Evaluation

My media product uses several typical conventions such as title block, puffs, central image. However, it challenges and develops the features to make them look different from existing magazines. The title block uses a unique font that is rarely visible in existing magazines, also the range of colours which develop throughout my magazine, and the central image which has a graffiti background which is not a common feature in other magazines. I wanted to make each feature stand out in an appealing way to catch the readers eye and draw them in. I chose to challenge the typical features as the theme off my magazine is punk, anarchy which represents no order and being individual. Using this theme i would change some of the typical conventions, such as the puffs on the cover which reveal all different fonts and text positioning showing no order.
My magazine positively represents the target audience who are into 70's punk music, male and female, British 15-30 year olds. My article feature is based on a girl who represents this audience. I also included sub-genres in my magazine such as Ska which consists of a fusion of punk and reggae. This represents another social group who are into Reggae and Ska. I tried to make the reader feel welcome using the cover, the central image has a slight distance to draw in the reader to look closer, but the person in the image has a direct mode of address indicating a personal relationship with the reader. Punk has a multi-cultural audience but most punk bands are typically Caucasian, Ska is a multi-cultural genre, taking this into consideration i decided to develop the idea using an Asian girl on the cover. I chose to aim my media product at 15-30 year olds as i find that most people who like this music today are from this age group and it would be a wider audience to target.
After researching publishing institutions i found that IPC would be the best suited institution to distribute my magazine. This is due to their previous work with rock magazines such as NME, also because their magazines fall into mainly the niche market instead of the mainstream, my magazine is the same. As NME is a successful magazine which also has a radio station, website and a TV channel, this shows that the institution would benefit my magazine in making it something more huge. IPC magazines are read by more than 44% of UK readers, so this institution will be good for reaching my target audience and other British IPC magazine readers. This media institution would be more likely to distribute my magazine rather than Development Hell which publish two monthly magazines whereas my magazine is released weekly.
My media product is aimed at male and females from ages 15-30 in the UK, who are familiar with punk rock or Ska music. I chose this target audience as there is no other magazine that aims at this sort of audience, there is a gap in the market for it as most music magazines are targeted at a specific gender e.g. rock magazines are usually aimed at males. This makes my magazine different from others as it doesn't use this typical convention and is aimed at both male and females. I chose to aim the product at 15-30 year olds as i find that many teenagers and young adults are into the music my magazine features, punk music has some explicit content and a mentioning of politics and freedom; these sort of aspects are more appealing to people of these ages. Another reason i chose this age group is because i wanted to reach a wider audience. To make my magazine appeal to my audience I have addressed readers with content that they will most likely relate to such as the bands The King Blues and The Sex Pistols, these bands are from the genres i have chosen to feature in my magazine: punk and ska. The King Blues is a recent ska/punk band that teenagers are more likely to be familiar with, The Sex Pistols are a 70's punk band that are appealing to teenagers but more familiar with young adults, they can also relate more to the issues raised in their lyrics. To attract my audience i have used a unique font, style and layout that reflects the style of my magazine. For example, the title block is in a ransom-note styled font which is an iconic feature of the punk era. The central image on the cover is quite eye catching with its stand out colours and graffiti background which makes it look different from other magazines.
During the process of constructing my media product i have learnt how to use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator successfully. At the beginning i found the programmes hard to use and would struggle in editing photos. I eventually was able to do this and was successful in and editing the brightness, saturation, colour temperature and resizing images. Using the website http://www.1001fonts.com/ i was able to find a font suitable for my magazine and as my Photoshop skills were developing i was soon able to touch up and edit it for my magazine. Before my Photoshop skills had developed i was not very successful in creating fonts and found it hard to change the colours and outline the font, this i soon picked up on which helped me create a successful title block. As i found Photoshop easier to use, i used this programme for most of my production work. I also found that Blogging is a good way of getting feeback on work, Blogger.com allowed me to receive feedback from piers and my teacher which helped improve my work along the way. On this website i could create polls which was helpful for deciding what font to use. It also allowed be to view other classmates work which helped me to keep on track in what i had to do.
Looking back on my preliminary task i find that i have learnt much more throughout the progression of it to the final tasks. Analysing other magazine covers, contents pages and articles helped with making my magazine. It helped me understand the layout conventions which i challenged and developed in my own magazine. The location for my final images was eye catching and looked even better after editing the images in Photoshop. I learnt of the typical conventions used in the magazines i analysed and went against them in my own magazine such as a house style and colour scheme. This also helped me on how to attract the audience such as title block, puffs, eye catching central image and bands featured on the cover. In the preliminary task i did not consider the importance of these features. Sending out questionnaires has also proved to be helpful as it helped me on deciding on certain aspects of my magazine such as title block, price, genre and other important conventions. Analysing other successful existing magazines has helped me throughout the construction of my product and also gathering feedback from my target audience.

