This document analyzes the design elements of several magazine covers and contents pages. Some key points summarized: - Magazine covers use bold colors, prominent mastheads, splashy headlines, and celebrity images to attract readers. Barcodes and prices are also typical conventions. - Contents pages organize articles clearly with headings, page numbers next to images, and sometimes charts of music rankings. Color schemes emphasize important content. - Double page spreads may feature a large celebrity image and title spanning the pages to highlight that person's significance. Additional photos provide context and layout focuses attention on the main topic.

1. Magazine Analysis

3. Colour scheme - bold makes
the cover more attractive, 3
predominant colours are
black, blue and white
Barcode – typical media
convention, method of
identification
Masthead - bold &
informal font (EmBauhaus
Bold), the colour white is
effectively used as it
contrasts with the black
background
Price – small print in
the right hand bottom
corner so customers
don’t get put off from
buying it
Plug – draws audience
attention to the free
things inside they’re
going to get when they
buy the magazine
Tagline – impresses audience and
reinsures them of their choice of
magazine
Splash story –
Big, bold font, looks
luminous and attracts
audience
Main Image - Iconic
images of Daft Punk
cover nearly half of
the cover
Inter-textual references -
between Daft Punk and
the futuristic, electronic
feel of the cover, and the
story that they produced
the Tron Soundtrack
Freebie – draws in the audience as
they feel they are gaining something
from purchasing the
magazine

4. Heading – ‘Contents’ is
clearly placed at the top of
the page to inform the
reader what the page is
about. The font used is bold
and white which contrasts
with the black background
and draws the readers
attention
Main image – the main image
used is 3 young people at some
kind of party, mixmag is a dance
music magazine therefore this
image is effective. The people in
the image all look like they are
in their 20’s, there is one man
and two women and this
suggests the magazine is gender
neutral. They look as if they are
having fun and this gives the
magazine a fun, youthful feel
however the emphasis is not so
much on them, it is on the page
number which makes the
reader want to read on to find
out more about the image
Colour scheme – the main 3
colours used are black, white
and yellow. Both the yellow and
white contrast with the black
background, which makes all
the important content instantly
visible
Freebie – ‘your free CD’ – draws
in the audience as they feel
they are gaining something
from purchasing the magazine,
it also makes the magazine
different from other
competitors and gives it a
unique selling point
Layout – the contents page is
well ordered, most of the
content is on the right third of
the page and the bottom, this
makes it easy to access for
readers and does not waste
their time

5. Main image – the main
image goes across both
the left and middle
thirds of the page
which shows the
Brother’s significance as
artists
Heading/subheading
– both headings are
simple and clear fonts,
the heading is
underlined which
makes it stand out
even more and shows
it is significant. The
use of an abbreviation
makes the tone of the
article seem less
formal. The
subheading ‘Martinez
Brothers’ is placed at
the top right third of
the page so if
someone was flicking
through the pages to
find this article it
would be recognisable
Main image – the main image used is a picture of the 2 brothers DJing, it
is a fun image and looks like they’re both having a good time. There are 3
sub images too, these are all in black and white which suggests they
were taken at a different time to the main image? They too look like fun
places and this makes the article more enjoyable for readers
Features – the giant
red ‘L’ on the second
page is the first thing
the audience will
notice on that page as
it’s size and colour
make it impossible not
to focus on. The letter
‘L’ has been used
because L is the first
letter of the article and
it is in keeping with Q’s
theme
Layout – the layout of the text is quite
small and insignificant compared to the
image, this could be to tell us that the
main focus of the article is the artists not
so much the story

7. Masthead – simple, bold font yet it
stands out as the black contrasts with
the pink background
Splash feature – similarly to
masthead, the feature headline
contrasts with the pink background
which draws the audiences attention
Colour scheme - the 2 predominant
colours used are pink and black, this
creates a very contrasting cover,
however yellow also features and the
use of flowers give the cover a
summery/feminine look
Main image – the main image
on this cover is of Katy Perry,
the image is a medium long
shot and there is a use of direct
address as she is looking
straight at the
camera/audience. Her makeup
and outfit compliment the floral
props used as they boost the
femininity of the cover
Masthead – the image of Katy
Perry covers the masthead to
show that the magazine is so
popular that people will
recognise it even with an image
over the front
Cover lines – all 4 smaller
cover lines have a consistent
colour scheme, where as the
big stars are in black and
white which make them
stand out
Plug – the small plug is
on the right third and
surrounded by a circle
which makes it more
visible
The left third - contains the
most content which draws
the audiences attention to
it but also gives focus on
the main image as it does
not distract from it

