The very first thing that stood out for me on this magazine was the big bold bright logo in the top left corner. This logo stays in this place throughout every issue of Q. The red is ALWAYS contrasting to the rest of the page this is good as it makes the magazine look more important, creating a connection with the reader: Q = quality. However the artist is partially crossing through the logo. This takes attention away from the brand and focus's it on the model.I am going to do something similar to the in my magazine. I think the bold contrast of the logo is highly important as it creates an iconic look for the magazine. Making audiences remember the logo.
The model is the next thing I noticed on the page. 'Chris Martin', the lead singer of globally renowned band Coldplay, is featured on the front of the magazine. it is extremely important to notice that it is an article about a band... But only features the lead singer. This portrays a clear high archly of importance between the members and that the magazine only features the best. - on another note I doubt under a fifth of the population can name another member of Coldplay aside from Chris Martin. The model is shown in a long shot and looking away from the camera. A long shot had been used to how his whole 'dance pose'.
I like the idea of using one model as it makes the page look less busy, making it easier to mild the text around the model. More interesting images can be used as well because there is less of a space issue.
You can also tell the photographer has taken a lot of time and consideration when capturing this image. It weaves perfectly into the page. The arm crosses smoothly through the Q - almost as if he's holding it. Chris is shown to be looking down at the "50 albums of the year" this draws the reader to the title and captures them to make them interested.
Although I think the eye line match used on this cover is clever I think I would prefer to have my model looking into the camera as it engages the reader more.
The font used is quite signature-like, this seems to be a convention of Q making it look like the artist has signed the cover - there approval in some ways. Other fonts used are sans serif, the use of these bold uncurled letters is good as it stands out against informal flicky handwriting.
I really like the signature effect of these font and think I will use this convention in my magazine as it is interesting and really stands out for me.
The barcode is placed in the bottom left corner. The connotation changes a lot, the barcode content doesn't change but the position often changes. The barcode always contains the date, price and website - and of course the actual barcode.
My magazine will have a barcode just like this as my magazine will not be free - free music magazines simply don't exist.