Article Feature Final

Contents Page Final

Front Cover Final

Article Feature Draft

The article appears squashed up on the page so i will add another page to spread out the article feature. I will also change the font of the text as it doesn't stand out enough.

Contents Page Draft

The star seems to big and stands out alot so i will change the colour and shape so it fits in the page appealingly.

Front Cover Draft

After recieving feedback i have decided to improve the title block by adding a black outline to make it stand out in front of the graffiti. I will also change the font of the puffs which seem hard to read and look rather plain. I will add another puff and the issue number to make it look more proffesional.

Photographs I May use for my Magazine.

Cover and Contents page Layout plan

To make sure my magazine is appealing enough for readers i have planned the layout for the cover and contents page of my magazine. Throughout the process of making the magazine I hope for my idea's to develop.

Article Feature: 1st Draft

After months of trying to get hold of her, Melz of Cliche has finally agreed to an interview with me. The teenage rocker has made it clear that her band are not here to sign autographs.


1. Your sound is said to be following in the footsteps of X-Ray Spex- do you agree?
Melz: The sound is very much inspired by artists such as Poly Styrene, Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer but it has a wider spread of emotions more than the thorough expression of anger and rebellion. A track on the album actually refers to bands such as The Sex Pistols and the message of their music which should be remembered. The 70’s was more of a time to be angry, times have changed but there are still things that people are fed up of.

2. Being quite young do you find the music world harder to cope with?
Melz: It’s not easy but that goes for musicians of all ages I reckon. Many young artists tell you what you wanna hear: that it’s all wonderful and ‘la-di-da’, it’s not easy, it’s hard at times. I have to go days without sleep sometimes. There are audiences that don’t like what you have to say and that it’s not all ‘my girlfriend broke my heart’ bullsh*t. Then theres the audiences who are absolutely fed up of seeing identical bands with the same message over and over, they wanna hear something different, they wanna hear the truth.

3. Rumour has it that you’re collaborating with The King Blues, is this true?
Melz: People love saying what they wanna hear that’s all. The King Blues are absolutely f***ing amazing. I've always found their sound original and they tell it like it is. I spoke to Itch a few months back and he's a really down to earth guy, I respect him as a person and musician. Maybe in the near future we'll do a track together but they're touring in the USA right now so that clearly is a rumour.

4. How do you find living up to your new image?
Melz: What image? I didn't think i had one, there should be no difference between who's on the stage and the audience. The media are typically after an easily manipulative sound and image, thats the last thing I want to be. Anyone can be in this position really, but half of 'em are too f***in' lazy. I've never wanted to be the kind of artist that people go crazy over or audiences idolize, it's just not me. At my gigs I want the audience to just have a blast, forget what they're told and just be themselves.

5. Do your views on politics influence you when writing songs?
Melz: You could say that but only for some of the songs. There's a song about the unheard voice of the youth and the desperacy of young people without jobs. The working class don't even know what it means to be working class anymore, that sort of thing pisses me off. It's more about equality and being proud of who you are. The government aren't helping you so you have to help yourself. It's whats's happening to the people around me that influence me more.

