The document provides an analysis of the front covers of two magazines: Q magazine and Mixmag. For Q magazine, the summary discusses the feature photo of Cheryl Cole looking straight at the camera to create a connection with audiences. It also notes the unusual styling of Cheryl in the photo that suggests a different side to her persona. For Mixmag, the summary discusses the feature photo of David Guetta, noting that he is well-known for dance/club music and his sunglasses imply an international audience. It also mentions the colorful design appeals to those who enjoy dance/club culture. In both summaries, the key elements of the magazine covers are hit upon in under 3 sentences to give a

1. Textual analysis
Eleanor Waring

2. Front cover of Q
Feature article photo
The main image is of a well known celebrity and is using direct address because
she is looking straight into the camera, this creates the idea that she is
interacting with the audience as she is staring right at the audience, it makes the
audience feel connected with the artist. Also she is the main focus on the cover,
attracting the demographic to buy the magazine. People will look up to her and
want to look like her and be like her. This is called male gaze. Also this image
won’t just attract just the female audience but males too because Cheryl is seen
as a sexual attraction to many men. The feature photo also creates a sense of
style, this is because of the way she is posed and her facial expression. The
colour Cheryl is wearing also conveys a rockstar, stylish sense to the image
because she is wearing all black, with unusual jewellery and her makeup is also
heavy black. This also indicated that the magazine is unique and different as it is
showing a different side of Cheryl. She is normally seen as a ‘sweetheart’, that
produces pop music not rock music, but in this photo she isn’t portrayed in this
way suggesting she has a different side to her or she has changed. This also
makes the audience want to buy the magazine as they can find out why Cheryl is
portrayed in a rebel way compared to what she is normally presented as.
The masthead
This masthead is bright and stands out on the page as it is
more of a logo than a masthead and very recognisable for
the one letter word ‘Q’. The white Q and the red background
contrasts well and as a result looks effective and also the
audience can easily read the masthead and recognise the
magazine. Also part of it covers the celebrities face, this
show the importance of the masthead.
Date and price
This convention has to be shown on a front cover of a
magazine, however it is in small font because it make the
audience less likely to see the price and therefore are not
likely to be put off buying the magazine. The price of the
magazine is quite expensive which also suggests it s a
monthly magazine and the social class of the audience
would be C1and above as they would be able to afford it.
Colour Scheme
The colours and content used in this magazine aren’t
stereotypically preferred by any gender, this suggests
that Q is aiming both sexes. Also the colours are more
mature colours. The colours grey, red, white and black
aren’t commonly used to attract children. This tells me
that this magazine isn’t aimed at children. Red and white
are the iconic colours of the Q magazine, this means the
audience will recognise that this is a Q magazine.
The layout
The layout of this magazine is organised. There is quite a lot
of text on the front cover, but not too much. The text is
sorted into columns so that the feature article photo is
easily seen. Due to the well organised and neat set out, it
implies that this magazine is a more expensive monthly
magazine rather than a cheaper weekly magazine.
The white background on the text that names some top
artists makes the writing stand out and easily readable
because of the contrast of colours.
Puff
The subheading stands out on the page because the name is recognisable and
would attract attention of the audience as they would want to know the ‘untold
story’ and images of this artist. Also it makes the audience feel involved and as if
they are the first ones to see the unseen information about such a well known
artist.
Puff
This is drawing attention to the audience that this magazine has a massive
market and is very successful, therefore this helps persuade the audience to buy
the magazine as it must be a good magazine and they might want to find out
why.
Feature Headline
The feature headline is based at the bottom of the front cover in three rows
and it helps structure the magazine layout. The way the last line of the feature
headline is in the style of a banner makes the magazine look more
professional. The title starts saying ‘3 words’ and then the rest of the title is
three words long. This is a clever pun used because Cheryl’s new album at the
time was called 3 words. The whole of the feature headline is in the colours
white and red which makes it stand out on the page and easy to read, catching
the audiences attention almost immediately as it’s eye catching. By including
the celebrities well known name ‘Cheryl Cole’ in the title, it draws in the
demographic as they might be fans of her and want to know what the article
about her in the magazine is saying. The title increases in size and ‘Rocks’ is
the largest word and it in red which suggests that this word has significance
and importance. This is also in red which could symbolise lust and sexual
attraction, which is reinforced in the feature article photo. Also ‘rock’ relates
to the image as Cheryl looks like a rock star, which is unusual for her
character.

