1. Magazine
Analysis
Abi Semple

2. Front Cover
Pages

3. The Masthead is shown at the top
left hand side of the magazine
and so would stand out on a shelf
as well using the magazine’s
trademark colours which would
appeal on every ‘Q’ magazine.
The masthead has been placed
over the main image which
challenges conventions but by
placing it in front it stands out
and looks bolder.
The selling line has been placed in
the same outlined box as the
masthead and uses white font. It
is a lot smaller and links with the
masthead unlike a majority of the
text on the page because it has
been written in serif font. It
persuades the audience to buy it
and by using ‘discover’ shows that
even if you haven’t heard of the
artists, you can find out more
about them inside. This would
appear on every ‘Q’ magazine
Artiste Credit’s give credit to all the
featured musicians.
A puff is used to promote a
particular feature in the
magazine and encourage the
audience to purchase it. It has
been separated from the rest of
the magazine and so stands out
and uses the theme colours red,
white and black to link the
magazine together.
The cover lines are shown on
both sides of the magazine page,
specifically on the left so that
they stand out on shelves. They
give the audience a view on what
is inside the magazine and
persuade them to buy it. They
have used cover lines that include
artistes names as well as witty
phrases such as ‘Booze, Fags
and… Muffins!’ to intrigue the
audience.

4. Date Line so that the audience
are up to date with the
magazine’s issues.
The main colour scheme for this
magazine is red, white and black.
These feature in all aspects of the
front cover, and give the magazine a
signature look. This would make the
audience be able to recognise it
easily and makes it all connected.
The main cover line of the magazine
is one of the main artiste featured;
Liam Gallagher. It used bold writing
to make it stand out as well as using
Sans-Serif font, contrasting the
masthead which uses Serif. The
main cover line links well with the
main image and the reader would
want to read more into it. The cover
line uses the band’s name and so
the audience would know that the
main feature is about that particular
artiste.
The main image is a MCU shot
and shows the main featured
artist Liam Gallagher who is a
musician in the band Beady
Eye. He takes up a large
percentage of the page and
links with the main cover line as
it mentions his eyes, which is
also the name of the band,,
which in the main image are
shown to be reflecting the
other band members from his
glasses. Liam Gallagher is
shown to be looking mysterious
and retro by using props and
costume such as his dark
glasses, and his facial
expression makes him look
secretive; something that
would appeal to both sexes.
Female’s would find him
attractive and males would look
up to his dangerous, masculine
persona and so would want to
read about him inside the
magazine. The way he looks
and dresses links with the type
of DJ music he makes.

5. The name of this magazine is ‘NME’
and the masthead is used to make
this stand out and to make it easily
recognisable. This masthead is
always shown on he let hand corner
of NME, and here it is in white to
make it stand out against the
background and is very bold.
Other images of artiste's are used
to show other features inside and
reinforces the puff used. These
are in black and white and stand
out on page and they are slightly
tilted to show them layered on
top of each other, making them
look unique. They are outlined in
white and so are moved forward
from the background.
The Dateline is used to keep the
audience up to date with the issue
numbers.
The main cover line uses the main
feature of the magazine which is Lana Del
Rey. A quote is used by her, as well as her
name in blue, being the main attraction
of the cover, and links with the main
image of her. ‘True Face’ is used to show
the audience that she is a normal person,
and she is shown to be modern and an
American idol, which both links with the
image and the cover line. The cover line
slants across the page, making it look
different and catching the audience’s
eye. Fans of Lana would immediately see
her name and wan to buy the magazine,
as it shows her in a very positive light.
The rule of thirds is used to make the
page look attractive and give it a clear
structure.
The main image is a medium shot
of Lana Del Rey and she is being
shown to link with her cover line of
a ‘phycho’ as she has a funny
expression on her face, and is
shown as being like a normal
person, not a typical ‘perfect’
celebrity. There is an American flag
behind her, linking again with the
cover line. Lana looks very pretty,
and girls would look up to her and
boys would find her attractive. She
is wearing white which links with
the American flag, an she also looks
like a strong character, showing
that she is a role model for young
people.

