The front cover of the January 2012 issue of Q Magazine features Coldplay. The cover follows magazine design conventions, including using the rule of thirds to position the main image and text. The target audience of Q Magazine is 15-25 year olds, mainly female, from middle and working class backgrounds. Methods used to attract this audience include vibrant colors, an informal font, and depictions of artists in lively poses.

1. Analysis Of Magazine Front Covers
Q Magazine-
January 2012-Coldplay Edition

2. Front Cover Analysis
The header
The masthead
Background
Rule of thirds/left
third Pull quote
Main cover/sell lines
Main cover image
The sell/ cover lines
Barcode-
date/issue/price
The footer

3. Target Audience Of This Magazine
Target audience: • Methods used to
attract this target
• Interests-Pop/ audience are:
Indie/ Rock/
• Colours – vibrant
Charts
and bright being
• Gender- Mainly attractive to the
female (Some viewer
males) • Pose of the artist-
• Age-15-25 Fun and lively
dancing
• Social Class- • Text font-
Middle/Working Sketchy, informal
class and gives the idea
of gossip
• Price- £2.99 to
£3.99 • Slanted text-
Youth, graffiti, art
shown through the
music

4. Direct Link To Q Magazine
http://www.qthemusic.com/
Who publishes the magazine?
•Bauer Media Group
How many sales does it make?
•64,596
What genre/type of magazine is it?
•Pop, indie and rock
Details of its typical content and the artists/bands it
currently features
•The magazine has many sections including: focuses on
bands, new releases, film and live concert reviews, as well
as radio and television too
General background:
When did it start?
•First issue-October 1986
Who were the founders?
•Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth
How it has changed and why?
•In late 2008 Q restored its image, with a smaller amount
of text and an increased focus on subjects other than
music
Detailed analysis of its target audience
•This magazine is for older generations of music buyers
as it was noticed they were being ignored, created this for
buyers of over 25 years old, of both genders

5. Research Into Q Magazine