6. What was the audience like on your first performance?
Melz: Majority of them were a bunch of rich kids with nothing better to spend their money on, very posed and no: not many of them could relate to the music. There were some people who were the only ones who seemed to not be wearing the 'uniform' that the others were, they were just enjoying the atmosphere and going f**king mad which was great. They all seemed quite shocked that there was a band talking about the real world and the music was not just a form of escapism. Most of them want to just escape and pretend the real world isn't happening; you can't be having that with our band. They would swear at us and we would swear back, Whilst on stage I couldn't help but take the piss out of the posed way they were standing. They hated me (*laughs*).

7. How do you think people reacted when you threw your award for Best New Comer in a recycling bin?
Melz: Why Should they care what the band does with the awards? It really didn't mean much to us so we put it to good use. Awards and speeches, thats not what we're here for and it means nothing to us which is why we hardly turn up to these things. It's all a mugs game if you ask me. If they think we're doing this for fame then we may as well not be here. We're here for the people fed up of the way some things are.

8. How do you plan to succeed in the industry?
Melz: Carry on in the same way we started, i don't want this to change any of us as people. We'll play our music and hopefully come accross an audience who understand our music and enjoy it. There will be audiences who'll prefer a track about how wonderful life is or relationships -poor them. If we don't succeed, at least we'll have done what we came here to do: get our message accross and have a good time on stage. It's the best feeling in the world when you're on stage. One thing we will definitely succeed in is not being what the industry want us to be.

9. What advice would you give to young people who want to be in a band?
Melz: Not that they would actually want it but I would advise them to be themselves 100% and forget what's in the charts. They must stick to what they think is good and not what everyone else does. Being in the industry isn't easy but that don't mean give up when the going gets tough. Just do what you want to do and stick to it.

10. And lastly, give two bands that you would recommend.
Melz: Definitely The Sex Pistols and The Clash, you can't go wrong with them. They have influenced me and others all over the world to do what they want to do which i respect them for. I've always had a huge crush on Johnny Rotten and Paul Simonon from their younger days. The music is just amazing.

Article Analysis: Q

The choice of artist is a singer called Cheryl Cole. She is well known from the pop group Girls Aloud. This suggests that the target audience may be teenagers into pop music as Girls Aloud appeals to this audience. The article may appeal to other audiences such as males from the ages 18-25. This is as Cheryl is well known for being an attractive young woman. The language used in the article is both formal. It approaches the audience as an intelligent and knowledgable fan using phrases such as, 'her individual achievements have eclipsed even those of Girls Aloud'. This shows that the article is aiming for an older audience as it has more of an academic quality. The article refers to other pop groups tht fans of Cheryl Cole may know of, 'festivals with Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys cover versions are all very well..' It also mentions singles by Cheryl Cole, 'And so 3 Words has a modern R&B flavour'. A simple black font is used matching the font on the cover. This suggests a simple style for the magazine. The majority of the article is taken up by images. The article is spread around the images on some pages and the others are based on just an image. This makes it clear that Cheryl is the main attraction of the article and also because of her new importance to the music world and good looks which are well known by people in Britain. One image has an anchorage text below it which reads, 'Everything I do is scrutinised. Everything i fucking say.' This suggests that the singer is fed up which shows readers that the article is based on her emotions as well as her music. This is highlighted in capital letters which shows that Q wants this to be noticable while reading the article. It makes the article both formal and informal with the use of swearing which brings us back to the target audience, this would not offend an older audience. Cheryl is portrayed in an attractive and serious way. She is not smiling in any of them but pouting. She is wearing alot of black and leather which presents her in a sexual way. The style of the images reflect the film 'Sin City' which readers will be able to relate to. One image has a reading which reduced the serious atmosphere, 'Wa-hey, i should of brought me brolly pet'. This shows that Q wants bring in some humour to make the article not so serious. The article demands some prior knowledge about Cheryl Coles life and career such as her husband Ashley Cole and hits by Girls Aloud. This, however, would be well known to people in Britain but is explained in detail to make sure readers understand what it the article is referring to.