6. The main colour theme is blue, black and white, making the magazine look consistent and
organized. It links the magazine together and make the images stand out. Sans-Serif and capital
letters are only used on this magazine, making it look more appealing as it is all the same and
easy to read.
Other cover lines are used to highlight
other features inside. They are inside
white boxes and so are separated from
the background and black and blue bold
font is used. Statements like ‘Find out
more inside’ persuade the audience to
buy it. Different artistes are used to show
the wide range of features included.
A puff is used to highlight
another reason to buy the
magazine. It has been split off
from the rest of the page using a
blue box and used black and
white font to show extras that
you get when you purchase it.
The font is large and so stands
out on the page.
The main cover line and the other
cover lines are all slanted slightly
and so make the page look more
interesting and appealing to the
audience.
A footer is used to show other artiste’s
featured and makes the magazine look like
here is a lot going on and is packed full of
information. This is smaller than other texts
on the page, and ‘Plus’ has been written in
italic and a different font to make it stand
out for the audience.
The barcode is easily seen at the
bottom of the page as well as the
price, which is small but easy to
find by the audience.

7. A header has been used at the top of
the page to show more features that
are inside the magazine. It would
appeal to the audience as it is offering
a prize which would appeal to many of
the readers and therefore they would
want to read more about it. The
audience would easily spot it as it is
placed at the top of the magazine and
has a red background which makes it
stand out from the rest of the page.
This is a typical convention of music
magazines.
The rule of thirds has been used to
make the page look aesthetic and the
cover lines relate to the artistes and
the images of them. It gives the
audience more features of what is
inside the magazine.
A puff has been used which is a
typical convention of music magazine
and is separated from the rest of the
page with a red outline. It offers a
free gift to persuade the audience to
buy it.
The main colour theme for the
magazine is red, black and white and
links the magazine and makes it
pleasing to the eye. All of the font
used is Sans-Serif, and so making it
look bold and linking it to the type of
music used as well as making it
consistent.
The main cover line features the name
of the band in bold writing and takes
up a large percentage of the page. It
uses white font and is outlined in
black, separating it from the rest of
the magazine. Underneath the cover
line continues, but this is highlighted
in black, making it stand out from the
white clothing of the image and it links
with the main image as the band look
spiritual and Biblical which links with
‘unfold the puzzle of life’ therefore
making the audience want to read
more.
The Barcode is used to make it easily to
find and scan in shops. This is typically
found on the front of magazines. The
date line and issue number has also
been used to keep the audience up to
date with the magazine releases.

8. The main image is of the main artiste of
the magazine; Biffy Clyro, shown in
Medium Shot, showing the outfits that
they are wearing and they are centred
in the middle of the page. The band look
mysterious and are looking towards the
camera, making it personal to the
audience. The main member is in front
and is wearing white while the other
two are behind and wearing black,
making the most well known band
member stand out so that people would
recognise him. Their faces look
shadowed and so links with the type of
rock music that they produce. The main
image would appeal to both sexes and
fans would want to read the magazine
to see what else features.
The Masthead uses the name of a
well known magazine Kerrang. It
has been written in bold, black
font and has been placed on a
white background making it stand
out. The masthead uses the
trademark font of Kerrang! and so
gives it a unique style that the
audience would immediately
notice. Part of the main image
covers the masthead and this is a
typical convention as the magazine
is well known and people would
immediately recognise it.
Other images are used of other
artistes to show the other features
in the magazine and to show that it
holds a lot of information. The
images are either separated in
boxes- making them stand out, or
are edited to overlap the main
image. All of the images are looking
directly at the camera, making it
personal.
The footer links with the header and
uses the same colour scheme,
separating it from the rest of the page.
It says ‘Plus!’ and then gives examples
of more bands featured, and so
persuades the audience to buy it. It
uses similar bands to Biffy Clyro, so
that fans would be interested in them.