3. Front Cover Of Mixmag
Freebie
This is another way of attracting the audience because they aren’t
just getting the magazine with their purchase, they are also
getting a free CD. The audience are getting more for their money.
This is the Unique Selling Point of the magazine because it makes
this magazine stand out and different from other music
magazines.
Also this separate image of the free CD stands out on the
magazine, catching the audiences attention. Also it tells the
reader what CD it is.
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme is bright and vibrant, this is unusual for a
magazine that is a January addition as it would usually suggest a
summer addition as the colours used are summery, bright colours.
However Mixmag is a dance and clubbing magazine, therefore the
choice of colours are because dance music is always up-beat and
lively and also in clubs there are a lot of bright flashing lights, so the
colours fit in with the theme. It suggests that the magazine is
worldwide and could also imply that the audience might go to
countries like Ibiza and Magaluf where there are a lot of clubs and
young people and it is fairly hot all year round.
Barcode
This is a convention that allows the audience t buy the product
Date and Price
This convention has to be shown on a front cover of a
magazine, however it is in small font because it make the
audience less likely to see the price and therefore are not likely
to be put off buying the magazine. Also because this magazine
is quite expensive it suggests that mixmag is a monthly
magazine.
Feature article photo
The main image is of a celebrity called David Guetta. He is DJ
and is well known for making successful dance and club music.
This therefore attracts the audience of this magazine because
Mixmag is about clubbing and dance music and David Guetta
would be popular to people would enjoy dance / clubbing
music. David Guetta is wearing sunglasses, this again isn’t usual
for a winter magazine, so this may suggest that the magazine is
worldwide and could also imply that the audience might go to
countries like Ibiza and Magaluf where there are a lot of clubs
and young people and it is fairly hot all year round. Also the
choice of colours could be because they signify the bright strobe
lights that are featured in clubs.
Feature headline
This headline is using a swear word, this suggests that the
audience of this magazine is young adults as the majority use the
same language, therefore this also makes the audience relate the
magazine. Also this adds to the informal and less serious vibe that
the magazine has. The feature headline doesn’t give much away as
it suggests that David Guetta had a big, busy year. Therefore this is
a way of persuading the audience to buy the magazine as they will
want to =find out what 2009 held for the celebrity.
Puff
This is empathising how successful and popular this magazine is. It
is a good selling point as it will attract more readers as they might
feel they should get involved with reading this magazine too and
see why it has been voted the worlds biggest dance music and
clubbing magazine.
Masthead
Uses white serif font in yellow. The yellow makes the writing
stand out on the magazine because of the dark background.
This makes it easier for the audience to recognise the
magazine. The masthead is recognisable to the audience as it
is like a logo. The font is informal suggesting that this
magazine is less serious and the audience are like younger
adults that are more fun than serious.
Sub image
This is used to give the audience an idea of what is inside. It
also is a clever way of making the reader want to read on. If
they want t read on then they would have to purchase the
magazine.

4. RWD
Masthead
The type of font this masthead is in, is quite informal and understandable
(easily readable). This is suitable for the audience as young adults don’t
want to buy a magazine that looks serious. They want to buy a magazine
that looks fun. Also the colour of the font is white, this makes the title
stand out as it contrasts well on the black background.
Subheading
The subheading is of the artists name. This is to make the
audience recognise that it is Jessie J on the front cover. It says
‘in her own words’ which infers that inside the magazine there
is an article on her where she may have been interviewed, this
will make the audience feel persuaded to buy the magazine as
they will want to see what she is saying. Also the dark
background makes the subtitle stand out, drawing more
attention to it.
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme consists of black and white. This conveys the
idea that the artist is stylish and therefore so is the magazine. It
also makes the magazine look unique. Another reason why the
colours are black and white might be because the issue date is
February and this is a winter month, so this may suggest that the
magazine made the theme as ‘cold’ colours but still make the
magazine look good and appeal to the target audience.
The layout
The layout is very simple and quite plain, as
there isn’t much included on this front cover.
This implies that the main focus of this issue of
the magazine is the celebrity. Also the magazine
RWD must be well known and have a good
reputation if the magazine company feel
confident enough to not have to advertise much
on the front cover. It implies that this magazine
is popular enough to attract enough audience
just with a simple design.
Feature article photo
This image is of a celebrity called Jessy J and would
be recognised by the audience. She is using direct
address because she is looking straight into the
camera, this creates the idea that she is interacting
with the audience as she is staring right at the
audience, it makes the audience feel connected
with the artist. Also she is the main focus on the
cover as there isn’t much text on the front cover
and there isn’t any other images. This gives the
feature article photo importance. Also the shot is a
close up of the face which focuses all of the
audiences attention onto her, attracting the
demographic to buy the magazine. People will look
up to her and want to look like her, be like her and
relate to her. This is called male gaze. The image
doesn’t show any background, it is just the
celebrities face. Also this image won’t just attract
just the female audience but males too because
Jessy is seen as a sexual attraction to many men. In
this picture jessy j looks like her normal iconic self,
presented in a hip hop / R&B way. This suggest that
the audience to this magazine will like that sort of
music. Jessy J looks stylish and cool in this
magazine, therefore it implies that the magazine is
also cool and stylish like her.

