Task 2 (Planning) - Q and Kerrang

The main cover of Q Magazine’s October 2010 edition is of Jay-Z staring at the camera as if he’s addressing the audience directly. He’s also wearing black and white, matching the magazines colour scheme and in terms of how the shot is set up, Jay-Z is looking very down-to-earth as if he’ll be very truthful in his article. Sure enough, to the left of him is an exclusive interview with the rapper himself. The layout of the page is very formal, with Jay-Z taking up most of the page and informational text taking up the sides of the page and in the use of a skyline. The masthead is partially covered by Jay-Z’s head showing his prevalence in this issue with in bold red letters, that this is also starring Lady Gaga, Dave Grohl, and Brandon Flowers. This being one of the many things your eyes are drawn to on the front cover. Pull quotes are also used below the mention of Noel Gallagher, Thome Yorke and Muse. These add a new and different way to introduce different articles in the magazine.

In comparison, Kerrang’s magazine cover depicts Fall Out Boy in a more hectic front cover in terms of its content. Again the main cover photo matches the colour scheme of the magazine with Fall Out Boy wearing blue, black and yellow. The shot type is a traditional medium shot used with 2 in a frame. The main photo completely covers the masthead to show, like in Q magazine, how important the music artist is in this issue. Unlike Q magazine there are photos from other articles and 2 photos depicting free posters. The textual information in this issue is laid along the bottom of the page as well as in the skyline. The text size is altered to show the importance of each section with your eyes being led to each part, bit by bit.

The contents page of Q is very neat with the 2 pages split into three sections, one for the featured article, one for the “regulars” and one for the “Q review.” This distinction makes it very easy to navigate around the pages and find what you’re looking for. The featured articles have pictures about them with the main headline, extra information and the page number neatly sitting next to the pictures. This method of presenting the articles can make them a lot more interesting and intriguing than normal by making the layout all the more effective.

Kerrang’s content page is simple and since it is a weekly magazine, there is only one page. The featured articles also have pictures next to them and clearly stand out from the rest of the editorial. There’s also a system to distinguish articles from the rest by “Cover Story” being written next to them. The sections of the contents are separated by clear sections including “News”, “Live Reviews” and “Album Reviews”. The main font used is the same for the logo, this being a way for the sections to be labelled as the companies own i.e. branded.

The double page spread for Q magazine uses quite a traditional layout with that of the main focus (in this case: Lana Del Rey) on the left page and the article on the right hand side of the page. The main picture on the left page shows a very ambient but soft looking picture of Lana. The use of blue reflections and a red streak of red hair gives the image some flair to it. The text starts off in a larger font to lead the clients in to reading it with their also being an enlarged first letter to do the same. The first few sentences give the reader an insight into the themes of the article and how Lana intends to present herself with “blood running down her forehead” and that “looking either like she’s mourning someone or about to knife them.” From this, the tone is set to be eerie and dramatic leaving the reader to want to know more. The tone is emphasised even more with the lack of title meaning the reader just has to start reading to know what the article focuses on.

On the other end of the spectrum is Kerrang’s main article which features Metallica on the same layout as the Q articles. Although a lot like the rest of the magazine, Kerrang’s article is quite loud and overflowing with information. The title itself overlaps onto the picture of Metallica. The article starts off with a standalone paragraph giving details about the rest of the spread and it also teases the audience into what to expect. The tone is informal and keeps to a relaxed approach in learning more about the rockers, this theme is kept with the laid back Q and A about them with the use of such questions as, “Are you getting bored of people asking you if you can play your own songs on guitar hero?” This mode of address helps keep the reader interested in the work and eager to read on. 

Both Q and Kerrang operate under the same roof of Bauer Media. This publisher is also known for other massive magazines such as Grazia, Heat, and Mojo. The company is also very well established in other types of media with 4Music on TV, Magic FM and Absolute Radio on Radio. Also, Bauer Media has over 22 million UK consumers every week. 

Q’s credentials show us what their audience is like and in a way why they decide how their editorial should be presented and laid out. As you can see, the have an audience of around 29 years old: at this age, young adults are known to mature into parents and settle down away from a more wild life as people in their early to mid-20’s. You can see this demographic being targeted with the more mature and formal layout.

Kerrang’s mean age being young at 22 explains the loud and busy layout which most of Kerrang is made up of. The percentage of K! Readers buying every issue shows how dedicated the fans are and tells us why they keep to more of less the same theme of article in each edition of the magazine.