9. Contents
Pages

10. The name of the magazine has followed on
to the contents page and looks exactly the
same as on the front. It is inside a red box
like it is on the cover and stands out on the
page as it is boldly in red and uses large
font. Also inside the red box is the title in
black ‘Contents’ written in serif font,
labelling the page and making it clear to
the audience. The box is outlined with
black and white and so making it stand out
on the age. This is a typical way of writing
the title of a contents page so that readers
would easily identify it.
Another image is used which is an ionic
photo of the band Queen. This may have
been seen before by the audience and so
they might be interested in reading
about it, and underneath is a breath
description of the page on queen. This
has been written in red and so shows
that it is an important feature.
The main image of Liam Gallagher
takes up a large proportion of the
page and would catch the
audience’s eye immediately. It uses
shallow depth of field and a slight
high angle shot, showing a close up
of his face I high focus and his
shoulders blurred. The tone of the
image is grey and he looks very
retro and mysterious, also showing
the vintage style of the magazine.
His clothes make him look old
fashioned which adds to his
interesting characteristic and style
of music. Just like the front cover,
you can’t see his eyes, and so adds
to the mystery and his face is very
shadowed. He is on a grey
background just like the front cover
and so full attention is on him. The
number ‘46’ has been added at the
bottom of this image in white and
bold font to indicate the page
number which the artist appears
on.
The website of the magazine has
been advertised at the bottom
of the page, so that the audience
can view it whenever they want.
The masthead of the magazine is
also at the bottom of the page
but is very small, and so the
audience always know what they
are reading and are well
established with the name.

11. The title of the column is called
‘Features’ and is situated on the left hand
side. It is written in white serif font and is
inside a red box. This makes it consistent
to it’s colour theme. It only mentions key
aspects of the magazine which is a typical
convention. Each article is split with a red
and a black line divider and so making it
look organized, easy to make out and
well structured.
Each feature of the magazine has
a title which is the name of the
artiste, followed by a red divider
to make it structured and then a
description of what is to come
inside. The artiste’s name is in
capitals making it stand out
against the smaller font of the
information. This is so the
audience would be able to spot
the name of a particular band
easily. The page numbers are
also clearly listed next to the
page names.
The magazine has kept to it’s
signature colours and so
making it aesthetically pleasing
as well as consistent. Because
the images and fonts on the
page are darkly coloured the
red is the dominating shade
and stands out the most.
The rule of thirds has been used
to make the page look
professional and well structured
and easy to read.

12. This NME magazine contents page
challenges music magazine
conventions as it is very different
from how they are usually
structured. This might be because
NME does not have a specific sub
category of music that they aim at
and so have to take all types into
consideration.
Line dividers have been used to
split the magazine pages into
sections and so making it clear and
well structured. It mostly follows
the rule of thirds, and so making it
look appealing and easy to follow.
The line dividers are in black and
are very thin and so making them
barely noticeable, but they have a
big impact.
There is a thin column that says
‘Plus’ showing additional pages in
the magazine that haven’t got an
image caption, listing the page
names and their page numbers.
This is because they aren’t main
features but can also be found
inside. By putting so many on the
contents page it shows the amount
of information inside and is a typical
convention of magazines.
There is no contents page title
on the page which challenges
magazine stereotypes. Instead
by saying ‘Inside this week’ it
labels the page in a more specific
way and makes it more personal.
The title is in capital letters and
uses serif bold text in black,
contrasting the white
background. It is centred and
fits in well with the columns
underneath.
The page contains a mixture of
images and text and each image
has a brief description of the page
the image is representing. Each
caption has a quote which are
mostly humorous and so catch the
audience’s attention and make
them want to read about them.
The quote by the artiste has been
written in larger font and each
one is different, by using bold,
italic, capitals and different types
of fonts. There is a brief
explanation underneath the quote
which is a lot smaller and is in
capital, bold writing, and gives the
audience an explanation of the
artist and further persuades the
reader to buy the magazine.

13. The colour theme is white and
black, making it simple, as all of
the images are different colours,
making them stand out and look
unique. The background does not
get in the way of the images. The
text used is a mixture of serif and
sans-serif, making it varied, and
the page looks as if there is a lot
going on, and so showing that
there is a lot inside.
The page number of each feature is
shown at the bottom right hand
corner of the image. It is written in
black with a white background, and
is large in font and bold. This makes
sure the reader knows exactly
where to find the pages.
The date line has been clearly
marked to show the issue
number of the magazine and
so the audience is up to date
with it.
Each artiste featured in the
magazine has its own image on
the contents page to make the
audience see it and easily
recognise them. These are a
range of different shots including
CU, MLS and MS. They are also a
range of different styles of
colour and setting and some
have been staged but some are
live performances, making it
interesting for the reader.

