Textual Analysis of magazine

1. Textual Analysis

2. Q Magazine Front Cover
The main image here is a head shot of the artist taking up the majority of the front cover. We can
see it has been taken in a studio , we know this from the white background and high key lighting
typical of a studio photo shoot. We are attracted to the main image first, Q has done this as he is
hte main protagnist of the magazine front cover , again this is why he is central. This close up
shot lets us see the characters facial expression in this case he is looking very serious , giving us
the impression the articles will be important and slightly less upbeat, however we can see a
reflection of other band memebers which connotates almost a stand off/ battle of the bands, the
sell line "LIAM'S BEARDY EYE KICK OFF" also gives the impression of a stand off/fight etc.
The layout is typical of a magazine , mast head sitauted at the top of the page usually overlapping
the main image or vise versa ( the main image overlaps the mast head) , the main image takes up
most of the page with the sell lines surrounding the image again often overlapping the main
image. There is alot of text on the main cover and there isn't much open space , this could give
the audience the impression that there is loads of information in the magazine. The barcode is
positioned at the bottom , not intruding the main image but big enough to see and scan.
The puff at the top of the page gives the audience a snippet of information from an exciting
article inside the magazine

3. House Style / Sell Lines
House styles stay the same throughout the issues. A house style covers the Mast Head, Sell lines,
Font , Colour scheme and layout. If you look at other Q magazines you will be able to see the clear
house style used. Q use red as their main colour in the example we can see that the mast head has
a red background and then some parts of the sell lines are in a red font. Red has many different
connotations, going from one extreme to the other for example red can represent danger, love
and romance, alert, also helps get attention. I think Q have used red to alert the audience all long
with the large Q which is the largest text on the front cover , these 2 work together to stand out to
the buyer and help sell magazine, it has also become a convention of the magazine. A short title is
something I could consider on my magazine as it stands out from the rest of the magazines titles
and is also easy to remember. The main sell line Is short and sweet but written in large block font
standing out from the other sell line and the vibrant red grabs the readers attention
The sell lines are hooks and teasers for the buyer drawing them into the magazine and their
position is important. They need to be placed just off the main image to stop the attention of the
viewer being drawn to the sell line first instead of the main image then the sell lines. The colours
are the same to the house style grabbing the buyers attention. These are the things I need to take
into account when creating my magazine.
The other 2 examples of Q Magazine front Covers show the house style continues throughout the
issues

4. Mis En Scene
Mis en scene plays a big part in the front cover , the costume, props, facial
expression and body language must be suitable to the genre. In this case we
can't quite see Liam's costume , from what we can see we can tell it is some
sort of mod coat , representing the artist music genre also the sunglasses
aren't typical of the modern age , adding a vintage look to the front cover
appealing to the audience of the indie/mod genre. His body language and
facial expression also represent that of the indie genre as they are thought
not to show much expression and look serious/cool.
The costume often follows the colour scheme to, Liam’s coat has a slight red
look to it and the rest of him is quite simplistic and monotone. These colours
link to the surrounding text and colour scheme used in the house style.

5. Q Contents Page
The contents page usually carries on the house style
shown in front page. “Q Contents” at the top is in the
same layout of the Mast Head on the front cover ,
enforcing the house style.
The colours from the cover page are also transferred into
the contents page , the red whit and black are very
common colours in the indie genre and are successful in
appealing to the audience of that genre helping sell the
magazine.
If we used the rule of thirds theory on the contents page
we would be immediately drawn to the main image as
his eyes are in the central frame shown as the main
protagonist. Secondary images are smaller and positioned
on the edges of the page allowing the main image to be
the main focal point.
There are a lot of page references

6. Images
Most of the images are placed on the right hand page of
the contents page and each image has the page number
displayed in bold text following the colour scheme as well,
Each image is either a close up or a medium shot showing
each artists facial expression, body language, and mis en
scene of each image. Most of them are took in a studio
with a whit back drop and high key lighting has been used
to make the artist stand out. The bottom image (page 76)
shows a band in location, the location looks to be an old
simple room with mismatch furniture , the band are
wearing suit jackets, denim jackets and smart- casual
clothing , this is often related to the indie genre especially
the location, this is something I can use in my magazine to
make sure it appeals to the correct audience.

7. Contents
Standard style of contents page and follow the house style regarding
fonts and colour. The main font is very simple and minimalistic, they are
split up and each section has a sub title in a bold capitalised font drawing
the attention to them letting them know the content on each page
shown. The magazine producer has only wrote a brief description on each
topic so the audience don’t get bored by reading a big chunk of text to
figure out what the article is and also to create some mystery and
suspense for the audience intriguing them to read the story. Each subtitle
gets gradually smaller in size also showing the audience the importance
of each story, the large subheadings biggest topic etc.
Most of the stories are referenced here showing the reader more or less
all of the articles within the magazine.

8. Double Page Spread
First thing we are drawn to is main image which is a wide
shot of the band OASIS. It is shot in a studio however the
use of props and costume show the bands indie look. The
old settee is a typical prop used for the indie look showing a
grungy , retro look to the band.
The house style is sill present with the text font and
colours, red white and black are the three main colours on
the double page spread, this keeps it simple and easy for
the audience to read the article , also makes the magazine
consistent and professional when using the same house style
therefore I will try and use this idea in my magazine to
make it look as professional as possible.

9. Text
First thing we see after the main image is the quote “WHAT EYE ONCE
WAS” this is a play on words using EYE instead of I , this could relate
to the main image of the front cover as we looked at Liam’s eyes. The
main body text is written in columns and the language used is not too
complicated making it an easy read and suitable to the audience of
young adults and onwards. Sometimes slang and swear words are used
in quotes however this doesn’t affect reputation and standard of the
magazine as they are only quotes and the reader isn’t constantly
reading slang and swear words one after another.
The drop capital at the beginning of the text shows the reader where to
start reading, it is often in a large bold font and sometimes is in serif
style font making it look formal. There are five columns and are split up
into different sized paragraphs making it quite an easy read for the
audience.
Then there are 3 other boxes of text dotted above the main body text
these are the band members responses to their interview questions
(Q&A) making the reader feel more involved with the article. This
section really appeals to the fans of the group as they can often find
out bits of information they never knew about each band member

10. Reflection and Inspiration
After my research there are lots of things that I will consider in my magazine making it look
professional , appeal to the audience and aesthetically pleasing. I will need to construct a
house style , I will need a simplistic but bold font for my mast head, sell lines, subheadings etc.
then a smaller font for main body text on the contents page and the double page spread. After
looking at the colours used in other magazines 3 colours have usually been used , therefore I will
try to use 3 or a small number of colours represented with the genre of music (indie). The main
image on the contents page will be a medium shot of either an artist or band. I will do it in a
studio with a high key lighting and probably a white back drop making the artist/s stand out. On
my contents page I will try to add some subscription information the magazine I analysed didn’t
have any subscription information but I know from looking at other magazines most of the
include it and it seems to appeal to the audience. I also think it will be a good idea to make a
logo that when people see it they will automatically reference it to my magazine. I will also add
a few more secondary images of bands and artists to put on my contents page which are
relevant to the contents information. Another thing regarding the front cover I need to make
sure the cover lines don’t interfere with the main image. I will try and pick at least 4 different
bands or artist to feature throughout the magazine on either pages.