Summary of Analysis
The idea for my magazine has been highly influenced by my textual analysis in many ways.
Front Cover
In my front cover analysis I recognised that there was a convention of the main image covering
the masthead. I will use this convention as brand recognition is important. Another convention
on the front cover is the varying sizes of the cover lines depending on their importance, having
this featured in my magazine will make sure that the main stories grab the reader’s attention. In
most magazines the cover line is used to illustrate the content of that particular article; in my
magazine this would be a good conventional feature as a younger target audience are attracted
to images and visuals rather than the actual text. There is a non-conventional feature that Q
magazine uses; displaying low key artists in order to attract other audiences. Although nonconventional I want this to be featured on my front cover as the size of my audience is important
to increase circulation. Having a selling line above the masthead is a convention that appears in
most magazines and is a useful feature to add to my front cover as it is important that the
audience feel like they are getting the best magazine. Also, it is conventional to have a boost in
the corner of the front cover, having this placed in the corner of the magazine I am planning will
be beneficial as it is vital that the audience feel like they are getting something exclusive and
special. The low lighting used for the main image is unconventional and I am going to challenge
this and have lighting so that the reader can easily see the mise en scene that is featured in the
image. The Masthead is based at the top of the page, which is a convention use for all
magazines. I will use this on my front cover because if my magazine is placed on the shelf the
masthead will still be visible to the audience. Q magazine have based their barcode on the left
in the middle, however this is unconventional as the barcode is normally found in the bottom left
corner. I will follow convention as when in the shop it makes the buying of the magazine more
efficient as it makes the barcode easy to find.
Contents Page
Q magazine has been based around magazine conventions. On the contents page there are
many conventions that I think will be beneficial for me to feature then on my magazine’s
contents page. Firstly, the majority of the contents page is images, this is useful as my younger
target audience prefer images to text, and therefore it is important for the contents page to
appeal to the target audience. All the images on the contents page are enigmatic; having this
feature in my magazine will be valuable as it is vital to try and entice a turn of the page. A
convention that Q magazine uses is that they display artists that represent the different genres
that are featured in the magazine; I am challenging this as I am only doing one genre (Indie),
however I will display the different sub-genres within the indie genre. Furthermore, using a sansserif font is conventional for the use of subheadings; this is useful to feature on my contents
page as it is essential that the reader can easily read the text. Bold subheadings and page
numbers are a conventional feature that I will add to my contents page as it is crucial that the
reader to be easily guided through the magazine. Having the page number and the date at the
bottom of the page is conventional and will be a good feature to add to my magazine as it
makes it easier for the reader to find the article of their choice. Having the writers name at the
end of the article is a feature found in many magazines as it shows the reader who wrote the
piece and gives the writer credit. Also, separating the text into columns is a convention that
helps organise the double page spread to make it easier to read.
Double Page Spread
On a double page spread, having the image covering the majority of the two pages is
conventional. Having this featured on my double page spread is useful as a younger audience
prefer visuals to text. Q magazine use a medium long shot in the article, however I am going to
develop this and feature a long shot as clothing is an important feature in the indie genre in
order to distinguish the genre from others, having a long shot allows the audience to get the full
effect of the mise en scene. Another convention is having the image anchored by the headline;
having this in my magazine is important in helping the audience associate the image with the
article. Having the lead in a different colour to the main body text is an essential convention to
feature on my double page spread in order to continue the house style and for the reader to
distinguish the different text from each other. A pull quote is conventional to a double page
spread and would be useful for me to use as it is important to draw the reader into the article. I
am hoping to develop the drop caps convention as I want to enlarge the drop caps to make it
stand out more to the reader and entice then in to read the main body text. Using the same
colour theme throughout is vital to the house style of the magazine and using the same colours
(Indigo, white and black) throughout my magazine will also remind the reader the magazines
masthead – Indie-go.