14. The layout is split into 50% image
and 50% text, meaning the main
image is dominating the page.
The text is laid out in five
columns making it easy to make
out but also making it look like
there is a lot going on.
A letter from the editor is a typical
convention of a music magazine,
explaining what is going to be inside. It
usually adds an image of the editor as
well to make it more personal and so that
the audience know who produced the
magazine. The editor is young and in MCU
and so we can eaily see his face, and so
would appeal to many young people as
they would feel like he would understand
them and like the same things as them.
The contents title has been written in
yellow font and uses the trademark
Kerrang! Font type. The issue number
has also been labelled as well as the
date to make sure the audience keep
up to date with the magazine.
The name of the magazine in
white is added to the contents
page to make the audience be
reminded of what they are
reading.
Shapes are used with white background to
show what pages specific features that are
being shown on the page are on. This
makes it easier for the audience to see and
find, and they would want to buy the
magazine to read more about that artiste.
The page numbers are labelled in red and
so making them look different than the
other text on the page and each feature
that has been mentioned on the front
cover is identified. This helps to link them
together and so that the audience knows
exactly what they are looking for and can
find specific pages immediately.

15. The main image is of a band member
crowd surfing which is a typical
action used by a rock band, as it is
crazy which would generally be
associated with rock bands. He looks
like he is having fun and like the
image has been taken in the middle
of the action showing that the
magazine is packed full of exciting
features, as well as showing that the
magazine gets exclusive music
information directly from the band
members themselves at their gigs. He
is wearing casual clothes, which are
often associated with bands.
The main features of the magazine have
been separated using columns. Each
section of features has been written in
yellow, concise font, and a black box
surrounds it, making it stand out. Each
feature is labelled as the artiste name
and has been written in bold to make
them stand out, and then there is a
caption underneath it giving more
information of what is inside.
The colour theme is black, yellow
and white and black and this
follows trademark Kerrang!
Colours. All of the text on the
page uses sans serif font to make
it look bold and relates it to the
music type.
Even though half of the contents
page is an image there are other
images on the page. Including a
long shot of some band members
and pages and features that are
inside the magazine, including a
free poster, and a preview of
pages inside, so that the audience
would want to look inside to find
out more.
Offers are also given such as
subscription deals to help further
promote the magazine.

16. Double Page
Spreads

17. The main image takes up
half of the double page
spread and is in black and
white making it look
sophisticated. A photograph
of Lady Gaga in MCU is
looking directly at the
camera and so making it
personal to the audience
and she looks very
glamorous and her outfit
looks interesting and unique
fitting with her trademark
crazy costumes. She is
against a white background
making the magazine look
professional and making
Gaga’s image the main
attraction of the page and
so that she is well seen.
The page layout looks glamorous and well structured making it easy to
read, as well as making it unique to Q Magazine. The red letter is also
the only colour on the page, making it eye catching and making
constant references to the magazine name.
The white background
on both pages make
them link together and
are less confusing for
the reader.
The background is white
and so makes the black
text stand out and be
easily seen and makes it
look elegantly laid out as
well as making the picture
prominent and the red
letter stand out.
The text is heavily worded and so making it look like there is a lot of
information on Lady Gaga and making the audience want to read it. The
text is very small and so shows that a lot has research has gone in to the
artiste and the small text
There is a red letter
over the text on the
opposite page of the
image. It fills up the
whole page and links
with the magazine’s
masthead as it is the
same colour and
font, and is also only
one letter, e.g “L” for
Lady Gaga.
Drop capitals are a
typical feature of
magazine formality
making the text look
well organized.
The magazine logo is
shown at the bottom of
the page on the right
hand corner. It is small
but reminds the
audience of what
they’re reading, as well
as the page number so
that the page is easy to
find.
The text is written in serif font making it look traditional and
aesthetically pleasing. At the top of the page Lady Gaga’s name is
written clearly so that the audience know exactly who they are
reading about. There is no title for the article which challenges
conventions of music magazines, but this makes the page
interesting and unique.