5. Q Contents Page
Whitespace
The background consists of white space this is because it
helps the reader not to get easily distracted to something
else on the page. Instead the audience has their attention on
where the main stories are in the magazine. Also the white
background contrasts well with the black text, so it makes it
easily readable.
Layout
This contents page has a simple but effective layout
because it includes the main stories and where to
navigate them in the magazine. However this contents
page doesn’t tell the reader where every story in the
magazine is. This is effective because the page doesn’t
look too clutter and therefore cant confuse or bore the
reader and it makes the navigation of the magazine
simpler and easier for the reader.
Logo
The logo is featured on the contents page
because then the reader is reminded that
they are reading Q magazine.
The Colour Scheme
The colour scheme is white, black and red. This is the main colour
scheme of the magazine, especially red. This is used to remind the
reader that they are reading Q as these are the recognisable
colours usually used.
The images are used as another way of telling the audience
whereabouts to find that story in the magazine. Using the pictures
to do this is clever as it doesn’t mean the reader has to waste time
looking at a list of titles and their pages. Instead the reader can just
look at the image and go to the page it says. The image has to be of
something related to the story but also it has to be a story of
something the audience will recognise so they know what the
article will be about. So in this case the article on page 48 features
the celebrity Lana Del Ray.
Here are little brief snippets of information that will be
on the article. This is a way of making the reader want to
read on and see what is on the rest of the article.
This is the biggest image on the contents page, this suggests that
it is the main article in this magazine as it is the biggest the draw
most of the audience’s attention to it. Lana Del Ray, in the image,
is using direct address as she is looking straight at the audience.
Also the image is a extreme close up of part of her face. This
extreme close up shot and the use of direct address empathises a
closeness and a connection to the audience. It also creates the
idea that she is almost trying to reach out to the audience, for
them to pick to read the article she is featured in before any other
article in the magazine. The blood on her face may suggest that
she is hurt, this could be because Lana Del Ray’s song’s are often
about heartbreak, love or have a negative feel to the song.
Therefore the blood could symbolise the emotional pain that is
featured in her tracks.

6. Mixmag Contents Page
Whitespace
The background consists of white space this is because it helps the reader not to
get easily distracted to something else on the page. Instead the audience has
their attention on where the main stories are in the magazine. Also the white
background contrasts well with the black text, so it makes it easily readable.
Layout
The layout of the contents page is again simple but
effective layout because it just features the main stories
and where to navigate them in the magazine. This means
that it doesn’t tell the reader where every story in the
magazine is. This is good because the page doesn’t look
too cluttered and therefore can’t confuse or bore the
reader and it makes the navigation of the magazine
simpler and easier for the reader. Also the images are the
other may of navigating where this article is in the
magazine. The picture has to be recognisable to the
audience so they know what the article will be.
Here are little brief snippets of information that will be on
the article. This is a way of making the reader want to read
on and see what is on the rest of the article.
The images are used as another way of telling the audience
whereabouts to find that story in the magazine. Using the pictures
to do this is clever as it doesn’t mean the reader has to waste time
looking at a list of titles and their pages. Instead the reader can just
look at the image and go to the page it says. The image has to be of
something related to the story but also it has to be a story of
something the audience will recognise so they know what the article
will be about.
The Font
The font of the title is repeated font. It is the same as
the font on the front cover. This makes the magazine
recognisable to the audience as they will know that
mixmag uses this font for its magazine. Also this font
used isn’t serious, suggesting that this magazine is fun
and for more younger, less serious readers.
Puff
This is advertising what the free product is in the
magazine. It tells the demographic a bit about the
product and it is made to make the audience feel like
they are getting more for their money. It is a great
selling point and will influence the audience to buy
more issues of the magazine if there is a free product
every time.
Image
The image is quite personal as the people in the image are looking
straight at the audience, therefore this makes the audience feel
connected with them as they are using direct address. The people in the
image are crouched and leaning in this also creates a sense of closeness
to the audience and the need for the audience to read about these
people that are featured in this article. The image is a long shot and it
takes up most of the page. This suggests that this is the main article in
the magazine. It is the main attraction in this certain issue of mixmag
and the image size emphasises the importance of this certain article and
it implies to the audience that they should read this article. The people
in the image look like they have been in a photo studio to have these
pictures taken, the background of the image doesn’t suggest anything
about the genre of music these people are involved in. This infers that
these people are professional and well respected as they have gone to a
photo studio to have these images taken.
The clothes they are wearing are stereotypically associated with rap or
R&B music. This suggests that these people are artists within that genre.
So this would attract the audience that are interested in this genre of
music.

