Q Front Cover Deconstruction



I will be deconstructing three magazine front covers in order to gain a thorough understanding of conventions and effective magazine design.  It will help me gain some inspiration for my project.  I will be analysing the masthead, text, colour, font styles, layout and images.  This is my first deconstruction.  It is 'Q' magazine with Jimmi Hendrix on the cover.

Masthead- The logo for 'Q' magazine is bold and stands out.  This is achieved by the colour scheme of red and white.  Its position works well as it allows more room for a larger main image.  Personally, I will have a one worded masthead.  The idea of a square is simplistic, but effective.  Directly underneath the masthead, there is a black box with white text which reads, 'The modern guide to music'.  The word 'modern' tells the reader it will appeal to a young audience and that it is written and designed in a way that also catches the eye of a young audience.  The font used for the masthead is modern, but my font is going to be more unique, but have the appearance of something older.

Text- The main image is eye catching, but is supported by the headline which says 'Wild Thing'.  The word 'wild' emphasises the behaviour of Jimmi Hendrix as an artist and the use of the word 'thing' gives him his own unique identity as a possibly mad, but passionate singer.  The strapline also contains an important word- 'undiscovered', meaning the feature on Hendrix will be something new and certainly appealing to fans.  The cover lines are bold, containing words like 'Sex Gods' and the phrase 'Ta-daaa'.  These cover lines are short but this is clearly better, grabbing the attention of someone looking at it in a shop.  This effective technique is certainly something I would like to use.  On the right there is a circle with the words, 'The World's greatest album guide'. 'Greatest' improves the image of the magazine.  This word is the largest in the circle, meaning it is the word you will look at first.

Colour- The colour scheme is red, white and black.  The image boasts a rich blue and gold, which are evidently the primary colours for getting peoples' attention.  The lighter colours such as red and light orange are present at the top of the cover and the darker colours such as black and blue are present from the middle to the bottom of the page.  The costume Jimmi Hendrix is wearing dominates the cover as the gold is shining and is arranged in a pattern.  The instrument on the ground is also appealing due to its glimmering gold and bold red.  On my front cover, I plan to use colours that will stand out and look dominant such as green and dark blue.  Overall, I will use a 3 shade colour scheme.

Font Styles- The font for the features is simple, but due its boldness, it stands out effectively.  'Not!' is in italic and is underlined which breaks up the ordinary looking text.  The text- 'The World's Greatest album guide' is in 3D.  The use of this speaks to the reader.  It is interesting and causes the words to look like they are somewhat coming off the page.  Apart from the cover lines, my front cover would be supported by something extra like this.

Layout- The date and price lie directly below the masthead.  The top right hand corner has a rectangular box with more features and underneath it tells you there is loads more.  This informs you the magazine is detailed and worth the money.  The box has five stars at the top.  These decorate the box, but are also significant of the rating system- five stars being the highest you can go when reviewing something.  This boosts the reputation of Q because it is secretly telling you it is a high quality magazine.  The barcode is also on the right hand side.  I will follow this commonly used idea of placing the price inside the barcode, but leaving the issue number and price out of it.

Images- The image of Hendrix is the main one and is large enough to cover part of the logo which resides in the top left hand corner.  This is common for magazines- especially if they have been out for a long time, meaning people do not need to see the entire logo as they already know what it is.  I will only slightly cover my masthead.  Hendrix looks energetic and in very high spirits.  His clothing suggests a love of music and that he is not afraid to be himself.  His rings are also unique, suggesting he is experienced.  The size of the image catches peoples' attention as it goes from the top to the bottom of the cover.  This is an idea I would like to use in my personal project- an image that fills the front cover.   

Mise en scene- The unique clothing looks even more so due to the lighting, which makes the gold shine brighter.  The lighting has been used well as it focuses on his hair and hands.  Because of the lighting, the blue and purple colors gain more presence.  There is no location- it is uncommon for the image on the front cover to have been taken outdoors.  Instead it was taken with a white backdrop.  I will either do that, or I will edit my background and put it onto a white background.  Hendrix is looking down at the instrument below him, but appears very excited.  His body language connotes he is passionate.  From looking at his hands, the audience can evaluate that he is driven by music.

Enigma codes- 'Wild Thing' intrigues the reader because of its short but inventive adjective and its suggestion that Hendrix is in a class of his own.  As enigma codes ultimately encourage the reader to view the article, I plan on using them in my work.  I like the use of it on this front cover.

Semiotics- I can see from this cover that people of an older audience would be drawn to it.  This idea is based on the featured singers who are not recent and the use of old fashioned clothing.  These things work together to persuade the target audience to buy the magazine, but do not attract the attention of younger audiences.  My magazine will be for teenagers and young adults and the cover will let the reader know this.