Vibe magazine targets younger readers interested in rap and hip-hop music. It uses informal fonts and designs featuring artists like Lil' Wayne to attract this audience. The magazine covers new albums, concerts, and both established and new artists in the genre. Q magazine targets a slightly older audience between 20-30. Though it covers a wider range of music, it maintains a more sophisticated and educational tone. The cover features Jay-Z in a suit to juxtapose his rap career with the magazine's formal style which presents the genre as serious and worthy of respect. Both magazines use their covers to attract readers with famous artists while representing their distinct brands.

1. Daniel Collins
Media
Front Cover Comparison
Vibe magazine targets the younger generation as it focuses on modern day artists and bands. It
focuses on the genre of rap/ hip-hop as this ties in with the youthful target audience, the aim
of the magazine is to inform the readers about past and present artists, upcoming gigs and
album releases. The magazine uses a mixture of serif and san serif fonts, this shows the
magazine is quite informal and fits in with the urban genre. Black and white are the main
colours being used, this creates a contrast between the background, masthead and coverlines.
The magazine uses the rule of thirds well. The primary optical area is controlled by the
Masthead which immediately shows the name of the magazine. The weak fallow area is used
to effect as it is taken up by things such as the barcode and price. The main image takes over
the terminal area of the cover page and draws in the reader’s attention to the image. The
image of Lil’ Wayne uses informal symmetry as the image is even on each side, his shirt is open
which reveals the tattoos which cover his body and add to the symmetry. The tattoos are
stereotypical of the rap/hip-hop genre as they tie in with the way the music is urban and
comes from the streets. He is also wearing two gold and diamond chains and diamonds in his
lip, along with the red and gold jacket which has a royal look to it. All these things are very
representative of the genre as they show wealth and status which has huge connotations in
rap and hip hop. The masthead VIBE is in a san serif font, this shows the informality of the
magazine, it is also in a large font covering the top of the magazine as though it is being
shouted to grab the customer’s attention. The word vibe is a commonly used word in the
music industry as it can be used in a positive way to describe music or an artist. The lead article
is in the primary optical area, so this is the first thing the reader will see as they look at the
cover. ‘Weezy’ is in larger font which gives the reader an initial insight into what the story is
going to be about, a serif font is used which tells us that the article could be quite formal.

2. Daniel Collins
Media
Q magazine targets the elder of the younger generation between the ages of 20 and 30.
Like Vibe it focuses on modern day artists and bands, but has a more sophisticated read
and has more information involved. It doesn’t focus on a particular genre but tends to
stick to current and popular artists. The aim is also to educate fans about upcoming gigs
and album releases and to inform the readers about bands and artists old and new. Q
uses mainly serif fonts as the magazine portrays a formal look. This tells us that although
it is magazine it can be quite serious and educational. The colours used throughout Q
magazines are white and red. A customer can immediately tell it is a Q magazine due to
the house style. The colours are a contrast but also look modern as well as classy. The
primary optical area is taken up by the masthead; this is because the magazine wants
the customers to see the name of the magazine before anything else as Q magazine has
a good reputation and is popular. Alike vibe the fallow area is used to effect as this is
where the price and barcode are located. The main image is of Jay Z wearing a suit, this
is a juxtaposition as Jay Z is known for being a rap artist and wearing informal urban
clothes. The magazine is a formal magazine which shows that the rap and hip hop genre
can also be formal and can be taken seriously. The cover page focuses on Jay Z and has
no other information about the magazine, this is due to the fact he is a world-wide
known artist so they believe the image of him could sell the magazine alone. The
masthead uses a serif font which backs up the idea that it is a formal magazine. The
letter Q is a pun as it has several different meanings in the music industry; it could be
seen to be a cue for a track to be played or for an artist to come on stage. It could also
be taken as queue to get into a gig or queuing up for tickets. There is only one article
involved on the cover page, it is a quote from Jay Z. From the quote the reader will
understand what the main story in the magazine is about. There aren’t any other
coverlines as it may make the magazine look informal and scruffy which is the opposite
of the classy look Q aim to achieve.