Published
on a monthly basis, Q features plenty of articles, on this particular
contents page we see a lot of different articles piled onto one page, it almost
seems cluttered and looks uneasy to read, as there is so much going on in one
page, this may appeal to a younger audience as they can easily navigate the
page, whereas an older readership may possibly prefer a more organised way of
the articles being placed on the page.This mode of quirky, fun and fresh presentation reflects that all of Q magazine front covers will be easily recognised as an important aspect of the magazines house style which readers have come to expect from each piece.
Similarly, the inclusion of the Q masthead and slogan aids the pages in being instantly recognisable with this further illustration of the house style creating a sense of fluency between the pages. As always with this magazine, a strong colour scheme consisting of reds, blacks and whites is evident: the dominant shades create an eye-catching impact and a sense of continuity without over-complicating the page and so succeed in alluring readers to various images and articles. Encompassing eleven images which add vibrancy and colour, the contents are divided into three distinctive sections, “Features,” “Regulars” and “The Q Review,” ensuring it is simple to navigate and understand whilst serving to further ascertain the house style.
The readers attention is instantly drawn to the image of “the chief” noel gallagher on the contents pages and this is primarily due to its size, as the largest picture visible it stretches across the right and centre thirds, filling a considerable proportion of the page. Thereby, readers are alerted to the fact that the band is the main focus of this particular issue of Q – taken from eye-level; the shot creates a sense of equality between the music legends and magazine buyers, encouraging them to read on.
The image depicts a mid-close up shot of the singer, providing readers with a close-up view of his plain collard perfectly fitted shirt, which keeps a slightly polished yet edgy persona of the magazine and will appeal to the target audience. Noel "the chief" Gallagher is positioned in the exact centre of this photograph, wearing his trademark almost angry face, he is recognisable to the so called "beef" with Liam that has been in the tabloids as of recently and so will be most-likely to attract readers.
As a unique selling point, the articles page number is printed clearly onto each photo for the ease of readers. Even through the page actually looks quite messy and hard to navigate around, the page numbers are extremely easy to see, Imposed upon a red square shape, the white numbers are depicted in a bold font equivalent to that of the magazines iconic masthead which not only adds to the sense of continuity, coinciding with the house style and professional appearance but the clever choice of presentation also makes the page number stand out, enticing readers to delve into the magazine and find the article. And although varying in size, the page numbers are featured in this manner across the entire contents.
Included on the contents pages are a variety of images of different artists/music stars, such as Kate Tempest, The Foo Fighters and Prince. Possibly giving a good mix of artists that are a variety of ages, meaning that the magazine is supporting the idea that it is aimed at a possibly older and sophisticated audience, perhaps ranging from late teens to early thirties, who love music and are interested in the latest news in the music industry today.
The Long shot of singer songwriter Prince stands out on the page as the only image set against a white background and positioned to slightly overlap the surrounding features. His iconic clothing of the long coat/jacket to his ankles, the wacky colours, to his 80s style ruffled shirt, and his obnoxious rock star guitar, give the cool rock look to the magazine this is to attract an audience of people that once were obsessed with his music.
This picture completely differs to the somewhat to the close-up shot of the English poet, spoken word artist and playwright Kate Tempest, wearing a laid back happy smile and an almost unplanned cool vibe to the prompt photo shoot, with her blonde ringlet curled hair and her baggy navy blue jumper, she gives off an almost completely different vibe to how this magazine portrays its self, its not perfectly edited with a sharp hair and makeup, its relaxed and I think perfect for this page, as it gives off a less uptight feel.
The magazine ensures that a wide variety of music fans are attracted with a mid shot of country music singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, her photograph used gives off a cool, sharp edgy look to the contents page, edited in black and white, sharp black eyeliner and cropped, choppy blonde hair, she seems almost too edgy to be a country singer, dressed in a black leather jacket with the collar popped, she seems to be trying to make a big statement. it gives a new and exciting element to the magazine; a distant expression and simple pose serves to intrigue and interest readers only further.
As mentioned, the colour scheme, depicting prominent reds, blacks and whites, immediately denotes the Q magazine house style, creating an edgy, glamorous appeal. For those who regularly purchase the magazine, the striking shades are familiar and recognisable and so will help to sell the magazine with new readers being attracted by the fresh, vibrant combination. Employing the colour white for the backdrop of the two contents pages, there are no clashing colours or illegible writing and so the magazine appears more professional and polished – this simplistic look also makes the inclusion of blacks and reds all the more eye-catching and effective.
In conclusion, I think the choice to place text at the edges of the pages with the corresponding images in the centre is very effective and eye-catching. Although I would not be able to emulate this idea exactly in my magazine as my contents will not be spread over a double page, I like the idea of keeping images and text separate as not only is it an effective use of space but it makes the layout more simplistic and professional looking. The use of a dramatic colour scheme consisting of red, black and white is very striking and I may consider including such shades in my own piece as it draws attention and makes an impact. Q magazine’s house style is prevalent in every aspect of these contents pages: I would also aim to develop my own house style and employ it throughout to create a sense of continuity and add the impression of my magazine as polished and professional. Finally, I really like the idea utilised in Q of imposing the page numbers over corresponding pictures and so would hope to do the same thereby the page can be easily navigated and so would appeal to readers. Overall, I feel that analysing this magazine has been of great benefit to me, providing a greater understanding of the codes and conventions of music magazines as well as inspiring ideas for the contents page I will be creating.
