The front cover of Q magazine features singer Adele looking directly at the camera with her thumb against her lips in a slightly provocative pose. The large, bold "Q" masthead is prominently displayed against a striking red background at the top of the cover. Below Adele's image are the cover lines promoting other artists featured in the issue, such as Liam Gallagher. The issue number and tagline "Discover great music" also appear on the front cover. The layout, simple color scheme and fonts used project an image of Q as a sophisticated, music-focused publication targeting younger, affluent readers.

1. Layout- Masthead- Uses the Billboard logo. Is
Plug/Header-draws Picture of Rihanna overlaps
The margin gives the magazine seen on every edition of the
attention to the the masthead suggesting the
a orderly format. It is in a ‘L’ magazine, so it is easily recognisable.
conference. Billboard is a extremely
layout, so you instantly read The font is very informal- aiming at
Shows it is a form successful magazine and
from left to right, noticing the teenagers. The colours red and yellow
of media and customers will recognise it
headlines the magazine wants. are gender neutral, appearing to both
advertising. even if it is covered. Showing
Colour schemes are red and sexes.
the Billboard isn't a
white, which are simplistic, The word billboard is also the word of a
independent magazine and is
mature and appealing. advertising sign, telling us the
easily recognised.
magazine content is a form of media.
Main Image- Rihanna’s pose is very
provocative, appealing to the male Billboard magazine is a chart magazine
gaze. The pose may also appeal to that doesn’t focus on any particular genre,
women as they will admire Rihanna which is similar to Rihanna as she is R&B
and aspire to be her. Her white top and pop, so she is appropriate for the
could signify innocence, but as it is cover.
quite revealing and you can also see Rihanna appeals to the target audience of
Rihanna’s gun tattoo, it shows Rihanna young adults interested in chart music,
is the opposite to innocence and because Rihanna is a young adult who is
almost fierce. Relating to us not in the music charts.
knowing who Rihanna is.
The brightness of the red hair connotes The feature headline: “Rihanna” is written
passion and lust, the same passion in gradient, above the anchorage of “my
feels for her music. fans don’t really know who I am” suggesting
The red contrasts against the purple it is fading because the Rihanna we think we
background, as red is a powerful colour know, we don’t. This could be due to
our eyes are drawn to this straight Rihanna’s many “RE-inventions”
away. The heading is spread over the width of the
magazine, bigger than the masthead,
Date and Price- A common suggesting Rihanna is a bigger star than the
convention in all magazines. Price
Quote Preview/Pull Quote-
magazine.
is very small conveying that the “Don’t know who I am” Makes the
The use of white against the purple makes it
company doesn’t want the price Bar Code- A common readers want to read and find out
stand out so our eyes are drawn to the
to stand out as it doesn’t appeal convention on a magazine. more about Rihanna to feel closer to
to the audience. The magazine is Need in order to purchase word- Rihanna. The white could signify
her as they love the idea of reading a
$6.99- £4.36, aiming at a middle magazine. innocence and purity.
exclusive.
class audience.
Gives us a idea what her article will be
about.

2. The front cover of Rihanna, represents woman as being a object
of the male gaze-Laura Mulvey theory. This is reinforced by
Rihanna’s fiery red hair and red lips- this suggests passion, lust
and danger, which will appeal to males. Rihanna is a object of
desire, as she wears a revealing crop top which is made from
lace, which could show her femininity and innocence.
- Billboard is aimed at no particular gender, as it depends on the
image on the front cover. So this issue of the magazine till be
targeted at females.
- The target age of Billboard is 24-54 years of age, but it depends
on the musician on the front. As Rihanna is 24 years old so she
fits in to the target category.
As Billboard is a chart magazine, the musician on the front is
likely to be in the chart so they appeal to the audience.
-Rihanna is a mixed-race female, meaning that the cover is more
likely going to appeal to a mixed-race population, as they can
relate more too her. As Billboard is a American magazine, in
comparison to the UK there is a higher population of ethnic
groups, meaning the magazine is more likely going to appeal to
them.
-The font used in all Billboard magazine front covers are bold and
in capitals, and they are normally white or a bright, bold colours.
The font is clear and easily understood, and it allows you to learn
what is included in the magazine. It also helps give the images
more meaning. 82% of people who buy Billboard are college
graduates, which means they are educated. This font appeals to
them as it is sophisticated, and mature.
- The magazine is $6.99/ £4.36 which is affordable. The
audience that buy Billboard are mainly middle class and wealthy.
- The intertextuality this image is similar to Rihanna’s –Loud
album. As they have the same colour schemes, and Rihanna has
the bright red lips and hair. This could be used as a subliminal
message as they are more likely to see her album and recognise
it from this front cover and what to buy it. The image is also very
similar to the image used to publicise Rihanna’s perfume- Reb’;
Fleur.

