Q Magazine Analysis

Q Magazine

Front cover

I chose the magazine 'Q', this magazine is aimed for young adults and has a pop/rock genre, we know this as the language used on the front cover is informative however the text is not 'slang' but nor do they use formal language, for example "Interview Bonanza!" shows that the magazine contains a lot of interviews for the reader, however the use of the word 'Bonanza' shows that it is more casual and direct to the audience, unlike a magazine aimed at older people that would be less entertaining and more informative and to the point.
The colour schemes on the front cover are; red, black, grey and white. The colour red is used behind the heading 'Q' and this colour then continues on the front page, linking with the main cover lines such as 'Neil Young' and 'Rock star to radio DJ' this suggests that as the most important word on the front cover is surrounded in red, that the text in red will be the more important cover lines and will automatically be more eye catching as they match the house theme.
Other cover lines are in bold black, they link in with the house theme as underneath the 'Q' they have the tag line 'The world's greatest music magazine' that is in a black box, also making the audience connect that the black font is less important than the red text, however still has importance.
The biggest font on this page is the word 'Killers' in grey capital letters, the fact that the font is grey shows a contrast to the house theme of red white and black. The contrast then makes it more eye-catching and the fact that the word 'The' just before the word 'Killers' is in red, suggests that the word after it is going to be important. The background of this front cover is plain white, allowing for the background to link in with the colouring of the font and cover lines.
The font size on the front cover varies with each cover line or title, generally with importance the text size increases. For example, the biggest font on the page is the 'Q' and the second biggest is 'Killers' showing that these two are the most attention grabbing and have the most importance within the front page.
On this magazine the main focus is on the large image of the male, he has direct address with the camera and the camera angle is looking up at him, suggesting that he is a dominant figure, something that men are stereo-typically portrayed as in media. The eye contact also adds to the appearance of dominance and confidence, showing he is an important figure or well respected in his genre. Also, he is wearing a black leather jacket, and as leather jackets are usually worn by men with a high status or with a lot of confidence, it could suggest that he has the same qualities. The placement of the man on the front cover is effective as his head is next to the heading 'Q' and as the audience's eye will be drawn to the title, the placement of the man's face next to the title will draw more attention to him, showing that he is the main focus of the cover and has more importance throughout the magazine.
The colouring of the image match the colour scheme, for example; he is wearing a black leather jacket with white writing saying ' Brandon Flowers Reborn' this informs the audience that the man in the image is Brandon Flowers and the fact that white writing on black has only otherwise been used under the heading shows that this fits within the colour theme.
There are additional images linking to the cover lines, and these images link in with the colour scheme, for example; the cover line 'Neil Young' has an image of Neil Young to the right in a red top, linking it in with the colour scheme.

Contents Page

The contents page is spread over two pages and has 4 columns, two on each page. there are images on these two pages are generally all at the tops of the columns, with the exclusion of the cover story. All of the images are within the colour theme, for example the first image on the left is of a man dressed in black and white with red blood stains on his top. Other images include Florence Welch, wearing white and with red hair, also meeting the colour scheme.
The differing text colours and sizes change depending on the heading and it's relation to the front cover, for example all of the cover stories are featured with images at the top of the columns and have bigger, bold, red title in capitals, this links in with the colour scheme, and the use of this colour scheme is neutral to men and women and all ages. Showing that the magazine isn't specifically for one gender or the other, however red is usually linked with danger or provocativeness and could suggest that this magazine would be exciting to read.
However, the audience can be more determined by the lexical choices within the headings, for example; 'celeb golf cheats' the use of the word 'celeb' shows how the text is less formal and aimed at younger people as older audience's go for more informative magazines. 
The colours of the cover story stand out more than the other articles on the page as it has a black text box filled with white writing saying 'cover story' and as the other cover lines on the pages are in red writing it shows the contrast to the white writing making the text more attention grabbing to the audience.

Double page spread

On the double page spread there is a long shot image spread on the right side page of Brandon Flowers, the colours of the image are very dark blacks and blues, this links to the genre as they are a rock band and the dark colours could present a stronger emotion that would be more linked to this genre of music. The brightest colour in this image is his skin, as it contrasts with his dark clothes and the dark background. This creates a contrast between his face and the background, making him stand out from the rest of the image, this suggests that he could stand out from other bands in his genre. In the image he is  wearing a dark leather jacket which is stereo-typically something that someone of a high status would wear, or someone that shouldn't be reckoned with. This makes him appear well respected and tough, and this links to the genre as rock music is tough and not very light - hearted. In this image he is jumping, and as he has been captured in mid air it gives the image an eery appearance, this suggests that he is different to other bands as his image is more creative.
Underneath the pull quote is the name 'Brandon Flowers' and this is in a red font, showing a contast against the black background and it stands out as it is the only red text on both pages of the double spread, this then shows the differentiation between his name and the rest of the article.
On this image there is a pull quote, with "I live my life how I want to." in it, this shows how he doesn't care about other people's opinions, and this generally suggests that he is successful enough for other people's opinions not to matter.
The is a drop capital about half way through the article on the word 'We're'  and the W is in a fancy black font, contrasting with the more strong appearance of the rock genre that would be more associated with a bolder font. This font is then repeated at the top of the page showing that the theme will run throughout the article, continuing the contrast.