‘Q’ magazine is a market leader for the music magazine genre and it is mainstream. It is published by a British magazine published by a German company Bauer Media Group. From June 2007 the magazine had a circulation of 130,179. The magazine also has internet presence therefore, it show convergence.
The masthead ‘Q’ runs over the strap line takes up large area to accommodate for one letter as it stands out. The white ‘Q’ on the red background looks striking. The slug (short burst of information) contrasts with the colours used for the masthead, it has a white background with red writing. The sell lines are at the bottom of the magazine and it uses the same colours. This cover has not followed the conventions of the magazine completely as the sell lines are at the bottom instead of being on the side. A strap line is going across the top of the magazine saying “The UK’s biggest magazine” which shows it has wide recognition.
The cover is a mixture of graphic and photographic images. It covers a wide range of genres so I assume it is both for males and females. The thought bubble from the sailor imagines the Gorillaz riding on a wave could be a metaphor of how exciting their music is.The graphic image on the cover shows the music band The Gorillaz riding a wave. It shows the band members attacking the masthead with a harpoon gun. This could be iconography used to represent child-like behavior. The wave they are riding symbolizes the height of their career. The wave illustration is used as intertextuality as it was created by the artist Hokusai. Inside the wave there is a collage of all artists that have collaborated with The Gorillaz. It shows that with the support of these artists is making the wave go higher. It also links with the “plastic beach” concept of the new CD.The mode of address of the magazine is mischievous and fun. The wave creates eye flow and is about to hit a sailor.
The language used on the cover makes this issue of ‘Q’ very special. It uses words such as “World exclusive Gorillaz”. The sell line shape is in a circle that adds more aesthetic value. The sell lines match the picture “A star studded crew set sail again”. The attacking of the ‘Q’ masthead shows a mode of address. The magazine also has pull out quotes as sell lines to interest the reader and make the cover more eyecatching.
Very perceptive, well done. The Bauer Group is based in Germany but it does have a UK division. I thought that was smoke coming from the sailor's pipe. Did you mean direct mode of address?
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