Music Magazine Evaluation

By Oli Barlow

My Music Magazine Vs ‘Q’

My Front Cover AnalysisThe use of the red box around the masthead follows the conventional forms from ‘Q Magazine’ and creates a noticeable and easily recognizable masthead.

The use of a plain white background seems to be a very traditional look among music magazines and gives the image a posed and studio feel to it. It also allows for the cover lines and the image to stand out.

The plain text that I have used follows the theme from the masthead with the use of the same colour so that readers will get used to it and always relate the colour to the magazine.

By having the ‘model’ looking straight out at the reader it draws attention to him and makes the reader want to read about him. This is a very conventional technique used by magazines.

The use of a different shape here is used to break up the text and stop the cover lines looking like a list. This is used in most covers.

The use of sub text breaks up the cover lines to stop them from looking like a list, this is used in many magazines.

The use of a different colour is used in a conventional way to make the name stand out and also to be able to relate it to the image through its superior size.

The image is positioned here is both challenging and following conventional forms. On some covers the image is central but on others it is to the side. I have used the rule of thirds to ensure that the image attracts the readers attention.

Q Front Cover Analysis

Conventional box around the masthead to give the magazine its own look. The colour scheme is continued across the front cover.

The text here is also using a conventional technique in varying its size and colour.

Not all magazines use this but ‘Q’ tend to use a quote as a cover line.

This is the most conventional technique used. The plain background to ensure the image and the text stands out from the cover.

This image is centered on the page but again the ‘model’ is posed to be starring out at the reader to grab attention.

The use of larger text for the main artist’s name is a very traditional technique among magazines with the colour scheme showing through from the masthead.

My Contents Vs ‘Q’ Contents

My Contents Page AnalysisThe use of a large image here is used in many contents pages to show the same story that is feature on the front cover. The number ion the image is traditionally used in ‘Q’ magazine to show the page number the article is featured on.

The masthead is often used again on top of the contents page to carry on the magazine’s theme, this is a very conventional form in ‘Q’.

The use of this sub-title is also used traditionally in many magazines' to clearly separate the magazine’s articles and the ‘Features’ here clearly show the reader what is new in this issue.

Boxes are not always used in magazines but I have used them unconventionally to separate the different articles even more so that the reader can clearly scan the contents for what they want.

The ‘Regulars’ box is similarly used in the same tradition to the ‘Features’ box but this box just lists the articles that are always included in every issue.

The use of a different colour text here is a very conventional technique used in ‘Q’s’ contents page to again separate the main articles heading and the small amount of information below on what the article is about. Most magazines use the information below as a conventional form and I feel that it really helps to ensure the page doesn’t seem like a list.

Q Contents Page AnalysisThe traditional use of the masthead is used here in ‘Q’ magazine to continue the theme.

Unlike my contents page ‘Q’ have kept the informational text and the articles heading the same colour and changed the page number to the conventional red, this makes the number stand out but I wanted the information to stand out on my contents page.

Although ‘Q’ have used ‘Every Month’ as their heading it is very similar to the traditional ‘Regular’ section that I have used. I have used this as it seems to have become a very known section among contents pages, I felt that it worked well and made the contents page look professional but clear.

The posed picture here is a very conventional technique, with the ‘models’ staring out at the reader. I have used this form on my contents page to attract the reader.

The use of smaller images at the bottom of the page is also used throughout magazine contents pages, but I have developed this idea further by including a screen capture of my front cover, unlike this image which is just another description of what the magazine includes.

My Double Page Spread Vs ‘Q’

My Double Page Spread AnalysisI have developed the conventional use of the large image on a double page spread by actually making the whole page a base for the image. Conventionally the image is just across part of the page.

I have kept to traditional forms here with placing a quote over the top of the image to add a professional look to the page.

I have used the pink colour in this text of the artist’s name to make it stand out from the page, however it is a carefully chosen colour as the artist has a certain feminine appeal. The use of italics is also used to separate the name form the other text.

This style of layout is sometimes used among magazines but I feel that I have developed it slightly. In the ‘Q’ article the text at the top is all the way across although it is in a different colour and size. Mine however is just used to separate the text as this paragraph is background information. The lines are used to again separate the text, this being a new style that I felt worked well.

‘Q Magazine’ Double Page Spread Analysis

This style of image is used very often, with enough space on the page for more text, I felt that this didn’t have the same effect as the image on the whole page.

The conventional use of the qoute over the image is used like in my magazine here, although I used the white box around mine to make it stand out more, as I feel the text used here is quite hard to read.

The opening paragraph here is in a different colour to the rest of the article but I felt that in my magazine the use of the lines was enough to separate the text.

I feel that the layout of this article isn’t as good as mine, and the use of different colours doesn’t look as professional as it could do. I feel that my layout is easy to follow.

OverallOverall I feel that I mostly follow the forms and conventions that are used in ‘Q’ magazine but I do however, sometimes challenge and develop these ideas in my magazine.

My front cover does include similar colours to ‘Q’ but uses them in different ways to help separate the text and make the cover look both attractive and professional.

The contents page also follows the forms and conventions that ‘Q’ use but I again develop them in ways that separate the text and stop it from looking like a list.

My double page spread is the most challenging to conventions throughout my magazine with the image taking up the whole page and the layout is also very different to that used among other magazines.