3. Subtle use of the masthead in small above the chart. Makes
the contents page looks sophisticated. Reminds the reader Heading- “Contents” clearly placed at
The ‘Contents’ font is what magazine they are reading. the top of the page, informing the
repeated for the heading- As it is above the music chart, its shows that it is Billboard’s reader that this is what the page is for.
‘No1’ The font is used in chart, not the official. Also that it is something only Billboard If it wasn’t there is may be hard to tell
significant places to draw the has to offer. it is the contents page.
audiences attention. The font used is bold, black and is
written in a informing font that would
be used on a box/parcel etc. or the
The chart section is presented in a word ‘Danger’. The font looks serious
small left section of the contents and formal in comparison to the theme
page. of the magazine.
The chart shows the no.1 of
albums, songs, and the weeks Sub-Images-Multiple images are
music. used with page numbers next to
The fonts used aren’t particularly them so the reader knows easily
big or exciting, so they don’t where to find each article.
necessarily stand out on the page. Each image shows a musician,
However, as Billboard magazine is but none of them are performing.
a chart magazine the people who This could suggest that the
buy the magazine will be articles are about well known
interested in the chart so they will musicians, so they will be
take time to read it. recognised anyway.
It shows that Billboard is a The main image shows the singer
magazine that focus’ a lot on the wearing black, against a white
music and not just the celebrity, background. So she stands out
this is reinforced by the Chart and is noticed.
section taking up 1 third of the
contents page.
The colour scheme- used is very minimalistic-
white, blue and black. This makes the magazine
look more simple, and music focused. The blue
The layout- The format is very clear as the contents page has been split up in many is striking and is used to separate sections, and
sections, e.g. ’upfront’, ‘music’ etc. This is good as it allows the reader to navigate highlight popular articles, e.g. “The Latin Kings”
through the magazine easily. This is suitable for the target audience of young adults, It is a gender neutral colour, so appropriate for
as they wont want to be wasting time. everyone.

4. The heading is ‘Amy’s ink House’ and on Amy Winehouse’s The Layout-In comparison to the image, the text is very small and
body you can see she has tattoos- so the title is something she insignificant. This could tell us that the main focus is the celebrity
is passionate about. It also gives the reader a insight what the rather than what she has to say. As she dominates half of the double
article is about. page spread.
They’ve used a play-on-word by using ‘ink’ instead of This is reinforced by the remind of the target audience for this
‘Winehouse’, this relates to the phrase “___ is my middle magazine, and the genre it is- a chart magazine. Not necessarily for
name” reiterating Amy’s passion for tattoos. people who buy music magazines just to appreciate music.
The main focus of the double
This is reinforced by the page spread is of Amy
text. It tells us how Winehouse relaxed in bed.
Amy Winehouse is now The image is in black and
a tattooist with a white and shows the singer in
tattoo parlour. It says shorts and a bra. The image
“The smile of looks natural, as if she didn’t
achievement gleams know the photo was being
from Amy” as she taken, due to the camera
walks in to her studio, looking down on her.
this shows that Amy Amy Winehouse is also doing a
has worked hard and is very provocative pose as she
very proud of what she lays with her legs open and
has created. one hand under her shorts.
The magazine is This image is very sexualised
focusing on Amy and appeals to the male gaze
Winehouse’s other as men would be very
talents and her attracted to this image. It also
achievements rather reflects the representation of
than her music; even females as women would also
though it is a music look at this image and admire
magazine. The article isn’t about Graphics-The colour scheme
Amy’s music, but her Amy and want to be like her.
used is very simple as it is only
The target audience will be young passions instead. This is one colour and that is the grey-
adults/ teenagers and this spread suited to Billboards as the black and white effect has
will appeal to them. Amy image as it is a been used. This could also relate
Winehouse’s was a pop singer, so magazine about the back to the title as the typical
the target audience would be pop musicians not just the colour of tattoos are black.
music appreciators. music.