Article Analysis: NME

The choice of artist featured in the article of NME magazine is Gerard Way, lead singer of Rock band My Chemical Romance. He mentions in the article his previous album (The Black Parade) which was well known by teenagers. This suggests that the article may be aimed at teenagers who will know Gerard from his work. The language used in the article is mostly formal but the artist is informal in way to express to the audience how he really feels. The artist uses swearing words which show that he doesn’t care and also matches the reckless style of the magazine ('I think people just wanna fucking rock'). This sort of language would appeal to the audience as this language is commonly used by teenagers and young adults.

The magazine addresses the reader in a tone that treats them as a member of an in crowd and an informed intelligent fan. The article gives information of the artist from his missing years which is not featured anywhere else and also talks about tracks that fans of his previous album would know of and talks of bands such as Muse ('..whose 'The Resistance' isn't exactly shabby'). As the article is very long it may not appeal to a reader who wouldn't have the patience to read so much. The article uses a plain black font which matches the previous pages of the magazine. There are a few entry points, one placed above the beginning of the article and one which spreads across two pages at the top. This has been done to draw in readers as they would have to read the whole article to know more about what the quotes are about. The article has been spread across four pages, most readers would not read an article this long. There is alot of text and only few images which makes the pages different from the previous pages of the magazine that use more images. The images show what Gerard currently looks like and a previous image taken from The Black Parade tour. This shows the audience how the artist has changed which reflects the new style of their music. The main image at the beginning of the article shows Gerard Way in a close-up shot. He has a serious expression on his face and is not looking completely into the camera. The Quote placed next to him reads 'This record is going to be the grand failure if people don't get it'. The overall image shows that he is serious about these words and as his mode of address isn't completely direct it shows that he wants a close but at the same time distant relationship with the audience.

The people who knew My Chemical Romance during the time of The Black Parade would understand the article more than new fans who may not understand why the band would want to change. 'While MCR's music is now different- they've stripped back, they've gone back to basics, they've trimmed off the fat' -new readers won't know what the band have changed from so therefore will not find the article appealing. The article also features information that only fans of the album released four years ago would be aware of 'a baroque concept fantasy about the surreal flashbacks of a cancer patient in his final minutes, shifted over three million copies'- this is reffering to track from The Black Parade album. Though the article features a lot of background information about this album and the tour, it still may appeal more to previous fans.

Experimenting with photoshop

Analysing Contents Pages

The contents page for this Q magazine uses 9 images. The images show pictures of celebrities who will feature in the magazine with the page number in bold next to it. This shows that these celebrities are the main attraction for the magazine. The celebrities shown consist of different music genres which matches the target audience who will be interested in different music genres. There are celebrities such as Cheryl Cole who is a well known singer with new album, John Lennon from a previously well known band 'The Beatles', and Muse- a well known band. This also indicates a male audience. The colours on the contents page match the theme on the cover, red, white and black. The same mixture of fonts on the cover are used on the contents page which shows that the magazine has a style of its own. The page has a mix different page numbers (not in order) which indicate different articles. As the page numbers are not in order this could connote that the magazine does not have an order. There are only certain articles listed which shows that they are the most important while reading the magazine. There are no promotional features on this contents page which could mean. The magazines logo is shown in 4 different places on the magazine. There is one at the top of the page in the left corner of the first page. The second page has an image of the cover which shows the logo, here it seems to stand out. Both pages have a small image of the logo at the bottom of the page in the right corner. This may have been done to show how important the magazine itself is. There are no other franchise promoted on the contents page which may show that the magazine has focused on the articles more.

