Colour
Red connotes love, passion, power, energy and has high visibility. Black connotes seriousness, power, strength and contrasts well with bright colours. White connotes good, perfection, new, fresh and contrasts well with bright colours. Gold connotes success, achievement, triumph, luxury, quality, extravagance, confidence and is eye-catching.
Font/Image
The Q is the biggest piece of writing on the page which suggests it is the most important and this is the first thing that anyone looking at the magazine sees. The Q is positioned on the left side of the page because you read from left to right which again makes it more prominent on the page. The roundness of the Q and the roundness of Damon Albarns face makes the page really soft on the reader’s eye; Damon Albarns name is the second largest piece of writing on the page which suggests he is fairly important to the magazine. The list of 21 people who changed music has the smallest font – this could be because it is quite a main part of the magazine and big writing would give too much away about it.
Barcode
The barcode is positioned in the bottom right hand corner; it is very small and not attracting to the eye. This could be because the magazine doesn’t have a particularly reasonable/affordable price and so they want to interest and draw the reader in before they see the price to ensure they will buy the magazine.
Mise-en-scene
Close-up of Daman Albarn placed more to the right side of the page because images are seen from right to left so he is more eye-catching. Very serious facial expression suggests his feature is going to be about something serious – maybe his career or new album. He is looking out (direct address) – this catches your eye and makes it seem as if he is talking to you and has nothing to hide (builds trust in what he will say in the magazine). His image is anchored by his name in gold capital letters – capital letters suggest he is important and gold suggests he is successful, confident, a winner and triumphant. Masthead on the left side of the page – bright red makes it stand out and connotes power, energy and passion. White of the ‘Q’ suggests the magazine is new and fresh. ‘Britain’s Biggest Music Magazine’ written underneath masthead to further advertise the success of the magazine. Part of his head is concealed by the masthead; could suggest something about him is going to be uncovered/revealed in the magazine. Main cover line in gold capital letters on left of page ‘THE 21 PEOPLE WHO CHANGED MUSIC’ gives the reader an idea of what will be included in the magazine; list of names underneath give a taster of people who may be featured/mentioned. Sky line showing it’s ‘The 21st Anniversary Issue’ – gold font suggests it is a triumph and success, font similar to masthead to link with the brand and show importance and top of the page suggests it is superior to everything else on the page. Lack of colour could be to draw attention to the red masthead as it is a special addition and lack of puffs could be because they have many loyal readers who don’t need a taster of what’s inside and because the anniversary will be enough to draw people in.
Front Cover Textual Analysis
Colour
Red connotes love, passion, power, energy and has high visibility. White connotes good, perfection, new, fresh and contrasts well with bright colours. Black connotes strength, masculinity, seriousness and mystery and also contrasts well with bright colours.
Barcode
The barcode has been placed in the bottom left hand corner; it is very small and doesn’t attract the eye. This could be because the magazine doesn’t have a particularly fair/reasonable price. The barcode has been placed under a lot of big writing which will take your eye away from the barcode; it is the last thing you notice on the page.
Font/Image
The Q is the biggest piece of writing on the page which suggests it is the most important and this is the first thing that anyone looking at the magazine sees. The Q is positioned on the left side of the page because you read from left to right which makes it more prominent on the page. Most of the writing is in white which suggests that the subject is new and fresh; the writing in red is very bold and striking and is probably important information to pay attention to. Most of the writing is just one word or a short phrase which makes it seem like it is spoken or shouted at you; this grabs attention.
Mise-en-scene
Image of the lead singer of Muse in the centre/right side of the page because images are seen from left to right so he catches your eye – suggests he is the main part of the magazine issue. He is dressed in red and black (red connotes passion, power, energy and strength and black connotes strength, masculinity, seriousness and mystery). This could suggest that this person is going to be the main part of the magazine and gives away some things about his character; the colours red and black are also sometimes associated with the rock genre and Muse is a rock band. The man is using a guitar to ‘smash’ the Q logo (positioned on the left side of the page because you read from left to right – logo is prominent to the reader’s eye). The effect of the smashing of the Q sign by the member of Muse suggests he is going to ‘smash’ the edition and do something new or exciting that has never been done before. It could also suggest that he is a ‘bad boy’ and breaks the rules – this will intrigue readers and make them want to pick up the edition to see what he is doing. The smashing could also indicate a ‘breakthrough’ in his career or his music which will also intrigue the reader. The skyline reads ‘THE UK’S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE’. The fact this is at the top of the page suggests it is very important and is a USP of the magazine. The main image is anchored by ‘MUSE’ written in white capitals in the sweet spot of the page. The white suggests that Muse are new and fresh and the white contrasts with the other colours on the page which makes it stand out even more. The contrasting of colours could also suggest that Muse are a very different and individual band and the fact that the name of the band has been placed in the sweet spot suggests that it is an important and main part of the magazine. The use of buzz words in the puffs, for example, ‘plus’, ‘greatest’, ‘biggest’ will grab the reader and excite them about what is inside.
Colour
The use of the colour white on the writing of the 2 artist’s names suggests they are new and fresh. In the main picture the 2 artists are wearing black which symbolises they are serious and want to be taken seriously; the colour black is also bold which links with their type of music and draws your eye to the picture. An orange – yellow colour is also used which connotes excitement, happiness and fire. These colours are used as the font colour on exciting news stories to make them seem ‘fiery’ or ‘juicy’ with gossip – intriguing the readers.
Barcode
The barcode is positioned in the bottom right hand corner; it is very small and not attracting to the eye. This could be because the magazine doesn’t have a particularly reasonable/affordable price and so they want to interest and draw the reader in before they see the price to ensure they will buy the magazine.
Genre Conventions
You can tell that the genre of the magazine is music because it advertises a new album and the puffs advertise exclusive interviews with artists. The puffs are advertising ‘exclusive’, ‘special’, ‘shock new’ and ‘first major’ interviews and features. These exciting anchor words connote excitement and the tight formation between all these words show the reader that the magazine is packed full of exciting stories.
Layout
The strapline advertises studio news about 2 artists – this interest’s the reader. The picture of Miles and Alex is positioned on the right side of the page because you read images from right to left – this has been done to ensure that the reader notices this picture instantly and is drawn to the magazine. The puffs are positioned on the left side of the page because you read from left to right, this means it’s easier to read and the layout is clearer and more organised. The strapline suggests that the magazine features mainly indie rock artists as Franz Ferdinand and The Courteneers sound alternative.
Mise-en-scene
Alex Turner and Miles Kane are the main feature of the front page. They have been placed on the right side of the page because your eye views images from right to left – this shows they are important in the magazine and one of their main news stories. Their names are written in bold white capitals which show they are new, bold, and important and a big feature in this edition of the magazine. They are stood back to back (suggests they are partners) and therefore their bodies are not facing the front (indirect address); their heads are turned to face the audience and they are making eye contact; this creates a relationship with the reader as it seems as though Miles and Alex are looking at them but also creates an element of mystery as the 2 men are not facing the front. This intrigues the reader and suggests that there is more than meets the eye, making them want to pick up the magazine. They both have very serious facial expressions which suggest they’re music is about more serious things and that they are serious as artists. The text used to anchor the image of Alex and Miles explains the formation of their new band and explains that it is their first interview as members of this band.