5. The masthead of ‘Q’ magazine is very big and bold, and it isn’t covered by the Main Image- The medium shot of Adele is studio taken and
picture of Adele.. The ‘Q’ stands out as it is against a striking red, so it is one of the shows the singer looking directly at the camera with her
first things you see when you look at the magazine- which is a good selling point for thumb against her lips. This pose makes the reader feel
the magazine. The colour red signifies passion and energy, and white is associated more connected with her, and it is also slightly provocative,
with purity and innocence. The image of Adele is only slightly covering the text, in suggesting it is directed towards the male gaze. Adele’s skin
comparison to other magazines, this could suggest that Adele is proud to be tones is very pale; almost similar to the background colour,
associated with Q, and she is publicising the magazine. this could relate to the idea of the 19th century where a pale
tone signified beauty. The singer’s long hair looks
The tagline of the magazine is windswept, relating back to the subheading- “Blows us
“Discover great music”- so the away”. Reminding us that Adele’s talent is so powerful, that
audience want to buy the is effects even her looks.
magazine so they can discover
it for themselves.
Quote Preview- ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it’- this shows
The plug- “The 300th issue” this a confident side to Adele, which is inspiring to the
could encourage the reader to buy reader. Makes the reader want to read the magazine
this issue as it could be special as it to see how Adele- ‘got it’
is the 300th issue. The use of the The image backs this us, as she looks very confident as
colour gold, signifies wealth and if she is ‘flaunting’ what she has got.
royalty, so for the people who ‘Q’ magazine normally focus’ more on the older
purchase this could feel wealthy generation of music, so for Adele to be on the front
and privileged. cover she should be proud, therefore ‘flaunt’ it.
Cover lines- inform us on the other
artists that will be featured within The headline-’ Adele’ in bold white capital letters
the magazine- this will influence showing the reader that the main focus of this issue is
whether the magazine will be Adele. The font is simplistic, suggesting that ‘Q’ is
purchased. Words such as ‘Liam’ focused more on the music rather than the
are in bold capitals informing us he musician/celebrity also that her voice is so amazing
has ‘last requests’. Each artists and on it’s own it needs no fancy fonts.
a minor heading underneath
sounding exciting, attracting the Q’ is a mature magazine that focus’ on successful
reader to want to know more. artists rather than the new upcoming artists. This
means that the target audience are more likely the
Graphics-This is reinforced by the magazines mature music appreciating people that are
The bar code and the price are at the
colour schemes. ones. The colours used are very interested in popular music rather than the new
bottom of the magazine, which is very
simple they are red, black and a pale grey artists
common in all magazines. This issue is
colour. This shows that ‘Q’ is a mature,
£3.99, which is affordable to the
traditional magazine that takes itself more
audience it is aimed at.
seriously.

6. -The slightly provocative image of Adele, could appeal to the male
gaze, presenting woman as a object of desire-the hegemony theory.
This is presented by Adele’s ‘thumb on open mouth’ pose, suggesting
that she is still a covert sexual figure. The thumb could also be a
phallic symbol.
-As 68% of Q’s readers are male, they are providing for the majority.
The 32% of females who read Q, will also be attracted to the
magazine as they will aspire to be like Adele, and see her as a role
model.
-Adele is a white British female, suggesting she is more likely to appeal
to the white British population, rather than the ethnic minority groups.
85% of Britain are white British, so they are appealing to the majority.
-Q’s audience is younger than any other music monthly magazine with
the average age of the reader being 29. Adele is 24, so she is of similar
age to the average reader, suggesting she is likely to read the
magazine as well- which could make them feel more connected to her.
Adele is a current, successful singer of the 21st century, so she is likely
to be relevant to the readers lives; making them more likely to buy the
magazine.
-Capital letters are used on the front cover of all Q magazines. The font is
bold, informative, and clear. Q is a trusted, high quality magazine focused
on music of substance, the font appeals to this as it is simplistic and it
doesn’t draw attention away from the headlines, instead it helps
emphasis the words and get the message across. The font also appeals to
the target audience as they are young , and affluent , suggesting that they
are of a higher class. So as the magazine is neat and sophisticated it will
appeal to them.
-The intertextuality of the image could relate to the front cover of
Adele’s albums, as they also present a clear, simplistic image of
Adele’s face, with a clear view of her long hair This could suggest
that Adele uses a face and hair as her main selling point.
This helps connect the audience to Adele, as we feel a familiarity
with her, as if we know her personally.