18. Image captions are
used to annotate
what is going on in
the image and to
give the audience
extra information
about the photo.
The theme colours on the double page
spread are black, white and blue and
these are shown all over the page making
it consistent and pleasing to the eye.
The magazine
name is frequently
used so that the
reader is
reminded of what
they are reading.
The title of the page is the
band name and so making
it clear as to who the page
is about. It is in black
large, serif font and is
highlighted in blue and so
making it very eyecatching.
The main image takes up
half of the double page
spread and is a long shot
of the band. The image
links with the name of the
band and connotes the
way in which teenagers
are very casual and relaxed
as well as the room they
are in being shown as a
typical teenage room.
Therefore this would
appeal to young people
and would make it
personal. The image is very
bright and eye-catching
and is the main feature of
the page.
A blue box on the bottom
left hand corner of the page
gives extra information
about the band, and give a
fact file on them, showing
that the page is packed full
of information.
A pull quote from the band is
highlighted in blue and uses large
white font and so stands out from the
rest of the font. This gives the
audience an idea of what is inside the
magazine article, as well as making it
personally from the band.
A black box on the
right hand side of the
page taking up a
quarter of the spread
shows information
about other artists.
The box stands out
against the white
background of the
page and uses other
pictures of other
bands who are similar
to The Teenagers.
Blue line dividers are
used to link each
artiste off from the
other, linking it with
the rest of the page.
The page looks
cluttered and like
there’s a lot going on
which would appeal to
the target audience as
they like to see lots of
features on their
favourite bands.
Black font has been placed
on top of the white
background, and so making
it clear and the two column
structure makes it easy to
read. The text is in sans
serif and so liking with the
title and making it look
sophisticated and indie,
linking with the music style.
Another image
of a band
member using
MLS is used to
show the band
performing on
stage is used to
intrigue the
reader.
The magazine website is advertised
at the bottom of the article to
encourage the audience to go on it.
It is in red and so stands out from
the rest of the page.
The subheading of the
article is in black font
and is just underneath
the title. It links with
the band name and
gives a small
introduction as to what
will come in the
magazine.

19. The band name is shortened to MCR which is typical in rock music and makes it more
personal for the audience as if they are fans of the band they would know the shortened
name.
A pull quote has been used as the title to draw the audience in and
make them intrigued by what Mt Chemical Romance will talk about
in the interview. The font used is the typical style of Kerrang! and is
in black and red which links with the page style.
An advertisement of the Kerrang!
website is advertised, encouraging
the audience to go on the website
to read more about latest features.
On the right hand
side of the page there
is a column showing
other text which is
different from the
main article. The
white box splits it off
from the rest of the
page and makes it
seem like there is a
lot of information on
the artiste and so
would be interesting
for the reader.
The main image takes up about a
third of the page and is a black and
white medium long shot image of
the main singer on stage. This links
with the title as he seems to be
really involved in the music, and by
showing a performance shot,
shows that the magazine gets
involved with the music close up,
making it exciting for the audience.
The standfirst of the page is in
smaller text than the main image and
says that Kerrang! were invited to the
studio, and so showing that they are
involved in the bands, and advertising
the magazine further.
Other images of the band where they are performing or
creating music are laid out at the bottom of the bottom page
spread in different angled shots, e.g. MCU, MS and MLS, linking
with the title of them being the best they can be, as it shows
them being very much involved in their music. All the images
are in black and white and so make the red font on the page
eye catching, as well as making the band look indie and
sophisticated. They are wearing casual-smart clothes and so
make them look normal and personal for the audience. The
page is image dominated and shows that there is cluttered, so
the audience has a lot to look at.
There is only two columns
of text, giving the
audience more to look at
than read, and so this
would appeal to the
reader as they might be
pushed away if there is a
lot of text.
The text is written in sans serif
making it modern and easy to
read and so would apply to
the target audience.
The background of the page is black and so links with the
rock/gothic genre of music. It also makes the white and
red font stand out from the background. Drop capitals
are also used in red, which is a typical convention of a
formal magazine.

20. Similarities

21. Typically pages from the same magazine usually connect together
and use different elements to make the pages consistent and
trademarked. There are a number of ways that magazines do this, for
example:
• Similar colour theme- Q magazine has used red white and black
and keeps it consistent on all three pages.
• Font type(Serif/Sans-Serif/mixture) - To keep the magazine
aesthetically pleasing and so that the audience recognise the font
used.
• The magazine logo is usually found on all three pages as a
reminder to the audience and to advertise the magazine.
• The main artiste featured is usually shown on all three pages.
• Similar page structure- either well organized or specifically
cluttered, depending on the genre of the magazine.