The contents page of this NME magazine uses a central image of Blur. The image seems to be in the backround surrounded by an artcile and other text. Blur are used as the main attraction on this page as they this was their first appearance after their gigs in the summer. People will be interested in seeing them after a while. Another image postitioned at the bottom of the page in the right hand corner shows a January issue of NME. The image of Blur indicates a teenage/ young adult audience for the magazine and its aim at a male audience. A red, black and white theme is used which matches the same one on the cover. The text is the same as the one on the cover and title block which creates a style for the magazine. There is an list of all the bands which will be featured inside in alphabetical order with the page number next to each of them. This lets readers decide which page they would like to read as they can pick what band they like. It makes it easier for them as they wont have to look through the whole magazine to find something that appeals to them. As the magazine is organised page by page it tells us that the magazine wants to make it easier for its audience and is different from other magazines which would usually have a name for each article on their contents page. There is a promotional offer at the bottom of the magazine giving the audience a chance to suscribe to the magazine and save 85p per issue. This gives readers who dont have the money to buy magazines each week an oppurtunity to save money. NME will also sell more magazines this way. The logo is shown in a small image on the bottom in the right hand corner. This shows that the magazine wants to portray the band as more important than the magazine itself. The promotional offer also shows the name of the magazine in bold writing.

Choosing a Title Block

I have decided on the name 'Viva La Punk' for my magazine as it will be based on the Punk genre. Here are some considered fonts for my magazine.



Font 1











Font 2









Font 3

Analysing Questionnaire Results

I handed out copies of my questionnaire which helped me find useful information for when i make my magazine.

These questions helped me find that most people prefer to buy a magazine that is released weekly, this would be quicker for the audience to purchase the magazine after reading an issue. I found that out of the following music genres: Punk, Indie, Reggae and RnB, most people would prefer Punk. This has helped me decide to stick with using Punk as my magazine theme. I found that most people would like to have badges free with the magazine but also that most people are interested in a magzine with free posters. As most people are drawn to magazines with posters, i will include this feature in my magazine. Most people are willing to pay £2.00 for a magazine. I find this a reasonable price for a magazine and is different from most music magazines which charge slightly higher. Most people do read other magazines which tells me that more of my target audience will be most likely to buy my magazine. Most people would like to see both old artists and new artists. However, as my magazine will be based on old artists i will also include new artists inspired by the old artists in my magazine.

Proposal and Questionnaire

The genre i have chosen for my music magazine is 70's Punk, featuring other genres from this time such as Ska and Reggae. The audience i have chosen is 16-30 year olds, both male and female. This audience will be interested in punk, reggae and ska music. They will be located in the United Kingdom. This magazine is needed in the market as there are no magazines based on these genres today and many audiences seem to find this era of music appealing .


Questionnaire

1. Which magazine do you prefer to buy?
a) Monthly b) Weekly c) Fortnightly

2. Which genre of music do you prefer? (you can tick more than one)
a) Punk b) Indie c) Reggae d) RnB

3. What freebies would you like to get with the magazine?
a) Posters b) CD’s c) Badges

4. What interests you in buying the magazine?
a) Band reviews b) Interviews c) Posters d) Gossip

5. How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
a) £1.50 b) £2.00 c) £2.50

6. Do you read any other magazines?

7. If yes, please state which ones.


8. Which do you prefer to see in a magazine?
a) Old artists b) New artists c) Both

Preliminary Task- School Magazine

Preliminary Task- Images

These are the possible images i may use on the cover of my magazine.

Analysing Title Blocks

Q magazine logo: The target audience for this magazine is 16+ males. The logo is red and white featuring a large white Q in a read square. These colours are the same as the English flag which tells readers that it is a British magazine. The loud red and simple white connotes that the readership may be a contrast of loud and quiet artists. The title of the magazine 'Q'; originally it was meant to be called Cue (as in the sense of queing a record, ready to play). This makes the logo stand out from the other one word titled magazines.

