Contents page analysis Q magazine

This is my analysis of Q magazine contents page. I like the whole layout of it and i got lots of ideas from analysing it to use in my magazine.

Published on a monthly basis, Q always features an abundance of articles which fills up the whole contents page, allowing for a spacious and polished look which will appeal to the target audience of young professionals. This mode of contemporary and yet sophisticated presentation reflects that of all Q front covers and so 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 seven images which add vibrancy and colour, the contents have page numbers beside each picture to navigate the reader to where this section is and there is also a “Q Review” section.

The contents page accommodates the house style of the magazine as it uses the colour scheme of the magazine, red, white and black. The title on the contents page uses the Q logo which is red and white colour for the word contents. It is surrounded by a black box and above it states the date of the issue in a grey colour. This makes it more elegant.

There are 7 pictures altogether on the contents page. The biggest image is on the right of the page at the top and is of St. Vincent holding a Q award. This image represents the Q awards which feature in this issue. She is wearing a black dress which again accommodates the house style and her hair is slicked back which is an elegant feature.  There are 5 images along the left hand side of the page. These are pictures of the people that have been mentioned on the cover lines. The first one is Ed Sheeran who is the main feature of the magazine. He is again holding his guitar which represents him as a person and the image is very causal as he is not posing. Under his image it says "on the cover" in red colour to show the audience he is the main feature and what page he features on. The next image is of Culture Club. It is a close up image and the colours are incorporated in this image because he is wearing a red hat and black jacket. The next image is an picture saying "50 Albums of the year". This again features on the cover.  The image of Royal Blood is a mid shot and they are wearing black jackets accommodating the colour scheme. The next picture is a long shot of Neil Young standing holding a guitar case, this is a very casual image of him and he is directly looking into the camera to appeal to audience.

The review section is in a black box with the title "The Q Review" the Q is in red which is the house style. The picture at the top of the box is of AC/DC and the colours they are wearing are black. The review section includes a live, new and reissue section with artists beside each section. Beside the live section is Caribou and the page number. AC/DC is beside the new section as well as Mary J Blige and Pixies is beside the Reissue section. This narrows it down for the readers and makes it easier to find the person they want to read about. The font is the same throughout the cover and contents page and the colour of the writing is mainly black.

The page numbers are beside each picture, they are inside different coloured circle. This adds colour to the magazine and makes it appealing to the young audience this magazine has. The number is in white which makes it stand out more. At the bottom of the page there is a plus section which also features on the cover. This is extra information that is included in the magazine that is worthy to feature in the contents. This includes other people that feature, it is John Lydon, Jamie T, Labrinth, Madness and Jessie J. These artists appeal to the young and Cool audience the Q have. On the bottom of the pages it states the issue and the Q logo as well as the page number.

In conclusion, I think 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.