Q Magazine: genre - indie/mainstream
The colour scheme of this cover is black, white, red and gold which all carry individual connotations. For example: gold infers feelings of royalty, as though Liam Gallagher is royalty in the music industry which would make people more inclined to buy it. Red, being the iconic logo colour of Q, has been used on this particular front cover, along with many others because it is bright and ensures continuity throughout the magazine, whereas if blue was used, the colours would clash and it wouldn't be very aesthetically pleasing. For my colour scheme I think I might use black, white and another contrasting colour such as red to keep it simple so the reader isn't distracted. Another element of this cover I like is the play on words used in the main headline: Liam's Beady Eye Kick Off. Although I'm not a fan of Liam Gallagher, once someone had told me that his band is called Beady Eye, it occurred to me that this is a very clever technique, and one which I'd consider using myself. The fact that the other members of Liam's band are only a reflection in his glasses mirrors the fact that he is the lead singer in the band and is most recognised for this role. The sharp detail of the image itself catches the eyes of the reader almost instantly. The intricate detail of the facial hair and the lips draw the reader in - though it is usually the eye contact with the readers which does this in a typical front page image. To follow conventions, I will use direct eye contact on my front page to grab the reader's attention, and this means I will also be able to create the right mood by taking a good photo. The bubble of information (such as the Queen 16 page exclusive in the top right hand corner) doesn't stand out as much as the ones which feature on the NME front cover because it doesn't have a different background colour and it uses the same font colours as the rest of the text on the page. Although it's been designed using the same conventional colour scheme as the rest of the front cover, a typical information bubble (from the ones I've seen) are a bright colour which stands out from the rest of the page - usually green or yellow.
One thing I admire about Q magazine is that the front cover photo can be quite shocking and controversial, like this photo of Lady Gaga where she is barely clothed, and I think this says a lot about the kind of people which the magazine features; they are allowing the readers to have an insight into their lives and are holding nothing back in the process. It makes me, as a reader, feel closer to the person on the cover and it makes me want to know more, even though I wouldn't consider myself as someone who takes a great interest in this person's life or work. Despite this, anyone who is familiar with Lady Gaga will understand that making such a statement as this on a magazine front cover is nothing out of the ordinary for her. If I choose to invent a celebrity for my front page, I'd like them to be a colourful and outrageous character, but I think I'd create this persona by using brighter coloured clothing (instead of black), also in the hair and use the facial expression and camera angles to create an exciting and explosive front page. I would, however, have to consider how I would carry this mood on throughout my magazine. Furthermore, all my attention is drawn to Lady Gaga's figure in the centre of the page because the background is one plain colour, which also helps the plugs to stand out due to the contrast in the grey and the red/white/black of the font. For my front page I imagine I will use, if not grey, white so the page is bright and dream-like, so my subject stands out and the reader is not distracted by anything. Also, the emphasis on the word 'RISEN' in the main headline across the centre of the page infers that Lady Gaga has become of a high status in the music industry and is someone which we should be looking up to.
When I first looked at this front cover what stood out to me was how large the main headline was: TAKE THAT in bold, serif font states that the band with a solid image and a large fan base which spans over a number of years. This, in contrast with the more comical pun beneath it creates a light-hearted front cover which, I think, appeals to an older audience (possibly mid-late teens and late twenties) because they would understand the joke. This is my target audience, so I think using a pun on my front cover will work very well. The layout of this front cover is striking because it means that the larger main image pushes the plugs to the sides of each page, and the bar code is in a different place, which I think makes the page stand out more overall. The band of text along the bottom appeals to me because it is in a small font so it doesn't take up much room, but it gives the reader of a lot of information without taking up a lot of room on the page. I will use this for my magazine because as well as being informative, the band frames the front page nicely as the red is the same as the red magazine title on the opposite side of the page. Also, the introduction A world exclusive across the middle of the top of the page increases the fluency of how the front page is read. For example, I looked at the magazine title Q then the red of the title matches with the red of the introduction so my eyes glide across onto that, then down onto the main headline, where the font appears to explode and change dramatically in size, so my attention is immediately drawn to it. I think this technique is incredibly effective because it coincides with the natural behaviour of the eyes meaning that the reader does this without realising.
Mixmag: genre - dance
Unlike Q's front cover, Mixmag's choice of font is purely sens serif, which adds to the futuristic and informal feel. This, along with the pure white background and clashing of the colours (pink, red and yellow) creates a very unusual and bold statement about the magazine. The lack of colours on the image makes the existing colours stand out more than usual - Calvin Harris' bright yellow t shirt and red sunglasses appear to emit heat and energy - which reflects a summer party atmosphere. This makes the magazine more popular with young (teens and early twenties) people who enjoy parties and dance culture. Only three different fonts appear to be used, all of which are smooth - which is unconventional - however the plugs on either side of the page follow the conventions of a music magazine as the small headlines are bold, with the explanations in ordinary writing underneath. Taking into consideration all of the fonts I have looked at, I have decided I will use a mix of serif and sans serif fonts to create a balance, as well as following the conventions of a magazine and expectations of a reader. In terms of the composition of the picture, the sunglasses constructs an aura of mystery over the person and if you didn't know it was Calvin Harris, the chances are that you wouldn't know who it was on the front cover. It also infers that he is without identity and, as a DJ, the music overshadows him as it is more important to him, and the audience. One convention which Mixmag doesn't always follow is the continuity of the colour of its name. For example, this particular issue's is pale pink, and I've found numerous other issues where it is yellow, red and pink, whereas it is usually white. I think I'm going to keep away from the idea of doing a special edition issue for my magazine because they tend to stray from the conventions, and I want to include as many conventions as I can.
NME: genre - indie/rock/mainstream
Similarly to most music magazines, the tagline on NME is something which is printed onto every cover, whether it is a special issue or not. This is something I will take into consideration when I invent a name for my magazine, as it must make sense once put together. It is also something which, if I'm trying it, I must get right because it is typically directly beneath the magazine name, therefore the reader's eyes are immediately drawn to it if they pick the magazine up. Also, another thing I noticed when I first saw this magazine front cover was how the main image didn't overlap the name of the magazine. I've come to learn this is uncommon as most magazines can do this because they are established brands whose legacy can be seen through the other factors of the magazine, and so the name doesn't need to be fully seen. As for my preliminary task I didn't end up using this technique, I think I will for my music magazine because I think it is important to show professionalism and a range of skills whilst creating my final product. The image on this front cover stands out to me because there are three people, so my attention is directed at the centre of the page. Looking closer, I see that the man in the centre (probably the lead singer of the band) is pulling at his hair - which is odd - and suggests that they aren't like any other band. The two members on the right hand side of the page are looking directly at the camera lense, which draws the reader in; whereas the third member is using over-exaggerated actions to emphasise the fact that he's looking at something intriguing elsewhere. This, along with the canted anbgle which the 'The' in the title is placed suggests that the band is a bit crazy and out of the ordinary.