7. Heading-The ‘Q’ logo is in a relatively small There is a issue number on the top, telling
Tagline “Discover great music”.
font, suggesting that the magazine is us that Q has published 207 magazines.
Entices the audience to read more as This shows that it is a very successful,
extremely well known, so it doesn’t need to
they want to discover the great popular magazine.
be in a big font. It is followed by the word
‘CONTENTS’ in bold capital letters, which is music that Q magazine has to offer. Knowing the issue number also makes it
conventional, so the reader knows exactly easier if you want to look up the issue
what the page is for, and what is included in online etc.
the magazine they have purchased. The extreme close up of Lana Del Ray
It shows the main articles that will be shows her staring directly at the camera
featured in the magazine, making them want as if she is staring at the audience, telling
to buy it. us to buy the magazine.
She has blood dripping from her head,
The sub- heading - “Features” suggesting she is violent and is
grabs the audience’s attention to associated with danger. It could also
the kicker’s-(the issue of Q’s main relate to her passion for her music.
articles.) They all sound exciting It makes you want to buy the magazine
and exclusive, e.g. “Fight the to find out what has happened.
Power” and “Pro Green’s exclusive
Page numbers-Page 48 is enlarged in a bold
track” making the reader feel like
font of white against red over the image of
they are getting information they
Lana Del Rey. This allows the audience to see
can’t get anywhere else.
that this is the main article, so they can flick
As they are in a list it gives the
to it quickly.
impression that there is a large
amount of context within the The contents page’s colour scheme is very
magazine. simplistic and it is the traditional ‘Q’ colours:
red, white and black. This could suggest that ‘Q’
Plug“140 songs to download now” magazine is very basic because it is all about the
attracts the audiences attention. music not the complexity of the layout. It could
Stands out on the contents page so also suit their target audience of young adults
the viewer wants to flick to mage 58 who are very interested in music.
and download the songs.
Form of address- The words used a informal and The layout of the magazine is very orderly and
sometimes rude. The magazine is aimed at a older structured. Reinforcing the idea that it is a magazine
target audience, so it is appropriate. Makes the only for the music. It is very clear to read, which could
reader feel more comfortable, and enjoy the entice the music lovers as they can quickly and easily see
magazine more. if the issue related to their music taste

8. The main focus of this article is the image of the members of The
The main image is a The heading- ‘The Vaccines’ stands out as it is
Vaccines in comparison to the text that is smaller on the right. This
medium shot and it bold, black and in capital letters. This shows that
could signify that The Vaccines are popular and successful and they
shows the four men the magazine wants to publicise that band as it
will attract the audience more than the text will, so they are the
looking directly at the is up and coming.
main attraction of the double page spread.
camera. Two of them The way we read this spread is first we are
‘his spread is focusing on the up and coming acts for 2011,
are holding guitars so attracted to the large picture, and secondly we
suggesting they are a future successful band.
we know straight away see the bands name. This is good as we then
As they are the main focus, it also helps to get The Vaccines more
that they are musical automatically know that these 4 men are from
well known, which will lead them to be more popular.
and have talent, it also The Vaccines, which is exactly what the
reiterates the point of magazine is designed to do.
the “biggest guitar
band to 2011”. On
magazine covers for
music genre’s that isn’t
pop the image normally A quote- used “we are a
shows that artists pop band” is enlarged and
showing their talent is in blue. As it is a quote
within the photo and we know that The Vaccines
that’s what the want to be a pop bond,
Vaccines are doing. All rather than a indie band,
four of the men are etc. However the layout
looking directly at the used contradicts this.
camera, but they aren’t
posing. This could
suggest that the 4
musicians are The article is a interview
dedicated to the with each member of the
music, and don’t feel band. This is then another
like they have to pose chance for the reader to get
to show their passion Graphics- The colour scheme is very basic. The use of a gritty sepia to know the new band well.
and talent. tone, gives a almost vintage feel which is similar to the genre of The
Vaccines and their sound.
As the man is in the front, it could suggest There is also big splashes of blue, suggesting a more modern feel to the
that he is the leader of the band. The use of vintage look/feel, saying that the Vaccines have something new to
him holding his guitar shows that this is his offer to older bands. This is also shown in how the spread looks like
role within the band, and as it is the colour some parts have been stuck on, as if the band aren’t bothered if it is
red, it connotes to passion, symbolising the tidy because they are only care about the simplicity of the music.
passion for the music.