8. Heading – ‘Contents’ is
clearly placed at the top of
the page through both the
middle and right thirds. This
makes the heading very
visible, it is black and bold
which contrasts with the
white background and makes
it stand out
Sub images – the 4 images
on the contents page all have
page numbers next to them
so the reader can easily find
the corresponding article
Colour scheme – the 3 main colours
used are black, white and blue. These
are very simplistic colours and make
the contents page very easy on the
eye, it suggests the focus is mainly on
the music.
However the blue is quite highlighting
and is used to show the important
articles
Chart – the No.1 chart takes up
the majority of the left third of
the page. It shows the top
albums, songs and the week’s
music. The font and colours
aren’t very exciting however
‘Billboard’ is shown at the top
which is a recognised company
and will show readers that the
magazine is focused on the
music rather than the glamour
like other magazines
Layout – the layout of
the contents page is
clear and simple as it is
separated by 2 main
lines, it makes the
page clear and makes
the different sections
of the magazine
accessible for readers

9. Main image – the main
image is candid long
shot of Rihanna . She is
dressed and posed in a
provocative way which
is what she is generally
known for, although the
picture is not direct
address it still draws
the reader in as it is an
usual image
Colour scheme –the
main 3 colours used are
black, pink and white.
This is an effective
colour scheme as the
colours all compliment
each other, the pink
signifies the femininity
in Rihanna’s act and the
black signifies her
edginess Text- the most important
parts of each article are
highlighted pink, this
attracts the readers
attention
Features – ‘Pon
De Airplay’ is
play on words
of one of
Rihanna’s most
popular songs,
it is used in the
top right corner
as the title of a
list of her most
popular songs
that have
reached the
chart and when
they were
released, this
shows Rihanna’s
popularity as an
artist
Sub images – the 2 sub images
are significantly smaller than the
main image that suggests they
are there for detail rather than
information
Layout -
The layout of this double page spread
is simple and organised, however text
box at the bottom left third of the page
stands out and contrasts to the rest of
the page

11. Masthead – the masthead of
this cover is also the logo for
Q Magazine which makes it
instantly recognisable. Its
white and red colour scheme
suggests the magazine is
gender neutral
Colour scheme – the
pastel colour scheme
effectively makes the rest
of the cover stand out,
especially the splash
feature and cover lines
Barcode & price – the
barcode and price are typical
magazine conventions, Q
magazine is £3.90 and the
barcode is a method of
identification
Puff – makes the audience
awake this is no ordinary
magazine and that it is part
of a special collection
Puff – emphasises that
this is the first of 25
special edition
magazines that the
audience can collect
Splash feature –’Tinie
Tempah’ stands out and
draws the audiences
attention to the fact the
first edition is about Tinie
Tempah
Main imagine – the main
image is obviously a picture
of Tinie Tempah as the
edition is on him, it is a
medium close up and
includes his iconic sunglasses
that audiences will recognise

12. Heading – the Q logo and
heading are relatively small on
the page, they aren’t so small
that they aren’t visible but
compared to the other contents
pages I have looked at
Main image – The main image
is a medium close up of Adele.
The image covers two thirds of
the contents page which
highlights Adele’s importance
as a singer and celebrity
Colour scheme – the 4 main colours
used in this cover are black, red, grey
and white. The headings ‘every
month’ and ‘features’ and in a red
block which keeps up the theme of
squares and blocks, like the one used
in the Q logo. The colour scheme is
very simplistic and organised which
suggests that like the other magazine I
have looked at, the focus is mainly on
the music and not so much on the
layout
Page numbers – the page numbers
are clearly visible for the reader which
makes the contents page easily
accessible
Layout– similarly to the other
magazines I have studied, the layout
of this contents page is very simplistic
and easy to view. It is based around
rectangular boxes which make it look
ordered

13. Features – the giant red ‘L’ on
the second page is the first
thing the audience will notice
on that page as it’s size and
colour make it impossible not
to focus on. The letter ‘L’ has
been used because L is the first
letter of the article and it is in
keeping with Q’s theme
Main image – the main image
is a medium shot of Lady Gaga.
The image obviously has a lot
of significance as it takes up
half of the double page spread,
this could also signify her as
being very important in the
music industry. The image has
been put into a sepia/black and
white effect which makes it
look dated but classic at the
same time
Title – the title of the
double page spread is
‘lady GAGA’ the ‘GAGA’
part is in upper case
letters where as the other
part is not, this could be
to show that she is
unique, as ‘lady’ is quite
common however ‘gaga’
is not
Colour scheme –
the 3 main colours
used are white, red
and black which is in
keeping with Q’s
logo and usual
layout
Main Image – the way Lady Gaga is posed is very
provocative and sexual, the image is an example of
direct gaze which also makes it more intense. This is
what Lady Gaga is recognised for as the majority of
her pictures are similar to this. Her hairstyle is wild
and untamed which reflects her as an artist
Layout – this double page spread’s
layout is very simple as the image and
text are organised, however the red ‘L’
contrasts to this and makes the pages a
lot more interesting and eye-catching