Mixmag logo: The target audience for this magazine is 16+ year old male and females. The colour of the logo is orange in funky, bold lettering which makes it stand out. As orange is a stand out colour it tells the audience that the readership may stand out with a colouful theme. The title is two words put together which tells readers that the magazine is different in its readership. Another part of the logo is the writing underneath which reads 'the worlds biggest dance music and clubbing magazine'. As the font is small it draws in readers to take a close look, its bold black letters make it stand out so it is noticed by readers letting them know what sort of music their magazine is based on.

Kerrang magazine logo: The target audience for this magazine is 15-25 year old male and females. The magazines name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when strumming a chord on an electric guitar. This reflects the genre of the music which is rock. The font seems to be disorted on the edges with a blood stain on one letter. This lets the audience know that the readership will be on hardcore bands as blood relates to death and the rough edges connote that the magazine is edgy. The logo seems to have cracks as if it has been smashed which connotes the recklessness of its readership. The font is in black and white and capital letters which connotes the boldness of the magazine. It tells the readers that the bands inside will not be colourful, the colours black and white are stereotypically 'emo' colours.

NME magazine logo: NME stands for 'New Musical Express', this would make readers curious about who they are and if their kind of music will be inside the magazine. The target audience for this magazine is 15-22 year old males. The colours on the logo are red, white and black and the font is big and bold. The colours red and white also represent the english flag which tells readers that it is a British magazine. This makes the logo stand out which tells the audience that the magazine is different from the rest. The 3 colours are bold which makes it easier for readers to find it. The magazine is pronounced 'enemy' which tells readers that the readership may be anarchic with other music as its enemy.

Analysing Magazine Covers

NME (New Musical Express) is a magazine which has been sold in the UK since 1952. The title clearly states that it is a music magazine, revealing articles on new artists and genres. Looking at the front cover we learn that there will be articles on the bands featured on the cover. These bands/artists are old and new. As the lead singer of punk rock band My Chemical Romance is on the cover we know that the main article will be on this band. The magazine is aimed at 15-26 year old males. This audience will be interested all types of genres related to rock music which the magazine is well known for such as punk, indie and metal which gives readers a wide choice of music so they are more likely to find the artist they like. The puffs on the cover show this with punk bands like My Chemical Romance and indie bands like Vampire Weekend.

The man on the cover is using a direct mode of address which tells us that the magazine wants a personal relationship with its reader. However, the way he is standing is not meant to be friendly. The long shot shows him standing with the left side of his face showing. This could connote the 'other side' of music or alternative. His facial expression makes him seem mysterious as he is not smiling and the other side of is face is dark.This could connote that there is another side to him that we are unaware of. The central image on the cover shows Gerard Way, lead singer on punk rock band My Chemical Romance. This is because My Chemical Romance have a new album and have changed their style of music. The anchorage text reads 'My Chemical Romance on their Punk comeback album'. This shows what the artists target audience will be interested in: Punk. It shows that their style of music has changed and that they have not been seen in the music world for a while. This will attract readers who know of the band as they will have been waiting for the release of this album. The overall message given by the artist is that there is more to him that meets the eye. His mysterious facial expression and the way he is standing shows that he doesn't want to be like other artists, and he wants to connect with the audience but keep part of his personality hidden from them. The way he is dressed also gives us an idea of his stand out character as the outfit seems to be different from most rock stars. His grungy hair style and vampire like make-up shows that he doesn't care about what people think. The buzz word 'New' hints to the audience that they are going to see something exclusive in this magazine making them want to buy it. The title block is red, white and black and as these colours represent different meanings it shows that the magazine is made up of different genres. The colours red and black stereotypically represent the 'goth, emo' genre but white is a peaceful colour and this matches the different genres featured on the cover with bands such as My Chemical Romance, Maccabees, Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend.