9. The use of a selling-line a long the top attracts the
The ‘BBC’ logo shows that the The magazine uses a lot of buzz words such as ‘inside!’
reader and gives a brief summary of the main
magazine is a trusted institution. ‘wow!’ ‘instant’ this suggests that the magazine is
contents of this issue. Successful stars such as
There fore the reader will know determined for the reader to notice all these buzz words
‘Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber’ are used as the
the context of the magazine is to and want to buy the magazine to find out why they are
publisher will know they are top sellers. All the
a BBC standard. being used. This is likely to be successful for a teen
names used are musicians, as the banner is next to
magazine.
the masthead, it gives the impression that the
The masthead- is the Top of the Pops magazine is more music based than it is.
logo. The font is in pink- showing the
magazine is aimed at teenage girls. The main image- is studio taken of Lady
The font is also informal and fun Gaga. Lady Gaga’s hair is long and white,
suggesting that that’s exactly what which could signify purity.. However, Lady
the context of the magazine will be. Gaga is wearing a very low cut, dark green
People who purchase this magazine dress, revealing she is not innocent. This
don’t necessarily buy it to appreciate picture again could be designed for the
the music but for the other topics male gaze, but due to its target audience,
instead. Even though the heading is more girls will look at this picture and aspire
“Top of the Pops” the magazine only to be like Lady Gaga.
has a small feature to the top of the Quote Preview- ‘I’m not body confident’ This
charts. is very appealing to young girls, as at that age
Sub Image- The Plug-shows the one you have lots of body issues. By writing this on
direction band. ‘1D’a cutest interview the front cover it shows that teenager that
ever!” Even though 1D are a music they have something in common to their
band, the magazine says nothing about favourite celebrities.
their music, suggesting it is a magazine The subheading/quote preview is quite ironic,
for celebrities and not music. as behind the quote is a picture of the star
revealing a lot of her body on the front of a
Subheading 'True Life terror’ this magazine-proving she obviously is more
heading shows that the magazine also confident with her body that she says. This
includes real life entries. The use of could have a negative affect of the target
the word terror could suggest a audience as they might see this image and
serious, traumatic event, but as it is believe that if she isn’t body confident with
for teenage girls you realise that it is a the body she has, that they will have to
less serious story, this is reinforced by Plug-‘Are you a flirt failure?’ aiming at the target change their bodies.
the “I was attacked by cows” which audience as it is the kind of issue they could be worried Barcode and Price-The bar code is shown,
sounds more humours that terrifying. about. Shows that the magazine has quiz’s- which which is needed for purchase. And the price, is
could be a reason to buy the magazine as the reader £2.99, which is affordable as it is likely going to
has a change to get involved, and fill it in themselves. be the teens parent buying the magazine.

10. -Lady Gaga appeals to the target audience of the magazine
as 88% of them are females. The image of
musician/celebrity is girly and fun, and represents the
stereotypical view of females.
-As the majority of the readers are female, they are
appealing to the majority. This is reinforced by the colour
scheme of the magazine and the font used.
- Pre teens is the target age of Top of the Pops magazine.
Lady Gaga is obviously older than the target age, however
the audience could look at the picture of Lady Gaga and
see her as a role model and inspiration.
-Top of the Pops magazine is a magazine focused on music
but mainly celebrities and their stories. As Lady Gaga is
very famous, the image of her appeals to the genre of Top
of the Pops- a lifestyle magazine.
-The main colour scheme is pink, white, and a dark green.
The colours are fun, bright and cheery which is similar to
the Top of the Pops brand identity. The use of the hot pink
connotes to the idea of young girls and their innocence.
The fonts used are similar to the story they are writing
about, e.g. “cutest interview ever!” the word cutest is in
italics reinforcing the idea that it will be cute.
.