7. RWD Contents page
The contents heading is in the same font as the name of the
magazine is in on the front cover. This is used to remind the
reader that they are reading RWD magazine. Also this
heading ‘contents’ is in bold and it is larger than any other
text on the page because its role is to attract the audiences
attention to the contents information below.
This contents page seems to include all of the pages in the
magazine, which differs to Q magazine. However this
contents page has still been created in a simple and easy way
so that it allows the audience to navigate around the
magazine well. The page numbers are in bold because it
helps separate the different headings. It is also useful tat the
page number is in bold because it helps make it more clear
which number that particular article is on.
The four images instantly draw attention to them because
the contrast of the white background makes the images
stand out more. The four images are of young people which
suggests that the target audience is also young people. The
two pictures on the left are taken in a studio which may
indicate that them artists are more professional. All four of
the artists look like they are artists of different genres, this
may make the readership of this magazine bigger as the
magazine is for lots of different people that are interested in
different genres.
The man on the top right looks like they are an R&B artist,
because of the clothes he is wearing. The girl in the bottom
left may be looked up to by young girls as they may like her
style and want to look like her. This is called male gaze. Also
this image won’t just attract the female audience but males
too because she might be seen as a sexual attraction to
many men. All of the artists featured in these images aren’t
well known, this implies that they are new artists.
The white space is useful as it makes the black font on
the page stand out, making it easier and clearer to
read. Also the whitespace draws more attention to the
text and the images.

8. Q Double Page Spread
Feature photo
In this photo Cheryl is presented as
multi genre artist as she is known for
her pop music but in this she is giving
off a tougher image that maybe
suggests she is posed in a rock star
role.
People will look up to her and want to
look like her and be like her. This is
called male gaze. Also this image
won’t just attract the female
audience but males too because
Cheryl is seen as a sexual attraction to
many men. The feature photo also
creates a sense of style, this is
because of the way she is posed and
her facial expression.
The long shot of Cheryl takes up half
of the double page spread, this shows
the significance of the photo.
The colours of this photo are mainly
black and pale colours like Cheryl’s
skin. So this creates the image to look
like its black and white, which are the
iconic colours of Q magazine. Also red
is another iconic colour to Q
magazine and this is also used as
Cheryl’s lip colour on this photo.
Title
The title of this double page spread is
unusual because ‘Cheryl’ is in lower case
and the last part of her name is in capitals.
This my be because her last name is iconic
to her image and she is well known for
that last name. Therefore the title has
been structured this way to capture the
audiences attention to the ‘cole’ because
when they see that they will instantly
know who is featured in this article. Apart
from the artist’s name, there is no main
title for the article. This intrigues the
audience as they dot know what the
article s about and it will persuade them
to read onwards to find out what thy
have put bout this famous person.
Graphic Art
The use of the enlarged red C that is
behind the text shows the significance of
Cheryl and it not only links to her but to Q
magazine because it is in, the magazine’s
most iconic colour, red.
.
Baseline
There is a quite from what the artist has
said in the magazine interview. This
quite has a slightly larger text and it is in
a different colour to the rest of the text.
This red baseline is suppose to stand out
from the rest of the text so if a reader is
briefly looking at the page they are
more likely to read that quote as it
stands out from the rest of the text. By
doing this it may persuade the audience
to read the whole article as they have
red the quote which is a snippet of the
article and the reader might want to
find out what else the artist has said.
Whitespace
The white space is useful as it
makes the black font on the page
stand out, making it easier and
clearer to read. Also the
whitespace draws more attention
to the text and the images.

