Analysis of magazine covers 2

 Q Magazine

The logo of the magazine is very large and prominent. It is surrounded by a red box with the tag line in. This is significant as Q Magazine is very big in the music category and this shows how important they know they are. The colour red also contrasts with the blue background and highlights you should stop and read it. The key words on the front page are also in red, as if they were chosen by the magazine to be the best parts as it matches the logo. In the top right corner there is text that reads "The 50 Worst decisions in music." This is highly controversial as this may include a readers favourite song or artist as all people have different tastes in music and lead to them disliking Q magazine. The large title at the bottom is obviously the magazines key selling point. If you're a fan of The 1975 then you would buy this magazine as the front cover clearly suggests there is an in depth article on them. In addition to this, the bottoms of the letters fade into the background as if they are under water with the band. The main photo is of the band, "The 1975" all underwater which links to the title of the article, in deep with the 1975. It shows them all hurdles together as if the are one team but one of the members is looking down the camera as if he is enticing you to come and be a part of the team by buying the magazine. This image also makes up the whole background, being blue and underwater.  

The Big Issue 

The Big Issue's logo is prominent in the centre of the magazine. This along with the red boarder. Red is a royal colour and also tells readers to stop and read it as it looks important. To the left of the logo is the date, price and tag line. These are just in white so they don't take attention away from the logo. The main feature is in the same style as the big issue logo which creates continuity and makes you look there. This suggests that it is as important as the logo in selling this magazine. The background is simple and just blue. This helps the reds of the text to stand out and helps the characters to stand out. It could also be argued that blue is quiet a formal, almost royal colour as well. The two characters have been drawn by the creators of Horrible Histories. This tv show has been running since 2009 and many children along with adults will be fond with it which encourages them to buy the magazine. It is also highly comical with Henry VIII eating a drumstick. This is continued by the text next to him saying "It made us laugh your heads off" with the "your" in italics. This is funny as Henry VIII was famous for beheading people, including his wives. This image of Henry VIII is partially infant of the big issue logo which highlights that this is the magazines key selling point and that they have a wide target audience.