Magazine cover analysis - Q Magazine

Magazine Cover Analysis

Q Magazine

An example of a Q magazine cover

Masthead

Q - "Discover Great Music"

Q uses a white, capital Q encased in a red square as it's masthead. The red and white color is used to create a striking appearance that draws a potential customer. 

The logo is positioned in the top left corner. This is done as western markets are usually comprised of people that have been conditioned to read from the top left, in all forms of text. As such, these potential customers instinctively glance to the top left of the magazine, where the logo is positioned.

The Masthead also contains the sub-heading "Discover Great Music". This alludes to the magazine being music focused. 

Main Image

This specific image features Adele as the model. The shot is a close-up shot of the model  The picture has had the background removed, creating a white background. This gives the magazine a clean and professional appearance. 

Sell Lines + Information

The sell lines say just enough to draw the reader in, but not enough to spoil the contents of the articles. The Text uses stark, contrasting colors to stand out from the background, such as the red and black against the white background, or the white against the models hair. This brings attention to the text and makes it stand out. 

The pug is also used to highlight important information. In this case being the 300th issue celebration.  

Design and Color scheme 

Q uses a conventional magazine layout. The text uses a grid based layout. The design sticks to the Q layout of only having one artist on the cover.

The Magazine uses a White, Red and Black color scheme. The scheme seems to be typical of Q. These colors also contrast each other often in Q's design, making the colors stand out amongst each other.