11. The heading of this page, Colours-the scheme used are white, hot pink, and black.
clearly informs the reader that This is the same for all Top of the Pops contents pages. The
this page is the contents page. use of yellow also show importance and draws attention to
Sub-headings-Each subheading is in
The font is informal and girl, some of the magazines main articles.
every issue of the magazine, so regular
reinforced by it put against a
customers will be aware of the different
pink background- this tells us
sections. This makes the contents page
that this magazine is aimed at
very structured, and easy to locate the
the female audience. The
section you want which is beneficial to
writing is similar to the young target audience.
handwriting, which could make
the magazine be more Sub-heading is ‘we love boys’- tells us the
approachable and welcoming. magazine is aimed at the young female
The shortening of the word- audience. With the follow up- ‘Get inside
magazine-also does this. boys heads’ which is exactly what a young
Sub Image-Within the contents female girl will want to do, do this
page is a image of the front magazine will attract them.
cover. The contents page is very The ‘we love boys’ says that some
similar to the cover as it is very articles are highlighted yellow, so you
cluttered with information and can quickly find the features to help
pictures. boy problems or to the pictures of the
Big page numbers and arrows boys. This appeals to the target
point to the front cover telling audience needs.
the reader which page It also suggests, as it is highlighted,
everything Is on. The numbers that boys are the most important thing
are very large, and this could be in a young girls lives. This is slightly
due to the young audience who stereotypical.
reads the magazine as they
might find it difficult to find each Sub image- is of the extremely
page. successful teenage boy band- One
Direction. Putting them on the contents
page tells the reader that there will be a
Third and fourth image- have no relevance to music and is a image of the article about them within the magazine-
retail aspect of the magazine yet they catch the readers eye and make them this will make a lot of them want to buy
want to buy the magazine to see where it is from. the magazine.

12. Saying ‘a fit boyfriend’ appeals The language used is very
The writer calls Selena ‘Sel’ as if they have a close
informal, similar to the language
to a young female audience as friendship and they know Selena well. This makes the
young girls would use. Therefore
they are interested in boys at celebrity more approachable, it also makes the reader
making the magazine more relatable
this age. feel closer to the celebrity as if they and her are friends
and approachable. ‘Style Secrets’ is in bold and is
also. The use of the rhetorical question entices the reader
to buy the magazine as they find themselves wanting to followed up by ‘Selena says’ this
‘All about you’ at the top shows that the article is about
know her secrets.
of the page is almost ironic
Selena Gomez’ advice on girl
as the magazine should be
interests. By getting the advice
‘all about’ music, but
from someone you admire and is
instead it is writing article
s of musicians but about
famous, you are more likely to
fashion, lifestyle etc.. listen. This shows that the media
plays a large role on influencing
Heading-‘How to get my people. The alliteration catches the
life’ is in a very big, black readers eye.
and bold font- similar to
the colour of her dress. The colour scheme used is black,
The title makes us look at hot pink and white. The colours
the image and aspire to stand out, but they also appeal
be like Selena, and when to the target audience as they
we read the title we are are very fun and girly which also
happy as we feel like we follows the representation of
can be just like her. females.. Selena’s outfit and
The heading is in big pink makeup also match the scheme.
quote marks telling us The black is a bit different for a
that Selena is very proud teenage magazine, but this
of her life, and she wants creates a edgy look for Selena
to share how with Gomez that the teenagers will
everybody. aspire to.
The main focus/convention of the double page spread is the celebrity/musician- Selena Gomez. The right page is taken up mainly by
her body and the left side is just her legs and the heading- so there is very little writing. Selena is wearing a short black, furry dress,
and we can see her smiling at the camera, making the audience feel more involved, with one leg up and one leg bent. The picture
would definitely appeal to the male gaze, but because of its target audience the image is used to inspire young girls. The black could
connote to danger, especially as it is also made from fur, which could be seen as appealing to some teenagers. Selena’s pose could be
seen as provocative but her expression makes it more fun, girly and energetic- which is suitable for the magazine.