The slogan at the top of the magazine reads 'New Gorillaz Art & Interview'. As this band have not been seen in the music world since their last album release 'Demon Days' in 2005 this draws in readers who may know of the band as this is their long awaited comeback. This shows that the magazine will be about new genres and new music which relates to the title 'New Musical Express'. NME use a wide choice of bands and artists from different genres to attract a wider audience. This a successful selling point as people with different tastes in music are more likely to find this magazine interesting. The many bands and artists shown in the puffs, the exclusive interviews and special features are all good selling points as they make the readers feel as if they are getting their moneys worth.

Q is a music based British magazine published monthly in the UK. The title of the magazine 'Q'; originally it was meant to be called Cue (as in the sense of queing a record, ready to play. The magazine is aimed at 16 plus, due to the variety of music they cover. This audience will have interests in different genre's of music which Q cover as we see on the magazine a wide range of artists from Snow Patrol to 50 Cent. They will also be interested in reading more serious articles and we can see on the cover that the main interest is new releases, upcoming artists and interviews.

The woman in the main image is using a direct mode of address. As she is looking straight at the audience it tells us that she wants a personal relationship with its reader. The woman on the cover is a famous Pop singer named Cheryl Cole. Although she is known by readers as a star from the pop group Girls Aloud she is portrayed as a more serious artist. She is on the cover as her image has changed over the years and this would be a good way to show people. The anchorage text reads '3 words... Cheryl Cole Rocks'. This implies that the artists music rocks which portrays her as a rockstar. This different image draws in an audience who aren't interested in her pop music.

The overall message the artist is giving is that she is much more serious and her sex appeal. This is shown on the image as she is'nt smiling, the dark colours such as black and red suggest a mysterious, darker side to her. She is wearing red lipstick which can be seductive making her seem sexy. This new 'rock-chick' look is inspired by the film 'Sin City' which is known by readers. The horror movie styled image shows her in a different way to the audience which attracts them to the magazine. She is licking a sharp pointed ring making her look more sexual. This could also represent her independance and reflect the new style of her music.

The image represents women as independant and sexy as Cheryl is shown in this way. It may also show that the rock-star look is more powerful than the pop-star look. This is shown by the new style of Cheryl Cole making her appear much more powerful than she was in her pop career with Girls Aloud.

The title block is a loud red and a simple white which shows that the magazine may have a contrast of loud to quiet artists. The two colours could also represent the English fag which appeals to the magazines British audience. This goes well with the image of Cheryl Cole who is portrayed as a rock-chick, typically loud, and yet she is well known for her pop music. The title of the magazine is a one letter word which stands out on the news stands as most magazine titles are a one letter word. This may suggest that the artists in the magazine stand out along with the image of the magazine.

The puff words shown such as Vampire Weekend, Muse and 50 Cent suggest that the magazine will consist of a wide range of artists. This tells us that the magazine expects to get an audience who are interested in more than one genre, this audience are usually older and more mature. Another puff tells us that the magazine will feature new acts, the puff reads 'The 10 Best New Acts' and also already successful artists such as U2 and The White Stripes. The buzz word 'Best' lets the audience know that the magazine will be worth buying as they are giving only the best new acts. The slogan positioned across the top of the magazine reads 'The UK''s Biggest Music Magazine'. This states clearly that the magazine is targeted at a British audience and is based on music. It is also a good selling point as it attracts readers with the term 'Biggest' which suggests that Q is the best selling music magazine in the UK.

The colours on the magazine are red, black and white. The red matches the sex appeal of Cheryl Cole and the black matches her powerful image. As these colours stand out on the cover so does Cheryl. These colours create a scary and dark atmosphere which highlight Cheryl's new image making her appear much more powerful.

The font is bold and simple making it easy and quick to read which is good for people walking past the news stands who will easily spot the magazine. This font appeals to everyone so will attract many readers. The magazine uses a range of different artists in the puffs which targets audiences with different tastes. There is an artist for everyone which is a good selling point. The magazine excites the audience with a preview of the best new acts of 2010 before the year has begun which makes the audience feel ahead of everyone else.