9. Mixmag Double Page
Spread
The Header
The header ‘ the big 3’ doesn’t give the audience
much clue of what the article is about, this makes
the reader want to read on. The other sub-heading
and images give more of a suggestion to what the
article is about. The three most popular clubs in the
world.
Feature Photo
The medium close up of the two girls suggests
that the clubs that are featured in the article are
an enjoyable and fun place to be, this is because
the girl on the right is smiling and showing the
peace sign which are symbols of happiness. Also
the two girls seem close, suggesting that the club
featured also brings people together.
There are five different images and they are
used to break up the text and make the page
look less boring as there appears to be less text
than there is. Also the images are to indicate to
the reader what the article is about.
This shot is a medium shot. The alcohol that the man is
holding symbolises fun and happiness as alcohol can
make you happy. This infers that the music in this club
that the article is referring to can make you happy and is
worth visiting. Also because of the featuring of alcohol,
the magazine aims more of a young adult rather than a
teenager. The demographic could be seen as rebellious
and a party animal.
This image of a women dancing in a
night club. Her arms are held up this
suggests that she is having fun in the
nightclub and therefore advertises it
well, it also adds to the theme of party
animals. The image is blurred which
suggests the women is in fast
movement, in rhythm with the music
that the club is playing.
Colour Scheme
The colour scheme is mainly black, pink, yellow
and the white background. The white
background contrasts well with the black font,
making the text clear and easy to read. Black
symbolises darkness and night time, this fits in
with the subject of the article because clubs
are mainly open on the night. The pink and
yellow colours used are bright and catch the
readers attention because they are lively
colours. This may represent the bright stroke
lights that are usually used in clubs.
Font
The header font is Mixmag’s usual rounded font. This is used because
it is recognisable and helps the reader not forget which magazine they
are reading. Also the font isn’t serious, implying that this magazine is
for a more younger and fun audience.

10. RWD Double Page Spread
Header
This header is made to intrigue the audience
as it doesn’t give anything away and it is an
unusual style of header as it is a question.
The audience are persuaded to read on as
they want to find out who ‘he’ is and what is
‘he’ thinking of doing. This header is in an
informal font which implies that the
audience to this magazine is less serious.
Also the font is quite unusual, which fits in
well with the music group ‘Black Eyed Peas’
because these are also unique.
Feature Image
This image is a long/wide shot that
shows all of the group members in
‘Black Eyed Peas’. It appears t have been
taken in a studio which suggests that the
group are professional. Three of the
members are faded out and standing
slightly behind Will.i.am who isn’t faded.
The other members could be faded
because they aren’t see as playing a big
part as Will.i.am does in the band, so
him not being faded out into the
background could be empathising that
he is the main singer. However the title
is intriguing as it says ‘Will he won’t he?’
From singling out Will.i.am in the feature
image it suggests that will.i.am is the
‘he’ that the title is referring to.
Therefore this sheds some light on what
the article could be about, the audience
know that the article is about something
will.i.am might do, for example he could
be considering to take his career solo.
Whitespace
The white space is useful as
it makes the black font on
the page stand out, making
it easier and clearer to
read. Also the whitespace
draws more attention to
the text and the images,
signififying the importance
of these.
This small paragraph of
text stands out from the
rest of the text on the
page as it is bolder, larger
and has a black
background to contrast
well with the white text
(no other text is white
with black background)
This makes this part of
the text one of the first
things that the audience
will read beforing reading
anything else, so it means
that this piece of text is
intruging and as a result
makes the reader want to
continue to read the full
article from the start.
These arrows are iconi to the RWD magazine as it is on the front
cover and almost like a logo. The arrows are included on this page
beasue it reinds the audience what magazine they are reading as
they instantly know that these arrows are featured on RWD
magazines.

11. Summery
In conclusion, all of the conventions that have been used in the magazines I researched
help me form a basis of my own planning. All of the front covers had a set colour scheme
that consisted of two or three colours which themed throughout all of the magazines. All
three magazines featured a masthead based at the top of the front cover, which was in
large bold text so the audience couldn’t miss it. I identified that magazines usually feature
a recognisable face of a music artist, suited to the audience’s interest, on the front cover.
This attracts and targets the right audience. The three magazines all had a structured
layout to make the magazine look professional and organised. A puff was often used to
persuade the audience to buy the magazine. Images were used throughout the magazine
to ensure the won’t get bored. Whitespace is used in all the magazines to help the reader
not to get easily distracted to something else on the page. Instead the audience has their
attention on where the main stories are in the magazine. A final main point I discovered
while researching magazines, was that the iconic logos, colours and fonts were used
throughout the magazine to constantly remind the reader which magazine they are
reading.