Similar Product Research: Analysis of Front cover 1 (Q)

Front Cover Analysis of Q Magazine:

I chose to analyse this magazine cover because of the codes and conventions used. The magazine is popular and sells incredibly well due to the methods used, and so I would like to replicate some of these techniques in my own music magazine.

The dark hair, heavy eyeliner, red lipstick and white teeth of the model in the picture match the red, white & black colour scheme of the front cover. I would like to use these features in our magazine because it is aesthetically pleasing and puts an association between the magazine and the artist, giving the impression that the magazine ‘owns’ her.

The use of colour and makeup also gives the model a rather daring, edgy look; as my magazine will feature the rock/indie genre, this is something I would like to replicate. The mise en scene used in this picture is also important for me as it represents the artist as a strong, independent woman. This breaks the more traditional convention of showing women to be weaker, and since I plan to use a female artist for my front cover and DPS, this is something i would very much like to replicate.

The sell line (the UK’s biggest music magazine) is very effective as it grabs the attention and focuses on the magazine’s reputation as a selling point. I would like to use this technique in my own music magazine as, according to the research we have done, the reputation of a magazine is an important factor as to whether the customer decided to purchase it or not.

The simple use of three colours (red, white & black) is effective as it is bright and bold, catching the eye of the customer, without being over complicated. The simple layout and lack of any explanation or extra information about the featured artist (simply the words ‘Cheryl Cole Rocks’) is a code used that suggests that the artist is too important – she needs no introduction. This is especially important, as it is vital to create a 'star image' for any artists I feature in my magazine, especially one I plan to feature on the front cover.