Katie Edwards

I would like to create an Indie/Rock Magazine, basing it on the publication:

Q magazine UK’s biggest selling music monthly magazine, a cross-platform brand which celebrates both exciting new artists and features popular stars in rock and roll. It has more than 10 brand extensions, engaging with a large audience, e.g. through their website (www.qthemusic.com), and through Q radio.

Q magazine was launched in 1986. Within each issue, it features album reviews, music exclusives, and a ‘sense of humour’ in order to appeal to the target audience.

Q has featured some of the world’s most popular artists, from a variety of music genres; Adele, Rihanna, Oasis, Radiohead, Lady Gaga and U2 are to name but a few. Every issue, the magazine also features new artists, identifying current and ‘future’ music, a feature which I would like to include in my own magazine.

Audience Profile

Circulation: 64,596 (Jan-Jun '12)Readership: 371,000 (April–Sept '12)

Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

This shows that the average Q reader is male. Q readers are affluent, being in the ABC1 profile category, and have a high disposable income. Q’s readers are also young, with the majority being 15-24 years of age, at 38.3%. Q caters for this audience by providing artists to appeal to a ‘younger taste’, reporting with the ‘sense of humour’ that Q is known for. It also had a high brand influence score of 73%, meaning that Q influences the socially influential people.

Q magazine has created a mission statement to ensure that it connects with it’s target audience in every issue:

Q is the magazine that brings music alive. It draws together the biggest stars, the most exciting phenomena, the new artists that matter and a healthy dose of irreverence to create an unmissable widescreen picture of what’s really happening in rock and roll right now.

Every issue features agenda-setting star interviews, the month’s biggest moments in music, and fascinating investigations into the wider world of rock and roll. Each month Q’s comprehensive reviews section gives the last word on all the most important new releases and reissues – and feeds Q’s readers’ hunger for new music to enjoy.

Q’s reviews section is the ultimate critical overview of music. And magazine’s unrivalled access brings its readers up close and personal with the stars who set the agenda. Q is the ultimate rock and roll read.

MISSION STATEMENT

Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Examples of Q magazine’s cover pages:

Q magazine generally features only one image – the main image. On some issues, the Masthead has been manipulated to appear as if an artist is interacting with it (i.e. smashing it). The Masthead is always placed in the top left third of the page, in bright red, which stands out when placed on a shelf for the reader. Occasionally, the fonts used appear as if they are ‘written’ with a pen. There is also an apparent following of conventions, in the form of barcodes, puffs, and selling lines.

Here is my analysis of one Q magazine cover page:

Q MAGAZINE: CONTENT PAGES

Q magazine content pages generally feature one large image, accompanied by a few smaller images. All of which are so visually interesting that they are only anchored with a page number rather than a line of ‘explanation’ (feature) . There is also the use of a list, of features, which appears usually on the left third of the page. The content pages also conventionally include an issue number and date line. It has a very simple, clear layout, with a white background contrasted against the vibrant colours of the images and red backgrounds of various text, which is something I would like to use on my own magazine. The name of the magazine is also re-enforced on this page, along with the selling line.

Here is my analysis of one Q magazine content page:

Q MAGAZINE: DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD EXAMPLES

Name of the artist anchors the image and main article. This text is in both italics and bold, which contrasts effectively to portray the artist’s behaviour (i.e. the word lady is in what is perceived to be feminine, ‘pretty’ font, whereas GAGA is in bold font and capitals, showing how bold the artist can be). All of the fonts used on this page are serif, which appears professional.

One image takes up the entire left page. It is in black and white, which looks simple and effective against the large red ‘L’ on the right page, which is the only colour on the page. This is something that I would like to use in my own magazine. The expression is serious, and she looks quite provocative which seems daring and exciting to a reader.

A drop cap has been used to draw attention to certain text.

Example of a double page spread featured in Q magazine: