ‘Kicks Out’, creating a clever sense of
continuity. The colours also cleverly tie in with the rest of the cover, as she is
wearing black, has black hair and red shoes and the main colour scheme of the
cover is black and red. The image is the only image on the cover (except for the
one included in the banner) and takes up a very large portion of the page. This
shows how significant the feature is to the magazine and ensures the magazine
has a clean cut, professional appearance.

4. Main Cover Line and Strap Line
• The main cover line, ‘Lily Allen Kicks off’ dominates the bottom right
hand corner of the page and crosses the main image showing that
they are both about the same story. The phrase ‘kick’s off’ is in large,
bold, bright red writing meaning that it stands out against the black
and white that surrounds it. The use of those words in order to entice
the audience by suggesting that the article could involve
controversy, which is something that would appeal to the
magazines target audience.
• The strap line is in smaller, black text that is very clear against the
white background. The fact that the strap line is underlined shows
that it is a significant part of the cover. It is a quote from the Lily Allen
article in the magazine, the words also emphasise the idea that
there could be some form of controversial drama in the story, ‘I’m
an argumentative little sh*t’.

5. Banner
• The banner runs across the top of the page. It is presented in a
black box, separating it from the rest of the cover and showing
it is a different article to the main feature. The text is in white,
grey, blue and red with the different features of the article in
different colours. This gives the impression that there is lots of
different content within the story and that it is pact full of
worthy information. The biggest bit of text is the word ‘Oasis’,
they have chosen to make this the focus of the banner
because Oasis is a very famous band that will appeal to a
large amount of the magazines target audience, meaning
that more people are likely to buy the magazine based in it
featuring Oasis, this is also emphasised by the use of an image
of the band which is also included on the banner.

6. Cover Lines
• The cover lines describe additional content that is covered in the
magazine, other than the main cover feature, as to appeal to a
wider audience. Someone that is not interested in Lily Allen may see
that one of the other cover lines talks about someone else that they
are interested in, such as Ricky Gervais or Palo Nutini, and they may
purchase the magazine on the strength of this.
• The cover lines are placed along the borders of the cover so that
they can been seen as clearly separate from the main feature and
don’t interfere with the effect of the main image and cover line.
• The colours used for all the cover lines fits in with the colour scheme
used on the rest of the cover (red, black white and a small amount
of blue) creating continuity and a neat, professional appearance.