Q is a monthly magazine focused on music reviews that has been published since 1986. Clash is also a UK-based monthly music magazine founded in 2004 that has taken a more artistic approach in recent years. Both magazines use photography and layout techniques to draw readers in, but Clash stands out by defying some conventions with its unique artistic style influenced by fashion.

1. CASE STUDY ON 2
MUSIC MAGAZINES
Zac Walker

2. Q – Discover Great
Music
•Q is a British music magazine
published monthly at a cost of
£3.99 by Bauer Media, it focuses
on reviewing music, but also
features many interviews from
popular artists.
•The current editor of the magazine
is Andrew Harrison. The Magazine
was first published in October
1986.
•One of the more popular
magazines, it can be picked up at
most retailers and postal
subscriptions are available.

3. Masthead Pull-Quote
Creates a recognisable A quote from an article, often taken out of context to entice the reader into looking in
image that readers will be the magazine to find out what it’s referring to.
able to see and instantly Coverstory
know what magazine The story that ties in with the
they’re looking at. cover image, often in larger
text than all the others on the
page so attention is drawn to
Strapline it.
A line the magazine uses to Coverlines
give a short explanation of Smaller stories featured on
what the magazine aims to the cover to give the reader
do. more reasons to pick it up
Puffs
Create a more dynamic layou
drawing attention to the text
Date/Issue Number within them without taking the
Tells the reader when the focus from the
magazine was published so
coverline/image.
they now if it’s the current
issue, in this example it is Rhetorical Question
included in the barcode area. Offers the reader the chance
to create their own opinion an
Barcode see whether the writer agrees
Gives the price of the or disagrees
magazine.
Cover Image
The photo that dominates the cover page illustrating the
main story, often the image is a medium close-up of an

4. Contents Masthead
A list of the articles and A continuation of the house style Date and Issue
features in the magazine and brand identity of the
Number
with the number of the page magazine.
Helps to identify what issues
they are on.
this is and when it was
Features released.
Pieces which are specific to
this edition of the magazine.
Colour Scheme Featured Story
Often relates to the colours Sometimes the magazine will
used on the cover page choose to highlight a story by
creating a house style. giving it an image that goes
with it or making it much larger
on the page.
Special Features
A special feature that set this
apart from other editions.
Regular Features
Features which appear in every
issue.

5. Photo Dominates Whole Header
Page This gives the
An image which relates to the reader an idea of
article, this is made clear by the what the article’s
fact it is so large. about.
Black & Body
White The main text of
the article.
Image
This add
more of a
glamorous
effect to the
image.
Large Letter
Underneath
Text
This seems to be
an aspect of the
magazine’s
house style as it
can be seen in
Drop Capital Page Number other issues
This helps the This tells the reader what
reader identify page they are on, also if they
where the article have used the contents page
starts. to find the feature they can
get to it easily.

6. Influences On My Own Magazine
•I like the way the photos take a large majority of the
space on the pages, and will try to use this myself.
•Also I like the way they organize their contents page,
large page numbers and the separation of regular and
special features.
•The large letter behind the text for the article was also
something I liked about they style they use for their
articles.

7. Clash – Music Life
Style
•Clash is a UK-based music and
fashion magazine published
monthly, available from the larger
chains of newsagents and
bookshops, the price ranging from
£3.50-£3.99
•It was founded by John O'Rourke,
Iain Carnegie, Jon-Paul Kitching,
Simon Harper in 2004, the current
editor being Simon Harper.
•Recently the magazine has taken
a new approach to it’s house-style,
becoming a very artistically-led.

8. Simplistic Layout Masthead
Gives the reader key Creates a recognisable image that readers will be able
information about the contents to see and instantly know what magazine they’re looking
without bombarding them with at.
to much information all at
once. Keeping it clean an
minimal also plays on the
“arty” approach the magazine Coverlines
takes. Tell the reader what else is in
the magazine.
Cover Image
In contrast to Q’s cover image
we see a group-shot, further
from the camera. There is also
more of the “artistic” direction
seen in the abstract use of
colour.
Coverstory Price
Barcode
Date/Issue Number

9. Column Layout
List of
Page Numbers
Articles Tells the reader
Gives the where to find the
name of the article.
article with a
brief summary Feature Photos
of it’s content Photos that help to
and the page it establish the
is found on. feature’s content.
Subheadings
Distinguishes between the
different sections of the magazine.

10. Header
Body
The writing for
Black & the article is
White presented in a
Image strange way.
This time it Rather than
implies more having the text
“artiness” black because
than glamour. the background it
white they
choose to keep
the text white
and give it a
black
surrounding, this
creates an
almost label like
effect.
Drop Capital

11. Influences On My Own Magazine
•Clash seems to defy some of the regular conventions of
a music magazine, this is possibly because of it’s
influences from fashion and art.
•This make it stand out from others and is something it’d
like for my own magazine
•I also like it’s use of analogue-looking photography and
will use this on my cover.