Q MAGAZINE RESEARCH
codes & conventions / institutions

Q - is a music magazine offering exclusive album reviews, featuring of new releases, film and live concerts reports as well as radio and television reviews. Q magazine was first published by EMAP Media Group. At the very start the magazine was outstanding comparing to it's competition due to it's high quality of production of monthly issue. In the early years the magazine was titled 'The Modern Guide to Music and More'. Now, the magazine as well as the EMAP company is owned by the Bauer Media.

FRONT COVER:

The header of the music magazine (THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE) represents the popularity as well as recognition of the product, motivating and encouraging people to buy it. At the same time the header makes the people think why the product has been voted best in the UK. This might then persuade them to buy it.

The masthead of this magazine (in the top left corner) is more of a logo rather than a masthead due to it's simplicity. It's easily recognizable, one letter design which becomes memorable due to the eye-catching, bright colour. It becomes the first thing that the viewer looks at due to the clarity it reflects. Furthermore, the layout of the masthead conforms to the stereotypical magazine front covers as it appears on the top of the magazine and it is the first thing the reader sees. In addition, it covers the main central image of the magazine suggesting the importance of advertising the brand.

The main image of Cheryl Cole has been placed directly on the surface of the front cover. It effectively dominates the entire frame. This makes the front cover more appealing to the audience. The magazine effectively displays the music celebrity as she is well known for being in the music industry as well as being a judge in X-Factor which is also a music based program. This makes the reader interested in what the magazine has to offer about her. The image is also quite 'sexually appealing' due to the model's appearance as well as positioning. This might particularly raise sales of this edition due to the first impression which is based upon the expressive image. 

The cover line of this edition  revolves around music artist . The colours are either red or white. This matches well with the main cover line below, making the magazine very consistent due to the colour scheme which follows the style of 'Q' magazine. In addition, the editor has made the word 'rocks' in a large, red print which spaced out letters. Compared to the rest of the magazine, the font is relatively large and makes the word stand out, bringing attention of the viewers to the whole storyline. One of the connotations of red is sexual attraction and this is significantly reinforced by the central image.

Furthermore, a puff has been used to show vital information that needs to stand out against the front cover. Within this issue, John Leanon has been mentioned within the puff. This clearly depicts that there will be some information about him included within the issue. In addition, the banner has been located at the bottom of the page in black colour. This helped to structure the magazine front cover and appear to be professional.

The barcode featured on the magazine is located underneath the logo/masthead as well as the price of the magazine. The print is in very small font as the magazine is quite expensive comparing to other music magazines found on the market.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:

This is a double page spread which I took from the 'Q' magazine's 2012 April edition. The main image on the left side is the same size as the whole article page which indicates the importance and authority of the celebrity throughout the article. The large 'L' letter which is overlaid on top of the article stands for the beginning of the subject's name - Lady Gaga. This is very effective as the audience can immediately acknowledge singers presence within the format. 

The large image demonstrates Lady Gaga covering her breasts. This makes the double page spread quite sexually appealing. Furthermore, this can be supported through the red colour, commonly connotating sex or love. In addition, red colour is used within the house style as well as it's considered to be used within the primary colour scheme. This is effective as on every page we can relate back to the magazine's brand.

A simple serif font is used throughout the article which suggests that more knowledgeable audience would read it as they would not be distracted by the images, as there is only one image included. The audience would be more likely to be focused on the full page article. Furthermore, the article is clearly paragraphed and constructed chronologically featuring quotes said by Lady Gaga, to show the exclusivity of the text. Furthermore, the separation of the main image with the article makes the double page spread appear more simple. This gives an aesthetic look to the page at appears more neat and clean.

A sub-heading in the top right corner is used as a chapter indicator so that the audience can turn the page/ or flick through the magazine and known immediately this particular page features. The kerning of the subject's name (L a d y G a g a)on the top right corner also communicates simplicity but also gives it a more  fashionable and preferred look to the font.

The layout of the article is formulated using the specific genre conventions. The article columns subconsciously make the audience feel as they have read more in a quicker time span. The columns also make the article more enticing as it appears shorter and more achievable to read. The column gutter between the text makes it appear less intimidating on the reader's eyes as they might be put off by the vast amount of information while flicking through the magazine. By having all of the relevant text on one page it appeals more to a mature audience who will still be enticed by the article rather than the images or pull- quotes.

CONTENTS PAGE:

The masthead of the magazine 'Q' is headlined along with the 'Contents', which are in a big bold text. This highlights the importance and purpose of this particular magazine page. In addition, the Q's logo is in a red box, which follows the house style of the magazine associating the red and white colour together with black text. 

In the top right hand corner there's an issue number as well as the date of publishing. The fact that is positioned here is vital as the date has to be clearly seen for the readers. It also blends in effectively with the rest of the 'Contents' colour scheme. Underneath the date, there are magazine's website details included. This is effective as although the details are in small font the date and issue number catches readers attention. This also allows the readers to have a clear and easy access to any additional services  the Q magazine is offering.

The main column within the contents page is focused on the features section which presents the main features and news that can be found within the magazine. Additionally, the page number is clear and large. This makes it easier for the readers to find what they are specifically looking for. The style of the features column is in a mixture of red, white and black fonts. The features title has a red banner behind it to draw more attention to the headline. 

The main photograph on the right hand side dominates the page, as it's the principal feature. The gesture of the model (Adele) is very delicate and simplistic. This is effective as she is gazing towards the camera, almost as if she was catching an eye contact with the readers. Her face and neck is slightly out of focus. This is another element which brings attention to her eyes. In addition, the fact that Adele's image dominates within the page layout, it makes it more appealing to the audience as she is a well known singer. 

In the bottom left hand corner there is an 'Every Month' information column which shows the features the magazine is offering within every month's edition. They have highlighted 'every month' with a large, red banner to make the text more eye catching. At the same time this makes it more appealing to the customers.

Furthermore, in the bottom right hand corner of the page, Q has included a review section which informs about  main articles within the magazine and their page numbers. This is effective as reviews dominate the magazine's content comparing to other features. This makes it easier for the audience to look directly into reviews rather than searching for them within the every month section or regulars. The layout of this particular section is quite simplistic and neat. The heading is in bold and large font comparing to other text sizes. This makes it more noticeable for the readers.