Indie magazines front cover analysis

Q Magazine

Originally the magazine was called 'cue' in the sense of cueing a record yet was changed in order for it not to be mistaken for a snooker magazine, the founders thought the single letter would also be more prominent on news stands. I agree that this more effective, the use of the red and white is constant through releases acting as a uniform we are familiar with. It is also repeatably placed in the top right hand corner, again so we are familiar with the magazine. The caption below stating 'Discover great music' is powerful as it gives a message that suggests that the magazine offers new and different music available to 'discover'.
The masthead, referring to the artist in the background image, 'Florence. Woman on the edge' is quite blunt yet is supported by a quotation; "I feel so alone" this works well as it gives a short insight into the story without revealing to much. The use of a different font for this quotation is efficient as it differentiates this text from the rest, it also adds personality to the expression. It is bold yet intricate symbolizing the content of the subject which seems to be emotional which is symbolized through the image as we see a close up of the artist, enabling us to focus on the facial features from which a serious allure is detected as Florence holds her hands around her face.
The use of swearing may be intriguing for some readers as it shows the magazine is quite informal, and shows personality, yet this may be quite risky to publish as some readers may find this inappropriate affecting sales. The use of the magazine questioning a controversial subject; "Skrillex. Dance genius or noisy git?" is effective as it involves the reader as it is likely the reader has their own opinion on the subject and would perhaps like to compare with others.
The colour blue is useful as it structures the page. The blue dashes divide the different subjects of text, the bullet points are highlighted to indicate small features of text and the circle featuring Zane Lowe is also outlined in the colour. This colour works well as it links with the blue makeup in the image. The use of different sized font also structures the layout which works well appose to using a variety of fonts which can be distracting and busy. The main, key words are indicated through larger font surrounded by information about the subject in a smaller font. The use of minimal colours work well as it gives a greater professional image.

The masthead 'Spin' is positioned in the top left hand corner, it is often moved about in different issues, yet this is appropriate as it would be able to be noticed when stacked behind other magazines in shops. This is extremely similar to Q magazine- using the colours red and white, yet this font is simpler and quite narrow.
The heading- 'Born to die' - followed by the main featuring artist Lana Del Rey, immediately informs the reader that this feature would involve her speaking mainly about her album, which is informed below in a smaller font as it is less important.
We see a close up of the artist delicately covering her mouth, this suggests a person has said to much, which - as the reader- we would be delighted to think so as we want celebrities to reveal themselves. The background is floral, representing Lana, as she seems to be quite girly yet edgy as she wears pink with glamorous curls in her hair yet her sharp nails, tattoo and clusters of rings suggest that she is quite alternative.
The magazine has a clear list of what artists are featured in the magazine, this is effective as it informs the potential buyer of the people involved without revealing why as this would take up to much space. This works because as long as the customer is able to establish artists that they are interested the content of each is not necessary as it is likely that they would be interested in the content if they like the artist.
Red is a powerful colour as it is able to capture attention therefore works well highlighting 'Free!' using the word on its own as a sentence is effective as it enables it to stand out. Most of the text on the cover is written in capitals, this makes certain text seem bolder therefore more important. Although 'Lana Del Rey' is an important heading the average letters appear to be more elegant. The size of font also indicates importance, for example 'you' is larger in the text that mentions festivals and concerts that must be attended, this term is very direct therefore involves the reader.
The text boxes are semi-transparent so the image is still visible yet structures the layout so individual pieces of text are separated in order to avoid confusion.