Front cover analysis one (1/3)

1. Target Audience and genre
The ta rget audience for this edition of Q
magazine will be fans of Amy Winehouse
al so people from the age group 25 and over
as the type face of the masthead is serif
sans, inferring the theme is more
sophisticated. The genre of this magazine
can vary throughout different editions, this
edi tion i s from the genre R&B/Soul
Main Image
The main image of Amy uses the rule of
thi rds as every third Amy i s placed in. She i s
al so positioned this way as the text then has
space to be positioned without being placed
over the main image ; in this case the
mus ical artist Amy Winehouse.
Model credit
The model cre dit “New re velation a bout the
voi ce of our time…” s upports the lead a rticle
as i t suggests i t is new and unseen before
information about Amy before she passed
away. This also suggests the information
won’t e ve r be seen i n another ma gazine or
other sources.
Lead article
The lead article line i s One ye ar on… Amy
new revelations about the voice of our
ti me… a nd how we lost her” the word that
s ta nds out most i s ‘AMY’ this is because the
image also attracts an audience and her
name is Amy. From the cover l ine we know
that the article around Amy wi ll be big, this
i s usually over at least a double page spread.
Mas thead:
The masthead is placed in the primary optical area as i t
wi l l be the first thing to be seen by reader. The Masthead
s tands out as the font used i s bold, which shows a
formality for a formal audience.
The Gutenberg Design Principle
In the primary optical area and s trong fallow area; we see
the masthead, an exclusive Amy Winehouse tribute and
mus ic’s mightiest albums guide. This is used as a main
focus point of the magazine; shown as the model credit
has her hair covering the masthead to emphasise she is
the main focus of the magazine. In the weak fallow area
the re i s a s mall ci rcle with the words ‘i f your cd is missing,
pl e ase tell your newsagent’ this means there would’ve
been a cd in the weak fallow area. This is because the
weak fallow area is usually bare, meaning the cd will
attract the focus of the ta rget audience. In the terminal
optical area the barcode is placed here, this is because
people usually s top reading the front cover at this point
Colours/Typefaces/House style
The colour scheme that has been used for this magazine is
cons istent the whole way through. The colour red and
white has been used for the logo through out every i ssue
of the magazine. The colours red, white and orange have
al so been used on the front cover and throughout the
magazine this is to make sure the audience and buyers are
fami liar with his magazine. The type face that has been
used is also consistent this is to make sure the readers can
understand and read the text written on and in the
magazine. This is the common house s tyle for Q magazine,
enabling buyers to recognize the consistent design.
Cover l ines
The main cover line i s placed in the axis of orientation this
i s because Amy Winehouse is the main are placed in the
reading gravity this i s to
Banners/Flashes/badges
The badges and banners are used to tell the audience the content of the
magazine and to also attract the audience to buy the magazine. For
e xa mple the flashes that are used ‘exclusive’ next to the banner ‘Amy
Wi ne house tri bute cd’ attracting the audience to buy the magazine. Also a
fl a sh ‘ra re photos’ next to the cover l ine of the rolling s tones, meaning the
flashes are used for well-known celebrities/artists. The badges that have
been used are to inform the target market and potential buyers of what is
ins ide the magazine. These are usually used to attract a wide range of
audiences.